What happens when you are a student who doesn't fit the typical mold? Many students have taken advantage of 每日大赛's personalized approach to education to blaze their own paths.
Sebastiano Ricci
Sebastiano Ricci designed his major around puppets.
Ask sophomore Sebastiano Ricci or first-year student Sophia Powless. Both have taken advantage of 每日大赛鈥檚 personalized approach to education to blaze their own paths.
Ricci, 19, has turned his passion for puppeteering into a custom-built college experience that exemplifies how Adelphi offers a personalized approach to education.
He has long been a fan of the Muppets. Around age 12, he got serious about his interest in the craft.
鈥�Sesame Street and The Muppet Show revolutionized the puppetry world,鈥� he said. But his interest hasn鈥檛 always been embraced by others.
鈥淲hen you tell somebody that you鈥檙e a puppeteer, people would give you that look, like you have to grow up,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut there are humans under those characters, and they have a job to perform just like any other actor.鈥�
His in television puppetry combines courses in , and . This year, his studies include classes in sewing and sculpture, acting and improv, and film. He鈥檚 also planning independent study programs on puppet building, arm movement, and the use of cameras and audio equipment.
He鈥檚 already launched a and frequently adds new videos of his performances. He鈥檚 also attracted the attention of local media, with a feature story in and profiles on and the . He hopes his time at Adelphi will prepare him for a role on television or in the theater by teaching skills that range from how to use shop tools to improved acting and filming techniques.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to just become more well-rounded,鈥� he said. 鈥漈here are a lot of skills these professors have that I hope they will teach me.鈥�
Jobs are competitive, he said, but he鈥檚 not turning back.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a backup plan,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you want it that badly, you鈥檙e going to get it.鈥�
Sophia Powless
Sophia Powless grew up in the Onondaga Nation, a tribal territory located near Syracuse, New York. There, volleyball was a family tradition, and she competed in a club team that made it to several national playoffs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been in my life for as long as I can remember,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was natural for me to go into the sport.鈥�
Now she鈥檚 on the , but she鈥檚 also enrolled in . It鈥檚 a subject that requires expertise in everything from the hard sciences to policy studies. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 go out much,鈥� she said.
Her experience on tribal lands also encouraged her in the environment. The territory is located near Onondaga Lake, a body of water that has suffered serious pollution from industry. And her homeland is also affected by mudboils, a phenomenon that involves silt and water being pushed up and out of the ground from underground pressure. Possibly caused by long-ago brine mining or land subsidence, the mud fills local creeks and further degrades the lake.
鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating for us to see something that should be precious and cherished be completely polluted,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a part of our culture. Our whole nation fights to protect it.鈥�
Hers is not an easy schedule. 鈥淚t drives me more to focus, because I have two things I鈥檓 fighting for.鈥