At 58, Kate Adler is proud of who she is and where she is headed. "I'm the oldest student in my class and older than most of the professors. Pursuing my retirement career means the world to me, and I'm grateful for OCC."
Adler is enrolled in Onondaga Community College's Electromechanical Technology degree program. Her journey has been anything but ordinary. She raised two children with special needs, helped care for elderly parents, earned a master's degree in one course of study, and half of a master's degree in another - all while navigating the demands of home life, which often kept her out of the workforce.
As she got into her 50s, she was ready to find a career that interested her. "I've always enjoyed working with my hands. My dad taught me how to use tools, how to paint, how to dig holes. I started hearing about Micron and OCC's new program, and at some point, I just decided to do it. I have not looked back since."
Adler began taking classes at OCC in the spring 2024 semester. "It's been awesome. I've felt totally supported here. I've been really impressed with the communication and how much assistance is available for students. They are really trying to help a population of students who may not have a lot of school experience. OCC never says 'no.' They always say 'yes.' It's like, 'we'll figure out a way to make this work.'"
Though Micron originally sparked her interest, she found a career option she liked even more during a micro-internship at Schneider Packaging in Brewerton. "They put me on the assembly side, and I worked with hand tools. I worked with drill presses, a stud welder, I got to do everything! I felt like I had the guidance I needed there. And everything I did there, I had seen in class. To see it become real and have people trust me to work with it was great. I was like, 'I'm home. Y'all are my people.'"
Adler will complete her degree next May. In her final academic year on campus, she's focused on doing as well as she can and helping others along the way. She's serving as an embedded peer mentor in the Introduction to Electricity class. "I'm here to help students and augment the professor. My job is to make sure students are on track, identify if anyone is having a problem, communicate with them, and communicate with the professor. I'm trying to be a part of that, 'let's work that out' culture."
