Friends and Music by Sarah Denike

One of the things that I love about my job as a student ambassador is that I get to take part in many of the school events by observing them and then sharing it with others. Today I went to see an instrumental/ choral concert in R004. It was both fun and pleasant. I love music and those involved did such a great job. We truly have some talented musicians and singers among us.
For the first part of the concert Melvin Williams (part time professor at CCC) directed the instrumental performing ensemble. The audience was treated to melodies that delighted the soul and made you want to dance on a ‘“mountain with its head in the clouds” .Speaking as a fellow partaker of the festivities I found it difficult to restrain myself. One could not help but move one’s own instruments along with La Tarantella as one of the students plucked a delightful instrument that looked like a small guitar. On top of getting to hear a concert I was also blessed to get a historic/cultural lesson in the background of some of the instrumental pieces. For example the latter one mentioned was an Italian song with a chilian twist to it that was played when one got bit by a spider and was shaking in convulsions.

In the middle of the performance there were songs played with select people singing or a soloist involved. One that really touched me was Your Daddy’s Son from Ragtime. In it was told a story about a boys father as his mother buries him in the ground. My heart was pulled as the lines “ I buried my heart in the ground” came into the air as the singer tells the story of this woman that has so much conflict and heart ache with burying her son.

The final half of the concert was kicked of with a glorious Kenyan song called Wana Baraka . The melody was so wonderful that one could almost hear drums in the background to this wonderful piece. Ending the concert was the song “Walk together children” which concluded with the chorus swaying and elevating the joy of its listeners.

Many people I knew took part in this wonderful event and I just want to say “thank you” . Your melodies and cascading harmonies were such a gift to me and i am privileged to call you my friends. Thanks for giving us a great concert .

My CCC Experience By Nick Bonomo

My experience as a CCC student so far has been, in a word, comfortable. For almost a year and a half I've been experiencing the quality education and fun student life that CCC has to offer. As a sophomore, I can truly say that I know a lot about CCC. I have been here long enough to enjoy a lot of student life as well as community outreach. I am eager to come in to school and to create for myself a skill set which prepares me well for my upcoming transfer to CUNY John Jay. I have been given the right amount of support, lenience, compassion and freedom to create my own environment here at CCC. I can see my future being built with every class I take and my short-term goal of getting a college degree is well within my grasp. CCC offers me a rare opportunity to experience college in a cost effective and more transitional way than many other colleges. I feel that I am equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to move on and accomplish my goals, as well as the motivation to do so. My choice to come to CCC was the right one and I am sure that it will serve me well in the future.

- Nick

A Glimpse Into the Life of Nick

My name is Nick and I am a sophomore at CCC. Here's a little background on me: I am a compassionate and empathetic person who loves to understand people and their thoughts. I am in my third semester at CCC and studying Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences and I will graduate from here with my Associate’s Degree in that program of study. I am planning to transfer to CUNY John Jay to study to become a Criminal Profiler in the FBI and perhaps to teach music theory at a high school when I retire. A hobby that I am extremely passionate about is music. I enjoy listening, writing, playing, singing and generally studying it. I currently have two jobs, one of which is Concession Manager at The Palace Theatre in Corning; the other is Student Ambassador specializing in marketing here at CCC. My biggest aspiration in my life is to someday be a good father.