Every Friday during the fall semester, our "Start Here, Anytime" series will spotlight an adult learner who chose to come to Onondaga Community College to pursue new opportunities, new goals, and a new chapter in life. Today, meet Tania Dean.
For Tania Dean, figuring out her career plans didn’t happen in a classroom. It happened through conversations. Mentors. Community programs. Apprenticeships. College campuses. And, most importantly, a willingness to keep meeting people and learning from them. “I knew I wanted a degree eventually, but I didn't know how."
Today, she is pursuing an Engineering Science degree at Onondaga Community College while working full-time at Le Moyne College as a Program Specialist in its Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program office. Her path to OCC has included plenty of twists and turns.
Originally from Syracuse’s East Side and a graduate of Bishop Grimes High School, Dean spent a year at the University of Miami before returning to Central New York. She eventually discovered Syracuse Surge, a local initiative designed to help residents enter the technology and advanced manufacturing fields through training and community programs.
There, Dean developed software and coding skills and began exploring a career as a software developer. In 2022, she took computer programming courses at Le Moyne College through Erie 21 and also participated in Syracuse Surge’s tech apprenticeship program.
But Dean wasn’t content simply to learn technical skills. She wanted to understand how technology could be used to make a difference in her community. That led her to Technologists for Public Good, a civic technology group where she found a mentor in Kate Green, a federal employee who lost her job due to budget cuts. “This was a huge benefit in growing my network and gaining more insight into civic tech and the way that technology can shape society.”
She also worked with a local software engineer on a project that involved building a website for an SU Ph.D. candidate researching the effects of discriminatory housing covenants in Syracuse. Along the way, Dean became involved with the Citizens Academy through Focus Greater Syracuse, adding another group of people and perspectives to her growing network.
Each experience gave her something new to consider, and someone new to learn from. “I have an interest and a good support program. Taking those first steps I kept expanding my network as well.”
Eventually, those steps brought her to OCC. When Dean began hearing about SUNY Reconnect, a tuition-free program for New York adults who have not yet earned a college degree, she saw an opportunity to finally take another step toward the degree she had long wanted. She took two classes at OCC during the summer of 2026 through SUNY Reconnect, and now is a full-time student while continuing her work at Le Moyne. “Things are going very well. I feel supported by my advisors. I've been impressed with how everyone is here to help.” She credits her Student Success Navigator, Collette Charbonneau, as part of that support system.
Her experiences working in higher education have also given her a unique viewpoint as an OCC student. At Le Moyne, she sees firsthand how administrators and faculty members support students. At OCC, she now gets to experience the student side of that equation. “It's such an interesting perspective. I see how administrators do their jobs, and how faculty members do their jobs and care at Le Moyne. With classmates, I want to help facilitate their learning experience as well, taking a back seat but also helping them.”
Dean is interested in earning a second degree in electrical engineering, and eventually working at the intersection of software and hardware, with a particular interest in cloud engineering. “I’m really fascinated by cloud engineering and AI (artificial intelligence), and usually those roles are located in data centers. They need electrical engineering for their operations, so it's a way for me to see how everything connects in their operations.”
It is another example of Dean doing what she has done throughout her journey: asking questions, making connections, and looking for the next opportunity to learn. And SUNY Reconnect has given her the opportunity to do it without taking on the financial burden that can make returning to college difficult for adults. “I'm very grateful for it. This is a way for adults to figure it out without having to incur so much student loan debt. Just knowing New York State is willing to invest in the future of its residents, knowing it will make life better for us all, it will help us be ready for this future in technology. It's great to know at the higher levels they see this need and are willing to address it.”
