March Madness has returned to the Onondaga Community College campus!
Lazers' student-athletes representing Basketball, Wrestling, and Track are competing for national championships across the country this month.
Onondaga Community College has been named a 2026 Leader College by Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing community college student success. The announcement of OCC's selection was made at the Achieving the Dream annual convening in Portland, Oregon.
Each year, ATD recognizes a select group of institutions that demonstrate sustained, measurable improvements in student outcomes. Leader Colleges are distinguished for implementing evidence-based strategies that close equity gaps, strengthen student support systems, and drive long-term success.
Throughout the spring semester, we are introducing you to several of our Student Success Navigators. For Onondaga Community College students, they are the dedicated point of contact for support. Student Success Navigators assist with class registration, help students stay on track academically, and connect students with campus resources to support their success.
Kyla Merriman
When Lisa GreenPope '08 talks to students about careers in healthcare, she brings more than a syllabus to the classroom. She brings a lived experience from nearly every corner of the field. From county health departments and clinical research to hospital systems and higher education, GreenPope has built a career defined by curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to helping others find their path. Now she's back at Onondaga Community College, eager to share what she's learned with the next generation.
When it came time to choose a college, Tessa Komar wasn’t ready to narrow her interests to just one path. Growing up in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, she discovered passions that spanned journalism, ethics, the arts, and advocacy. Onondaga Community College offered her the flexibility to explore them all.
When news of the new SUNY Reconnect program started coming out a year ago, Ty Worrell decided this was his chance to earn a college degree. He figured the hardest part would be the college application process, so family members helped him out. "I said, 'You get me into class, I know I can do the work.' My ex-wife and middle daughter are the reason why I'm here. They filled out the application to get me into school."
Emerson Brill's winter break wasn't a break at all. Instead, it was a turning point. "My research experience was phenomenal! I got to meet cool people, make connections, and get paid. There was no downside!"
Throughout the spring semester, we are introducing you to several of our Student Success Navigators. For Onondaga Community College students, they are the dedicated point of contact for support. Student Success Navigators assist with class registration, help students stay on track academically, and connect students with campus resources to support their success.
Aaron Goodell
One of Onondaga Community College's leaders has been selected for a prestigious statewide role. Guy Linton, OCC's Director of the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR), has been chosen for the 2026 Fellowship Class of the State University of New York (SUNY) Leadership Institute.
Linton is one of 29 fellows selected from across New York State, and one of just five participants in the institute's inaugural Disability Support Cohort.
At Brighton Academy in the Syracuse City School District, students come to a small office to talk to someone they trust: Tyquan Thomas. What they may not realize is that their mentor is in the middle of his own remarkable rise at Onondaga Community College.
