Valerie Cihylik

I have several friends who also went to CCNY at the same time I did. I was thinking that I should do something more with my life. One friend in particular, whom I met before CCNY, had the same thoughts. CCNY was in my neighborhood. It didn't make sense to go anywhere else. I said CCNY, and she was already thinking about CCNY. We ended up going at the same time. We met one of my best friends in the world on our first day at CCNY. She lives in my building right now. I was working full-time, going to school, and taking care of my dog. I worked weekends, for 30 hours in two days, so my weeks were free. I took classes whenever there was a class that I wanted. I had a female professor who was relatively new. She was so good and very tuned in to things. In her class we were always working and re-working the material, trying to understand it and share ideas. She was really keen on writing, so writing became a big thing for me. I'm still a writer. This professor was one of the people who commented on my writing and encouraged me to do more because she thought that I had talent. I owe her big time. She was really awesome. I have four or five friends from CCNY whom I still see regularly. They are the most important people in my life. The gift that CCNY gave to me was these amazing people. I left CCNY and taught for a while. I got a whole different perspective because I was on the other side of the blackboard. It gave me even more respect for the professors I had who were truly excellent. I did a lot of writing in my career. I edited an online 'zine. I edited several novels for friends and acquaintances. I worked for a law firm. I edited documents and did publications with them. I became a writer because my CCNY professor saw the potential in me and, because of that, it is a big part of how I define myself.