Laura O’Connell started her career as an entertainment publicist for the concert venue Westbury Music Fair and later became a marketing manager for the legacy brand Welcome Wagon. During both experiences, she always had interns by her side, teaching a new generation of professionals. But it was her start as a student at Nassau Community College that O’Connell credits for leading her to discover who she is, giving her a voice, teaching her the value of education, showing her how to be a leader, and of course obtaining her first internship, as well as an associate degree in liberal arts. O’Connell also holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in speech and interpersonal communication from New York University. It was her dream to one day teach at Nassau to guide students in the way she had been guided. With hard work, perseverance, and a little luck, her dream came true. Now a SUNY Chancellor’s for Teaching Excellence Award recipient, Laura has been a professor in the Communications Department at Nassau Community College for almost 20 years. When she’s not teaching or mentoring students, she is laughing with friends and spending time with her husband, their two kids, and their yellow Labrador retriever.