Admission for bigger dreams

Christine kept her big smile while shuffling through the photos on her desk. Besides family member pictures, she also kept the photos that were sent to her from students.

“I have worked here for sixteen years, and I still learn new things everyday at work and from students,” said Christine Baker.

Baker, the recruiter at the Admission and Registration office, has been recognized as a passionate supporter by many local and international students.

Baker works in the Admission and Registration Office at
LBCC in Albany

The Admission office at LBCC helps students with questions of applications, registration, scholarships and other campus related questions. The receptionists can also redirect students to specific departments and give out useful contacts information.

Although the office work sounds repetitive, Baker enjoys every minute of it. 

Baker's compassion and sympathy helped her to build strong relationships between students and her. Many international students were comfortable sharing their problems with baker despite their language barriers.  

"Look, this one was sent to me from Europe, this was her wedding," Baker showed me her photo collection from students "and this one was from Dubai, he's a singer with a business degree from here."

In the past, Baker was invited to students' weddings, engagement ceremonies, and graduations. 

She was amazed by students achievements, and it surprised her of how much her understanding and trust helped them to confront difficulties.

Besides students, school administrates appreciated Baker's efforts by presenting her the Analee Fuentes Award during the 5th Annual Unity Celebration. Baker was surprised and too humble to put up the award until her supervisor requested her to.

“The greatest part of this job is when I watch students graduate or transfer to other schools to achieve their dreams,” said Baker.

Because LBCC accepts students from all over the world, Baker believes that it is important to have a global perspective when communicating with applicants.

“Internationalizing is not only for campus growth, but also to learn from others and enrich ourselves,” Baker said “By sharing, we are not that different. We all have different experiences to contribute and we can always grow.”

“For American student, I hope they think about some opportunities of studying abroad like the international students we have here.” Bake pointed out some popular programs and hope LBCC will have similar programs in the future.

Speaking from her own experience, Baker has traveled to several other countries in Europe.

“I understood of how people live outside of the country,” Baker joked “however, the key is to remember a few basic words of the local language before you take off. Words like ‘bathroom,’ ‘please,’ and ‘thank you’ would definitely help you with surviving abroad.”