The Putnam Examiner

Mahopac Student Lives Her Dream, Wins Award to Boot

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4-11-13BreanneMcCarthyACEBreanne McCarthy, a Mahopac resident, is on the road to realizing a dream she has had since she was only three years old – to become a fashion designer.

“I’m going to FIT in the fall!” the Mahopac senior who attends the BOCES Tech Center said, “and it’s thanks to my Tech teachers for giving me all the skills to get there.”

McCarthy, a fashion design and merchandising student at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, was also recently named an ACE scholar by Westchester Community College’s Advanced College Experience Program for tackling college-level courses while at Tech.

Tech English teacher Stephanie Buckout nominated McCarthy for the award. “I love Stephanie’s work ethic,” Buckout said. “It will really serve her well both in college and in the workplace.”

Due to the ACE program, McCarthy will have several college credits under her belt before she begins classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology next fall. ACE is an academic partnership between Westchester Community College and area high schools that enables students to enroll in college level classes and earn college credit during their final years of high school.

As McCarthy works beside a dressmaker’s dummy with a pale blue and sequined creation of her own making, McCarthy’s skill is obvious. In addition to her talent and hard work, “Stephanie is mature, insightful and respectful,” Buckout said. “She puts 100 percent into her work, and she always goes that extra mile.”

McCarthy will be honored at a ceremony given by Westchester Community College for her ACE award next month.

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