For more than six decades, Onondaga Community College has been woven into the story of Halyna and Victor Lisnyczyj (pronounced lis-NITCH-ee).
For Halyna, OCC opened the door to a career she once thought might be out of reach. For Victor, it became the place where he built a 22-year career, launched innovative academic programs, and inspired generations of students. Together, the couple has spent years giving back to the institution that helped shape their lives, supporting scholarships and creating opportunities for future students.
"We wanted to give back," Victor said. "OCC was good to us, and especially to Halyna. For me, it was a career path. It was the right fit for us in the community."
Their connection to the college began in 1963 when Halyna Tymchenko enrolled in OCC's Dental Hygiene program. The college was just beginning its second academic year, operating out of Midtown Plaza in downtown Syracuse. She would become a member of the institution's second graduating class in 1965, and getting there was a significant challenge.
Born in Ukraine, and raised in Brazil, Halyna arrived in the United States at age 14 and faced a critical language barrier. "I didn't know English. It was very hard in the beginning," she recalled. "When I went into Dental Hygiene, I struggled with the dental terminology, but I did well."
She did more than well. While attending classes, Halyna worked as a dental assistant and receptionist in the same Midtown Plaza building where she studied. She graduated in 1965 with the Outstanding Clinician Award and had already secured a job before commencement. Over the next 32 years, she enjoyed a successful career as a dental hygienist. "It was a wonderful profession," she said. "I enjoyed it very much. I met a lot of wonderful people."
Halyna never forgot the financial support that made her education possible. As an OCC student, she received two scholarships totaling $1,300, enough to cover her tuition at a time when her family was struggling financially following her father's death. "My OCC tuition was paid, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford much. My father had passed away while I was a sophomore in high school, and my mother wasn't making enough money. It's how I got my education, and it's why I want to help others."
That experience continues to inspire the couple's philanthropy today. Victor's OCC journey began years later. After teaching science and mathematics at a school for the deaf in New Jersey and pursuing doctoral studies at Syracuse University, he joined OCC as Audio Visual Coordinator. His impact quickly expanded beyond that role.
While he was also teaching a class in black and white photography, he built a darkroom on campus, and helped create a two-year Photography degree program. Working with industry leaders at Kodak, he helped develop related technology offerings, secured grants, and obtained donated equipment that allowed the program to flourish. "It snowballed," Victor said. "It worked out beautifully."
He also created and taught a course - International Study Tour in Photography - that took OCC students around the world. Over more than a decade, students traveled to countries including Germany, England, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Morocco, Scotland, and Australia, where they exchanged ideas with students abroad, developed photography portfolios, and returned home with a broader understanding of the world. Along the way, Victor earned numerous honors, including a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, an OCC Trustees Award, and a Board of Trustees resolution recognizing his contributions to the college.
The couple's support of OCC has continued long after retirement. An early investment in Walmart stock eventually became a gift to the OCC Foundation. At the time, it helped establish a Photography scholarship and support the Dental Hygiene program, and now it supports full and part-time students working toward their degrees.
Their commitment to helping others extends far beyond the OCC campus. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their children encouraged Halyna to document the recipes she had spent decades preparing for family gatherings. What began as a collection of recipe cards evolved into "Baba's Favorite Recipes," a beautifully illustrated cookbook featuring Ukrainian family favorites and photographs taken by Victor. "Our dining room table became my studio, and the kitchen became the culinary institute," Victor said with a laugh.
Initially, the couple printed just seven copies for family members. Then friends began requesting copies. Rather than sell the books, the Lisnyczyj's asked for donations to support an orphanage in Ukraine through their Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The response was overwhelming. To date, the cookbook has helped raise more than $45,000 through word-of-mouth support alone. "This book snowballed," Victor said. "It's in the Kyiv library in Ukraine, it's in Brazil, it's in Australia. We never dreamed this would happen."
More than 50 years after their marriage in Syracuse's St. Luke's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, two children, five grandchildren, successful careers, and decades of service to their community, Halyna and Victor Lisnyczyj remain focused on helping others. The opportunities they received inspired them to create opportunities for others.
