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Patrice Samuels
Patrice Samuels is a Nursing major and a 48-year-old mother and wife. She will be the student speaker at the December Commencement ceremony.

Patrice Samuels knew Onondaga Community College was the place for her when she came to Open House in October 2017 and met Nursing Department Chair Leanne Waterman. "What she said literally grabbed me from my seat and I knew this is where I wanted to go. She understood each one of us had the desire to become a nurse and it was her and her staff's job to help us to accomplish that. They were willing to help us if we were willing to do the work. The unique nature of their program is they would adapt to meet our needs because life happens."

'Life happens' is a fitting phrase for Samuels' journey. She was born in Jamaica, moved to the United States at age 16, and attended Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn where she graduated in 1989. She started college at Stony Brook University on Long Island, but left school after the deaths of two grandparents in the same year. "I couldn't deal with. I just shut down." Over the course of the next two decades she worked in the banking industry, consulted businesses, sold life insurance, and worked in a law office.

Samuels began to consider a career in nursing when her father was diagnosed with cancer and spent an extended period of time at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She stayed by her father's side constantly and gained an appreciation for the work his caregivers were doing. "It was incredible seeing how supportive the nurses there were. Watching them made me want to go into nursing."

After enrolling at OCC, Samuels continued to overcome obstacles. One morning while driving to campus for a final exam she received an urgent call from her father. Her best friend of 38 years had died unexpectedly. Just as she found the emotional support she needed on campus, Samuels was also overwhelmed by the academic support. She credits The Learning Center with helping her earn an "A" in her Anatomy & Physiology class, and the C-STEP program with providing her assistance when the computer she needed for an online class stopped working.

Today Samuels is a 48-year-old wife and mother. Next Wednesday she will be the student speaker at the December Commencement ceremony which begins at 5 p.m. in Storer Auditorium. "During my time in Nursing school life has continued to give me challenges. Life will always give you an excuse to quit your dream. It's up to us to say no. I'm grateful I found this school and proud to be an OCC graduate. This school has everything you need because the faculty and staff embrace you."

Keywords
OCC
Onondaga Community College
EOP
CSTEP
LSAMP