Power Up Your Future

by Charlotte Skipper

When you meet Patty D’Alessandro, Duke Energy’s government and community relations manager, it’s easy to make the wrong assumption about her school days.

Because Patty has a master’s degree in business administration and 40 years at Duke Energy under her belt, most people would guess that Patty’s academic career was nothing but smooth sailing. However, that wasn’t always the case.

“I loved school, but I was an average student,” says Patty. “I don’t test well; I never have. I chose to focus on being active in my community and work part-time jobs, and school just wasn’t always my priority then.” 

When Patty graduated from Lyman High School in 1979, her parents felt she wasn’t quite ready to attend a large university with huge classes and massive lecture halls. So instead of moving away, she stayed home for two more years to attend Seminole State College (then known as Seminole Community College) to complete her associate of arts degree. Patty didn’t realize it at the time, but that decision would set her up for much success down the line.

Go Your Own Way

“A school like Seminole State teaches you how to study and be more serious about your future,” says Patty. “You’re paying to be there, so you value the classes a little bit more than you did in high school. It really taught me how to follow my own path.” 

Decades later, Seminole State continues to play a big role in her life. Patty has served as a board chair for the Foundation for Seminole State College, the philanthropic branch of the school. She also mentors high school students on a weekly basis and often encourages them to choose a higher education option such as   Seminole State.

“Kids can’t always afford a larger university,” she says, “and if they can afford it, maybe they have a different path they want to take instead.” 

“I’m always encouraging students to look not just at the larger universities, but to consider going to a smaller state college and taking their requirements at a cheaper rate if they’ve got to pay for college,” she says. “Once you get your AA, then it’s easy-peasy. You can focus on whatever field you want and reach your core goals.”

Guiding Students to Success

In any higher education setting, professors can have a profound influence on a student’s drive to succeed. Patty has volunteered her time to interview Seminole State faculty members for the school’s Endowed Teaching Chair, a program through the Foundation in which donors fund an award that is granted to outstanding educators on campus. That experience has shown her just how much of a difference a dedicated educator can make in a young person’s life.

“A school like Seminole State teaches you how to study and be more serious about your future,” says Patty. “They do it for more than just a paycheck.”

Patty’s employer, Duke Energy, is also a strong supporter of Seminole State College. The company has given many grants to the school, allowing Seminole State to launch important sustainability and career-readiness programs across each of its four campuses. And like Patty, many other Duke Energy employees are also alumni of Seminole State.

Patty believes that wherever your path takes you in the future, building a solid foundation for your goals is what leads to success down the road. Those accomplishments can mean even more when that foundation you built  remains a cornerstone of your life decades later.

“I’m proud to be a product of Seminole State,” says Patty.

Know an SSC alum we should feature? Email Alumni@SeminoleState.edu to tell us about them!