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Onondaga Community College's Storer Auditorium was home to a unique graduation ceremony this week. Twelve women were celebrated for completing the Real Life Rosies program. They were trained in a variety of skills that will help them grow professionally and provide them with opportunities for continuous development.

"I'm pretty proud. I feel empowered by this," said Jennifer Van Luven, a 27-year-old Real Life Rosie from Syracuse who works at Gaylor Archival as an Operations Associate. "I love my job and I'd like to keep doing something I like."

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul came to the Onondaga Community College campus January 29 to rally support for her proposal for free community college. New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 55 who pursue an associate degree in high-demand fields would be eligible. She was followed at the podium by SUNY Chancellor John King and OCC President Dr. Warren Hilton who echoed similar messages.

A rising member of the Onondaga Community College family has been chosen for a prestigious statewide position. Dana Acee is a member of the first group of Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (NYSATCE) Leaders Fellows. "I am honored to be chosen to participate in the New York Association for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship program. I hope to bring what I learn to our students at OCC and our community to help continue the work of building equitable education and workforce systems for our region."

A family piano handed down from generation to generation has helped create the soundtrack of Susanna Southwick's life. Most of the 11 children who grew up in the Southwick's southern Onondaga County home played that piano at one time or another. Southwick remembers her mother noticing her playing melodies on the piano when she was 8 years old, and before she knew it she was taking piano lessons. "Once I started practicing piano I became more interested in studying music. And I was always interested in audio engineering.

Life in the United States is a gift Noel Ponthuit gets to enjoy every day. He's a native of the Congo who lost his father at age 2, and spent 20 years in a Rwandan refugee camp before immigrating to America. "I had a dream. I wanted to go to the U.S. We had been dreaming about being here since I was a kid."

What are you grateful for this holiday season? The answer is easy for Haseeb Ahmadi.

He left Afghanistan three years ago in search of a better life and found it in the United States. He's working full-time and taking classes full-time while pursuing a degree in Cybersecurity at Onondaga Community College.

"I am very grateful for this country and everyone here who has helped me. I am grateful to Americans for giving me this chance and this opportunity. I am able to work and earn money. I am able to study and fulfill my dream of higher education in this great country."

The coolest new learning space on the Onondaga Community College campus is located in Coulter Hall. The "Innovative Learning Lab" opened for classes at the start of the fall 2024 semester, providing students with a unique environment to learn in. "It's a nice change of pace. It's very colorful and very interactable. It helps me stay focused. It's a whole lot easier to make eye contact, to see each other, and have a conversation," said Jamison Schafer, a Social Sciences major and Cicero-North Syracuse High School graduate.