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Onondaga Community College’s Pinnacle program honors students who have shown excellence in one or more of the following fields: leadership, civic engagement, and scholarly research. The students selected clearly demonstrate not only an exemplary academic performance, but a strong connection with the campus or community.

Each year we recognize these students during a ceremony on campus. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, we were unable to do so this year. We salute our nine Pinnacle Award honorees.

Dawn Penson, Office of Accessibility Resources

Every April, OCC holds a ceremony called Curriculum Honors during which we recognize the top student in each of the College’s majors. It’s one of the highlights of the year. During the ceremony a faculty member introduces each student and details his or her accomplishments, the student receives a certificate and a light blue stole to be worn at commencement, and the student is photographed with OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill. Due to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, we were unable to hold our ceremony this year.

Tatiana Sheppard was looking for summer research opportunities when her Biology professor, Maryann Page, recommended she explore possibilities with Cornell University’s program designed specifically for community college students. “I wasn’t sure the program would happen due to COVID-19 but I was surprised to find out it would be,” said Sheppard.

• Major: Electronic Media Communications
• High School: Corcoran, class of 2018

Jalyn Handford is an inspiration. She’s been disabled since age 12 when surgery related to a spinal cord injury left her in a wheelchair. Through it all she’s never felt sorry for herself or had a ‘why me’ moment.

Every April, OCC holds a ceremony called Curriculum Honors during which we recognize the top student in each of the College’s majors. It’s one of the highlights of the year. During the ceremony a faculty member introduces each student and details his or her accomplishments, the student receives a certificate and a blue stole to be worn at commencement, and the student is photographed with OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill. Due to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, we were unable to hold our ceremony this year.

OCC’s “College Credit Now” program which allows high school students to earn college credits while in high school earned reaccreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) Accreditation Committee. College Credit Now serves more than 4,000 students across 36 Central New York school districts.

It takes a special kind of person to run toward danger. That’s what first responders do. That’s what medical personnel do in the time of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Community colleges certify 80 percent of first responders in the United States and produce more than 50 percent of new nurses and other healthcare workers. Across Central New York You can find Onondaga Community College alumni putting their personal safety at risk to help others. Here are some of their stories.

Scott Baker, ‘04, Respiratory Therapist

Every April, OCC holds a ceremony called Curriculum Honors during which we recognize the top student in each of the College’s majors. It’s one of the highlights of the year. During the ceremony a faculty member introduces each student and details his or her accomplishments, the student receives a certificate and a blue stole to be worn at commencement, and the student is photographed with OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill.

What has this unusual semester been like for OCC students? We held a Zoom conversation with three of them to hear about the challenges of distance learning, how they are keeping their sanity, and even what shows they are streaming in their spare time. The students who participated in the conversation were: