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Students and their families, many of whom have recently lost jobs or had their hours reduced, face an uncertain future. Many are understandably questioning the choices that just a few months ago seemed certain. A recent study released by Junior Achievement and Citizens Bank found that almost 60% of high school students are concerned about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their future plans, with 44% concerned about affording college, and a third planning to delay the start of college.

OCC's Faculty held its final Plenary meeting of the spring semester May 19. During the virtual event, OCC Faculty Senate President Nina Tamrowski announced the students who were being honored by faculty for outstanding achievements during the academic year.

Faculty Awards for Academic Excellence

Onondaga Community Alumni are continue to give back to today's students, helping them ensure success tomorrow. Early in the spring semester the OCC Mentoring Program brought industry leaders and current students together on campus to exchange ideas about navigating the college experience, exploring fields of interest, learning how to network, and solidifying professional goals. COVID-19 prevented any face-to-face meetings after mid-March, but the ten mentor pairings continued meeting virtually throughout the semester.

During her absence from campus due to the pandemic, Michele Carey received a nice surprise. Carey, who is a Coordinator in OCC’s Career Services office, was recognized by the State University of New York’s Career Development Organization’s (SUNYCDO) Professional Development Committee. She received the “Cruising and Crushing It” award given annually to a SUNYCDO member with greater than five years of service who has demonstrated commitment to the career services field. “Receiving this award means so much to me.

• Majors at OCC: Mathematics & Science and Communication Studies
• Nottingham High School, Class of 2017

Maisam Aljanabi is an amazing success story. She was born in Iraq and raised in Turkey before immigrating to the United States. She attended Nottingham High School, earned her diploma in 2017, and enrolled at OCC that fall.

Onondaga Community College’s commencement was originally scheduled for today. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the ceremony was postponed until August 9. It has been an unprecedented semester for students who left campus for spring break March 13 and never returned, completing the academic year in a distance-learning format. The challenges all students faced were sudden and significant. One of the many who persevered and completed work toward her degree is Student Trustee Dawn Penson. We asked her for her thoughts on what it meant to finish the semester in this way.