New Visions: Pathways in Education recipients of the inaugural Dr. Gladys I. Cruz AASA Presidential Scholarship pose with Dr. Cruz. L-R: Sharlea Oliver, Madelyn McIntyre, and Ellery Pierce.

The Questar III Education Foundation has awarded three scholarships to aspiring educators as part of the inaugural Dr. Gladys I. Cruz AASA Presidential Scholarship.

Questar III BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Gladys Cruz recently presented scholarship checks and certificates to Questar III New Visions: Pathways in Education students Madelyn McIntyre (Averill Park CSD), Sharlea Oliver (East Greenbush CSD), and Ellery Pierce (Chatham CSD) during a visit to their classroom based at the University at Albany.

Cruz established this scholarship fund to award $1,000 scholarships to New Visions: Pathways in Education students who will continue in the education field. Students completed an essay describing why they want to go into the education field and what a special teacher or educator did for them. Cruz will award scholarships using funds donated to the Questar III Education Foundation by AASA following her term as the organization’s president.

“I’m pleased to support the next generation of educators as they continue their learning and training in college. Thank you to AASA for providing us with the funds to help local students in Rensselaer, Columbia, and Greene counties as they aspire to become educators,” said Cruz.

New Visions student Adalie Leggett (left) of Schodack CSD shares her resume with Daria Askari (right) and Dan Miller (center) of Questar III’s HR Department.

Questar III BOCES New Visions: Pathways in Education students recently participated in mock interviews with the organization’s talent acquisition specialist, Daria Askari, and human resources assistant, Dan Miller. With Askari and Miller regularly hiring educators, teaching assistants (TA), and other education-related professionals, it was a great exercise for students aspiring to work in education.

Askari first visited the program to discuss resume writing, including the type of information to include, best practices, and the importance of keeping them neat and structurally organized. He also shared the concept of a resume being a living document, always changing and being updated.

“Some of my students didn’t even have a resume,” shared Tara Tolan, New Visions: Pathways in Education teacher. “Having someone from our HR department walking them through what they look for in resumes from teachers and TAs gave students an inside look and a good start. It’s truly a full circle, having our HR department come in, and then students applying for positions within Questar III and being accepted!”

Hannah Hilbert (left), New Visions student from Ichabod Crane CSD listens as Questar III’s Daria Askari (right) offers tailored resume advice.

After students had time to build or update their resumes using the new tools they learned, Askari and Miller had one-on-one conversations with each student, as if they had found the Questar III table at a job fair. During these conversations, they reviewed the students’ updated resumes and offered suggestions on strengthening them. They also reiterated the importance of a firm handshake, eye contact, and strong communication skills.

“I’ve never been interviewed like that before,” said Ava Muller, New Visions: Pathways in Education student from Rensselaer CSD. “It was good insight into a real-world interview. Just knowing the kind of questions they were asking and how to present yourself. I definitely think it was helpful.”

It is not uncommon for non-instructional staff to collaborate with our programs. In fact, it is something that is encouraged by the organization and reflected in its mission statement of changing lives, realizing dreams, and doing together what can’t be done alone.

“When I think of things that I want to do with my students, it’s really nice to have the variety of staff that we do, to reach out to someone within the organization before going elsewhere,” shared Tolan. “Chances are, I can find someone who is certified, qualified, and willing to come in and teach or train the kids. It’s really helpful to have them so close.”

While many students already have plans for summer employment, Askari and Miller shared an opportunity to apply for Questar III BOCES’ Extended School Year (ESY), a 6-week summer position working with our exceptional learners. They were also encouraged to reach out over school breaks for subbing opportunities.

“We would love it if they came back to us, that would be the dream,” shared Askari. “But we are here to support them in their dreams. We like to make sure that the door is always open, and they can always explore working for us, either through our ESY program, subbing, or later on after they’ve wrapped up college, taking their first steps in the education space.”

As the school year is winding down, students are preparing for the end of the program, including taking the New York State Teaching Assistant Certification exam. This certification allows students to work immediately after high school as a teaching assistant, while also saving them time and money if they obtained it on their own.

“I’m really appreciative to Mrs. Tolan for giving us all of these opportunities and guiding us along the way,” said Alex Burgazoli, New Visions: Pathways in Education student from Averill Park CSD. “She’s really made sure that we’re going to be prepared for our future.”

If you’re interested in a resume consultation or a career with Questar III BOCES, consider attending our Third Thursday Mini Job Fair, held on the third Thursday of each month at our main office in Castleton, NY. Learn more about our HR Department and career opportunities at Questar.org/careers.

Students present their fictional business idea to mock investors.

Questar III BOCES students in the New Visions: Business, Finance, and Marketing program put their entrepreneurial skills to the test by creating original businesses and pitching their ideas to mock investors. The project allowed students to think creatively, analyze financial viability, and present, sell, and market their ideas professionally, just as they would to a potential investor in the real world.

