Alicia Oberlender was prepared to go directly from West Genesee High School to a four-year college and a science-related major when she began having second thoughts. A week before the start of classes, she decided to step back. "I realized I needed to take a break, focus on myself, and figure out what I wanted to do."
During her gap year, one of the things she focused on was learning karate. A great uncle who passed away when she was 8 years old had earned his black belt and she was always intrigued by the sport. She gave it a try, loved it, and recently earned her purple belt.
In the fall of 2023 she enrolled in Onondaga Community College's Mathematics & Science degree program. As she settled in to her first semester, she decided to get involved in campus life and joined the ASL (American Sign Language) Club. Her great uncle who mastered karate was also deaf, and Oberlender had learned some ASL through her great aunt.
Following an outstanding first semester Oberlender was inducted into the College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). "I was nervous about starting college after being out of a school environment for a year. Making it into PTK showed me that I am ready, that I'm doing well in college, and I'm proud of myself."
During the spring semester she also became Vice President of the ASL Club and a Student Ambassador, giving tours to prospective students. "When I first decided to come to OCC, I took a campus tour to get familiar. The person giving the tour was very nice. They made me feel welcome and gave me a lot of information which I appreciated. It helped me feel more comfortable. I hope to be able to do the same things for new students coming in."
Her outside-of-class activities include volunteering at Whole Me Inc., an after-school enrichment program for deaf and hard of hearing children. She's also considering becoming a Math tutor at the Learning Center, an officer in PTK, a member of Student Government, and plans to help form a Badminton Club on campus.
On April 8th, Oberlinder looked to the sky like so many of us and enjoyed the solar eclipse. She had taken an Astronomy course in high school and loved it, and the eclipse experience inspired her to want to enjoy the next big one in 20 years. "It was so beautiful! Even though there was cloud coverage, it was cool to see it get dark and feel the temperature drop during totality. I want to see another eclipse, so it looks like I'll be traveling to Montana in 2044!"
