Dominick Kastner is a 28-year-old Student Veteran who is ready to do well in the classroom. "I didn't really like school when I was growing up. The time in the Army and being away from school really changed me."
Kastner is a native of Southern California who spent five years in the United…
Each Monday we highlight a successful student on our website. This Monday, which is also Veterans Day, we shine the Student Spotlight on one of our outstanding Student Veterans. We thank all Veterans on the Onondaga Community College campus for their service to our country.
Don Ariola is a…
Duke Sturgis had a good job in a machine shop when he heard about a new program at Onondaga Community College and decided to give it a try.
After graduating from Fulton High School in 2014, Sturgis went to work at Nixon Gear on Milton Avenue in Syracuse. It is one of the premier precision…
Being heavily involved in campus life has made a significant difference in Eddie Flynn's Onondaga Community College experience. "I've made so many connections here and it's so enjoyable. I have so many friends I wouldn't have had if I was just attending class. I come to school everyday and look…
Degree program - Liberal Arts & Sciences: Humanities & Social Sciences
Home schooled, from Tully
Eleanor Petrucco started taking classes on the OCC campus in the fall of 2018 while she was in her senior year of home schooling. Over the course of the academic year she took a…
Major at OCC: Electrical Technology
High School: Syracuse Institute of Technology, class of 2019
The P-TECH program has given Eliza Velazquez an accelerated pathway to a career. She's a first generation college student who began thinking about her future several years ago. "I went to a P-…
There is little, if any, down time in Elizabeth Kraynak's life. And she's fine with that. Her lengthy list of activities includes:
Lifeguard at the YMCA where she works 35 hours a week.Tutor through her local library in the subjects of physics, calculus, and chemistry.Serves as a Certified…Ellion Magsino dreamed he would one day be able to immigrate from the Philippines to the United States and pursue a better life. That's exactly what he's doing at Onondaga Community College. "I love it here. There are so many opportunities compared to back home where there weren't a lot of…
Until recently, Emanuel Rodriguez compared his life situation to the video game Deathground. It's a self-described survival horror game that throws players into a desperate battle for survival against deadly Artificial Intelligence Dinosaurs. "I was at…
Emilee Durkin had every intention of majoring in Business Administration at Onondaga Community College. But when she sat down with her Student Success Navigator Michele Carey and learned Calculus was a mandatory class, she decided she needed to go in a different direction. "We went over options…
Major: Humanities
High School: Marcellus, class of 2019
One year ago Emily Durand was in the process of working through some big decisions. She was a senior at Marcellus High School and feeling the pressure of having to plan her future. "I was very undecided about what I wanted to do for a…
A visit to the CNY Scholastic Art show while Emily Pitoniak was a student at Camden High School ultimately brought her back to campus as an OCC student.
After receiving her diploma in June 2020, Pitoniak enrolled at a SUNY four-year college. As the semester progressed and she realized…