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Onondaga Community College recognized its 2023 Pinnacle Award winners during a ceremony May 3 in the Otis Suite.

The Pinnacle program honors students who show excellence in one or more of the following fields: leadership, civic engagement, and scholarly research. Honorees demonstrate not only an exemplary academic performance, but a strong connection with the campus or community.

The Pinnacle Award winners and the disciplines they represent on campus are:

Athletics - Hannah Durand

Dewayne Garner Jr’s parents, Kionna '98 and Dewayne Sr. '99, learned long ago the value of choosing Onondaga Community College. They knew you could receive a high-quality education here at an affordable price, and it was a good place to be if you decided to change majors. It’s a lesson their son learned first-hand a decade ago.

Onondaga Community College's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is recognizing outstanding businesses throughout the counties it serves in conjunction with National Small Business week. The 2023 honorees are:

The academic highlight of Kaia Gaskins first semester at Onondaga Community College was a new class, Introduction to the Liberal Arts (LBL 101). She recalls discussions centering around topics like "what is happiness" or "what is beauty." Those conversations about enduring questions and the realization that so many things were open to others interpretation led to a deep understanding and acceptance of diverse viewpoints. "I loved it. It was my favorite class. Everyone was respectful and it was a safe space where you could express your opinion about anything we talked about.

Olivia Ramirez found out about Onondaga Community College's Broadcast Media Communications degree program by chance, and she's glad she did. She was working at a local financial firm, Pinnacle Investments, when a video crew from 325 Productions came into the office to shoot promotional videos. "I was watching them set up with their lights and their cameras.

Christian Sampsell plans to use his love of language as a vehicle to take him around the world. “Since the 10th grade I’ve wanted to move abroad. At first I was thinking about France, but near the end of my senior year I became infatuated with Japan and Japanese culture. I feel like immersing in a culture and foreign language is like an outlet of wisdom in a sense. It’s very fulfilling to experience things like that.”

When Onondaga Community College's School of Math, Science & Engineering offered students an opportunity to attend a Climate Change Conference during the spring semester, a half dozen of them jumped at the opportunity. "It was a lot of fun. Everything was very well put together. Many of the presenters were very passionate. It was nice to be around people who shared that passion," said Eli Hunt.

The achievements of graduating Black, African-American, and African Onondaga Community College students were recognized during the Kente Cloth Celebration, held April 26 in Storer Auditorium. Each student received a colorful Kente Cloth which will be worn at commencement.

Event speakers included:

Onondaga Community College recognized the top students in each of its academic programs during the Curriculum Honors ceremony. The annual event was held April 26 in Storer Auditorium.  The 2022-2023 honorees are:

The amazing Kayla McKeon '22 has done it again!

McKeon has helped design the first Barbie Doll with Down Syndrome. Her story was highlighted earlier this week on ABC Television's Good Morning America and local ABC affiliate WSYR TV.