When twin sisters Cara and Christina "Chrissy" Scalisi graduated from Liverpool High School in 2009, they weren't just looking for a college. They were looking for an opportunity to keep playing the game they loved. Fifteen years later, they can trace so much of what their lives have become back to that decision.
Today, Cara Woznica is an X-ray Technologist and clinical instructor, expecting her first child later this year. Chrissy Martinez is the mother of three young boys and Communications Manager at her church. Between them are successful careers, lifelong friendships, leadership lessons that still guide them today, and even a love story that began on the OCC campus.
It all started with basketball. Recruited by longtime Women's Basketball Coach Mike Wheeler, the sisters became part of one the greatest teams in Onondaga Community College history. During their freshman season, the Lazers went 35-1 with their only loss coming in the NJCAA Division III National Championship game. "I still reminisce, 15 years later, with family and friends about the awesome experience I had on the basketball team," Cara said. "Coach Wheeler was an incredible coach with a great basketball mind. Being part of that historic run was amazing. I mean...35-1! It's great to say I was part of it." The national championship loss still stings. "I'm still a little bitter about losing that game," Cara admitted. "That will always stay with me."
For Chrissy, that season remains just as vivid. "I didn't see a ton of playing time that year," she said. "But I got to experience an incredible season with an amazing coaching staff, great teammates, our cousin Lauren, and most importantly, my twin sister."
One year later, everything changed. Cara and Chrissy were team captains - and found themselves in leadership roles. There would be no championship run, and instead, the season ended in the regional playoffs. Looking back, both sisters say that disappointment may have taught them even more than success. "Our freshman year showed me what an elite team culture looks like," Chrissy said. "Our sophomore year taught me how to step up, handle adversity, and lead when things don't go as planned. Those experiences have influenced how I approach teamwork, leadership, and challenges in every area of my life."
Those lessons would carry over into the classroom, where their academic paths were very different. Cara entered OCC knowing she wanted a career in healthcare, but she wasn't sure exactly where she belonged. Originally considering physical therapy or massage therapy, she realized those programs' demanding clinical schedules would make it difficult to balance college basketball. Instead, she chose the Math & Science program. "It was the best decision I could have made," she said.
One of her Women's Basketball teammates was preparing to study medical imaging at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and another had a father who worked as a radiologist. Through those relationships, Cara had opportunities to shadow professionals in the field. "It was like medical imaging was calling my name," she said. "Had I not chosen to play basketball, I probably would have gone in a completely different direction."
She also credits Anatomy & Physiology professor Thomas Keenan with helping confirm she had found the right career. "The way he taught allowed me to really understand the subject matter," she said. "After Anatomy & Physiology I, I made sure I had him again for Anatomy & Physiology II."
Today, she is in her 13th year at St. Joseph's Imaging, where she is certified in radiography and mammography while helping educate the next generation of imaging professionals as a clinical instructor.
Chrissy discovered that OCC was preparing her just as effectively for her own career. Majoring in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design, she graduated with the confidence to immediately enter the workforce. "It gave me the skills and confidence to begin my career right away," she said. "I landed a job in the exact field I wanted to work in, and I was able to do it debt-free."
Today, she combines life as a full-time mom with serving part-time as Communications Manager at North Central Church in North Syracuse, using the same creative skills she developed at OCC.
But perhaps the biggest surprise waiting for her at OCC had nothing to do with basketball or graphic design. It was sitting in a health class. There she reconnected with fellow Liverpool High School graduate Julio Martinez, a member of the OCC baseball team. Although they had attended high school together, they had never been close.
Then Julio suffered a life-threatening injury while traveling with the Lazers baseball team during a tournament in North Carolina. After hearing about the accident from their professor, Chrissy sent him a Facebook message wishing him a full recovery. "That simple message became the beginning of our love story," she said.
The couple has been married for almost 12 years and are raising three energetic boys together. "Needless to say," she said, "we have OCC to thank for bringing us together."
The sisters remain connected with many former teammates through social media, and conversations about those basketball years still happen regularly. Now, those memories are being passed to a new generation. Chrissy's three sons have developed a love for basketball, giving her plenty of opportunities to tell stories about their mom, Aunt Cara, and that unforgettable 35-win season.
For Cara, who is expecting her first child later this year, those memories have taken on new meaning as well. Looking back, neither sister measures her OCC experience solely by wins and losses. They remember the friendships, the professors, the coaches who believed in them, the teammates who helped shape their futures, and the leadership lessons learned through victory and adversity.
