Meet the Students

Farhad Begaliev wanted to learn skills that would lead him to a rewarding hands-on career. His path led him to Alfred State and the Automotive Service Technician program where he is excited for what the future holds.

“I chose Alfred State because they have one of the greatest hands-on programs. I am not the type of person who would sit down at a desk for multiple hours. I would rather be in the shop with all this equipment and work with cars.”

Farhad has been interested in cars since he was a kid. “I always wanted to help my family out. I grew up in a family with only one vehicle and it was always broken down.”

Entering the program at Alfred State, Farhad had little actual background working on cars. “The best part of the program is that you get so much experience. They try to simulate real world situations. The instructors have so much experience. They have answers for pretty much every scenario that me and my classmates have. We are always learning something new.”

The knowledge he has gained at Alfred State and in the workplace has helped him land a job starting right after graduation.

Alfred State helped Farhad accelerate his learning and he is driving towards a great career.

Michael Berthin wanted to pursue a career that he knew would always have job opportunities. He enjoys learning hands-on and wanted to develop skills that he could use not only for a profession but also in his everyday life.

The heavy equipment truck and diesel technician major was the right fit for Michael “I chose Alfred State because the program is primarily focused on getting hands-on, tools-on experience. I want to be able to not only work on cars and heavy equipment outside my home but also do work on my vehicles.”

Michael had tinkered with tractors and other machinery but had never taken automotive classes before Alfred State. “My professors had patience with me when I started. I asked lots of questions, and they were extremely helpful. They would explain things to me not only in the class setting but also on the shop floor. They helped me connect names to components, components to concepts, and functions to see how things worked. It was helpful and better than just reading a book.”

Michael is excited about the opportunities that his education has opened. “There are opportunities all over the place and you are never going to be without work in this field. Diesel is not going anywhere. They need people to work on tractor trailers, farming equipment, construction equipment, so you are always going to have a job quite literally anywhere you go.”

His education experiences at Alfred State have Michael wanting to continue his path. Armed with an internship to put his diesel technician skills to work he plans to return to ASC to work on a degree in technology management to build business skills to add to his technical skills.

Alfred State has helped Michael look under the hood, and he is excited to accelerate his career.

Bee Williams always wanted to study abroad and her passion for basketball and mechanical engineering led her to Alfred State. She has experienced new things, gained leadership experience, and is excited to see what the future holds for her.

“Not only was I recruited for the basketball team, but I found out that this is one of the best schools for engineering in the area. I got scholarships based on my academics and it made it cheaper than me going to university back home in Australia.”

The professors and the academic program influenced Bee. “There are so many high-quality professors that have worked in the industry. The class sizes are small, and the professors can help. We learn everything during lectures and put them to use on paper and then we go into labs and use apparatuses and do experiments using actual tools. We get experience on how to use them and see how it is applied in our field.”

Getting involved outside the classroom has only enhanced her college experience. Bee played on the basketball team for two years, joined Greek life as a sister in Pi Nu Epsilon, is a civic engagement advocate, and worked as an orientation leader.

“Opportunities to get involved and get engaged are offered to students all the time here. I am slowly building up my reputation and resume. Not only are you getting an amazing degree, but I have also had all these opportunities to build up my personality and who I am as a person.”

Alfred has become a second home to Bee. “The biggest reason I choose Alfred State is because of the community. No matter what degree you are pursuing, or what background you come from, Alfred State is so accepting of all its students. We have so many opportunities, there is never a day where there is not something going on.”

Bee traveled across the globe and Alfred State has helped Bee launch her career.

Edward Scroxton has been able to combine his passions and skills during his studies at Alfred State. He is excited to see where his hands-on experiences and his business knowledge will lead him after graduation.

Scroxton earned a scholarship to Alfred State out of high school and planned to study construction management but switched majors to building trades. After studying on the Wellsville campus for two years and earning his associate degree he wanted to continue his education. He explored different options at ASC and decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in technology management.

“I wanted to get a business aspect towards my associate degree and also wanted to diversify my entire college career of learning.”

Edward feels he has added on to his knowledge base with the classes has taken. “The application of what I have learned here has helped me understand more about business operations. It also has given me more time to realize who I am and what I want to do in life and give me the opportunities that I need to succeed in my life.”

Interacting and connecting with his professors has added to his experiences in the classroom. “The professors are amazing, and they are helping me out. I have been able to build relationships with them and they have been able to advise me in certain aspects of my life.”

Before college, Edward started a woodworking business, Pyur Tree Customs. He crafts cutting and serving boards and personalizes them with laser engraving. A local entrepreneur competition caught his eye and helped him develop his company.

“Competing and collaborating with my partner and mentor helped me understand what I was doing and helped me with brand awareness. The biggest thing I learned from the AHA Competition was how I was going to lay out my future endeavors for myself and the business.”

Alfred State has helped Edward elevate his business plan and he is excited to see where it takes him.

A scholarship and great financial aid drew Amanda Chrisphante to the nursing program at Alfred State. Her experiences with the faculty and in the hands-on labs have her heading down the right path to her dream job.

“The professors are available, and they really want you to succeed. They are here to answer any of our questions. I love them.”

“In lecture, we talk about the things we see in clinical while in skills lab we perform activities like IV’s and wound dressing that we get to perform in the clinical setting. We are prepared before we go into the clinical setting.”

Amanda thinks the surrounding area has been key to her success as well. “The area is quiet. I have the time and the space to study. It is convenient to have a skills lab right on campus. I can just come over and work on the manikins and perfect my skills.”

She might be far from home, but she has taken the journey with her sister, Lianna, and her new family, her fellow classmates.

Amanda plans on starting as a Med-Surge or an ER nurse but ultimately wants to become a nurse practitioner.

Amanda left the fast pace of the city and now is on a fast path to a successful career.

Lauren Staba wants to become a physician assistant and she found that the health sciences program at Alfred State gave her the right path to make that a reality.

Connected to Alfred State by multiple family members, Lauren was hesitant about attending until she came on a visit. “The program seemed like a good fit for me. When I toured and got to know the community and the aspect that students really having each other’s back it really felt like a second home. I just love it here.”

A variety of classes has continued to peak Lauren’s passion for the field. “You get a taste of everything; we have a virology class that was wonderful to learn about and we get a really good background with microbiology here.”

Lauren has enjoyed the connection she has had with her professors and classmates. “You have smaller classes, and the professors are knowledgeable. They make it easy for you to go to them and they encourage us to ask questions. I know if I had not gone to some of my professors I would not have done as well in the class. They are wonderful and approachable.”

“I have bonded with classmates. We work through problems together and your lab partners become your closest friends. At the end of the day, we are going through the same thing. These are the people that I am going to want around me the rest of my life.”

As her education grew, an opportunity to take a class at a local hospital led her to employment as a phlebotomist when she was not in the in classroom or lab. The job helped her meet the needed hours to follow her dreams and get accepted into physician assistant school.

“The best part of Alfred State is the people. I was so shocked at how nice everyone was. It is such a good community here.”

Alfred State has helped Lauren put her career under a microscope and she is going to see success.