Are you thinking about going back to school later in life? Albadir Mcknight says you can do it and be successful. "Your maturity level now is so much better. You can see the reason why you're doing it. For me personally, it was way easier than when I was younger. At this age all I wanted to do was improve my life and set an example for my kids. It was way easier than what I remembered when I was younger."
Mcknight is a 43-year-old Student Veteran who had attended college briefly multiple times, but life events kept delaying his plans to get a college degree. A few months before retiring from the United States Army with 20 years of service, he enrolled in Onondaga Community College's Supply Chain Management degree program. "When I was in the military, I had to guide a supply depot. I would document invoices, I learned how to drive a forklift. It sparked my interest in the supply chain."
OCC's nationally recognized Office of Veterans and Military Services, led by Steve White, was an invaluable resource in Mcknight's transition to full-time college student. "He guided me through the Army Tuition Assistance program while I was on active duty and helped me navigate the GI Bill Process after I retired. His response time to questions was exceptional. If he did not know an answer, he would reach out to all his contacts and get me the answer."
While studying Supply Chain Management, he also worked in the industry at DOT Foods Warehouse in Liverpool. Mcknight was able to successfully balance work, college, and life. And during his final semester in spring 2025, his professors named him the top student in the Supply Chain Management degree program.
Perhaps his biggest accomplishment is at home, where he and his wife Carol are parents to raising 6 daughters ranging in age from 24 to newborn. Their oldest has already earned a college degree, and the next oldest will be graduating from Rutgers this week. "My college degree will hang on the wall next to theirs. I want to be an example for them."
