Earlier this month we launched, "The OCC Effect". We wanted to hear from our former students about the ways in which OCC has impacted their lives. Below are a few of the stories we’ve heard so far!
Your success is a significant part of OCC’s story which began more than a half-century ago when we…
Dr. Danielle Berry came to Onondaga Community College with a newly found passion and turned it into the foundation for a career. "Attending OCC was the best choice for me to begin my college education because it was affordable and it allowed me to stay home. I knew about the quality of the…
Dr. Frank Skurpski's daily life looks very different than it did three months ago before coronavirus. Now his days consist of triaging patients in tents outside of the hospital, struggling with shortages of PPE (personal protection equipment), and dealing with the harsh realities of the…
Dr. Kristin Bacchiocchi-Stewart attended Monroe-Woodbury High School in Orange County, New York and her passion for the flute originated at a young age. Her Mom had played it extensively and handed down her instrument when her daughter entered the 4th grade. She has never looked back. “I loved…
Ten years ago Eva DeCharleroy became the first member of her family to go to college. A decade later she's on the brink of becoming an attorney. Her journey through higher education began at Onondaga Community College after she graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School in 2011. "My parents…
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, OCC Alumnae Grace Cogan, '16 and Monu Chhetri, '12 have served as interpreters for Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon's press briefings. Cogan's specialty is American Sign Language (ASL), while Chhetri's is Nepali Sign Language (NSL).…
Helena Jaramillo was born in Ecuador, immigrated to the United States and grew up in Syracuse. After spending her freshman year at Nottingham High School, she moved out west and graduated from a high school in Boulder, Colorado. Her desire to attend Onondaga Community College brought her back to…
Onondaga Community College will always be a special place for Jill Richmond, '88 and her family. It's where she met her husband, where she earned her first college degree, and where her daughter is now working toward her first college degree.
Richmond grew up in Syracuse, graduated…
Onondaga Community College has provided Karinda Shanes and her entire family with the educational foundation they needed to build their professional success upon. All five family members earned associate degrees here. Karinda's was in Criminal Justice, husband Leonard studied Mechanical…
Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, '03 always had big dreams but never knew if she could overcome significant life challenges to make any of them come true. By age 17 she was living on her own while attending Henninger High School. After receiving her diploma she decided to come to OCC and…
Professionally speaking, Lisa GreenMills, '08 is in a COVID-19 hot spot. Up until two years ago she was Project Coordinator at Syracuse Healthy Start, a program which supports pregnant women and new families with outreach, case management, health education, and community connections. In 2018 her…
Onondaga Community College was Matthew Artus' launching pad to success. Two years ago he earned a Fire Protection Technology degree here. Now he's about to earn a bachelor's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. "OCC prepared me very well to get to this…