"This time I'm doing it for me!"
Amber Hart is a much different student now than she was a decade or so ago when she first walked into a classroom at Onondaga Community College. Back then, she was studying Liberal Arts, unsure of her direction, and following advice she wasn't sure she believed. "I was doing something I was told I had to," she recalls.
Today, at age 32, she's back with a plan of her own. She's working toward a Computer Science degree tuition-free thanks to SUNY Reconnect, a new community college program for students between the ages of 25 and 55 who have not yet earned a college degree. SUNY Reconnect covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies after all other financial aid is applied. When New York State Governor Kathy Hochul was rallying support for the program, she came to the Onondaga Community College campus in January 2025. OCC student Josh Barr shared his story, and how much such a program would help him. The program was approved by the New York State Legislature a few months later.
Her return to OCC didn't come easily. After losing her job, Hart was unemployed and trying to figure out her next step. A SUNY Reconnect webinar OCC hosted became the spark that reignited her academic journey. With support from her Navigator, Rich Goodell, and a training waiver through unemployment, she found her way back into a full-time course load. "I love being here and I love Computer Science. I'm so excited to learn a new language. I've been the person who people come to with computer problems, and now I'm working on a degree in this. I'm excited."
Thanks to SUNY Reconnect, Hart has an opportunity to turn her passion into her career - and she's taking advantage of it. "I'm so grateful. Every day I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to come back and finish a degree I'm interested in. I know it's a field of growth. I want to have a better life. I know for certain there's a bright outlook, whatever I do with it."
