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Kiersten Spears has vivid memories of when she started working with with Dennis Burgos. It was the fall of 2014, her first semester at Onondaga Community College in the Fire Protection Technology degree program. She was a new member of Student Patrol and Burgos, who was a retired State Trooper, was a Security Guard with Campus Safety and Security. "We would walk around campus together and he would say hello to literally everyone. I asked him if he knew everyone and he would say 'yes. You can never have a bad day if someone walks up to you and says hello first.'"

Two years ago when Katie Sullivan was a senior at Jamesville-Dewitt High School, she wasn't sure where she wanted to go to college or what she wanted to study. Sullivan discussed her predicament with her Guidance Counselor who recommended she consider Onondaga Community College's Lillian Slutzker Honors College. "I looked into it and thought it was a good option. I'm so glad I came here. Being part of the Honors College has helped me meet people and feel comfortable without going into debt."

If cold temperatures and lack of sunlight have you feeling the winter blues, there's a remedy on the OCC campus. The award-winning work of area junior and senior high school students is now lining the halls of the Whitney Applied Technology Center with the installation of the annual CNY Scholastic Art Show.

A visit to the CNY Scholastic Art show while Emily Pitoniak was a student at Camden High School ultimately brought her back to campus as an OCC student.

Dr. Daryll Dykes' Ph.D., MD, JD fell in love with the power of medicine at an early age. When he was a young boy growing up on Syracuse’s west side, he enjoyed visiting his mother while she worked as a nurse. After graduating from Fowler High School in 1980, Dykes joined the United States Marine Corps as a way of paying for college. When he completed his military obligation Dykes came to OCC and majored in Mathematics & Science, completing his degree in 1983. “The classes and professors really ignited my passion for learning.

Donna J. DeSiato Ed.D. is a highly-respected leader in the field of public education who has proudly recognized Onondaga Community College for providing her with a strong academic foundation.

DeSiato earned her Humanities degree from OCC in 1969 followed by a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami, a master's degree from SUNY Cortland, a Certificate of Advanced Study from SUNY Oswego, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from SUNY Oswego.