Making the Move from North Carolina to CapNY: A Career Transplant Story

Updated: July 2025

CapNY is booming with potential, opportunity, & young professionals from all over the world are making the move to our Upstate NY region.
  • Regeneron as a National Leader in Medicine

You may have read throughout this website, and on the news, about local powerhouse Regeneron. Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases, from eye diseases to cancer.

It’s known as one of the hottest places to work in CapNY. In fact, Jackson Inchalik, Data Analytics Developer, moved from North Carolina to CapNY to take a job at this growing company. Here’s his story…

  • When did you relocate & why?

I graduated from High Point University in North Carolina in May 2020 with a job lined up at Regeneron as an Associate Data Developer. Because of months of Covid closures, I spent the final months of my college career with my family at home in Connecticut. When I was ready to venture out on my own, I moved in with another intern-employee conversion in the Rensselaer / North Greenbush area where I have since been living.

  • What’s your role at Regeneron & how did you end up in the field?

I studied Computer Science and Mathematics at my university with little background or experience in Pharmaceuticals. Based off recommendations from other students I had met at my school, I began applying to Regeneron’s established internship program. After initially being turned down from the program, I gathered experience working in IT at Ashley Furniture. The following year I circled back to successfully join Regeneron’s internship program for the summer between my junior and senior year. After a summer of extensive learning and development, I had received a job offer that I excitedly accepted.

  • How does Regeneron’s work culture impact your ability to immerse yourself into CapNY life?

Regeneron has done a terrific job of getting me involved with the local community. From helping in Special Olympics’ training during Regeneron’s Day For Doing Good, to supporting local businesses with our Veteran’s fundraisers, I couldn’t thank Regeneron enough for getting me active in the local community. Regeneron’s workplace values of transparency and teamwork also applies to their interaction with the local community. They dedicated themselves to a high level of involvement and they leave a substantial impact on their local communities each and every year.

  • Why do you love living in CapNY? What is something that’s surprised you about this region?

I don’t think I will ever get over the natural beauty of upstate New York. Long car rides easily become a sightseeing adventure whenever you find yourself in a new area, and I have to admit that I find great peace in the outdoors, especially up here. One thing I was happily surprised by was activity going on in the area. I initially thought it would be much quieter in the region , but I quickly learned from colleagues about the surplus of activities there are between Albany and Saratoga. From horse racing to casinos to even watching a fellow employee’s local band perform at bars (Quick Fix!), there’s plenty to be explored.

  • Written by: Gabby Fisher

4 Millennial Changemakers in CapNY Housing

Updated: July 2025

If you’ve spent time in Albany, there’s a chance that you’ve noticed a bright red ‘X’ on multiple buildings. Albany has a lot of homes that are currently vacant, dilapidated, and not up to safety codes. Seeing all of those properties that have great potential, you can’t help but to dream of all the possibilities, to think of it’s potential to be transformed into adequate housing or become multi-purpose centers for our community…

  • Changing the Landscape of Homeownership

Outside of the possibility you’re also faced with what is: that the presence of those abandoned homes indicate that there are more unhoused neighbors than you think. Furthermore it begs the question what does affordable housing actually look like in CapNY.

While no one person has all the answers, we do have a bevy of individuals of all ages and groups committed to finding solutions. Leadership is not a one-size fits all endeavor, it does not have a particular look and feel. There are more and more young people in CapNY who are taking up the mantle to be actors of change. It’s important to believe in the power of younger generations. These millennials are changing the landscape of homeownership and what it means to have housing in our region.

  • Virginia Rawlins

Meet Virginia Rawlins, President and CEO of Building Blocks Together (BBT), an organization dedicated to the education of Black and Brown potential homeowners. The 31-year-old Bronx native started out as a Housing Services Counselor at the Albany County Land Bank but then realized that members of the community had a lot of misconceptions about the home buying process. 

“Working at the Land Bank I realized that people didn’t know the basic home buying process. They were excited [to receive grants] for the $5,000 houses, but they didn’t know which legal documents to submit to the bank had they gone the traditional route.” Seeing that disconnect, Rawlins founded Building Blocks Together as a way to bridge that gap. Founded in 2018, BBT is equal parts a consulting and advocacy group which holds workshops and helps connect members of the community with funding opportunities. In addition to the creation of BBT, Rawlins works with the Touhey Foundation and their Restorative Justice fund, which gives African-American homebuyers up to $10,000 to purchase a home in CapNY.

