Josh Dela Cruz laughs when he reflects on how he found his way back to college. "It's a really funny story," he said.
Last year, as his sister Alicia was preparing to graduate from Onondaga Community College with her Health Information Technology degree, she mentioned to her brother news she was hearing about a new, tuition-free community college program that would be starting up soon. "She was very sore about the fact that community college would be free for our age range, and she had just paid for her time here! I kept my eye on the news to hear when the program would be up and running."
The Dela Cruz's were learning about SUNY Reconnect, a new, tuition-free community college program for students between the ages of 25 and 55 who have not yet earned a college degree. It covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and supplies after all other financial aid is applied.
For Josh, the timing of SUNY Reconnect was perfect. He was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 2001 when he was just five years old. He grew up in Liverpool, graduated from Liverpool High School, and, like many students, enrolled in a four-year college right after. But after just one semester, financial realities forced him to step away.
Life moved forward. Bills needed to be paid. Responsibilities stacked up. He went to work, eventually moving into his current role as a material handler at FedEx at the airport. Then SUNY Reconnect became real. At age 29, Josh saw something he hadn’t seen in years: a viable path back.
In Fall 2025, he enrolled at Onondaga Community College, starting in Computer Information Systems before switching to Cybersecurity this semester. The change felt right almost immediately. “I’m really enjoying the program,” he says. “I’m also pursuing my professional certificate in Cybersecurity concurrently. It’s been great to be able to go to class and supplement my certificate and class knowledge. I’m getting information from both of them that meshes together well.”
He’s earning the certificate through Google, carefully layering hands-on skills with academic coursework. For Josh, it’s strategic. “I’m trying to maximize my time here as well as broaden my potential for when I graduate.” He hopes that graduation day will come in May 2027.
At first, though, he was hesitant about returning to a classroom. “I was a little intimidated because I thought a lot of my peers would be younger than me,” he admits. “But what was pleasant to see was that there were people much older than me in classes.”
In his first semester, he noticed something unexpected: a full spectrum of ages. Students fresh out of high school sat beside adults in mid-career transitions. There were even a few nearing retirement. “We had a beginning, middle, and end spectrum of perspectives that were interesting to compare,” he says. “After a few weeks, the edge of feeling old went away.”
Two classmates, both near retirement age, left a lasting impression on him. “I got inspired by two of my peers in my first semester. They were basically at retirement age and pursuing their degrees. I thought, ‘It’s never too late to come back to college.’”
That realization shifted something in him. “At whatever pace I progress at, any step forward is progress. I shouldn’t be dissuaded from trying to achieve my goals.”
Outside of class, Josh has immersed himself in campus life, joining the Cybersecurity Club and the Photography Club. He’s building not just skills, but community. It's something he didn’t fully experience during his brief first attempt at college.
His long-term goals are ambitious. In cybersecurity, he’s drawn to the idea of joining a red team. Those are specialists who conduct penetration testing to probe and expose weaknesses in an organization’s defenses. “I would love to work for the government,” he says. “Anything cybersecurity-related, I would be happy to do, either writing defensive policy or setting up the hardware for an organization to harden their assets.”
For someone who once left college because it felt financially out of reach, the path ahead now feels open. And it all started with a sister who was annoyed at her bad timing.
