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Two years ago Katelyn Karleski had a difficult decision to make. She was a senior at Westhill High School where she was an outstanding student and a three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball, lacrosse). She had been accepted academically at both Le Moyne College and SUNY Cortland but neither school would guarantee her a spot on an athletic team. That's when she started seriously considering Onondaga Community College. "The coaches here were willing to work with me so I could continue playing basketball and lacrosse even though they overlap.

Onondaga Community College has been named a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs Magazine. More than 1,000 schools were considered nationwide. OCC was one of just 625 which earned the designation. The final ratings were based on institutional survey scores coupled with the ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer), and loan default rate for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

• Major: General Studies
• High School: Baldwinsville, class of 2019

Sunday Joshua has had a remarkable journey around the world. He's a refugee from Lagos, Nigeria who arrived in the United States in 2017 as winter was beginning. "I remember being so cold. I had never been so cold in my life. I felt lonely but my foster family worked hard to make me feel at home."

Onondaga Community College leaders are taking a close look at improving teaching and learning spaces as they construct the next Facilities Master Plan. "We have a beautiful campus with upgraded facilities," said Sarah Gaffney, OCC's Vice President of Finance. "In this plan we are really focused on the aesthetics of our learning environments."

James Debo dreamed of a career with NASA for as long as he could remember. He loved talking about the space program and usually wore clothes which contained some sort of space theme. But as he was completing his senior year at Cicero-North Syracuse High School two years ago and considering future options, he decided to attend Onondaga Community College and major in American Sign Language (ASL). "I always thought working or participating in anything NASA-related was unrealistic. So I went with my second favorite thing."