“I wanted to be a connector. I think everyone can agree that the opportunities for affordable home ownership for minorities are present with entities like the Land Bank and the Land Trust in the area. However some of these organizations that are not Black-led don’t have the resources or have the same sense of care to do community outreach in the way that Black people would.”

Working for the community and being of the community is a distinction that Virginia is keenly aware of. It can mean the difference between feeling seen, heard and understood and condescension. It can also be a barrier to beginning the endeavor of home ownership. It is due to this understanding that various housing groups have welcomed Virginia’s presence with open arms. Virginia has been lifted up by Albany’s housing community and has created long lasting connections.

Ultimately Virginia Rawlins is passionate about the work she does because she believes that everyone is entitled to own a home and build a deeper connection to the community around them.

  • Josh Koss

Meet Josh Koss, General Counsel for The Vecino Group, a multidimensional collective dedicated to creating “lasting and socially-impactful” work. Before relocating to Troy, Josh practiced law  at a real estate law firm in NY helping close $3 billion worth of deals while there but he wanted something a bit more “hands on.” After gaining his broker’s license, he fell in love with the area and began his journey with the Vecino Group. The 29-year-old lawyer’s work is centered on affordable housing within the region. 

Josh Koss, left, courtesy of Albany Business Review’s article “Vecino Group wants to build more affordable housing developments in upstate New York.”

The Vecino Group works in tandem with social programs such as Asteri, a supportive community for persons with developmental and physical challenges based in Utica, to provide housing. The Vecino Group owns and operates over $700 million dollars of affordable housing development across this country, and owns 4 properties in Upstate NY. 

Josh believes that there is more to housing than availability and affordability, “The supportive housing aspect is important to what we do. We’ve partnered with daycares, CVS to distribute vaccines, among other things in the community. It’s based on this notion that it’s important to deliver not just affordable housing but high quality affordable housing to people of all different income levels and social statuses. We believe that if we can help people capitalize on the benefits that come with that– better education, better support for mental and physical health– then we’re doing a small part in the world to make our communities a better place.”

Being housed is a basic need that drastically alters our course in life. It is the foundation from which our faculties grow. Josh understands that people not only have a right to shelter but a right to quality of life. To even begin to approach social equity, we need well rounded responses to the inequalities that plague our communities.

Josh is ultimately passionate about this work because it simply feels good. “I think that human beings were meant to feel good about doing good work. I look for work that makes me feel good. If I’m doing that and I’m helping the people around me, then it’s a good day.” Being able to achieve goals with like-minded individuals is what keeps Josh going. Upon moving here he knew one person, now he knows 100. Josh feels that there are great people in this area dedicated to this work.

  • Ray Turner & Kim Wallace

Last but certainly not least are the founding partners of the Wallace Turner Law Firm, Ray Turner and Kim Wallace. Their main areas of practice are real estate, business and personal injury, and estate planning.

Ray Turner initially went to undergrad for theater and dance but when personal tragedy struck she wanted to figure out what she could do to take control of her life, so she enrolled in law school. A move that proved to be life changing. Ray worked in the public defender’s office for a while but still felt that she wasn’t creating the change that she had hoped in her community, “I had an epiphany. I was helping people but it wasn’t long lasting. I thought, ‘How can I make an impact and help people?’ I need to open up a law firm. CapNY needs to see a law firm that looks like them. What services do we need to offer? We need to offer home ownership because that’s going to create generational wealth. It was about how I can help people establish themselves further.”

Turner and Wallace, courtesy of Times Union article “Partners overcome hurdles facing lawyers of color”

Ray’s approach to community building moves beyond the initial moment of gaining housing, instead figuring out ways for Black and Brown communities to retain their homes and businesses and turn them into assets that can be passed down to their children. Having a law firm that reflects the community and a firm that the community trusts is an invaluable asset. Ray and Kim find that more often than not clients come to them because of who they are and how they can relate to them. People find comfort in seeing people like them.

What motivates Ray and Kim most is knowing that they are presenting members of our community that often don’t get the representation they deserve. Moving forward they aim to expand their business to become a full service law firm, hire from inside the community, and to grow as a practice.

