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What do you like to do in your spare time? Before Phil Impaglia became a student at Onondaga Community College, he had a unique pastime. "I enjoyed History as a hobby. I got to a point where I was writing research papers for fun as I read about history because I enjoy writing. A friend of mine who is a historical researcher as a career told me I could get paid for what I was doing. Everything clicked at that point. I knew what I wanted to do and what I wanted to go to school for."

When Trevor Stedman sat down to write an essay for a criminal justice scholarship, he focused on his personal story of resilience and growth. "I grew up in a very rugged home and had a really rough life as a child. I know what it's like when you have no help and need it, especially legally. I'm a product of the environment where I grew up. I want to give back to my community. I got sober and I decided to take my life experiences and put it to some good."

Sylvia Parsons was pretty sure college wasn't for her. She's a member of the Onondaga Nation who came to Onondaga Community College right after graduating from Jamesville-Dewitt High School but didn't stay long. "I didn't know what I wanted to do. I had just lost a grandparent. It was a really weird space in my life. I ended up dropping out."

She started working as a welder but knew it wasn't her passion. "I wanted to be an artist of some kind... maybe a graphic designer, a marketing designer, or a tattoo artist."

Emilee Durkin had every intention of majoring in Business Administration at Onondaga Community College. But when she sat down with her Student Success Navigator Michele Carey and learned Calculus was a mandatory class, she decided she needed to go in a different direction. "We went over options and she (Michele Carey) thought I would be interested in Communication Studies."

One year ago, Dehaven McCray came to the USURE Science Symposium to view the research fellow students had done and was amazed. "I saw everyone's stuff and I thought 'I want to put myself out there but I don't know how.' And now I'm here and I'm into this research thing!"

This year, McCray was showing off research she conducted during the semester break. Her research question was "what are the effects of ionizing radiation on cellulose?" She conducted her research in the Cellulose Lab at SUNY-ESF with Dr. Mark Driscoll and Dr. Richard List. 

A refugee from Somalia who is also an Onondaga Community College alumnus is the newest member of OCC's Board of Trustees. Haji Adan '12 was sworn-in during the Board's meeting Tuesday, February 11.

Adan is Executive Director of Refugee & Immigrant Self-Empowerment, also known as RISE, in Syracuse. He's an active member of the Central New York community serving on the Onondaga County Youth Board, the Somali Advocacy for Justice & Equality Movement, and the New York State Hate & Bias Prevention Regional Council.

Natalee Tomski graduated from Cicero-North Syracuse High School in just three years and planned to begin her higher education journey studying Criminology at a four-year school in Manhattan. But when she arrived there for the start of the fall semester, an unfortunate housing situation resulted in her returning home within a week and enrolling at Onondaga Community College.

Fifteen Onondaga Community College students have a new level of expertise they can take into the workforce. They successfully completed certification for handling tool operations and programming on FANUC robotics brand technology.

Students who take classes in Onondaga Community College's Applied Engineering Technology programs are learning from professors who have a wealth of industry experience to share. One of the newest professors with first-hand knowledge of the subject matter he's teaching is John Sly. "My hope for my students is to teach them to go further in life, faster than I did, by sharing my knowledge and experience."

Bianca Gascon's junior and senior years at Baldwinsville High School were anything but normal due to Covid. So after receiving her diploma in 2021, she decided to wait a year before starting college. Throughout the course of her gap year, she learned she had made the right choice. "After taking time off and hearing from other classmates about their experience during their first year of college, they felt like they had to manage and figure things out.