Spend a few minutes chatting with Cassaundra Richardson, and you will quickly realize she has a boundless amount of energy and enthusiasm for life. At age 31 she's a full-time student at Onondaga Community College who was recently inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, works full-time as Dean of Students at OnTech Charter High School in Syracuse, co-parents 9 children, and runs a business on the side. "I'm fortunate to wake up every day and enjoy what I do. It's amazing to find something I'm passionate about because it's not like I'm working. These kids - it's worth it. You see the change, the transformation from when they first come. It's amazing."
Most of her students at OnTech know her as “Miss Rich”—the woman who greets them with music playing, dancing in the hallway before the sun even rises. “I’m hands-on,” she says with a warm laugh. “I interact with students all day, every day. Being able to make them smile is a gift.”
Richardson graduated from Nottingham High School, but never considered continuing her education. “I was one of those people who said, ‘college is not for everyone.’ I felt like I wasn’t smart enough or good enough. My mom didn’t go to college, so I didn’t have people to show me the way.”
She found herself pulled toward work that required a heart for young people. Her first role in the Syracuse City School District, working in “The Big Room” with students who struggled behaviorally, sparked something she never expected. “Someone told me I was really good at it, that I’d be great in a classroom,” she remembers. She enrolled at OCC and quickly excelled. “I had a 4.0 GPA. I still have a 4.0 GPA,” she adds, a note of pride in her voice.
But in 2021, her ambitions for her community required her full attention. She stepped away from school to open the Agape Lounge, a youth center she had dreamed of building for years. “I wanted to finish college, but I wanted my dream a little more, helping the kids in my community.”
While also continuing to work at the Syracuse City School District, her personal life expanded in unexpected and beautiful ways. When she shared with Twila Brantley, a colleague at Webster Elementary School, that she couldn’t have children, Twila, a mother of eight, didn’t hesitate. “She told me, ‘If anyone deserves to be a parent, it’s you.’” When Twila gave birth to Cataleya, the first baby delivered in Syracuse in 2023 - born at 12:17 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Richardson stepped into parenthood. Together, they co-parent 9 children. “I took on the responsibility for her eight kids as well, so now those are my babies too. We’re really close and really good friends. We make it happen for our children.”
Richardson returned to OCC for the fall 2025 semester in the Adolescence Education degree program. During that semester, she was inducted into the honor society during a ceremony in Storer Auditorium. “It was remarkable. I was so proud of myself, because that’s not something I ever thought I’d achieve. I didn’t think college was for me. Being able to go to college and excel, and then looking into the audience and seeing my babies and my mom, it was so rewarding.”
She plans to graduate from OCC in May 2027. Between studying, working full-time, and parenting, Richardson still finds time for creativity. Her small business, Amor Aroma, sells fragrances, oils, and body butters at pop-up shops and events.
“Everything’s working out. I’m a believer. I believe in God. He says your gift will make room for you. And I believe that’s what’s happening. My gift is my heart. People see the love I have, and it has opened so many doors. I was blessed with a gift to genuinely love people.”
