Welcome to Inside the Shark Tank.

Our guest this month is Professor Maggie Marcincuk, MA, LCSW. Maggie serves as our Mental Health Counselor on the Eastern campus and she is also a professor for COL 101: College Seminar. You may have seen Maggie downstairs at one of her popular programs like kindness week or dog therapy sessions that promote mental health and you may also have seen her as our very own Fairy Grade Mother walking around campus in a pink tutu making everyone smile. 

Suffolk County Community College offers free and confidential, short-term mental health services that are made available on each of the college campuses. The services we provide to students are part of the SCCC CARES Initiative where at Suffolk we are Creating Awareness and Readiness to End Stigma about mental health issues. 

Students can make an appointment with Maggie by email at [email protected], by phone at 631-548-2650, or in person in the Counseling Center, located on the second floor of the Peconic Building. Students can find out more about services, including events and making an appointment at www.sunysuffolk.edu/experience-student-life/mental-health-services and you can also follow Mental Health Services on Instagram at @scccmentalhealth. 

Mental Health Services offer programming throughout each semester. In March, they will be having the Mental Health Challenge, encouraging students to support their mental health. Each day of the calendar month there will be something that students can do to better their mental health and practice mental health care. 

Q&A with Maggie

What movie have you seen the most times? The Blind Side or Pitch Perfect 

What superpower would you choose to have? To be in two places at the same time

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? Ireland 

Who is someone in your profession you really admire? Tom Tyson, who started the Mental Health Program at Suffolk County Community College. 

What makes your job exciting? The students that I work with. I always admire the fact that they are hardworking and go to both work and school. When I get a student that feels that they can share things with me. I feel also that I can connect well with students and they feel supported. It is exciting to see students grow. 

When did you know you wanted this job? I knew I wanted to work here as soon as I saw the opportunity. 

What did you do at work yesterday? I planned a program for kindness week, went to a meeting regarding Take Back the Night that will be held in April, and met with students. 

How do you see mental health services evolving over the next five years? It has evolved a lot since COVID, three additional counselors have been hired through grant funding. 

Can anyone be a leader? I say yes, some are more naturally born leaders, but some can also learn how to become a leader. The question is do you want to become a leader? 

Question 10: What is the single most important quality a leader can have? Someone who is inclusive and equity-minded and recognizes the strengths within the team that you are working with. 

What is the best career advice you have ever received? To make sure that I am taking care of myself, or self-care so that I can continue to take care of others. 

What advice would you give your younger self at the start of your career? You do not need a doctorate degree to do what you want to do which for me is mental health counseling. 

What strategies have had the biggest impact on your success? I think being open to learning from more experienced people, for example, turning to a mentor to learn about the profession. Also, being open to ways to grow personally and in my field. 

Which fictional character would you most like to meet? Buzz Lightyear 

What would your motto be? My motto is never let age define you. 

Questions are from Hubilo, 60 Questions to Ask Guest Speakers During a Virtual Event; www.hubilo.com; February 1, 2023