Katya Rohova has vivid memories of Russia invading Ukraine in February of 2022. She was living in her native Ukraine in the capital city of Kyiv when the war started. "I remember waking up because of explosions and my parents telling us we had to pack our stuff. We sat at home for two days before deciding what to do." Katya, her two sisters, her mother, and a 6 month old baby would flee to the bordering country of Slovakia.
When Alexis Riccardo set foot on the Onondaga Community College campus in the fall of 2019, she was a 43-year-old mother determined to change the course of her life through higher education. She had attended three different colleges, spending a semester at each. She worked more than a decade in retail and was burned out. And she had a young son, James, to consider.
Onondaga Community College student Cole Dack came to the STEM Showcase with a list of six or seven employers he wanted to speak with. He's a Mechanical Technology major who will complete his degree next May and his career goal is to be an engineer. One of the companies he spoke with was defense contractor Lockheed Martin. "I did some of the junior programs there when I was in (Baldwinsville) high school. I've always been interested in working there. They have some great career opportunities and I gained some valuable information.
The OCC Foundation is conducting a year-end appeal, raising money for student success. Onondaga Community College students benefitting from support include:
Saray Quevedo
It's been just about a year since Onondaga Community College student Robert "RJ" Tinsley began hearing the buzz about Micron coming to Central New York. And now, after a nationwide search, he's been selected for a paid internship at Micron in Boise, Idaho next summer. It's an opportunity which may lead to a career with the microchip-maker. "It's kind of hard to wrap my head around this. You have no idea how much time I spent being anxious and stressed out trying to figure my life out."
Gavan Liston remembers the harrowing moment when he knew he wanted to become a firefighter. He was asleep in the middle of the night when he was abruptly woken up. "My mom was screaming 'fire!' She went and I followed. There was a fire in the apartment next to us and heavy black smoke in the hallway. It was something!"
When Shayne Turo '23 read a story on OCC's website about the work Cameron Littlejohn '15 was doing, he saw an opportunity for the two to bring their groups together.
Onondaga Community College's SRC Arena was briefly transformed into a Federal Courtroom November 9 when it hosted a Naturalization ceremony. Nearly 100 candidates for citizenship were sworn-in as American citizens by U.S. District Court Judge David E. Peebles.
Retine Mfurakazi is a trailblazer in her family. She's the first to attend college, providing a valuable example for her 5 younger sisters. "Me being the first is big! You have the pressure of everyone looking up to you and you're trying to make your family proud."
