| |
|
|
|
Student Spotlight
Daniel "Dan" Fronckowiak
Major: Music EducationExpected Graduation Month & Year: May 2022
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Desired Career Path: To work as an in-service teacher while continuing my education and obtaining a master's degree
Nominated By: Carolyn Guzski, Music
- Briefly describe how you have managed to stay confident and positive throughout your academic experiences.
- There are a few things, for me:
- "Staying confident and positive" does not mean that I was confident and positive all the time. It means that I expected challenges, and negativity. When you expect the bad, you can develop strategies to deal with it.
- I surrounded myself with loving and supportive people. I cannot speak to other departments, but the faculty and staff of the music department really foster a loving, supportive, and safe environment. Music majors cheer each other on. Music faculty cheers on their students. My family and friends have been more supportive than I can begin to describe.
- I kept some perspective by remembering why I chose to embark on this academic journey. I always keep that reason in mind. Remembering the long-term goals makes it easier to put challenges into their rightful, short-term perspective. If you were to slip on some ice in January, would you stay there until spring thaw? If you break a plate, would you break all your dishes?
- Briefly describe how you have overcome obstacles to accomplish/work towards accomplishing your professional goals.
- During the late fall and early winter of 2018, I found myself very unhappy with where I was professionally. I was the Director of Music Ministries at St. Amelia R.C. Church in Tonawanda. My supervisor retired and the person that replaced him had a managerial style that I found to be challenging to work with. I looked for a similar position, but they all either required a degree or didn't pay enough. I always found it fulfilling and satisfying to work with kids - whether on the St. Amelia School musical, or the children's choir. Once I realized I wanted to be a music educator, I viewed the required degree as nothing more than an obstacle or a step toward becoming a music teacher. Keeping that macro goal-teaching kids-in mind was what made academic work seem very easy.
- In what ways did the Career and Professional Education Center (CAPE) help in your preparation/search for your internship experience or in securing employment? (workshops, events, 1-on-1 services, BengalLink/other resources)
- Part of Buffalo State's music education curriculum is career development. The resources provided by the department in conjunction with the Career and Professional Education Center have been invaluable. I have found resume and cover letter development to be most important. As a non-traditional student, I have the advantage of experience to help me focus my thoughts about what to do. But the workshops and events provided by CAPE are fantastic opportunities to help those who may not be as sure of where they want to go in life.
- Any words of wisdom you would like to share with other students?
- When you're drowning, ask for a life preserver. While there are some people in this world who are just miserable, 99.9% of humanity is good. People want to help you. To do that, they need to know what's going on. Communicate, communicate, communicate. It's a challenging lesson that I continue to learn, but it's okay to be fallible. It's okay to need help. It's even more okay to ask for help. Strength does not mean an absence of weakness. Strength means identifying your weaknesses and developing strategies to improve.
- Desired career plans after graduation?
- I plan to be an in-service teacher at the beginning of the next academic year. Because I will be working as a teacher in New York State, I will need to earn a master's degree. I will pursue that degree at Buffalo State College.
- Would you like to include your email address (for future outreach and connections with other students and employers)?
- My permanent, post-Buffalo State address is danthemusicteacherman@gmail.com and my Buffalo State address is fronckdj01@mail.buffalostate.edu
