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The thought of going to college later in life can be intimidating. When Evan Riccardo decided to enroll at Onondaga Community College and begin taking classes in the spring 2024 semester, he wasn't sure if he would be able to survive. "I was terrified. I was like 'oh my God what am I doing?' I was super nervous. After a couple days, I relaxed and realized I was actually excited to be back in school."

The week of September 15-21 is National Surgical Technologists Week in recognition of those who keep you safe and healthy during surgery. Onondaga Community College has a Surgical Technology A.A.S. degree program where students learn how to scrub and assist during operating procedures, how to prepare, maintain, clean, and store instruments, and how to become a valuable member of a surgical team. As we celebration Surgical Technologists nationwide, we share the story of one of our students.

Onondaga Community College turned out to be a great place for Fernando "Nando" Guzman to figure out what career he wanted to pursue. Guzman graduated from Jordan-Elbridge High School in 2023 and enrolled at OCC that fall. He started in the Nursing degree program, switched to Mathematics & Science, and discovered he enjoyed math. That led him to an Engineering elective which he also liked. "I learned about Biomedical Engineering and how you could make pacemakers, prosthetic limbs, and things like that.

Wegmans today presented a check totaling $25,007 to the Food Bank of Central New York during a brief ceremony on the Onondaga Community College campus. Half of that money will be used to supply nutritious food to the food pantry on campus to assist OCC students in need. The other half will support the Food Bank’s weekend backpack program in cooperation with the Syracuse City School District.

Onondaga Community College students who spent their summer doing paid internships at Micron Technology shared their experiences with the campus community during a panel discussion September 4 in the Gordon Student Center Great Room. The conversation was moderated by Professor Mike Grieb who is one of the instructors in the Micron-related Electromechanical Technology degree program. "Everybody is going to be successful who comes out of this program. There will be a lot of opportunities locally, nationally, and globally in the long term."

If you were just an average student in high school, it's possible to become an excellent student in college. That's what happened to Ralph Smith. When he came to Onondaga Community College one year ago after graduating from Cicero-North Syracuse High School, he committed to being better. "I made a promise to myself to keep pushing myself to do things. The more I got involved in different things, the more I cared about how well I was doing here. Being self-motivated gave me confidence."