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Five decades ago Joe Antonio had a dream which some may have thought was crazy. He wanted to start a baseball team at Onondaga Community College.

The Feats of Clay exhibit has returned to the gallery at the Ann Felton Multicultural Center on the OCC campus! This is the 33rd edition of the scholastic ceramic art competition.

The annual Feats of Clay Olympics are scheduled for Friday, May 6 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Students from more than a dozen high schools will be on campus competing in events such as the Cylinder Stack, Mug Production, No Hands Throw, Blindfold Throw, Pot Put and the Highest Coiling. The Feats of Clay Olympics will be held in the parking lot behind the SRC Arena.

Joe Bianchi spent nearly a decade trying to figure out what career he wanted to pursue. He finally found it in Onondaga Community College's Geospatial Science and Technology degree program.

Bianchi graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School in 2013 and began his college education at a four-year school that fall. "I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I went for a while, then thought I would take a semester off and try something else." He eventually returned, left again, and joined the Army National Guard where he would work for the next three years.

Reverend Ashanti Dickerson came to Onondaga Community College in search of a healthcare related career and found a path in the new Healthcare Administration degree program. It provides students with a solid foundation for transfer and ultimately a position as a manager or administrator. "OCC has really been phenomenal. It's preparing me for what I will do next."

On a good night Sam Moore gets three or four hours of sleep. She's a full-time student, a full-time mom, and she works three jobs. "The work life balance is really challenging but I want people to know they can do it, even if they have to take the hard way. Everyone can do it even if they think they can't."

Students and administrators from nearly two dozen community colleges came to Onondaga Community College for the annual Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-State ceremony. The event was held April 13 in the SRC Arena.

OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill served as master of ceremonies. She was joined on stage throughout the event by Guttman Community College President Dr. Larry Johnson. The OCC Singers, under the direction of Dr. David Rudari, DMA, performed the National Anthem and the PTK song. And OCC student Katie Sullivan led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Three Onondaga Community College students are being honored with SUNY Chancellor's Awards this year, including one who is the only student in the entire SUNY system to receive the "Special Award for Overcoming the Odds."

OCC's honorees are: 

Onondaga Community College student Damon Gilstrap will receive two major awards from SUNY this month. He's one of a very select group who will receive the Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence, given annually to students in the Educational Opportunity Program who exceed academically while overcoming personal obstacles. And Gilstrap is the only SUNY student in the entire system who will receive the Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence - Special Award for Overcoming the Odds. “Just being here is a gift from God.

Esteffany Lorena Castillo-Patino's first year at Onondaga Community College was extremely challenging. During her freshman year Covid was in full bloom and she didn't feel she was getting the total college experience. This year has been much different. "My first year I didn't do much outside of class because of the pandemic and I didn't have many friends. Things have gotten much better. I've gotten the whole experience of being a student here and have made a lot of friends."