On the surface, Patrick Corbett ’21 might seem like an unlikely college professor. He dropped out of college twice before finding his path. Today, however, those struggles have shaped him into an energetic and passionate Industrial Electricity professor at his alma mater, Onondaga Community College.
His journey is the same story he now shares with his students. “I think it’s important to connect with people and show them there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Corbett says. “The grind of college is tough. A lot of my students are adult learners who work full-time, like I did when I went to school. I can give them the perspective that someone teaching them was once in the same position they’re in now.”
Corbett graduated from West Genesee High School in 2014 and enrolled at OCC soon afterward. After only a few months, he dropped out and went to work for his father, Patrick Sr., who owned Corbett’s Custom Construction.
When Corbett turned 20, his father encouraged him to give college another try and enroll in OCC’s Electrical Technology program. He took his father’s advice and began classes in the fall of 2017. But during his first semester, tragedy struck. His father passed away unexpectedly at the age of 51. “I finished the semester, but mentally I wasn’t doing very well,” Corbett recalls. “I dropped out of school for a whole year. Eventually, I decided to finish for my dad. He was so excited about me going back to school.”
In 2019, Corbett returned to OCC, focused and determined to earn his Electrical Technology degree. As he worked to master the material, faculty members became an important source of encouragement. “Professors Betsy Nicholas, Tracey Clancy, and Gino Duca pushed me,” he says. “They saw potential I didn’t see in myself. They realized I was pretty good at what I did.”
Another professor, Art Peterson, had an especially lasting impact. “There was something about being in Professor Peterson’s class,” Corbett says. “He connected with you on a personal level. It felt like he was talking directly to you, even when he was addressing the whole class. He was explaining all these complex concepts, and I remember thinking, ‘I can get this. I think I can be good at it.’ His enthusiasm for electricity was contagious.”
With the encouragement of his professors and his own determination, Corbett completed his Electrical Technology degree in 2021. A year later, he began working at SRC. “SRC gave me a chance to explore myself,” he says. “They gave me the freedom to find my niche, and I really thrived in that environment.”
Corbett also continued his education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology online through Excelsior University and has recently begun working toward a master’s degree. As his education expanded, so did his career. Today, he works at SRC as an Electronic Warfare Engineer.
Outside of work, Corbett’s life has grown just as fulfilling. In 2025, he and his fiancée, Taylor, welcomed their daughter, Daisy. Becoming a father also deepened his faith. “I credit God with a lot of my success,” Corbett says. “I went to church when I was younger, but then I stopped going for about ten years. When my daughter was born, I felt called to go back.”
Corbett’s personal growth is also evident in the classroom, where he now teaches students who sit where he once sat. “I love helping people,” he says. “As a professor, it’s important for students to know you’re here not just to teach them the material, but to support them in other aspects of life too.”
For Corbett, the path to becoming a professor wasn’t straight. But it’s that journey - the setbacks, the perseverance, and the people who believed in him - that now helps him inspire the next generation.
