American actor and comedian Betty White once said, “It’s your outlook on life that counts.”
Dylan Gafarian, EdD, Farmingdale State College’s (FSC) Research Aligned Mentorship (RAM) Program director since April 2023—and a huge Betty White fan—could not agree more. He even met Betty White once and has “one really bad, blurry photo” to prove it. Just ask his dog, Betty Bite.
Gafarian, who joined FSC’s staff in 2018, applies his positive, can-do outlook to drive powerful campus initiatives that have impacted thousands of students, such as the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute, the annual IGNITE Symposium, and specialized scholarship programs, as well as the RAM Program’s collaborative learning workshops, mentored research opportunities, and service-learning experiences.
“Our students get involved with undergraduate research as early as possible,” he said of the program, which supports students who qualify as low-income, first-generation, or from a historically minoritized community. “We also assist them holistically. We don’t just talk about grades. We want to learn more about them and their future passions and goals. They come in as first- year students, and they walk away with a more developed identity of who they want to become.”
“Dylan has been the heart and soul of RAM from the moment he began working for the program,” said Sarina Turbendian, RAM Program operations manager and academic advisement assistant. “He truly cares about the students and the work we do, and his tenacity, innovation, and creative mindset have fostered the growth of several new programs.”
Gafarian’s enthusiasm to give FSC’s students an exceptional college experience began from his own health challenges growing up in Farmingville, New York. His “pretty regular childhood” was interrupted when he became ill at just 12 years old. Missing school and sports practices, Gafarian traveled between appointments and out-of-state facilities as his doctors struggled to diagnose him.
“When I was about 13, we went to the Mayo Clinic, which is the ‘big, bad’ hospital,” said Gafarian, who was later diagnosed with IgG4-related disease. “And as I’m getting ready to leave for the flight to come home, they say they want to run one more test. My bags are packed, I’m ready to go out the door, and they stick me with another needle. But I just wanted to get home for soccer—like a real kid. That experience put a lot of things into perspective for me.”
When Gafarian was ready to attend St. Joseph’s University to pursue his BA in journalism and new media, he vowed to make his college experience truly memorable.
“I jokingly say I’ve always had the quintessential old soul,” he said. “But I was kind of forced to grow up early. And then when I got to college, I decided, you know what? I’m going to have a great college career. And I did. I was involved in literally every club and organization. I started an internet radio station, I was a part of the campus activities board and the student government. I was there all the time and I got more free t-shirts than I knew what to do with.”
In fact, Gafarian loved college so much he wanted to find any way to stay in higher education. This would lead him to receive an almost “braggadocious” number of degrees, including an MS in creativity and change leadership from Buffalo State College, an MSEd in higher education leadership and policy studies from Hofstra University, a graduate certificate in multicultural education from the State University of New York at New Paltz, and ultimately an EdD in educational and policy leadership from Hofstra University.
Today, Gafarian, who was recently voted “most likely to tell dad jokes” by his team, is elated to continually share his fondness for higher education with FSC’s students.
“I love it. I really do love what we get to do here,” said Gafarian. “I wanted to build a community, build the friendships of the students, build their interest in research and critical thinking. I want them to walk away with what I walked away with in college. And they’re walking away with even more experience than I ever had. They’re doing amazing and they make me proud every day.”
