With the start of a new academic year, Genesee Community College will take an evening to "Discover the Stars" with its annual scholarship reception. On Monday, Sept. 10 from 5 - 7 p.m., the Stuart Steiner Theatre at the Batavia campus will be filled with scholarship donors, recipients and the families of both to celebrate the shared significance of academic achievement.

The annual Discover the Stars Scholarship Reception celebrates "Scholarships in Action."

"The Discover the Stars reception is an annual opportunity that brings together the families, legacies, and stories of GCC's cherished scholarship donors and puts them in the room with the bright, hopeful, and promising faces of the scholarship recipients," said Robert J. Bennett, event emcee and member of the Genesee Community College Foundation Board of Directors.

(Jane M. Bickett)

The 2018 Discover the Stars event will feature two keynote speakers: Jane M. Bickett, GCC Class of 1981, a senior business systems analyst of Eastman Kodak Company, as well as Scott A. Gardner, GCC Class of 1998, who is president and CEO of the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce.

At Eastman Kodak Company, Jane Bickett is responsible for the technical functionality and business processes for global billing and invoicing in more than 30 countries. Her business experience includes computer system administration and serving as a team leader of a computer programming group involving frequent international travel.

Through her 36-year career, she has actively participated in the technical evolution of business from implementation of basic local word processing applications to global procedures and computing. She is a native of Le Roy, and earned her Computer Programming A.A.S degree from GCC in 1981.

(Scott A. Gardner)

Born and raised in Warsaw, Scott Gardner became president of the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce in 2013, continuing his lifelong interest in making Wyoming County a vibrant community. He previously was a legislative aide and chief of staff to Assemblymen Thomas M. Reynolds and Daniel J. Burling, respectively. He currently serves as the chairman of the Wyoming Foundation, and holds the rank of Major in the Civil Air Patrol, in addition to a number of other volunteer and leadership positions.

Gardner earned his A.A.S Paralegal from GCC in 1998 and attended SUNY Empire State College where he concentrated on Public Policy and Public Affairs. He was recently inducted into GCC's Alumni Hall of Fame and served as honorary chair of GCC's Cougar Classic Scholarship Scramble Golf Tournament and also the Nursing program's Gatsby Gala.

The Genesee Community College Foundation accepts scholarship donations throughout the year and has full-time dedicated staff in place to assist any donor in establishing a scholarship, or even in funding an existing one, such as the Genesee Alumni Legacy Scholarship.

Details on the scholarships available to students is available at https://www.genesee.edu/offices/finaid/scholarships/ and new applications will be accepted starting Sept. 1st. Interested applicants are encouraged to review and apply right online! The simple online application collects information and matches applicants with a list of scholarships they may qualify for. Experts are available in GCC's Financial Aid Office at (585)345-6900 or via email at financialaid@genesee.edu.

On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the annual Discover the Stars Scholarship Reception will take place in the Conable Technology Building's south lobby and in room T102 on GCC's Batavia Campus at One College Road in Batavia.

This reception brings together GCC's scholarship recipients, members of the College Board of Trustees and Foundation Board of Directors, College administrators and the many donors who made the recipients' academic dreams a reality. The reception will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a special presentation at 4:30 p.m.

Genesee Community College Foundation scholarships recognize academic excellence, make higher education accessible to all students, and promote economic vitality in the GLOW region. There are nearly 200 scholarships available at GCC and applications, which can be completed online, are accepted throughout each year.

For nearly 20 years, the Discover the Stars event has been a special occasion that grants scholarship recipients and their families, Foundation and Board of Trustee members and community leaders the opportunity to meet, chat and celebrate stories of success and career achievement, while inspiring the next generation of students.

The 2017 celebration will feature guest speaker, Kathleen "Kitty" E. Maerten, who graduated from GCC in 1975. She earned a bachelor's degree from The College at Brockport (SUNY), her Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration also from SUNY Brockport.

Maerten spent her long career working with children and their families in a variety of settings including as a marriage and family counselor and a school social worker. She served as the chairperson on the Special Education Committee and as site administrator for the Alternative High School in the Lockport City School District. In 2000, Maerten became the school principal at Alexander Central School District, and from 2008 - 2017 she served as the superintendent.

A 2003 graduate of Leadership Genesee, she also served on the Board of Directors at GCASA and the Board of Directors of the Genesee County Business Education. Currently, Maerten is working with a steering committee to begin a Leadership program in Orleans County. She and her husband, Max, are enjoying retirement and when they aren't out exploring the beautiful countryside, they spend time with their two sons and four grandchildren. 

In addition, the family of the late, Ann Reid will share a special presentation honoring her life, musical legacy, and her philanthropic contributions to GCC's Scholarship Program. Reid, born in Buffalo, graduated from Immaculata Academy in Hamburg and earned her Bachelor of Music from Boston University. Reid appeared in "Funny Girl," starring Carol Lawrence, and played "Sheila" in the Italian production of "HAIR" in Rome, Italy. Reid traveled the world developing her singing and composing career with jobs in Saudi Arabia and Communist Poland.

In the late 1970s, Reid found herself in Los Angeles and earned her Master of Arts in Music with a minor in Conducting from California State University Los Angeles. Reid's love for teaching and her students brought her to GCC in 1996. She received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity in 2004 and retired in 2013.

Composer, musician, and former GCC professor of Music, Reid's contributions to the performing arts and music programs at GCC impacted the entire community. Her original production, "AElinor," premiered in 2011, marking the first time in 62 seasons the Genesee Symphony Orchestra premiered the work of a local composer. In her honor, the Richard and Maribell Scholl Reid Musical Theatre Scholarship, named after Reid's parents, was established and continues to provide financial assistance and encourage Fine and Performing Arts students to pursue their dreams and passions, as Ann Reid did. 

For more information about Discover the Stars Scholarship Reception, or to RSVP, call (585) 345-6809, or email: discoverthestars@genesee.edu.

Genesee Community College administrators will welcome to campus donors who've contributed to the College's scholarship funds and students who've received scholarships, as well as two outstanding graduates who have excelled in pursuing their career goals for the Discover the Stars reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8.

The event will be held in the Stuart Steiner Theatre located in the Genesee Center for the Arts on the GCC Batavia Campus, One College Road, Batavia.

Discover the Stars is an annual event that brings together GCC scholarship recipients and donors. Members of the College Board of Trustees, Foundation Board of Directors, and College administrators will also be present.

In addition, two alumni speakers will share their career paths following their time at GCC. Jessica Stabell graduated in 2007 and earned her bachelor of arts degree in Anthropology from Buffalo State College where she received the President's Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student in 2013. She has earned attention for her research and is continuing her studies toward a Ph.D. in Forensic Entomology.

Dan Ireland, of Byron, graduated in 1992 and went on to earn his bachelor of science in Nursing from SUNY Brockport in 1994 and an MBA from RIT in 1997. He began working at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia while still a student. He started as an orderly, became a floor nurse, then IT clinical analyst, and administrative analyst. In 2004 he was named director of Quality Management and then became vice president of Operations. In December 2013, he was named president of UMMC, which will be the top administrative position at the hospital once it completes a merger with Rochester Regional Health System this December.