We caught up with Ashley Bucci this week! She shares what brought her to Glens Falls, what she loves about her career as an audiologist at Glens Falls Hospital, her go-to restaurants in the city, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Ashley Bucci and I am honored to be able to share my story with Glens Falls Living! I have worked as an audiologist at The Hearing Center of Glens Falls Hospital for a little over six years now. I first moved to Glens Falls seven years ago to complete my fellowship year at the Hearing Center as the final step in earning my clinical doctorate degree in audiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. I previously earned my Bachelors degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Capital Region area at the former College of Saint Rose. When my training was complete in 2018, I was very grateful to be offered the opportunity to stay on as a full time audiologist at The Hearing Center.
On Being an Audiologist
The Glens Falls area has been very welcoming to me since moving here in 2017. It was an easy decision for me to stay and build my professional life here. The audiology department at the Hearing Center is a very special group of individuals that I’m grateful to work alongside each day. We serve a wide geographic area of individuals with hearing impairment and vestibular dysfunction. The population we serve ranges from newborn to seniors over 100 years old at times. This allows for a unique experience each day and the opportunity to support so many with hearing needs. My favorite thing about being an audiologist is not only the new people I get to meet each day but also catching up with the established patients returning for follow up or annual visits. It’s rewarding to be able to support them with the daily auditory needs that are meaningful to them such as conversing with a spouse or family member, enjoying music, or hearing the birds outside.
Working for Glens Falls Hospital has allowed me to grow with further training in speciality areas such as tinnitus and serving as a preceptor to incoming fourth year graduate clinicians as I once was. I find the role of serving as a preceptor to be incredibly rewarding as it allows me to learn about emerging topics in the field that encourage taking a fresh perspective on daily clinical routines. The Hearing Center relocated to downtown Glens Falls last October, providing us a better view of the city and the ability to enjoy the nearby eateries and food trucks more often together after work.
On Moving to Glens Falls
I grew up not far from here in Mechanicville, NY with my parents Mike and Denise and older brother Michael. Having called both my home, I recognize that Mechanicville and Glens Falls have a common ground in the fact that Mechanicville was also home to a bustling paper mill on the Hudson River many years ago that employed a majority of local residents, including my grandfather and great-grandfather. I feel that this type of industry cultivates a very hard working and authentic community group. This familiarity of interacting with kind and genuine people is very reminiscent to me of the place where I grew up. My parents and close family still live in Mechanicville, but they come to visit often. It’s special to be able to share things that they enjoy up here, including hockey games, food and music events downtown, and family gatherings at our home. My dad is an avid fly fisher which I have been fortunate enough to learn from him and enjoy in the rivers of the Adirondacks and neighboring Vermont.
My boyfriend Rob and I own a home together in the Kingsbury countryside just outside of Glens Falls. We have three cats named Claire, Melba, and June, two dogs named Forrest and Chuck, and one beta fish named Rush. We’re fortunate to have a great view of the Vermont Mountains from our deck and a large play area for the dogs. Tending to the vegetable garden and raspberry bushes in the yard this time of year is one of my favorite pastimes.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
With the array of wonderful local businesses to choose from in and around Glens Falls, a few of my regular stops include Moss Street Deli for their breakfast sandwich and coffee special , the Gourmet Cafe for birthday celebrations with my colleagues, and Coopers Cave or Sprinkles for ice cream in the summer months. I wanted to also mention that the best curly hair cut is available at Epiphany North Hair Design with James and my respect for the Adirondack Region Cat Adoption Center’s incredible work caring for cats in need and helping them to find their forever homes.
On the Past (and the Future)
Glens Falls has brought me meaningful experiences in my adult life that I will always be thankful for, including the start of my career at The Hearing Center, meeting my boyfriend Rob on our first date at Siam Thai restaurant, and finding my oldest cat Claire in a downtown store front window during the Christmas season in 2019. A special place in my heart will always be reserved for my hometown of Mechanicville, NY and the city of Buffalo, NY where I lived during my graduate school years, but I am now proud to call Glens Falls my home. My hope is that others can find the joy, success, friendships, and love that I have been fortunate enough to find here in Glens Falls . A big thanks to Glens Falls Living for the opportunity to be featured and to my co worker Rachel DeLuca for the nomination!
