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Don Miller’s lasting tribute to the military is the result of service he narrowly missed out on. Miller was growing up in southwestern Ohio when the Vietnam War started. He expected to be drafted and was prepared to serve his country but  was never selected. “I felt guilty. I wanted to make some sort of contribution because I wasn’t called,” said Miller.

He would go to college, earn multiple degrees and become a Music professor at Onondaga Community College in 1971.

Stephanie Rosado has a plan. After she earns her Hospitality Management degree in May, Rosado wants to start a food truck business. Her specialty will be Hispanic food. She’ll call her truck, “Love to Love.” “When I see two people happy, that’s love. When I read love, I think about my kids and my family. I love to love and think about it all day!”

“Love to Love” is also the name of Rosado’s anti-bullying project. It became a priority in her life when she realized a family member was being bullied.

Major: Math and Science Graduate

The story of Anas Almaletti is nothing short of remarkable. After graduating from high school in Jordan, he came to the United States to be with his father who was operating a cell phone repair service. He started classes at Onondaga Community College the following fall in 2006 and prepared himself for the language barrier and post September 11, culture he had experienced since his arrival. However, from his first day of classes he was encouraged and inspired.

Major at OCC: Criminal Justice

High School: Corcoran, class of 2013

You will not find a stronger person than Katie Bailey. Anywhere. It is rare for victims of sex crimes to be identified. Bailey not only allowed herself to be identified, she confronted her attacker at his sentencing in Onondaga County Court one year ago.

The pain Bailey suffered as the repeated victim of sex crimes motivated her to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Adnan Aljuboori has traveled the world and found a home at OCC. He’s a refugee from Iraq who moved to a neighboring country before coming to the United States. “Iraq was in trouble. The situation was really bad. That’s why I left home and traveled to Turkey,” he said.

Aljuboori arrived in the United States in 2011. Five years later he became a full-time student at OCC. He switched majors before finding his passion.

Shaniece McClaney ‘09

When Shaniece McClaney enrolled in OCC’s Electronic Media Communications (EMC) major she dreamed of a career in broadcasting. Her career path took her in a different direction, but skills learned in EMC played a critical role in her development.

Moise (pronounced mo-EES) grew up in an orphanage in Haiti where he dreamed daily of living in the United States. “In Haiti you look at America as your rainbow where everything is perfect. America is the light inside you that is giving you hope. It’s your sense of survival and your ticket out of Haiti.”

His dream came true when he was 12-years-old. Moise was adopted by an American family and raised in Norman, Oklahoma.

Onondaga Community College alumnus Dr. Daryll Dykes, ‘83 has been named a 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award winner by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Dykes will receive the award Tuesday, May 1 at the AACC’s annual convention in Dallas, Texas.

Dykes love of medicine started early. When he was a young boy growing up on Syracuse’s west side, he enjoyed visiting his mother while she worked as a nurse. After graduating from Fowler High School in 1980, Dykes joined the United States Marine Corps as a way of paying for college.

Electric vehicle maker Tesla is bringing a job training program to Onondaga Community College. The news was announced during a press conference December 12 in the Atrium of the College’s Whitney Applied Technology Building. New York State Senator David Valesky (D-Oneida) and Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) are sponsoring legislation which would expand the current cap on Tesla’s retail presence in New York, allowing it to open sales and repair facilities Upstate.

Your stories keep coming in! Since launching “The OCC Effect” we’ve heard from dozens and dozens of former students who were so positively impacted by their time on campus. Your success is a significant part of OCC’s story which began more than a half-century ago when we first opened our doors in 1961.