When Maria (DiCocco) Donnelly thinks about how her family’s college journey began, she still laughs at the words her mother used whenever motivation was needed:
“I will carry you to class and sit on your lap if I have to.”
The message was clear. College mattered.
The DiCocco siblings were first-generation college students, and their mother, Dee, believed deeply in the power of education. She pushed all three - Maria, Jeff, and Carly - toward the opportunity it presented. Over time, all three siblings would go from West Genesee High School to Onondaga Community College, earn degrees, and turn one family’s determination into a shared accomplishment.
For the DiCocco siblings, OCC became more than a place to take classes. It became the starting point for adulthood, independence, lifelong friendships, and careers that would eventually take each of them in very different directions.
Maria, a 2008 Liberal Arts & Sciences graduate, balanced classes with part-time work while helping pay for her education. “We were self-funded. A community college gave us an affordable option to begin that journey.” All three siblings joined their mother in the "family business" - working at Wegmans where she has worked for 33 years.
Working while attending school taught Maria discipline long before she transferred to SUNY Fredonia to complete her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Today, she's a Senior Consultant at The Hartford alongside her husband, whom she met during their first day on the job nearly 16 years ago. The couple now has an 8-year-old daughter, Quinn, and remains closely connected to family in Central New York.
Her brother Jeff remembers OCC as the place where independence first became real. “I loved my time at OCC. It felt like this whole new world of freedom, independence, and possibilities.”
Jeff attended OCC from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to complete his bachelor’s degree, learning quickly that college demanded ownership and responsibility. “One of the first lessons OCC taught me was that I would have to start operating independently and owning my education and future.” Jeff also remembers the people who made OCC feel personal, including Italian Professor Maria Caruso, and OCC administrator Ryan Nellenback, whose support left a lasting impact on the family years after their time on campus ended.
Nellenback helped Jeff "reverse transfer," and receive an OCC degree by utilizing credits earned at a four-year school. “Over a decade after we had moved on from OCC, Ryan reached out his hand to his community to lift us up,” Jeff said. “That is a special kind of person.”
Youngest sibling Carly found her community through athletics. A 2012 Liberal Arts & Sciences graduate and captain of the women’s basketball team during her sophomore year, Carly says her experience at OCC changed the course of her life. “If OCC had been a four-year school, I would’ve stayed in a heartbeat,” she said.
She credits the women’s basketball program and the broader OCC community for creating lifelong relationships and mentorships, including support from late Athletic Director Rob Edson, assistant coach Brittany Almonte, and Nellenback. “Ryan helped me find my place at Le Moyne College during a really difficult chapter of my life,” Carly said. “He’s someone I’ll always be grateful for.”
Today, the siblings remain as close as ever, and all live and work in the Syracuse area. “There typically isn’t a week where we don’t see each other,” Maria said. That feeling of family extends to their OCC experience. "It’s been 15 years since I met those people on the hill, and so many of them are still a part of my life today," added Carly. "From being neighbors in the dorms to now meeting each other’s spouses and families, it’s amazing to have such a lasting connection to OCC."
