Meg Wilkie ’24

Like all elite athletes, Wilkie trains hard, running on average six to seven miles per day, six days a week. A student in InclusiveU, the University’s program that offers the college experience to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, she balances a full schedule, including her classwork, a part-time job at Graham Dining Hall and her training. She also is an active member of the SU Running Club.

Wilkie is proud to be Orange—just like her grandparents who met on campus and were both ���ϲ����� alumni. She loves the opportunity to make new friends and gain independence through InclusiveU.

“I’ve always wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t because I have a disability,” Wilkie says. “InclusiveU gave me a chance to go to college. It is amazing to be away from home.”

Last year Wilkie lived in Haven Hall, and she’s looking forward to returning to Haven Hall in a single this fall.

Wilkie’s mom, Carol, agrees. “We thought independent living would be a challenge for her. InclusiveU has been a good thing for Meg. It has helped with her independence and confidence. We’re so proud she’s part of the program.”

Running Builds Friendships On and Off Campus

Residing on campus has made it easier for Wilkie to get involved in campus activities. Last fall, she joined the SU Running Club, where she’s quickly become one of the club’s most dedicated members. The club runs as a group several days a week, meeting at Skytop track in good weather or at the John A. Lally Athletics Complex track or the Barnes Center at The Arch when training outdoors is not possible.

Meg Wilkie, left, and fellow members of the SU Running Club.

Club President Alex Metcalf ’22, G’23 says, “SU Running Club welcomes runners of all shapes and sizes. More perspectives add value.” When asked what Meg brings to the SU Running Club, Metcalf doesn’t hesitate. “Energy! At the starting line for a race, she is so excited.”

Henry Long ’25, vice president of the SU Running Club, agrees. “Just to be around her makes practice more fun.”

From her friends at ���ϲ����� to the larger Central New York running community, everyone agrees that Wilkie’s enthusiasm for running is infectious.

Wilkie keeps a scrapbook that tracks all her races, her progress toward her 50-state marathon goal and the friendships she’s made along the way.

She’s inspired several folks she’s met through InclusiveU to run and race. Friends and classmates Chloe Payne ’22 and Harry Owens ’24, who participated in track in middle school and high school, both rekindled an interest in running at Wilkie’s encouragement. The three of them ran several races together spring semester, including the Super Couch Potato 5K and the Lake Effect Quarter Marathon last February.

“I can’t wait to run more races with Meg and Chloe because the races are so fun and great exercise,” says Owens, a broadcast and digital journalism and sport management major.

Wilkie’s InclusiveU mentor Morgan McMinn G’22 ran Paige’s Butterfly Run 5K in downtown ���ϲ����� in June after Wilkie urged her to give it a try. “Meg’s enormous passion for running inspired me to get out there,” she says.

Wilkie is glad to have friends to train with and to run with during races. She says, “I’m glad that I’ve been able to inspire my friends and get them into something that makes me feel so good.”

She has been a fixture in the Central New York running community for years. She’s been a member of almost of every running group in the area at one time or another and has run most of the local races. Wilkie’s former running coach and friend Kevin Collins says, “Meg injects passion into our running groups. She draws everybody in.”

Wilkie and friends Chloe Payne ’22 and Harry Owens ’24 ran the Lake Effect Quarter Marathon last February.

Wilkie keeps her training routine fresh by running with different friends—sometimes two in one morning—often followed by breakfast together.

Monika Taylor G’99, G’18 has been running with Wilkie since 2018. “It is exciting to watch her living her dream,” Taylor says.

Running Through the Pain

Wilkie is all the more inspiring because her love of running has developed in spite of her battle with chronic nerve pain.

When training for her first half marathon, Wilkie fell and broke her wrist. She continued training and completed that race with a cast. Additional surgeries failed to alleviate the pain. She was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome or CPRS.

Eventually doctors implanted a spinal cord stimulator to help reduce Wilkie’s pain, though she still suffers pain in her shoulder at night. All the while she kept training and racing whenever possible.

In 2018, she was named one of 20 Medtronic Global Champions, selected from more than 400 applicants with Medtronic devices worldwide, and received an all-expenses-paid trip for her and a friend to run in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis. She brought her friend Penny Noll, a 70-year-old marathoner who inspired Wilkie to set her 50-state marathon goal. Noll has run marathons in 44 states and is still going strong.

For six years, Wilkie has had another reason to keep running—her 10-year-old buddy Hayden. Wilkie met Hayden through , a charity that pairs runners with individuals with disabilities who are not able to run. Wilkie receives an extra medal at every race she runs to give Hayden, and they’ve developed a special relationship over the years.

Taking on New Challenges

This fall, Wilkie will take on new challenges both on and off the racecourse.

She’s been preparing all summer for her fall internship at the Bernice M. Wright School, a day care center for children 18 months to 5 years through the Falk College’s Department of Human Development and Family Science. Wilkie’s eyes light up when she talks about working with children. After graduation, she hopes to work with children in a hospital setting.

