“The College Tour” Features UAlbany Great Dane Pride

By Lily Magurno | September 8, 2025

Featured Students in “The College Tour” in a panel after the episode’s premiere

Photo Credit: Lily Magurno / The ASP

The Campus Center at the University at Albany turned into a movie theater last Thursday (9/4) as students, their families and staff packed into the newly renovated ballroom to watch 10 of their peers excel on the big screen in the UAlbany episode of the Amazon Prime series titled “The College Tour”.

The students in the show promoted the school by showing their successes, career opportunities and of course, their purple and gold pride.

“I only expected to be here for a year to finish out my degree, but I loved it so much that I came back for another year and I don’t regret it,” said featured student Jaelyn Staiano during the post-premiere panel.

The show and its cast work to give viewers a look at what it's like to become a Great Dane and what you can do with resources and opportunities that UAlbany offers. From internships in New York City to campus extracurriculars to advancing the medical field, these students represented everything that can be accomplished at the university.

“I have just been super, super involved,” said featured student Davani Melendez during the panel. “I would definitely say that having my marketing internship with UAlbany dining has kind of just thrown me into student involvement, and I just became a familiar face on campus.”

Students in the show also expressed the importance of reaching for career goals by doing internships. 

Atmospheric science senior Allison Lancia had four internships at news outlets as a weather reporter. And Jaden Gabb, a political science major, interned for the New York State Assembly working to pass Francesco’s Law, which “ensures that people lock away their guns in the presence of minors,” according to Gabb.

UAlbany’s volunteer ambulance service, Five Quad, was featured on the episode through Human Biology junior Lorraine Affigne. Her segment highlighted how the service helps premed students like Affigne advance their medical experience. 

“It was so fun getting my EMT certification,” Affigne said during the panel. “FiveQuad is so amazing, and I’m so glad this campus has it.”

The cast finished the episode premiere by telling their younger selves and this year’s freshman class advice they had for their first year at college. The panel agreed that getting involved in UAlbany campus activities was the best way to succeed at the university. 

“Dive into [volunteering], dive into those clubs, organizations,” said featured student Philip Rosero, “You never know who you’re going to meet until you go into those social interactions.”

The UAlbany episode of “The College Tour” is available to watch here. It will premiere on Amazon Prime as part of the show’s 15th season later this year.