Just like Hermia in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” SUNY Oneonta Assistant Professor of Acting, Directing and Movement Kiara Pipino is little, but she is fierce. And her students know that better than anyone.

Garrett Camasi wasn’t able to make it to his freshman orientation at SUNY Oneonta, but he had a very good excuse: He was photographing Asian elephants at a Sri Lankan orphanage with nonprofit Veterinarians International.

I want to be an entertainment lawyer, doing copyright and writing contracts for artists and athletes. Not just in the U.S. but internationally. I speak English, Mandarin, Korean and Spanish. So that would be my dream job.

The opportunities I’ve had, especially to travel, I will never forget. The summer after my freshman year, our tennis team went to Portugal, and that was the first time I had been overseas. It was incredible. Being able to see and live in another culture temporarily is so eye-opening.

I want to be a middle school Spanish teacher, probably like eighth grade. It’s a good age where you can interact with them and they can start to form their own opinions and add substance to a conversation. It’s really when they dive into language and start learning about why it’s so important to learn other languages and how it can connect people.

I love how there are a lot of women in my major because computer science doesn’t really have a lot of women in the field. So that’s great to see. I wanted to prove – especially as a black woman – that anyone can be a computer science major. If men try to talk down to you, just show them what you can do!

My ideal job is anything in the theater or media world. I definitely want to look into directing and editing. My biggest dream would probably be working on a TV or movie set, either working behind the scenes or onstage – I love both realms. I want to be in that environment.

My best experiences so far have definitely been just hanging out with the friends I’ve met in my dorm. Everyone in my hallway, we all get together, hang out, go out to lunch together and go into town as a group. It’s just great being a part of a community, whether we’re in the dorm room spending time with neighbors or volunteering at an event with friends.

I chose Oneonta because of the program that they had. When I was looking at other schools, they would usually focus on one specific area of art. I liked Oneonta’s curriculum because it’s not just one specific type of art, there’s also art history and other parts of art I never thought I’d ever explore, like artists’ books.

My dream job would be to be a CEO of a company. I can see myself making pitches, being in that corporate setting in a conference room and being a leader. It fits my personality.

My favorite class so far is Public Speaking. I love my professor, Stacy Branigan. She’s professional but motherly and makes it lively. She gives criticism back, but it’s always constructive so I don’t feel intimidated. It’s a great learning experience for me, and I’m seeing myself grow and progress over time.

My favorite classes so far have been Gender, Power & Difference with Dr. Kachwala or Race, Gender, Class and Culture with Dr. Ashford. I loved these classes because we were really able to have discussions. I think you learn more when you hear the other people in your class talking. It’s more life skills, being knowledgeable and being able to explain how you feel. It’s really important to be able to explain yourself and where you’re coming from.