Weedsport Alumni Profile: Alyssa Burt

Having finished high school in 2012, Alyssa Burt is one of Weedsport’s more recent graduates. Throughout her school career, Alyssa was a fantastic student; she was Valedictorian of her class, always on the Honor Roll, participated at Empire Girls’ State, took New Visions Medical courses and was a member of numerous extracurricular activities. All of her hard work paid off when she received a letter of acceptance from her dream college, Binghamton University, where she has been enrolled since 2012.

Currently a junior at Binghamton, Alyssa is doing just as well, if not better, at college as she was in high school.

Alyssa finds that going to college has been just as exciting yet stressful as she imagined it would be. She says, “It’s been an amazing experience so far and has really shown me what the real world is like. At Weedsport you see the same people every day, yet in college you’re constantly meeting new people from all over the world that have such different attitudes and personalities. It’s really amazing.”

She finds the hardest part of going to college was having to adjust to being on your own in a new environment with the different people she mentioned in her quote. Yet she claims she would never have changed anything due to all the things Binghamton has done for her. “There have just been so many different opportunities that I’m thankful have been presented to me, especially since I went there from such a small town and high school. It’s really challenged me though since I’ve had to work so much harder, manage my time better and just become a more efficient person overall. But I love it because I know it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

When it comes to academics, extracurriculars and working, Alyssa has had her plate pretty full. She is currently taking classes to major in Psychology, minor in Health & Wellness and obtain an adjunct in Business (meaning the business class is not mandatory, she chooses to take it, sort of like an elective). In addition to a seemingly full enough workload, she is a research assistant for the Interdisciplinary Tobacco Research Program, where she does things such as study the effects of smoking during pregnancy and how it impacts a person’s social life. Alyssa is also the Training Supervisor for Binghamton’s Tour Guide Program, where she helps educate students on the college’s campus so they can show it to people who are interested in going there. On top of this, she is an Admissions Intern who reviews in-state and transfer-student college applications. With being an intern she has to do things such as travel to college fairs and help with anything the Admissions Office asks of her.

Lastly, she was a R.E.A.C.H. (Real Education About College Health) Intern during her sophomore year. In the program she went around Binghamton’s campus and helped educate students on topics such as safe drinking, stress management, what to do when you’re sick and other things of the like. She also proudly added that she was the female quarterback on the college’s co-ed football team! “I’m really glad I’ve gotten so involved,” she says. “If there’s one thing I could tell new college students, it would be to get involved in as many extracurriculars as you can handle. It’s fun to do different things and looks great to potential employers.”

When asked what she planned on doing after graduating from Binghamton, Alyssa seemed pretty unsure. “It’s a toss-up, I know I want to go to grad school. I may work as an Admissions Counselor for a little bit until what I’d like to do is set in stone. I’ll start taking classes to get my Master’s in either something like School Psychology or Higher Education Psych.” She knows for sure that she wants to help people and go into the Human Services field, yet isn’t positive on an exact profession.

Alyssa feels that the New Visions Medical Program and her high school teachers from Weedsport in general really aided her in preparing for college. She said that working in so many different areas during New Visions helped her become more adaptable to change and plan for the future. She said it was an amazing opportunity and thanked Weedsport for allowing its students to participate. When it came to her teachers, she had nothing but good things to say about them. “They were all so personable and cared for each of their students. They were always there for me and made me realize that college would be a whole different ballgame. They taught me to always try my best and work my hardest because in reality, that’s what gets you the farthest.”

Alyssa has clearly had an exciting and needless to say, busy, college career so far. As her brother I wish nothing but the best for her and hope to see her continue to thrive in the future.