Tim Restani almost can't believe what he's accomplished. He's in his final full-time semester at OCC and is on the brink of earning two degrees. In October he was inducted into the College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa one day after turning 55 years old.
Andru Skinkle has been on the path to a STEM-related career for as long as he can remember. When he was in middle school, he would spend Saturday's working with Syracuse University students who were members of the National Society of Black Engineers. "The SU students would help us with our homework. Occasionally we would go to a national conference. It was fun and I was always attracted to it."
Onondaga Community College helped welcome home 49 new American citizens during a naturalization ceremony in Storer Auditorium. Acting Supreme Court Judge Michael Hanuszczak presided over the ceremony.
OCC Music Professor Dr. David Rudari sang the National Anthem and God Bless America. United States Congressman John Katko (R-NY-24) held a drawing for a United States flag which had flown over the Capitol building. The flag was won by new American citizen Diana Carolina Quinones Novoa.
Zach Ott is as surprised as anyone by his journey to a successful career. "I never would have imagined this. I'm still not sure it's real. I went from working at a cell phone store two or three years ago to where I am now." Where he is now is working as a Network Engineer at Loretto. It's a position he's sure he wouldn't have been in without Onondaga Community College's Computer Information Systems (CIS) major.
Mark Santariello is in a good place now. The struggles he experienced earlier in life are inspiring him as he considers his career path. "I want to help people and work on mental health. I like making people's lives easier."
The sounds of Onondaga Community College's Concert Choir filled the Center of Progress building at the New York State Fairgrounds with pride and passion on the morning of Saturday, November 9. That's when students performed "Here Rests in Honored Glory," New York State's hymn of remembrance in honor of all American veterans at the Central New York Veterans Parade & Expo. The song was authored by OCC Music Professor Emeritus Donald Miller who flew in from North Carolina with his wife Mary to see and hear the OCC Concert Choir's performance. "I'm very very grateful to share in this.
The Onondaga Community College honor society's annual project turned out to be a "major" opportunity for students. Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) teamed up with Career Services and Economic and Workforce Development to present students with an Employer Expo in the Gordon Student Center Great Room. It was an opportunity for students to speak with dozens of employers and learn what skills and educational backgrounds they would need to turn their majors into careers.
Casey Crosby remembers loving music at a young age and constantly looking for ways to explore his passion. Whether he was singing in church, taking piano lessons, participating in the school choir at Faith Baptist Academy in Baldwinsville, or going through his grandmother's album collection of old classics, music was always at the forefront. His first opportunity to perform in public came at age 12 when the church piano player became ill. Crosby filled in masterfully, signaling the start of something special.
Twenty-five years after graduating from high school, Alexis Riccardo is in her first semester at Onondaga Community College and loving the experience. The 43-year-old mother is an Engineering Science major and an officer in the Student Association. She's made a seamless adjustment to life as a college student.
