Onondaga Community College will celebrate its 63rd commencement ceremony this Saturday, May 16, at 11 a.m. in the SRC Arena. A total of 679 students completing their coursework in either the spring 2026 or summer 2026 semesters are eligible to participate. The ceremony can be viewed live on OCC’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The entire production crew will consist of current and past OCC Broadcast Media Communications students and faculty.
JT Wint has loved helping others for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Lake Placid, he volunteered wherever he could - at the local food pantry, the Center for the Arts, his school’s garden, and a wide range of community events.
“I really like talking to people, and I’m a community-service-oriented person,” he said. “It’s fun to meet new people and get to know them.”
It’s no surprise that his passion for service eventually led him to the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department.
“Why not be of service? Why not be helpful? It’s so easy. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind. Let’s be humans. Let’s be better.”
For Onondaga Community College Peace Officer Rich Yung, that philosophy has guided nearly two decades of work on campus. As the nation observes National Police Week May 10-16, Yung's work offers a powerful example of what policing can look like.
When Larry Nestell told his older daughter he was going back to college, her reaction was immediate: pride. “She thinks it’s fantastic,” Nestell said.
As someone who already earned a degree in electrical engineering, she understood the commitment her father was taking on. From her perspective, his decision wasn’t just admirable, it was inspiring. And at home, that example is already making an impact on the next generation.
Outstanding small businesses across the region were honored in celebration of National Small Business Week.
The North Central Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which is hosted by Onondaga Community College in Syracuse and Jefferson Community College in Watertown, recognized “Small Business of the Year” award winners across the eight counties it serves.
Regional Director Bob Griffin presented awards in person to the following businesses:
Onondaga Community College proudly celebrated the achievements of its opportunity program graduates during a May 4 ceremony in Storer Auditorium.
The event honored students from across OCC’s opportunity programs - ASAP, CSTEP, EOP, and TRIO - recognizing not only their academic success, but the determination and resilience that brought them to this milestone.
When Cyrille Kayembe Asagnion heard about the Semiconductor Bootcamp at Onondaga Community College, it felt like a second chance at something he had missed years earlier. “My father was a mechanic, but I didn’t have the time to learn from him because I was studying abroad.”
Onondaga Community College Men's Lacrosse team is heading to the National Junior College Athletic Association Final Four!
The Lazers will be in Bel Air, Maryland this weekend along with three other national finalists.
Saturday, the 2nd-seeded Lazers will play 3rd-seeded Nassau Community College at 4pm.
The other semifinal will feature top-seeded Howard Community College against 5th-seeded Harford Community College.
The two winners will meet Sunday at 1pm for the national championship.
When Anthony Bloore applied for a scholarship from the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, he had a critical need for financial assistance. “It was an absolute shot in the dark,” he said. “I wrote up my story… and forgot about it.”
When Nimley Bestman's mother offered him a chance to move north with her from Georgia, he did some research and realized it was too good to pass up.
She was heading north for a Registered Nurse job at Oswego Hospital, and hoped he would come with her and enroll at her alma mater, Onondaga Community College. Nimley was a gamer who dreamed of becoming a chef, so he checked out OCC online.
"I looked at the different programs. I found Culinary Management, and I found Esports in athletics. I saw pictures of the Esports Arena and thought I could get into it."