  • Written by: Arielle Steele

Arts on the Move: CapNY Creative Transplants

Updated: July 2025

The myth of Upstate New York being a place where art and culture is lacking is officially over.

In the last couple of years, not only have our own residents paved the way for arts to take the forefront, but the recent influx of urban creatives have helped the growth of arts communities.
  • An Uptick in Relocations

Over the course of the last year Upstate New York has seen an uptick in relocations. According to the The Daily Gazette, Albany County alone has seen a near 2,000 increase in requests for relocation services from NYC transplants. The pandemic allowed for our urban neighbors to rethink their relationship to their surroundings and to community.

The end result being New Yorkers exploring those renewed relationships in Hudson, Saratoga, the Adirondacks, Albany, and Troy. Along with their rediscoveries they’ve brought their love for studio art, film, writing, and nature. Below, you’ll meet four creatives in our community who have a newfound love for CapNY.

  • Sam Jones

Meet outrageously funny and quick-witted Brooklynite Sam Jones. Self described as someone who has always climbed through windows to open doors, Sam is a creative who has had to work from the ground up for her career. While she currently works as a Creative Director at Viacom, Sam has made a name for herself as a comedy writer and actor. Sam’s comedy is defined by cutting satire aimed on societal expectations of women; her first viral moment being spoof commercials for feminine products.

Desiring a change of pace after the pandemic, Sam has found a new home in Greene County. “When the pandemic hit our friends moved up here and we were like ‘How the f— are you going to live up here all winter long?!’ But then we kept visiting and we were like ‘Maybe they have the right idea, I like this life!’ After a while I had a vision to buy a quaint house that I can afford, that’s less than my f–ing rent and here I am and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.” Sam loves the connection to nature that Greene County provides. Lush and full of beautiful scenery, the Catskills offer an atmosphere unlike any other.

The CapNY Community

One thing that surprised Sam is the hub of creatives residing in CapNY. “It truly is surprising how many fellow creatives moved up here! Every week there’s a get-together at someone’s house. There are so many creatives who’ve moved to Colonie, Albany, Chatham. I was nervous, but there are all these creative people here to have conversations with. These conversations are creative and innovative.” 

The slower pace of the Catskills also provides Sam, and other creative transplants, with a chance to connect to themselves. “We’re so disconnected in NYC. We don’t pay attention to nature. The pace is slower here, I think it lets us all take a pause. I think the pandemic forced us, especially me, to slow down and be like what is my purpose here? I love that I get to be more centered and quiet.” And it’s that very quiet that allowed Sam to think of her next evolution. While comedy will always be a natural talent and calling card, Sam has taken the time to expand on other genres of writing, including screenplays, a memoir, and eventually performance art. She wants to find a way to fund the funny in her new reality.

It’s for this reason she feels as if she was called here to engage in her next phase of life. 
If you want to follow Sam’s journey, check out her website at https://www.therealsamjones.com/.

  • Oscar Bográn

“In the constitution, the Adirondacks were declared to be forever wild. When I saw the Adirondacks at a young age I knew that I would have to make my way back here one day.” Enchanted with our forests due in part to his passionate expansive nature, Oscar Bográn has always had the heart of a creative.

Hailing from Honduras by way of Brooklyn, Oscar Bográn of Bográn Productions located in Schenectady. He is a sculptor, performance, conceptual and visual artist who has studied and taught at Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and has worked for the Schenectady City School District. 

ust as Oscar knew that he was destined to be in this region, he’s always known that art was essential to his life. “I grew up in Bushwick in the ‘80s. I came in, didn’t speak English and I saw graffiti art for the very first time at seven years old.” He lived right next to a train and used to watch the older kids climb and spray the trains. This is when he knew he wanted to be an artist. Oscar has honed his skills to include multiple forms of art – writing, rapping, and studio art – his passion knowing no bounds.

An Artist Community in Schenectady

Partial winner of a Schenectady downtown grant, Oscar is now focused on bringing all forms of art to CapNY. “I was inspired by an artist based in Chicago who turned some abandoned houses and buildings into literal art installations. I thought to myself how great it would be if we had actual spaces artists in this area could use. So, I applied for grants for years and years and then after getting a mentor-supporter, received a $300,000 grant to create my own version of it.” 

