Khadra Habseme's first semester on the Onondaga Community College campus is off to a great start, thanks in large part to what she did during the summer. She participated in the Educational Opportunity Program's (EOP) Pre-freshman Institute from July 7 to August 13. Habseme took classes, earned college credits, and lived on the OCC campus. "If I didn't do the EOP Summer program, I would have been so lost at the start of the fall semester. I learned where to go, where everything is on campus, where my classes were. It made a big difference."
Habseme has a lifetime of experience finding her way. She's a native of Somalia who lived in a refugee camp before immigrating to the United States in 2014 when she was 9 years old. She started taking classes in the Syracuse City School District in the 3rd grade. Like so many refugees, she found a home in Syracuse's Northside Learning Center. "They helped me with everything there. It played a big part in my success. Most of the people there were like me, from all different backgrounds. We really helped each other. I don't know what we would have done if we didn't have that."
Eventually, she grew into a leadership role there and became a summer fellow, a teaching assistant, a teacher, and now an office worker. She brought those leadership skills to the Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler where she excelled in the Emergency Medical Technician program, but also learned she wanted to pursue a different course of study. "Because of my experiences in the ride-alongs (in emergency response vehicles), I didn't think I would be emotionally strong enough for that kind of work."
Habseme knew she wanted a career helping others, and decided to choose OCC's Human Services degree program. This semester, she's joined on campus by a brother and an aunt, and next semester, another aunt will also enroll at OCC. She's confident her time here will be successful thanks to the foundation she built in the EOP Summer program. "The EOP staff was so helpful and everything went great. I made friends, I enjoyed my classes, and my professors. Everyone had a big impact on me, and I started the semester with less anxiety."
