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When Aya Altaleb enrolled at Onondaga Community College, she carried more than books and ambition. She also carried years of discouragement, disbelief, and doubt from people around her. She's a native of Syria who graduated high school in Lebanon, and was told repeatedly her diploma would be "worthless in the United States." She would need to "throw it in the trash and start over." And that "you will never succeed simply because you are a mother." 

But Altaleb didn't listen. "I proved them wrong," she said, with a quiet sense of pride.

At age 37, Chris Conklin is proving it's never too late to restart, recharge, and rebuild your future - especially when it involves taking advantage of a program aimed at helping adult learners.

Onondaga Community College was presented the Community Visionary Award at CenterState CEO's Economic Champions luncheon. The award was given in recognition of OCC's efforts to create a significant positive impact on economic opportunity and community prosperity. While presenting the award, CenterState CEO said:

Michelle Malinovsky is helping lead the conversation about Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Onondaga Community College campus and across the wider State University of New York (SUNY) system.

Malinovsky, who is an English Professor and Librarian, is one of 20 faculty and staff members from across the state selected for the first class of SUNY AI for the Public Good Fellows. Their mission is to help SUNY campuses integrate AI literacy into the classroom, with a focus on ethics, critical thinking, and responsible use. 

Onondaga Community College's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society grew by 112 students during an induction ceremony October 27 in Storer Auditorium. PTK is the official international honor society of two-year colleges. New members must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours at OCC, and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5. The fall 2023 PTK Honor Society inductees are:

By day, Jeffrey Passino wears a badge and helps lead the largest law enforcement agency in Onondaga County. But one night a week, he heads straight from work to the Onondaga Community College campus, where he's close to completing a goal he set aside more than two decades ago: completing his college degree.

Mitchell Cook never expected to be back in a college classroom in his late 20s, but he's glad he is - and he's excited to come to Onondaga Community College every day.

After graduating from Oswego High School a decade ago, Cook enrolled in a computer science program at a two-year school. He realized pretty quickly it wasn't for him. "I wasn't in love with it. I started applying for jobs because I just wanted to work."

Nicholas Pangaro completed his second science-based research internship this summer, and he has an enthusiastic message for any student considering doing an internship of their own. "If you're thinking about it, I say absolutely do it! Before this, I had worked as a lifeguard and in a pizza shop. I was very nervous going into something that was 'professional.' But you can do as well as I did, even if you're only in your first semester! You're going to be okay, and you will be surrounded by people who are there to teach you, not rely on you."

Justin Kuneman was making good money waiting tables at Pastabilities, a popular restaurant in Armory Square, and was content to keep doing so, until a conversation with his girlfriend changed the course of his life. "We both wanted a family in the future, and she helped me realize I couldn't do this forever. The first thing that came to mind was my science background, and the Micron program at OCC. My goal was to work at Micron. The quickest, most immediate way was to become a student, get an internship, and get a job with Micron."

Five former Onondaga Community College students were recognized as Alumni Faces honorees during a ceremony Thursday October 16, in the Frederick Marvin and Ernst Schuh Recital Hall. Their accomplishments were highlighted during the event, and their likenesses and inspirational success stories were added to the Alumni Faces display on campus. The honorees are:

Chidera Joseph '16