Every Friday during the fall semester, our "Start Here, Anytime" series will spotlight an adult learner who chose to come to Onondaga Community College to pursue new opportunities, new goals, and a new chapter in life. Today, meet Saraya Laughlin.
Saraya Laughlin went to New York City to pursue a career in musical theater. She came home to Central New York with something even more valuable: a clearer understanding of what she wanted to do with her life.
After graduating from Cicero-North Syracuse High School in 2017, Laughlin attended AMDA College of the Performing Arts in New York City, studying musical theater. After completing two years of school, she decided to remain in the city and took a job unrelated to her career aspirations. It didn't take long for her to realize something was missing. “I didn't get to work with people as much. I was behind the scenes and it didn't make me as happy.”
As her apartment lease neared its end, Laughlin talked with her father, an Onondaga Community College alumnus. His suggestion was simple: Come home. Go to OCC. Laughlin did. She enrolled at OCC in January 2025 and returned to the subject she had never really left behind. “I wanted to stick with Music because it's what I'm passionate about.”
Music is more than a career interest - it's ingrained in her family. Her mother is a singer who also plays guitar. Her father is a professional trumpet player. She has an uncle who plays drums and another uncle who plays guitar and sings, as does his wife. An aunt is a music teacher at East Syracuse Minoa. Laughlin turned to that aunt for advice about her next step. “I picked her brain about what to do and realized Music Education was what I wanted to do.” And she is already finding plenty of opportunities to put her passion into practice.
She sings in OCC's chorus and choir and will direct a musical at the College. She is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Recently, she stepped into the spotlight for an especially meaningful performance, singing the National Anthem and “God Bless America” at OCC's annual September 11 ceremony.
Everywhere she's turned at OCC, she's felt like she is in the right place to pursue her future. “I like that there is a lot of one-on-one time here and classes are small. And I love being in classes with students right out of high school and 50 and 60 year old students. Everyone is super nice to me, the teachers are very helpful and understanding.”
Her music classes, in particular, have given her something she missed during her time working behind the scenes in New York City: a sense of belonging. “Everyone in my music classes here - it feels like a team, and I love that. I feel like if I go up to anyone with a question, they'll help me. And if any of them come to me, I'll help them. We are all in this together.”
She plans to graduate in May 2027, then transfer to a four-year college to continue her education. Her goal is to become a music teacher and vocal coach.
