SUNY Oswego - Alumni Association - September E-Newsletter

Fall 2010

Grad Earned Her College Dimes with Nickel

With college costs trending ever upward, Karly Armstrong ’10 took her educational quest in the other direction. To help cover her SUNY Oswego tuition, she went underground – 4,400 feet or so – into the nickel mines of Sudbury, Ontario.

Karly Armstrong, nickel miner “It was worth it – even if I hated to go underground and get that dirty or get up that early,” said Armstrong, who earned her business administration degree in May.

She picked up her unusual summer job through a lottery at the company her father retired from. Xstrata operates one of two mines in Armstrong’s native Sudbury, located roughly 365 miles north of Toronto.

The mines are so popular a summer job destination, the company does a drawing to decide who gets the seasonal paychecks, Armstrong explained.

The women’s ice hockey center primarily worked in an underground shop helping assemble mining equipment. After getting suited up in her safety belt, steel toe boots, reflective gear, gloves and glasses, Armstrong would take a 15-minute descent on the elevator.

“The first day was probably the only day I was ever really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. Armstrong also logged some time in a ground-level warehouse.

Nickel is a valuable resource used in more than just currency, she said. It’s used to craft many metals, including steel.

With her Oswego degree in hand, Armstrong did get a job in the mining industry – this time a little higher up. She currently does accounting and administration work for Swick Mining Services.

— Shane M. Liebler

PHOTO CAPTION:
Karly Armstrong ’10, nickel miner.

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Who doesn’t want to save the world? Michael Kite ’02 does that for a living through World Wildlife Fund.

As marketing specialist for one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, Kite and his team of three work to raise more than $5 million each year. The majority of that money comes from licensing partnerships and promotions with the likes of Barnes & Noble, Gap, Hewlett-Packard, Dial and Coinstar.

Retail partnerships help WWF spread its message to the general public and raise funds for its conservation work around the globe. For example, Bank of America contributes $100 for every special Visa account opened and Nabisco is supporting WWF’s “Year of the Tiger” initiative with special packaging and a $100,000 donation. The new CVS Green Bag Tag program rewards reusable bag-toting customers, and generates five cents for WWF for each tag sold.

All support WWF’s mission of protecting the future of nature, down to the finest details, Kite said.

“We like to see that the product is made from recycled material and is recyclable itself, and somehow ties into our mission,” Kite said. The Green Bag Tag, for instance, is made from a corn-based material and features a 100 percent recycled silicone lanyard.

As a broadcasting major at Oswego, Kite got involved with WRVO-FM and WNYO-FM.

“I think it gave me a lot more confidence in talking to people,” he said. It was an important part of his early career in broadcast sales and remains an important piece in the message he “sells” today.

“The best part of my job is seeing a product in the store with the WWF logo after months of working with a company to launch it,” said Kite, who joined the organization in 2006. “It’s rewarding to give people a fun, unique way to protect our planet.”

— Shane M. Liebler