Loomis Park – Gabby Amato (Catskill CSD), Reed Fisch (Chatham CSD), and Liam Mullins (Ichabod Crane CSD).

Barkber Brush – Nazmun Bhuiyan (Hudson CSD), Sophia Hong (Catskill CSD), and Noah Sollohub-Lopez (Averill Park CSD).

Af-Firm-Ations – Kaelyn Albano (Greenville CSD), Ayala Ben-Sira (Catskill CSD), and Gibby Hodges (Hudson CSD).

New Visions programs, offered by Questar III BOCES, provide high school seniors with valuable insight into career opportunities from a real-world perspective. A one-year, honors-level, half-day program, New Visions turns area businesses, healthcare facilities, and community spaces into classrooms for highly motivated, academically successful students. This program provides seniors with a college level learning experience, preparing them with the pace, rigor, and expectations they’ll face the following year.

Questar III BOCES currently offers seven New Visions programs in eight locations:

• Business, Finance, and Marketing – Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson
• Emergency Preparedness, Informatics, Cyber, and Homeland Security – UAlbany ETEC Building, Albany
• Medical – Samaritan Hospital, Troy (Rensselaer County students) and Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson (Columbia and Greene County students)
• Pathways in Education – UAlbany, Albany
• Scientific Research and World Health – UAlbany’s Health Sciences Campus, Rensselaer
• STEM – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy
• Visual and Performing Arts – The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy

These programs accept a limited number of students from across our region and require an application process. Class of 2027 students interested in attending next year should have a conversation with their school counselor immediately and sign up to attend a Family Information Session in January. Following the Information Session, students will be required to submit an application by Monday, January 26, 2026. This includes references from teachers.

Family Information Sessions – registration required: 

• January 12, 2026 at 6pm
  • Scientific Research and World Health – UAlbany Health Sciences Campus, Rensselaer or Virtually
  • Visual and Performing Arts – The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy or Virtually
• January 13, 2026 at 6pm
  • Business, Finance, and Marketing – Columbia-Greene Community Collage or Virtually
  • Medical (Columbia and Greene County students) – Columbia Greene Community College or Virtually
• January 14, 2026 at 6pm
  • Pathways in Education – Virtually
  • STEM – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute or Virtually
• January 15, 2026
  • Emergency Preparedness, Informatics, Cyber, and Homeland Security – UAlbany ETEC Building or Virtually
  • Medical (Rensselaer County students) – Samaritan Hospital or Virtually

Take a deeper dive into the program you’re interested in by watching our videos. Here, you’ll get a program overview and hear testimonials from our students.

Student interviews will be held in February and March, with accepted students being contacted in April. For any questions, please contact NVTeachers@questar.org and include the program in the subject.

“The New Visions program provided me with my first experiences interacting with academic research and researchers,” Tompkins said. “One of my favorite parts of the course structure is that it gives such a great overview of the diversity of approaches to scientific research. It also gave me some of my first experiences engaging with academic literature and public speaking – two key elements of my current work.

“During my time at New Visions, I even conducted an independent research project reviewing literature on the interplay between performance magic and science,” he added. “Looking back, that assignment served as something of a blueprint for my career trajectory as an experimental psychologist, and many of the authors I read then are now my colleagues and friends.”

While in the New Visions program, Tompkins traveled to Guatemala with the Glens Falls Medical Foundation as part of its public health curriculum. He graduated from Greenville High School as its valedictorian.

After completing the New Visions program, Tompkins earned his Bachelor of Arts at SUNY Geneseo, where he interned in a visual cognition lab and spent a term studying abroad at the University of Oxford. In 2012, he returned to Oxford to complete a Master of Science in Psychological Research, followed by a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology.

Following his doctorate in 2018, Tompkins began working as a freelance science communicator where he did writing, speaking, and consulting for international audiences. His work has been featured across television, radio, print, and online outlets around the world. In 2019, he published “The Spectacle of Illusion” – a science book exploring the historical relationship between science and the study of illusions.

Tompkins has many fond memories of the New Visions program and offered advice to current students, saying, “stay curious and flexible for as long as you can. I remember when I was in high school it could feel like there was a lot of pressure to have a clear career roadmap, but one of the best parts of university is discovering new paths that you didn’t necessarily even know about while in High School. Experiment with new things, in and out of labs. Getting any kind of firsthand research/laboratory experience is one of the most valuable things you can do early in your educational experience. And don’t hesitate to pursue weird avenues of research that you are personally passionate about.”

See a full list of students and their topics below. Special thank you to Hudson Valley Community College for recording the presentations held at their location.

