In a corner of the SUNY Old Westbury library, there is a medium-sized office with a glass exterior called the Writing Center. Bradley B. Vonknsky, the Assistant Director of the Writing Center, sits behind a large desk scheduling appointments for students.
When Vonknsky speaks, his body language changes as he swivels on his chair and taps a pen between his hands. Unsure of a response, he plays with his Islanders lanyard. When a student enters, his trademark saying is, “Hello, how can I help today?”
Part of Vonknsky’s job is scheduling appointments and teaching college students how to write papers with a thesis. He also instructs thirteen tutors on how to teach students to write papers.
He has lived on Long Island all his life. He attended high school at Saint Dominic Catholic High School in Oyster Bay.
Vonknsky said that he admires his father and his work ethic because “he worked four jobs when [Vonknsky] was a kid to support us.” He has two parents, a wife, a younger sister, and a baby daughter.
Vonknsky turned to education after he got a severe form of pneumonia. He went to Empire State College for a Bachelor’s Degree in English because he enjoys writing. He started as a journalism major at Empire State College. However, he disliked how specific assignments needed to be. As a result, Vonknsky became a film major at Empire State College. He subsequently changed his major to English since he was concerned he wouldn’t have a film job after college. For the next part of his education, he went to SUNY Old Westbury for a graduate degree in the MAT program in Adolescence Education for English at OW.
Most people major in English to read books, but not him. Vonknsky likes to write more than he likes to read. He always had an interest in song lyrics and poetry. He said he has never been a big fan of the classic novels people like. However, he is passionate about reading poetry and enjoys analyzing the song lyrics of his favorite artists.
Vonknsky had a long road before he came to the Writing Center. He was a rink guard and skate rental worker at the Port Washington Skating Rink. He also did landscaping with his father, and on his own, he did substitute teaching at public schools on Long Island. It was a job that he was good at since he could empathize with students. Unfortunately, there were few available substitute teacher positions and he could not get stable employment. That is when he applied for a student position in the Writing Center.
Vonknsky has received multiple promotions until he became Assistant Director, which is still his job today. He continues to help students improve their writing.
