Hunter Business School, a technical trade school that has locations in Levittown and Medford, has long built a steadfast and impressive reputation for offering students expert, comprehensive training and support that enables them to find gainful employment in a variety of different fields.
Among the programs that Hunter offers are Medical Assistant, Medical Office Administration with Billing and Coding, Computer Technician Networking Specialist, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Practical Nursing, Medical Billing and Web Application Design and Development In addition, Hunter's Levittown location also offers Radiologic Technology.
But Hunter is more than just a trade school; first and foremost, it goes the extra mile to cultivate a sense of community spirit and charity within its student body, and prides itself upon ensuring that they have the tools and skills to achieve their career goals once they venture out into the real world.
Kayla Perrone serves a dual role at Hunter- she’s one of the school’s Career Services Advisors in their Career Services Department, in addition to overseeing the Student Council with Medical Assistant Instructor Brianna Greco. This, Kayla said, gives her a unique perspective when it comes to helping students develop, both personally and professionally.
“This allows me to see our entire student journey, from the moment they get involved on campus to the moment they transition into the workforce,” she said. “So, I get to support students not only in preparing for employment, but also in building confidence, leadership, and a sense of belonging while they're here.”
As far as their professional development goes, Kayla noted that great pains are taken to focus a student’s curriculum on developing real-world abilities that are in-demand in their chosen profession, as opposed to spinning their wheels on filler courses.
“For our students, it's very important that they learn only the skills they’ll need – clinical, administrative, and technical – depending on which program that they are in,” she said. “And with our Career Services Department, we're a full resource center. We offer career services and development workshops and seminars, because we really want our students to be able to transition right from the classroom into their careers.”
But developing skills is only one part of the puzzle at Hunter; developing character is another, equally-important aspect of the experience, and to that end, the Student Council plays a vital role.
Jason Hernandez-Cruz is a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) student at Hunter who currently works as a medical assistant; in addition, he is the Student Council President, and oversees many of their community outreach and charitable efforts.
“Hunter was highly recommended by one of my family’s friends. And now that I am here, it's just been an absolute pleasure to serve our School Council as the president as well, because we've done so much already in the seven months I've been here,” he said. “The Student Council does a lot for our local community…so far, we’ve raised over $3,000 for places like the American Cancer Society, the Nassau County Department of Social Services, New Ground Social Services, Long Island Harvest, and the Red Cross. We also had a fundraiser for people that were affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.”
The Student Council meets regularly to discuss their goals and plans for any particular month; for example, May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so those charities are especially focused upon during those time periods.
“The mission of the Student Council is to empower students to become effective leaders by fostering teamwork, civil responsibility, and professional growth,” Jason said. “It's about creating a system where the students can feel seen and be a part of a team. It's developing them both inside and outside the classroom.”
The Student Council also engages in numerous events to build camaraderie amongst learners, including different “spirit weeks” as well as bake sales, summer barbecues, and movie nights.
Hunter Business School works hard on fostering an atmosphere of family, and like any true family, the relationship doesn’t end when someone leaves the household; after graduation and beyond, students are guided throughout the job-seeking process and instilled with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in life.
And, if they stumble along the way, Kayla noted that graduates are always welcome back for additional help.
“We host different workshops for students during their in-class portion, so, for example, we'll do resume building, preparing them with interviews with questions specifically designed for the fields that they're entering,” she said. “We'll bring in guest speakers, teach them up-to-date trends on the industries, and also host career fairs so that they're able to meet with employers, network, and start interviewing and getting their resumes out there to land careers.”
“The biggest part about what we do is placement assistance, and this is also lifetime assistance for all of our students and graduates,” Kayla continued. “They can always call us up at any time if they're looking for a new job – even if they have previously graduated, and they've been out in the job market for a few years – and we'll work with them to update their resume, refresh on interview skills, and then we also work to build connections with different employers and externship sites and clinical sites in the field so that our students can get those hands-on experiences.”
Another student who can attest to the effectiveness of Hunter’s model of education – both inside and outside of the classroom – is Student Council Vice President Shamain Persaud, who is also in the school’s nursing program along with fellow council member Jason.
“I feel like Hunter, in general, is like one big family…we’re a community that likes to help each other, as well as help others. Since I've started, we've done so many good things. For example, we did a food drive to help out families in need during the holidays,” she said. “When you normally go to school, people think, ‘Okay, I'm just going to go to school to get an education.’ But we actually do more here, and I feel like all of these positive things mold us and shape us into being better people for when we go out into the real world.”
Shamain also shared a story about how she was struggling at one point after she had gotten laid off from her job, and recalled the support she received from the caring staff at Hunter so she could get back on her feet.
“I was looking for another job, and Kayla actually sat with me, and we went over my resume. We perfected it to where it was more of a professional tone, and she was able to send that out to a few companies, and I did get quite a few interviews,” Shamain said. “So, as far as job placement goes, Hunter is wonderful because I've been to schools where they don't even help you get a job after you graduate, or even while you're still in school. The professionalism and support here is top-notch.”
Other resources available for students are tutoring and even mock job interviews, where students come to school in professional attire and do practice interviews and receive feedback on their performance afterwards, gearing them up for the rigors of the eventual real thing.
“It definitely sets us up for the real world. Everything is very hands-on and the professors are very knowledgeable and helpful,” Shamain said. “They don't just throw us in there and let us either sink or swim. They help guide us through our clinical experiences and if we fall behind, there’s excellent tutoring available.”
“I definitely feel like, with my teachers and fellow students and council members, we are a family here at Hunter,” she added.
To find out more about Hunter Business School, please call their Levittown/Nassau County campus at 516-796-1000, their Medford/Suffolk County campus at 631-736-7360, or visit their website at Hunterbusinessschool.edu.