When complete, Oscar will run an art house site called Alchemy Urban Playground. It will host all artists but primarily Black and brown artists and entrepreneurs in the area. As creatives in this space we should always be looking for a diversity of perspective. Oscar is doing just that. You can keep an eye out for the Alchemy Urban Playground sometime next year.

  • Gabe Ling

Meet Gabe Ling, a Junior Narrative Designer at Vicarious Visions game development company. If you’re familiar with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series or Guitar Hero you’re familiar with their work. As a game writer, Gabe builds the narrative and dialogue for various games with a team of individuals. Though writing is a solo pursuit traditionally, Gabe enjoys the collaboration it requires, as well as the delicate balance writing for games needs.

“When you’re writing for the screen there’s a big emphasis on what is not said and what is left implied by the absence of dialogue. In games, you can’t have that, you have to load the dialogue with important information. Gamers typically skip through cutscenes and narrative content. So you have to find a way to pace out key information like character traits or quest lore in a way that is immediately clear and digestible for the player.” A difficult feat indeed, but an essential part of building story and gameplay.

A Stereotype Overturned

Coming to us from New Jersey by way of Seattle, Gabe didn’t know what to initially think about Troy. “I wasn’t really hyped to go back to the east coast if I’m being honest. I was looking on Glassdoor for my job and everyone was kind of dour about the area, talking about how Albany is barren and there’s nothing here. But now that I’ve been here for 9 months and I love the area. It’s full of life and people have much more personality here than given credit for. I’ve done some exploring since I’ve been vaccinated and I’m pleasantly surprised.” I could not have said it better! There is a rich tapestry of people here and CapNY doesn’t get enough shine.

For Gabe, his vehicle to finding community was Pride Month in CapNY. “There were so many pride events. I met so many of my friends and got to see more of the city. Something that really struck me about this area is that even though the queer presence here is small, everyone knows everyone. The atmosphere of the community here feels intimate and warm in that way. There is a lot of overlap in the queer and creative community.” The intimacy that smaller regions such as Albany, Schenectady and Troy provide is unmatched. Being in close proximity with one another can afford opportunities such as these to build stronger connections, as Gabe has found.

Ultimately for Gabe a move to CapNY has become a move for growth in his creative pursuits and a chance to reconnect with others in his community intentionally.

  • Amy Hausmann

Coming to us from Brooklyn is Amy Hausmann, the new Director of the Olana State Historic Site. The Olana site is an earthwork created by 19th century artist Fredric Church that sits on a high point in Columbia County. The artist contoured the land over a period of 40 years to create a near cinematic experience of Columbia County, from which the Hudson River, the Catskill mountains, and the Taconic Range can be seen.

With over 20 years of curating experience specifically with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the New York Transit museum, Amy was a natural fit for Director. “I am a curator. My whole career has been in the arts. I’ve worked for non-profit organizations and eventually worked for NYS in the MTA Arts and Design which produces all the public art for the subway system. It was amazing to bring different music, graphic arts, and poetry into the everyday life of 8.5 million people.”

Like so many long distance commuters, Amy loved working in the city while being able to enjoy her second home in a rural area, but the commute wore on her. “It got a bit old. I really fell in love with all the green here. I loved being up in the mountains and being around the trees, and the river, and the open sky. Every morning I would drive with my husband across the Rip Van Winkle bridge and I would see Olana glittering on the hill as I was getting ready to get on the train for work. I would say to myself, ‘Gosh I really would love to find something to be up here full time.’” That she did! NYS Parks had an opening at the Olana site and the rest was history.  

Abundant with Arts & Culture

One thing Amy would like the world to know is that this region is abundant with arts and culture. “I like to think of the idea that this region is full of art, culture, and really rich history. We’re all working together, symbiotically, to encourage people to be here and participate in all that this region has to offer. Olana is a great part of this as well as so many small and bigger businesses, great art institutions, cultural institutions, and artists who help to make a gorgeous mosaic that always existed in the city, live here as well.” 

If you’d like to learn more about the Olana Historic site and meet Amy, check out the website and book a tour! You can learn more about visiting Olana with kids here!

  • Written by: Arielle Steele