Alumna's Lifelong Commitment to OCC and its Lasting Impact on Students

Of all the colleges and universities Judith LaManna Rivette attended, one stands above the rest. "OCC was the best college experience out of anywhere I went," said Rivette, a 1969 graduate of Onondaga Community College.

It's a statement that carries considerable weight. After earning her Mathematics and Science degree from OCC, Rivette went on to study at Le Moyne College, Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship, and the Syracuse University College of Law. She built a distinguished career as an attorney, assistant district attorney, and labor arbitrator. Today, she is also a published author whose newest novel, Begotten, was recently released and is available on Amazon.

Yet more than five decades after graduating, Rivette remains deeply connected to the institution she credits with challenging her academically, shaping lifelong friendships, and preparing her for success.

Her commitment has extended beyond words. During the past year, Rivette supported the purchase of winter coats for students and helped fund a professional dining etiquette event designed to prepare students for networking opportunities and workplace success.

"I'm very proud of the etiquette lunch," she said. "It's very important we give people skills they may not know they need to have, or polish skills they already have. I really want to see this take off. I want to see people go to it once a semester, and the students who have been there before help teach the next group."

For Rivette, supporting OCC is a way of investing in both students and the community.

"I want people to know they should give to organizations like OCC," she said. "It is the foundation for people here. Not everyone has to do more than two years of college. OCC's degrees have skills attached to them. You have something to offer when you get out of OCC."

A graduate of Solvay High School, Rivette enrolled at OCC when the College was located in Midtown Plaza in downtown Syracuse. Like many alumni, she fondly remembers the student life that developed in and around the building.

"You always remember the social life," she said.

Through the College's Work-Study program, Rivette worked in the Registrar's Office, where she met fellow student Karin Franklin-King. More than 55 years later, their friendship remains strong. "We're still pretty tight. We call each other sister," she said with a laugh.

She also remembers students gathering in the public cafeteria, which served as an unofficial campus hangout, and the fountain outside on Erie Boulevard that occasionally became the target of student pranks involving bubble bath soap.

Most of all, she remembers the faculty. "They were warm, wonderful, and rigid. They wanted you to learn." In fact, Rivette believes OCC challenged her academically more than any institution she attended afterward. "I got my first non-A in an English class. I was devastated," she recalled. "I had a harder time academically at OCC than anywhere else. There was more required of me there than anywhere else."

The experience helped shape her appreciation for the role community colleges play in preparing students for careers and life after graduation. "I believe in giving people what they need to go out and work in the world," she said. "That's not necessarily every part of academia. I am a very strong supporter of skilled trades. We need people who can do hands-on work with skills and measurements."

Those values were instilled early in life. "My father did a lot of plumbing and carpentry, and I worked side-by-side with him," she said.

While Rivette remains passionate about education and community colleges, she has also continued to pursue another lifelong interest: writing. "I'm a creative person that can't be satisfied with one project," she said. "I have to keep going. It all comes back to writing. I write labor arbitration decisions. I take notes everywhere I go. I write letters when I get frustrated. I write books. I'm a storyteller."

Her latest novel, Begotten, is the third book in a trilogy, though Rivette says each title can stand on its own. "I'm most happy with Begotten. I wanted to fold in a local cold case I had always been fascinated with and still make it work with the storyline." The book's cover also carries personal significance. It features a photograph of her grandfather, who died when she was two years old. "I always heard stories about him. This is him sitting at his favorite place on our homestead, watching us ride our tricycles." She discussed Begotten recently on WSYR TV, Newschannel 9's Bridge Street show.

Like many writers, Rivette says her characters often take on lives of their own. "My characters always start talking for me. Things happen in my books that I don't know why they happen."

Whether she is writing novels, supporting students, or advocating for the value of community colleges, Rivette remains guided by the lessons she learned as a student at OCC. "I'm very appreciative there's a place like OCC in this community," she said. "I think we should all appreciate it more."