Prepared for the Future: Meet Public Health Student Ritzy Kisel 

When Ritzy Kisel finished her associate degree at Rockland Community College in 2022, she decided to take a break from school. Still, the idea of earning her bachelor’s one day was very much on her mind. 

“I was thinking about my education the whole time,” the Congers, NY resident says. “I just kept thinking, ‘I want to do more.’” 

That desire led her to Empire State University, where she enrolled in the public health program in 2024. Now, after two years of full-time study, the first-generation college student is on track to complete her bachelor’s this August.  

“It feels so rewarding to be able to say I’m done,” says Kisel, who participated in the Manhattan commencement ceremony on May 21.  

As a student, Kisel has balanced classes with full-time work as a pharmacy technician—a juggling act that hasn’t always been easy. Last summer, while she was taking a time-intensive lab class, Kisel says she began to fall behind in her schoolwork.  

“I was coming home unable to focus on my school stuff because I was already stressed and burned out from work,” she explains. “The hours were so demanding.” 

Unable to take off time from work to get caught up at school, Kisel faced a decision: She could keep her job and let her schoolwork suffer, or she could leave her job. She opted for the latter.  

“I’m glad I chose my degree and I chose SUNY Empire,” says Kisel, adding that she found a new full-time employer a month later. “I chose my studies at that moment because now I’m here and I can say I did it.” 

Another point of pride? Kisel made the Dean’s List that semester (as she has every semester since she first began her program). She was also inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society.  She credits her advisor and professors with supporting her through challenging moments and helping her succeed. 

“I feel like SUNY Empire is great for people that have busy lives,” she says. “The resources are there and I was able to manage.” 

Looking ahead, Kisel says she hopes to study epidemiology in graduate school. She also dreams of working for a government agency like the CDC—a goal she thinks her SUNY Empire education has prepped her for. 

“I have gained so much knowledge and yeah, there is this uncertainty of what’s going to happen next because you don’t know what’s out there,” she says of her post-graduation plans. “But I feel like I’m prepared.”