“Meg is always upbeat and positive,” says Josh Jones, Wilkie’s InclusiveU student support assistant who works with her in her internship prep class. “She never wavers and is ready for whatever might be thrown at her. Our InclusiveU students deserves a college experience like any other student.”

In addition to two classes and the internship, Wilkie plans to complete two marathons within a month, a challenging feat for even the most experienced runner.

A contingent of the Orange nation will be cheering her on from the sidelines at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6. It’s the least most of her friends feel they can do to keep Wilkie’s dauntless spirit going as she chases her next finish line.

Amgad Muhammad (left) and Marie Mulkoske (right) shadow mechanic Aaron Kogut as he works on one the fleet vehicles in the Automotive Garage.

Ask recent ���ϲ����� City School District (SCSD) graduate Marie Malkoske her favorite part about being on campus this spring, and she’ll tell you it was getting grease and dirt on her face.

For Malkoske, getting her hands—and face—dirty was just part of the job as she spent two mornings a week at the University’s Automotive Garage on Ainsley Drive, helping to service the fleet of more than 300 vehicles and over 100 pieces of equipment.

Malkoske was one of four seniors from the Institute of Technology at ���ϲ����� Central (ITC) to participate in this first-of-its-kind job shadowing program at the University. Her budding automotive career started with a love of NASCAR, but she’s earned work experience through a pilot program partnering ���ϲ����� facilities staff with City of ���ϲ����� career and technical education students.

“It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot,” Malkoske says. “We don’t get to do live work at school so the program helped show me this is what I want to do.”

The pilot shadow program was designed to give graduating ���ϲ����� City School District career and technical education (CTE) students ready to enter the workforce an opportunity to shadow facilities professionals in their day-to-day work.

From left: SCSD students Yovan Tretizio, Amgad Muhammad, Marie Malkoske and Abdunasir Adam worked on campus as part of a job shadow program this past spring.

In addition to Malkoske, Amgad Mohamed and Yovan Treteizo worked in the University’s Automotive Garage, and Abdunasir Adam worked in the welding and machine shop. For four weeks starting May 24, the students spent two mornings a week working side-by-side with ���ϲ����� facilities staff.

“The students were great,” says Rich Stach, supervisor of the Automotive Garage. “They asked questions and were enthusiastic.”

With few college students on campus, the facilities workers had more time to mentor program participants, and the ITC students were able to shadow larger maintenance projects that aren’t possible during the University’s academic year.

“Charlie was always there and explained everything going on,” says Malkoske, referring to Charlie Doupe, one of the Automotive Garage mechanics who worked closely with the students.

Tretizio gets a look under the hood at the ���ϲ����� Automotive Garage.

State-of-the-Art Equipment

Students in the automotive shop used state-of-the-art ZEUS diagnostic tools to troubleshoot vehicles and assisted with changing breaks, oil changes and other vehicle maintenance. While they worked together, the ���ϲ����� staffers were able to offer the students guidance on the best next steps to pursue their careers.

“A lot of the facilities staff members can see themselves in these students. They wish they had this opportunity as high school students,” says Craig Powers, a 17-year veteran of the University’s facilities team and Machine Shop supervisor. “There’s no degree or trade school for what we do in the Machine Shop. The trades are a lost art, and it is important to get these kids interested. It is great to pass on our knowledge.”

Powers’ 12-person team of machinists maintain and repair equipment across campus from vending machines to overhead doors and everything in between, including kitchen equipment in the dining centers and washers and dryers in the residence halls.

In the Machine Shop, ITC’s Adam rebuilt a commercial dishwashing machine at Ernie Davis Dining Center and worked on a 6-foot-tall mixing machine in the Commissary bakeshop.

Both Stach and Powers say their teams would gladly participate in the program again and look forward to having interns from SCSD join their teams this summer.

Building Bridges With the ���ϲ����� Community

Facilities Supervisor Craig Powers discusses projects with Abdunasir Adam in the University’s Machine Shop.

The pilot spring shadow program built on the success of last summer’s internship program, pairing SCSD high school students with facilities teams.

Cydney Johnson, vice president of community engagement and government relations, sits on the advisory board for the SCSD’s Career and Technical Education programs and has been the driving force building relationships with the district to develop new pathways to learning.

“We want every student to dream big,” Johnson says. “Not every kid wants to go to college. We can use the vast educational resources of ���ϲ����� to create hands-on experiences where work-bound students learn from professionals. We want students to go into their careers with their eyes wide open to the future.”

Herself an alumna of SCSD’s Nottingham High School, Johnson has been working to create opportunities for City of ���ϲ����� students her entire career. She credits support from Vice Chancellor J. Michael Haynie, Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala, and Chris Coffer, executive director of the Office of Pre-College Programs, as the key to turning her ideas into new programs.

Once everyone was on board, community engagement team members Kate Flannery and Jake Losowski took the lead on logistics to get the pilot program off the ground. Cathy Bottari, associate director of labor relations at the University, was instrumental in determining where there was the most need at the University and where high school students could be given positive learning experiences without a lot of additional training.  She also ensured that all staff who would be mentoring the high school students met the legal requirements to work with minors.

