Welcome to the first edition of The Gold Standard. If you’re reading this, odds are we’ve already connected here on LinkedIn, “GOLD” stands for “Graduates of the Last Decade.” It feels strange to admit that I’m not a SUNY Canton alum(nus) yet, because Canton already feels like home. This campus and community are now part of my story, through my new role as the Digital Engagement Officer for the Canton College Foundation.
I’m back in the classroom after 13 years, finally finishing what I started, my Bachelor of Business Administration in Management. SUNY Canton was not part of my early college journey. I left the North Country where I grew up because I wanted something different.
However, life has a way of bringing you back around.
Now, years later, with different responsibilities, experience and more at stake, I’m walking a campus that feels familiar in a way I didn’t expect. Perhaps, SUNY Canton was where I belonged the whole time.
I now sit in my class, thinking about more than just grades. I think about my career, family, money, time, and what it means to build a life that works for me. I also think about the thousands of students who came before me, each one carrying their own hopes, questions, and paths forward, just like I am now.
As I explore what life at Canton is all about, one thing that stands out to me is how deeply people care about each other here. Not just while you are a student, but long after you leave.
If you graduated in the last decade, you’re not brand new anymore, but you’re not fully settled either. You’re building something. You’re adjusting. You’re learning what works and what doesn’t. You’re figuring out who you are after the cap and gown came off.
That space in between is exactly why The GOLD Standard exists.
This newsletter exists to create connection between people who shared a starting point and are now walking different paths.
Every Monday, The GOLD Standard will bring you one real story, one honest idea, and one reason to stay connected. You may read about careers or GOLD alumni on the move. Sometimes it will be about change, failure, growth or finding your people or self again. It will always be about what it means to carry the Roo standard into real life.
Short enough to read; real enough to matter.
If you want to be part of it, the first step is simple: Subscribe, follow along, and share your story. Comment, reply, and be part of shaping The GOLD Standard.
You are not just someone who used to go here. You are still part of “The Roo Network.”
The Roo Network exists to keep that connection alive. It is where you can find people, events, opportunities, and ways to stay close to Canton. You can also find it anytime by registering and creating your own profile on our own digital alumni network at sunyalumni.canton.edu.
And if you ever feel ready to give back, even in a small way, know that it matters. Ten dollars. A story. Your time. Your voice. It all helps someone else start their own journey.
The GOLD Standard is for graduates of the last decade who are still becoming who they are meant to be.
Different paths. Same roots. Still Roo’s.