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…
During his senior year at Marcellus High School, Mark Wolicki took advantage of an exploratory program the school offered with Onondaga Community College that set him on a path to success. “My meeting with the high school guidance counselor took all…
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…
All Michael Mingo needed was for someone to believe in him. While growing up in the South Bronx he was often the victim of bullying, had few friends, and struggled with life at home. As a result he had little if any self-confidence. During his sophomore year at Bronx Collegiate Academy,…
Mike Carno has always enjoyed being a “hands on” kind of worker. After graduating from Bishop Ludden in 2011 he spent the summer working in a machine shop. He planned to attend OCC in the fall but wasn’t sure what he would major in. “A week before the semester started I got a tour of the machine…
Nor Rizek grew up in Onondaga Hill and attended Westhill High School until her junior year. Rather than enjoy summer in Central New York she packed up and moved to the West Bank in Palestine to live with family for the next two years. While there, she finished her high school degree and worked as…