Real-World Experience

The community engagement team also worked closely with SCSD officials Nick Lisi and Maureen Sweeney from ITC to create a program to provide more real-world experience for students who would be entering the workforce this summer.

“The goal is to create more opportunities for 12th grade students who want to go straight into work,” Lisi says. “We’re looking at things five to seven years down the road, that’s where we can really build opportunities. We can see the JMA Wireless Dome from ITC’s front steps.”

Lisi wants to make sure students are looking to ���ϲ����� for well-paying job opportunities in addition to a college education.

Plans are already underway to continue this year’s job shadow program and potentially expand it to include a job shadowing session in January and a more hands-on job experience in May.

“I love that we’re giving local high school students an opportunity to see what a career in these technical fields really involves,” says Sala, who has been a strong proponent of outreach programs with CTE students. “I want to do whatever I can to encourage students to pursue trade professions and gain real world experience. By giving these students an opportunity to learn and work at ���ϲ�����, we’re also building connections with tomorrow’s workforce. Programs like this help us build a pipeline of talented professionals with in-demand skills that we can tap into when we have a job opening.”

This fall, Malkoske will head to Onondaga Community College to study automotive technology. The connections and experiences provided through the job shadow program helped confirm this was the right career path for her. She offers her fellow students thinking about technical careers this simple advice, “Go for it! Just go for it!”

Visitors to the Falk College in White Hall can check out this whimsical Christmas village, set up by Falk staff member Dianne Seeley.

Central New York is renowned for snow-covered hills and quaint towns that herald the holiday season. But who would expect to find one of the cutest villages—in miniature—tucked in a nook on the fourth floor of Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics in White Hall?

The whimsical North Pole community, dotted with candy cane trees and mischievous elves, boasts amenities from the requisite post office to a ski resort and beach with docks. The display features dozens of evergreens, a frozen waterfall and skating pond—not to mention hundreds of people, snowmen, reindeer and various modes of transportation to carry them from one end of this winter wonderland to the other. There’s even a ���ϲ����� section, where the characters are decked out in orange and blue University apparel.

The village is lovingly created and curated by Dianne Seeley, who has been collecting pieces for almost 50 years. Seeley is the operations, space and facilities manager for Falk College and the director of kitchen operations, and has held several roles within Falk and at the University since 2007.

“My favorite part is the looks on people’s faces, especially the kids,” Seeley says.

One awed student suggested the only thing missing is a zip line for the elves. Maybe that will be on Seeley’s Christmas list for next year.

Seeley’s seasonal display started with a handful of houses her mother made her in 1977 from plastic canvas and yarn and has grown over the years as family, friends, students and co-workers have added to her collection.

Powered by 198 AAA batteries, the Christmas village in White Hall, home to Falk College, took Dianne Seeley over 20 hours to assemble, spread over two Saturdays and a week of early mornings before work.

The Santa Lucia figure was a gift from a Swedish student, and the contractor she worked with on the new roof for the stadium sent her a miniature version of the massive German crane used on the project.

Seeley says her favorite items in the village is a figurine of elves washing a reindeer her children gave her.

Some of her fondest memories are tied to the Christmas village. For decades, she and her sister would each buy two new elves a year—one for their own village and one to give the other. Seeley’s sister passed away four years ago, bringing a bittersweet end to a heartfelt holiday tradition.

For several years after she moved to ���ϲ�����, her Christmas village sat in storage. But in 2015 she brought a few houses to work to brighten her fifth floor office in White Hall.

People loved the little village, and each year she pulled a few more boxes from storage. It outgrew her office. For the last two years, Seeley set up the display in a conference room, where she welcomed adults and children to look and touch all the pieces.

“One of the best things about the conference room was everyone could walk around and see all the details in the village up close,” Seeley said.

Behind the glass, visitors can look but not touch, but so many more people can enjoy it.

Dianne Seeley’s Christmas village display includes an art store, Maddie’s, which is named after her granddaughter, a 15-year-old jewelry designer.

Setting up the elaborate display wasn’t easy. Powered by 198 AAA batteries, it took Seeley over 20 hours to assemble, spread over two Saturdays and a week of early mornings before work.

Over the years, Seeley has added personal touches. A golf game features a leaderboard with golfers on the Falk College faculty, including Assistant Dean David Salanger; the fun run race winners are her grandchildren; and the art store, Maddie’s, is named after her granddaughter, a 15-year-old jewelry designer.

This labor of love reflects Dianne Seeley’s creativity throughout.

Looking for a distraction as she underwent chemotherapy treatment in her battle against cancer several years ago, Seeley turned to the holiday village. She handcrafted many of the supports, gluing together layers of foam that she then carved with a paring knife and painted. The waterfall was made from strips of cooled hot glue, the skating pond from resin and the beach from caulk and paint.

Seeley says this may be one of the last years for her Christmas village on the University campus as she is planning to retire soon. So, if you’re looking for a holiday-inspired escape without leaving campus, all it takes is a stroll over the Falk College bridge.

The Christmas village is on display through Jan. 7 and open to the public on the fourth-floor bridge of Falk College.