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.
Onondaga Community College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) welcomed more than 140 new members during its fall induction ceremony. The event was held October 24 in Storer Auditorium.
Peter Raymond-Smiedy, '17 never expected to be where he is today. A decade ago he was struggling through his senior year at Syracuse's Fowler High School. "I wasn't the best student. I had no concept. I didn't have the best grades." Now he's in his first semester of graduate school at Syracuse University where he's pursuing his Ph.D. in Biology. He credits Onondaga Community College and its faculty with playing a critical role in his success. "OCC is the reason I'm where I am right now.
Tricia Buttiglieri's road to a college degree began in the summer of 2018 when her husband was driving to work and spotted a billboard advertising OCC's new Weekend College. "He called me, told me about it, and said I should check it out. That night when I got home from work, I went to the OCC website, applied, and it started the ball rolling right away."
