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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.

Congratulations Lazers! You've made it to the end of the semester under some very difficult circumstances. To celebrate, share what graduating or completing this semester means on social media @onondagacc on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. 

Alexis Riccardo 

"Another semester completed! I feel so proud and accomplished! This semester has definitely been a struggle. I have learned that I have the ability to overcome any obstacle thrown in my path and that feels amazing!"

Robert Wells, '92 has lived a life he could have only dreamed of when he was growing up on Syracuse's North Side. He's met Presidents and their families, dignitaries from around the world, and shared private moments with some of them. Wells is an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. When a motorcycle escort is needed for the Presidential motorcade, Wells leads the way on his motorcycle. His road to a career in law enforcement began at Onondaga Community College in the Criminal Justice major.