To Make A Difference

Emily Doppel ’15 knows what it’s like to be pulled in multiple directions. In high school, she worked a series of part-time jobs and went to school. Although she graduated from high school with excellent grades and in the top 10 percent of her class, she wanted to focus completely on academics in college. Receiving the Presidential Scholarship allowed her to do this.

“The scholarship removed a lot of stress,” said Emily. “I hear my friends talk about the massive debt they have, and I am thankful that I avoided that. I also feel more prepared than many of my peers who couldn’t focus completely on schoolwork. I had the time to focus completely on the assignments and making the most of my college courses.”

Emily earned a liberal arts degree at CCC and transferred – easily she said – to SUNY Geneseo.

“CCC was spot on when it came to transferring,” said Emily. “My credits transferred, and I didn’t lose any time.”

At Geneseo, she is preparing to be a teacher and aspires to teach students with special needs.

“I’ve seen my mother really make a difference in special education classrooms,” said Emily. “She believes in their abilities and has high expectations of them … sometimes higher than anyone else in their lives. It works. Her students accomplish great things. I want to do that.”

Emily expects to earn her master’s degree at SUNY Oneonta after graduating from SUNY Geneseo and hopes to find a teaching position in a rural community. One of the keys to being a successful teacher, she said, is to be available for her students, like her CCC professors were for her.

“Sometimes students need extra help, before or after school,” said Emily. “The best teachers make themselves available. I had full access to my professors at CCC. It made a huge difference for me.”