George Cooper’s younger sister, Monique, convinced him he needed to change the way he was living. "You get to a point where reality hits you. You realize you're going to be 40 soon. Do you want to keep running the streets? There's no retirement plan in that. My sister really put into my brain that it's time to move different and start thinking about a family and doing good work."
Onondaga Community College has been selected as an education partner for Amazon's Career Choice program, which provides hourly employees access to pre-paid tuition to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.
One look at Quindell Williams '08 ear-to-ear smile lets you know life has never been better for him. He's made a successful career change and found his groove teaching students in the Syracuse City School District. "I always wanted to mentor. In my previous job I enjoyed coming into schools as a career coach. Now to connect everything I've done and see kids grow in the classroom is amazing."
Juhudi Boazi had been dreaming about this day for as long as he can remember. On October 18 he became a United States citizen during a Naturalization Ceremony held in Onondaga Community College's Storer Auditorium. "This is a very special day for me and my family. I'm the first in my family to be an American citizen. I'm very happy."
Miranda Cleveland is a Criminal Justice major who says the perception of law enforcement in our country is unfortunate and she wants to be part of the change. "It's sad to see what they're going through. They're here to keep our communities safe and people are hating on them for doing what they are supposed to be doing. I know there are some bad ones out there, but I want to be one of the good ones."
Dave Cook is about to finish something he nearly completed 50 years ago. When Cook left Onondaga Community College in 1972 and transferred to a four-year school, he was one class shy of earning his associate degree. This December, a half century later, he will receive his degree. "I always said it wasn't fair that OCC had a check mark against it because I left here without getting my degree. I went on and got my four-year degree, and I couldn't have done that without coming to OCC first."
Onondaga Community College's School Success Coaches achieved a significant milestone recently when all 8 completed a certification process through Inside Track, an organization which teaches professionals how to use personalized, one-on-one style coaching as a way to help all learners succeed. Additionally, Success Coaches Alexandra Halstead and Naomi Stewart became Certified Student Coaching Trainers, and those along two along with Maria Malagisi will be completing an additional Quality Assurance certification this semester.
Seven years ago at this time Nick Chai was a freshman at a four-year college, majoring in Music with the dream of one day becoming a teacher. With the benefit of hindsight, he knows he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "I pigeon-holed myself into one degree program and paid the price for it. By my sophomore year I was struggling and took a mental health leave."
