2021 Pinnacle Award Winners

Onondaga Community College recently recognized eight outstanding students, presenting each with a Pinnacle Award. The Pinnacle program honors students who have shown excellence in one or more of the following fields: leadership, civic engagement, and scholarly research. Students selected demonstrate not only an exemplary academic performance, but a strong connection with the campus or community. The 2021 Pinnacle Award winners and the disciplines they represent on campus are:

Judah Bailey - Student Veterans' Office

• Judah grew up in a military family. His father was a sergeant in the United States Army and Judah continued the tradition, joining the United States Army as a Reservist after graduating from Cicero-North Syracuse High School in 2018. While serving his country and working toward his degree in Business Administration, Judah was a member of OCC's Men's Basketball team. He plans to transfer to a four-year college, pursue another Business-related degree, and continue his military career.

Maizie Millwood - Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

• Maize is a 55-year-old single mom who works full-time during the day, takes classes at night, and is putting her two daughters through college. The native of Jamaica moved to the United States 20 years ago. She works as a Medical Assistant at the Syracuse Health Center. Her goal is to become a nurse. She was recently accepted into OCC's Nursing program and will begin taking classes this fall.

Thanh Nguyen - International Student Services

• Thanh is native of Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam who started taking classes at OCC in the spring 2020 semester. While working toward a degree in Mathematics & Science she was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society where she became an officer. She also served as an officer in Student Government, and was a member of the Makerspace Club. Thanh is developing a program which will help international students feel at home on campus and encourage them to participate in activities. She will earn her degree in December and plans to pursue a career related to biomedicine so she can help improve health care systems in underdeveloped countries.

Jessica Plue - Residence Life

• Jessica came to OCC from Ithaca High School to play softball and earn her associate degree. When Covid cancelled softball, she decided to dedicate her newly found free time to working as an RA in the residence hall. She loved the experience of building relationships with students she wouldn't have normally met. Jessica will earn her Physical Education & Exercise Science Studies degree later this month. She plans to transfer to a four-year school and continue her softball career.

Alexis Riccardo - Student Government

• Alexis served as a Student Government officer for two full years in three different positions, including President during this academic year. During her final semester she took 18 credits in the demanding Engineering Science degree program. Alexis is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the C-STEP program. Thanks to her C-STEP connection, in January she participated in a mini-semester program with the Brookhaven National Laboratory. She loved the experience, applied for another session this summer, and was selected to participate. Alexis represented OCC in San Antonio, Texas in February 2020 at the Bellwether Award competition where the College presented  on the Box of Books program.

Gina Segreti - Office of Accessibility Resources

• Gina overcame incredible obstacles on her way to completing her Early Childhood degree, including living with epilepsy and autism. In her first semester she earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average and has continued to be an excellent student. She was inducted into honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), became PTK President, served the campus community as a Student Government officer, President of the Maker Space Club, and a Social Media Reporter. Gina was one of just three OCC students to receive the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. She will transfer to SUNY Cortland and major in Inclusive Early Childhood Education as she works to become a special education teacher.

Hope Spencer - Athletics

• Hope is a true student-athlete. She's a member of the Cross Country team who was first team all-region and had the highest grade point average of any OCC female student-athlete. She was a member of the Lazer's Athletics Student Leadership Council, an officer in honor society Phi Theta Kappa, and was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, the highest honor which can be bestowed upon any SUNY student. Hope is completing work toward her Mathematics & Science degree and will transfer to SUNY Oswego where she will study Meteorology.

Amanuel Yohannes - Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)

• Amanuel arrived in the United States from Ethiopia three years ago, graduated from Nottingham High School, and started taking classes at OCC in the fall of 2019. While  excelling in the Engineering Science degree program he earned membership in honor society Phi Theta Kappa, and took advantage of the LSAMP and CSTEP programs. When he's not on campus he can usually be found at the North Side Learning Center where he tutors students in math. He plans to transfer to a four-year school and pursue a degree related to mechanical engineering.