Nick Hay is making the most of his final semester at Onondaga Community College, thanks to the new SUNY Reconnect program. Now 25, Hay is taking 18 credits as he works toward completing his Electromechanical Technology degree by December, without the added pressure of a job. "SUNY Reconnect is providing me the opportunity to not have a job this semester, fully focus on school, and put all of my energy into what I need to do."
Thursday, October 16 at 5:30pm, Onondaga Community College will honor a new class of Alumni Faces inductees. The ceremony will be held in the Frederick Marvin and Ernst Schuh Recital Hall in the Academic II building. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we are highlighting one of our new Alumni Faces honorees every Wednesday.
Justin Tani isn't just looking for a second chance. Instead, he's come to Onondaga Community College to build a new life. Tani is a 48-year-old student in his first semester in OCC's Cybersecurity degree program. He decided to hit the reset button on his career after spending two decades as an electrician. The physically demanding work was taking its toll. "I'm not getting any younger. I might get carpal tunnel working with computers, but I won't blow my back out. I thought this would be a great opportunity. So I thought, 'Why not try something else?"
At 58, Kate Adler is proud of who she is and where she is headed. "I'm the oldest student in my class and older than most of the professors. Pursuing my retirement career means the world to me, and I'm grateful for OCC."
It's been 20 years since Trinh Ho arrived in Syracuse with nothing but a suitcase, $500, and the dream of rebuilding her life. She was just 11 years old when Hurricane Katrina destroyed her family's home in New Orleans. Originally from Vietnam, she had already experienced the challenges associated with resettling just 5 years earlier. Now, forced to start over again, she moved north with her siblings, seeking refuge with extended family in Syracuse. "My mom didn't speak a wink of English. It was a rough time. It was hard to start all over again and build a life here."
When alumna Jessica Teifke '90 returned to the Onondaga Community College campus this summer, it marked a full-circle moment. Her professional journey has taken her from meteorology to environmental science to public education, where she's driven by a passion for helping students succeed. Now, as Director of OCC's Learning Center, she's using every twist and turn in her path to help students navigate their own. "I thought this would expand my reach to implement strategies to help students succeed. I love the student-first focus at OCC.
Students in Onondaga Community College's School of Technology, Engineering & Computing talked about their summer internship experiences during a panel discussion - held September 8 in the Gordon Student Center Great Room.
Professor Mike Grieb led the conversation. He asked a series of questions to 6 student panelists, then they answered questions from the audience of more than 100 people.
Alicia Oberlender has discovered the key to making the most of her time at Onondaga Community College: getting involved in campus life. "In my first semester, I just came to class and went home. I was kind of bored and felt like I was missing something. My second semester I started getting involved in things. I became a member of the ASL (American Sign Language) Club. Shawn (Edie, Director of Student Orientation, Leadership & Engagement) started talking to me about running for student government. The more I got involved, the more I wanted to. It became contagious.
Acmed Avila Sage was jolted awake by a text message, warning him that his personal data may have been compromised. "I got hacked. It was a personal experience and not a pleasant one either." Though the breach turned out to be minor, it triggered something major - a drive to learn how to protect himself from digital threats.
Khadra Habseme's first semester on the Onondaga Community College campus is off to a great start, thanks in large part to what she did during the summer. She participated in the Educational Opportunity Program's (EOP) Pre-freshman Institute from July 7 to August 13. Habseme took classes, earned college credits, and lived on the OCC campus. "If I didn't do the EOP Summer program, I would have been so lost at the start of the fall semester. I learned where to go, where everything is on campus, where my classes were. It made a big difference."
