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The OCC Effect: Karinda Shanes, '98

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 Technology, middle son Armondo's specialty was Human Services, and oldest son Dante and youngest son Quintin received their Electrical Technology degrees from OCC.

Student Spotlight: Gina Segreti

  • Degree program: Early Childhood

Gina Segreti is unbelievably strong. She has epilepsy and autism, was bullied constantly in school, never knew her father, lost her mother when she was 17, and was placed in a group home until she was old enough to live on her own. Despite all of that, in her first semester at OCC, she earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average and was inducted into the College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK).

Faculty Profile: Kevin Geidel

Kevin Geidel has big plans for Onondaga Community College's Fire Protection Technology program. For decades it's been highly regarded as the place where the firefighters of tomorrow are trained. He's prepared to maintain that standard and highlight everything else the degree program can do for students. "Fire Protection is an industry. We teach system design, code enforcement, standards, research, product testing, investigations, all those types of things. We're opening people's eyes to what the Fire Protection industry is."

Student Spotlight: Noah Singh

  • 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 Action project. "We had virtual meetings throughout the summer as we began our work. Income inequality is such an important issue. When slavery ended in our country White people were in a better place than Black people.

Two EOP Students Set Sail With SUNY

Si Po Ra and Cede Elizabeth Ramirez are on the path to becoming leaders. The two OCC students, who are part of the College's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), have been selected to participate in SUNY's Sail Institute, also known as its Student Leadership Academy. "I was so happy they picked me. It's hard to get into this program," said Ra."I thought it was a good opportunity," added Ramirez. "Being a leader helps give you a good foundation."

Faculty Profile: Dr. Annet O'Mara

Dr. Annet O'Mara's inspiration to write came while growing up in the jungles of Malaysia. "I saw monkeys sharing papayas or bananas with their families. That bubbled up poetry within me long before I even knew how to pen a line. There were also graceful kingfishers and venomous king cobras. Nature's harmony and contradictions inspired the muse within me."