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Shyann Shaw is determined to be the change in her community. Her biggest fan is also her favorite Onondaga Community College Professor, Pete Patnode. "He motivates me. He says 'my money's on you. I have a lot of faith in you!'"

Professor Patnode teaches in the Criminal Justice degree program and is a retired Syracuse Police Officer. Shaw's dream is to one day become a Syracuse Police Officer, and eventually Chief. "I feel like Syracuse has a lot of potential. If you start with the newer generation and work with youth, you can change the way people think."

It's been just about a year since Shelly Dunham had to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. For 33 years she had worked at Natur-Tyme, a health and wellness store on Erie Boulevard in DeWitt, where she served as Store Manager. In the spring of 2023 the owners informed their employees the business would be closing for good. "When I knew my job was coming to an end, I was at a crossroads.

Onondaga Community College celebrated the accomplishments of 10 students, presenting them with Pinnacle Awards during a ceremony May 1 in the Gordon Student Center Great Room.

The Pinnacle program recognizes students who have shown excellence in one or more of the following fields: leadership, civic engagement, and scholarly research. Students selected demonstrated not only an exemplary academic performance, but also a strong connection with the campus community.

Onondaga Community College was always going to be the place where Lou Kaminski began his higher education journey. His parents met while students at OCC and became professors here. His mother Kelly teaches American Sign Language, and his father Mike leads the Broadcast Media Communications program.

Lou's love of making movies from a young age coupled with frequent trips to campus cemented his plans. "I enjoyed storytelling. My dad would take me into OCC when I was a kid and I would see the studio. I loved editing and I wanted to make videos and things like that."

Mohamed Alamin Dow is ahead of the curve. He's a 12th grade student at the Ihsan School of Excellence on Park Street in Syracuse. He's also in his fourth and final semester at Onondaga Community College where he is about to complete his Mathematics & Science degree. "I've had such positive experiences here. The community is very welcoming, especially with high school students."

April was national Community College Month, providing an opportunity to celebrate the life-changing opportunities available to students of all ages at open access institutions from coast-to-coast.

At Onondaga Community College, a wide-range of activities and achievements during April highlighted the institution's important place in the community.

Jamie Biviano feels incredibly fortunate to be at Onondaga Community College where she is surrounded by support. "I don't know how I fell into the hands of so many people who care about me."

Biviano is a 2006 graduate of Chittenango High School who tried college twice, spent a year teaching Tae Kwon Do, then decided to join the United States Air Force in 2008. Four years later during a deployment to Afghanistan, she suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury. She also developed a physical injury which would require extensive medical care. She retired from the Air Force in 2014.

Gabriel Bui immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in June of 2019, and in his nearly 5 years here he's compiled an impressive list of accomplishments. He's joined the U.S. Army Reserves, earned his Criminal Justice degree from Onondaga Community College, and completed a bachelor's degree at SUNY Oswego.

Onondaga Community College students interested in STEM-related careers had an opportunity to take their technology-related questions straight to the top!

When President Biden came to Syracuse April 25 for a Micron-related announcement at the Museum of Science and Technology, he was joined by his Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. And when the President's event concluded, Dr. Arati Prabhakar came up the hill to have a conversation with OCC students.