When Alaina Kelsey was growing up, she liked working on cars with her dad. She just didn’t know then that it might become a career.
After graduating from Onondaga Junior/Senior High School in 2025, Kelsey came to Onondaga Community College in the fall as a Psychology major. “I didn't really know what I wanted to go to school for yet. I'd taken Psychology classes in high school, I liked it, and thought I would try it out.”
It didn't take long for Kelsey to realize there was another subject she wanted to try. She switched to Automotive Technology for the spring 2026 semester, returning to something she had enjoyed years earlier. “I liked working on cars with my dad when I was younger. I hadn't for a little bit, but then I started fixing up the car I had at the time. I liked working on it. I knew even if I didn't like working on cars for a job, it would be useful knowledge to have.”
It turned out she liked it quite a bit. Kelsey finished had an outstanding first semester in Automotive Technology. “It felt really good. My first semester here I realized I was good at both the academic side and working hands-on with the cars, taking the things we were learning in the lessons and applying it.”
Now, Kelsey is taking that interest even further. This fall, she added a second degree to her academic plan: Commercial/Heavy Equipment Service Repair. The program is being offered at OCC for the first time this semester, preparing students to work on the larger vehicles and equipment that keep Central New York moving.
Her favorite professor from her first semester in Automotive Technology, Dave Lindsley, created the new program and encouraged her to give it a try. “He told me about it, and I figured, ‘Why not?’ I wanted to work on bigger trucks and get all of the knowledge I could about anything I can work on.”
Kelsey is already getting some of that experience. She began working at B&B Automotive on Brighton Hill in May, where she works on a variety of vehicles used in the transportation industry, and has already had the opportunity to work on several diesel trucks. “I like working on the bigger vehicles more, because there's a lot more space. It's not as crowded, especially in the engine bay.”
There is also one very practical advantage to having Kelsey in the shop. “Everyone at work will get me to work on cars because I have smaller hands and I get fit into spaces where they can't."
Kelsey expects to complete her Automotive Technology degree in December 2027 and her Commercial/Heavy Equipment Service Repair degree in May 2028. For now, she is enjoying learning how things work and putting that knowledge to work. And she has a pretty good project waiting for her when she has some free time. Kelsey owns a 2004 Chevy Impala SS Supercharged, a car she describes as her dream car. She bought it in May, but recently the Impala stopped running. For Kelsey, that's not necessarily bad news. “Now I have something to fix on my own time."
