Thursday, October 8 at 5:30pm, Onondaga Community College will honor a new class of Alumni Faces inductees during a ceremony in the Frederick Marvin and Ernst Schuh Recital Hall in the Academic II building. OCC's Alumni Faces program recognizes outstanding alumni who have made a difference. Their stories illustrate the transformative power of an OCC education, and the promise of self-discovery that the College commits to every student, every day. In the weeks leading up to this year's ceremony, we are highlighting one of our new Alumni Faces honorees every Wednesday.
Dr. Cynthia E. Bruton-Thomas '06
- High School: Rochester School of the Arts
- OCC Degree: Business Administration
- CTE Professional, Professor, Education Consultant
Dr. Thomas arrived at OCC from Rochester’s School of the Arts, carrying the weight of others’ low academic expectations. Throughout her high school experience, many educators questioned her academic potential and did not envision higher education as part of her future. At OCC, however, she encountered a math instructor who saw something different. “Because of her, I began to see myself differently. She helped me realize that I was capable of achieving far more than others had led me to believe. For the first time, I felt seen as a student.” That encouragement transformed Thomas’s trajectory. She became a dedicated learner, developed a passion for education, and graduated from OCC, determined to redefine what was possible for herself. She went on to build a successful career in cosmetology as a salon owner and educator before returning to higher education to earn a master’s degree from SUNY Oswego and a doctorate from the University at Buffalo. Today, Dr. Thomas serves as a professor at SUNY Oswego and founder of CTE Consultants LLC, paying forward the encouragement that changed her life by helping nontraditional and underserved learners recognize their potential and succeed. She credits her parents, Elliott & Angela, her husband, Afoa, and her children, Kazadi and Kayla, for their encouragement and support throughout her journey.
