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Onondaga Community College's "Snacks for Students" event needs your support to be a big success, and now a "mystery person" is raising the bar. An anonymous donor is promising to match anyone's gift up to $500! All money raised this week will go toward providing students with snacks next week.

A donation of just $10 will buy snacks for one student. Students will receive their snacks next Tuesday, March 14 and Wednesday, March 15.

A four year tour of duty working as an aircraft mechanic in the United States Air Force changed the course of Ikechukwu Unobagha’s life. “In high school I didn’t really have to study or try hard to do well. When I went to college, I didn’t realize how different it was going to be. The military gave me the discipline and the study skills I needed.”

Unobagha, who is the son of immigrants from Nigeria, graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School in 2015. He tried college at a four-year school, then came to OCC, and ultimately decided to go into the military.

Malia Awald is on the fast track to success. She's an 18 year old high school senior who is just a couple of months away from finishing her General Studies degree at Onondaga Community College. "I'm very proud of myself for completing both. I have a big family and I work. It can be hard to manage time, but I definitely think it's worth while."

Jessica Colegrove had waited just about as long as she could to buy some critical items she needed for her Nursing classes. Between being a single mom raising two kids, going to school, and working, she was counting her pennies. So when the OCC Foundation's Steffani Williams walked into class recently and presented each nursing student with a check for $320, the timing was perfect. "I pay out of pocket for everything and this is very appreciated. It helps a lot," said Colegrove.

Onondaga Community College Alumna Lanessa Owens-Chaplin '03 will receive a prestigious national award next month. She is one of only three recipients of the 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges. Owens-Chaplin is an attorney and lead counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union. For several years the focus of her work has been making sure the elevated portion of Interstate 81 is replaced with a surface road system known as the community grid.

Zaineb "Zayy" Aden comes to Onondaga Community College every day with a deep sense of responsibility. She's the oldest of 13 children, and at the end of this semester she'll be the first member of her family to earn a college degree. "I want to be a good role model for my siblings and show them they can do it too. It's very important to me."

The decision to choose the P-TECH program was an easy one for Muhina Mberwa. "I saw an opportunity to earn college credits in high school and get my college degree for free. I thought 'free college and I can do something I want? Why not!'"

P-TECH stands for Pathways in Technology Early College High School. It's a program that provides high school students the opportunity to work toward their high school diploma and associate degree simultaneously, and ultimately a pathway to an in-demand job.

Life circumstances propelled Dorothy Davis toward a health-related career without her even realizing it. When she was growing up and her father became ill, her mother decided to go back to school and earn her Certified Nursing Assistant certification so she could support the family. Davis helped her mother study and, in the process, learned right along with her. By her junior year at Lisbon Central High School in northern New York, it seemed perfectly reasonable for her to enroll in a two-year medical program. At age 18, she became a Licensed Practical Nurse.

Saray Quevedo is this year's recipient of the New York State Sheriff's Association scholarship. Newly-elected Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley and Lieutenant Crayg Dykes came to campus February 15 and presented Quevedo with a certificate and a check. "This means so much to me to be recognized, and the money is important too. My mom is on disability and every penny helps."