Tammie Borland’s Class:

• 0:00:05– Kasey Purdy, Coxsackie-Athens CSD, “Filling in the Gap: ACL Tears in Females”
• 0:07:51– Emerie Keddell-Tuckey, Troy CSD, “Saving Maternal Lives Before They Are Lost”
• 0:14:29– Emily Meyer, Troy CSD, “Burned Out by 13: The Risks of Competitive Youth Sports”
• 0:21:56– Zoe Lovette, Troy CSD, “Treating Breast Cancer Smarter, Not Harder”
• 0:30:33– Emma Holmberg, Ichabod Crane CSD, “America: We Eat What We Are”
• 0:40:23– Abigail Juneau, Averill Park CSD, “Funding Prevention Through GLP1 Prescriptions”
• 0:47:36– Evan Laurenzo, Schodack CSD, “Shifting the Focus: Preventative Medicine as the Future of Healthcare”
• 0:50:48– Aniya Jade Bailey, Brunswick CSD, “A Caffeine Speed Limit”
• 1:03:44– Alexis Ames,  Averill Park CSD, “Addressing RN Burnout” 
• 1:10:47– Lindsay Agro, Averill Park CSD, “Athletes May Make Better Doctors: How Sports Psychology Can Help Healthcare” 
• 1:23:26– Kaedan Leonidas, Schodack CSD, “The Supplement Trap: A Rigged System and the Power of Informed Action” 
• 1:32:31– Poem De Rosier, East Greenbush CSD, “Where is Male Birth Control” 
• 1:39:36– Teddy Dangler, Averill Park CSD, “The Internet Really is Bad for Your Health”

Stefanie Loomis’ Class:

• 0:00:06– Amya Nazario, Ichabod Crane CSD, “Shortcuts to Health: A Detour to Nowhere”
• 0:09:23– Kayden Amadon, Averill Park CSD, “Science that Saves: The Innovation Behind RhoGAM”
• 0:17:25– Kaysie Lane, Averill Park CSD, “Not Just a Headache”
• 0:27:45– Ummuy Chowdhury, Hudson CSD, “Hey Siri, Do I Have Cancer?”
• 0:38:44– Maddie Manzi, Taconic Hills CSD, “The Impact of Mindset on Physical Healing”
• 0:46:37– Riverlin Clifford, Greenville CSD, “Unlocking Metabolic Health: Preventing Chronic Disease”
• 0:57:30– Leon Hong, Catskill CSD, “IBD: More than a Gut Problem”
• 1:06:22– Olivia Hlavac, Ichabod Crane CSD, “Behind the Pill: What No One Tells You”

Click on the left & right of the newsletter to turn the page.

July 2025 CTE Monthly Newsletter by MAGGIE PALMERI

Each year, outstanding students from across our region attend Questar III BOCES programs, offering students invaluable insight into career options from a real-world perspective. We are proud to recognize the exceptional achievements of several of these students who have been named valedictorians or salutatorians by their home district.

Click on the school district below to read the announcement. Please check back throughout the spring as we update this list with additional names as they are announced.

Valedictorian

• Henry Hickok, New Visions:Emergency Preparedness, Informatics, Cyber, and Homeland Security, Schodack Central School District
• Emma Holmberg, New Visions: Medical, Ichabod Crane Central School District
• Noah Kubicek, New Visions: STEM, Catskill Central School District
• Christopher Tracy, New Visions: STEM, Hoosic Valley Central School District 
• Emily Wood, New Visions: Scientific Research and World Health, Lansingburgh Central School District

Salutatorian

• Hadeel Hamed, New Visions: STEM, Troy City School District
• Sophia Hart, New Visions: Visual and Performing Arts, Berlin Central School District
• Ainsley Rausch, New Visions: Scientific Research and World Health, Coxsackie-Athens Central School District
• Andrew Thompson, New Visions: Emergency Preparedness, Informatics, Cyber, and Homeland Security, Hoosic Valley Central School District

If you know of a Questar III BOCES Class of 2025 student that should appear on this list, please e-mail news@questar.org.

Click on the left & right of the newsletter to turn the page.

June 2025 CTE Monthly Newsletter by MAGGIE PALMERI

Each year, outstanding students from across our region attend Questar III BOCES programs, offering students invaluable insight into career options from a real-world perspective. We are proud to recognize the exceptional achievements of several of these students who have been named valedictorians or salutatorians by their home district.

Click on the school district below to read the announcement. Please check back throughout the spring as we update this list with additional names as they are announced.

Valedictorian

• Emma Holmberg, New Visions: Medical, Ichabod Crane Central School District
• Christopher Tracy, New Visions: STEM, Hoosic Valley Central School District 

Salutatorian

• Sophia Hart, New Visions: Visual and Performing Arts, Berlin Central School District
• Andrew Thompson, New Visions: Emergency Preparedness, Informatics, Cyber, and Homeland Security, Hoosic Valley Central School District

If you know of a Questar III BOCES student that should be on this list, please e-mail news@questar.org.