Magedah Abed comes to Onondaga Community College carrying the dreams of her entire family. She's a first-generation college student who is showing her five younger siblings what their path to a better life will be. "My mother says I have to go to college and keep going. I'm setting an example for the rest of my family."
Onondaga Community College (OCC), a public community college and member of the State University of New York (SUNY) serving a diverse student population of more than 8,500 learners in central New York, today announced results from a five-year initiative focused on boosting student success and persistence through the integration of student coaching into its advising process.
When Cosmopolitan decided to write a story about women and concussions, the largest-selling young women's magazine in the world contacted Daneen Brooks. She's the Accessibility Coordinator in Onondaga Community College's Office of Accessibility Resources. Brooks has the unique perspective of someone who continues to deal with a traumatic brain injury while helping others in similar situations. "I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else. I want people to know there is hope, they're not going crazy, their symptoms are real, and there are solutions."
Balqiisa J-Elmi had a plan. She would graduate from PSLA at Fowler and move on to her dream school, Loyola University Chicago. But when her plans fell through, her high school advisor recommended she attend Onondaga Community College and apply to the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). Within a month of her high school graduation, J-Elmi entered EOP's Pre-Freshman Summer Institute. She lived on campus for a month-and-a-half and completed two college math courses. "I remember being devastated when I realized I wouldn't be attending Loyola.
Michael Speach '02 is dedicated to helping his community, and throughout the month of August students who receive scholarships from the OCC Foundation will benefit.
Colleen Stevens never saw it coming. At this summer's APACS Conference & Annual Meeting, she was the most surprised person in the room when presented with the prestigious Dr. John Staley Award for Outstanding Service. "We go to this conference every year and they give out awards, usually to people who have been in roles for a while. When my name was announced, it took me a minute to understand it all. I was really surprised and really honored."
