What is Ulster BOCES?
Brandon Gruber

Ulster BOCES means different things to different people. To Brandon Gruber, a former Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center student in the Graphic Visual Arts (GVA) Print and Multimedia program and a 2007 Kingston High School graduate, Ulster BOCES means developing the skills needed to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a professional cartoon animator.

Since he was a young boy, Brandon loved to draw. “I’ve been drawing since I was able to hold a pencil,” Brandon says. “I’d draw in class when I was bored and should have been paying attention to the teacher.” Though most children love watching cartoons, Brandon was an animation aficionado from a young age. He enjoyed cartoons of all types, and soon became interested in anime, the Japanese-based form of cartoons. It was then that Brandon decided he would become an animator. “It’s an extremely challenging and competitive field, but I’ve known for a long time animation is the profession I want to pursue,” he reflects.

Due to several learning challenges, Brandon was placed in Ulster BOCES Special Education classes in seventh grade, after having moved to the area from Connecticut. During this time, he attended classes at the Ulster BOCES Center for Alternative Education at Port Ewen, which he enjoyed. “I met other students who came from similar backgrounds and we could relate on certain issues,” he recalls. The supportive environment enabled Brandon to thrive academically and socially. In eighth grade, Brandon transferred to the Ulster BOCES Special Education program at Highland Middle School. In his junior year, Brandon was ready for a new challenge, and enrolled in the Ulster BOCES Graphic Visual Arts (GVA) Print and Multimedia program to pursue his dream career.

The Ulster BOCES GVA program offered Brandon the opportunity to harness his creative energy and funnel it toward his schoolwork. In the GVA program Brandon was able to learn both the theory and practice of desktop publishing, illustration, digital photography, photo manipulation, advertising design, web design, and even…you guessed it, animation! Like many Ulster BOCES students, Gruber was thrilled to be able to participate in a high school curriculum that was tailored to his specific interests and chosen career path. After school, Brandon spent time with friends and maintained a part time sales job at the Hudson Valley Mall. All the while, one thing was certain ¬¬– Brandon’s goal to become a television and movie animator stayed clear.

“I loved it at Ulster BOCES because I was learning the stuff most people are exposed to in their freshman and sophomore years of college,” Brandon says. “Now, I already have an edge over other students.”

The teachers at the Ulster BOCES Special Education at Highland program provided Brandon with the support he needed to excel in his coursework. “The teachers are down to earth. They take the time to talk with you about your problems and they really care.” In fact, Brandon did so well that he was able to pass the tests necessary to opt out of the Special Education program at Highland, and move into the traditional classroom at Kingston High School in the fall of 2006.

At Kingston High School, Brandon was pleased to learn that since he had already passed all his Regents exams through Ulster BOCES, he needed only two more classes in order to graduate with a Regents diploma. While attending classes at Kingston High School half the day, Brandon continued with the GVA program at Ulster BOCES. “It felt good to be ahead,” Brandon says.

With the skills he learned at Ulster BOCES, there are many options ahead for Brandon. “There are so many things you can do, the possibilities are limitless,” Brandon says. As an Ulster BOCES student, Brandon has already been contracted for freelance web-design work, adding luster to his resume for future employment and college applications.

For now, Brandon plans on earning his associates degree from SUNY Ulster before moving on to a four-year school. “Even if your goal is animation, colleges look for artists that possess a diverse range of skills, so the experience I gained at Ulster BOCES will help me immensely.”