When Nick Sprague was a student at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, he participated in the Science Olympiad, the nation's premier STEM competition which provides standard-based challenges to thousands of teams in all 50 states. "I always liked science…
Major: Mathematics & Science
High School: PSLA at Fowler, class of 2018
Nidaa Aljabarrin's career aspirations are motivated by family tragedy. While growing up in Syria one of her brothers died from asthma. "Because of the war we couldn't take him to the hospital. He had a genetic…
Noa Ford spent much of her life struggling to survive, leading her to focus her education and eventual career on helping others. "I've been on my own since I was 16. In high school I was hopping from couch to couch. Being older and being able to get a place on my own with help from people…
The welcoming environment at Onondaga Community College helped Noah Rivers find his passion and figure out what's next. "OCC was incredible. Everyone wanted to see you hit your goals and succeed. The whole community on campus was very helpful."
Rivers graduated from Henninger High School…
Degree program: Business Administration
High School: Faith Heritage, class of 2019
Noah Singh is determined to educate others about income inequality and the destructive impact it has on our society. That topic is his primary focus in the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society's Honors In…
Life in the United States is a gift Noel Ponthuit gets to enjoy every day. He's a native of the Congo who lost his father at age 2, and spent 20 years in a Rwandan refugee camp before immigrating to America. "I had a dream. I wanted to go to the U.S. We had been dreaming about being here since I…
On Saturday May 15 Nor Rizek is expected to become the first student in Onondaga Community College history to earn her degree here AFTER receiving her bachelor's degree from Harvard University. "It was super important to me to come back here and finish what I started. I went through a rough…
Nya Williams is going to be in charge of something one day. She might be a leader in the world of computers, or she may open her own sneaker store. "I'm a 'sneakerhead.' I buy, sell, and collect exclusive sneakers. My cousin is a sneakerhead too. We really believe we can open up our own…
Major: Hospitality Management
Battery Creek in Beaufort, SC, class of 2017
Nyjee Rivers began finding her support system at OCC before she ever set foot on campus. After graduating high school she took advantage of a scholarship opportunity and attended a 6-month boot camp at the Culinary…
Oliver Greer still has vivid memories of the first time he saw Onondaga Community College and the surrounding area. The native of Newtownards, Northern Ireland had seen New York City but never traveled upstate. "I remember riding up Onondaga Hill and seeing all of the houses and thinking it was…
Olivia Ramirez found out about Onondaga Community College's Broadcast Media Communications degree program by chance, and she's glad she did. She was working at a local financial firm, Pinnacle Investments, when a video crew from…
Major: Early Childhood
High School: Central Square, class of 2018
Paris Graziano has always been a leader. Becoming President of OCC's Student Government was the logical next step for her. She represented students while attending Central Square High School and continued doing so last year…