Odae Badwan '17 has returned to the place where his higher education journey began. He's a Facilities Project Manager at Onondaga Community College, helping build future learning spaces for students who will learn where he once learned. "I think it's amazing to see the amount of effort and dedication here supporting students. Building for an educational institution is so meaningful. We're paving the road for students with everything we are doing."
Badwan is a 2015 West Genesee High School graduate who enrolled at OCC that fall. He came in search of his passion and eventually found it. "I started in Math & Science, then Health. I realized I liked Engineering, but didn’t want to do a lot of math and be the person stamping a drawing every day. I wanted to see everything being built, be boots on the ground, get my hands dirty, and see the progress of building."
While figuring out what he wanted to study, Badwan became part of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program. It's where he found the guidance that brought everything into focus. “They helped mold me, showed me what avenues there were in the construction field, and helped me navigate my educational journey through my career as a college student."
It's also how he found a Construction Management program at SUNY-ESF which he would eventually transfer into. He examined the courses he would need there, then chose OCC's Business Administration degree program which would provide him with his general education requirements. (OCC began offering a Construction Management degree program one year ago)
Badwan completed his associate degree at OCC in 2017, transferred to SUNY-ESF, and finished his bachelor's degree there two years later. He was working at C&S Companies in Syracuse when he learned about the opportunity to return to OCC.
He began his current role as Facilities Project Manager in February and has been going non-stop. The Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab is being constructed in the Whitney Applied Technology Center along with training centers for HVAC, Welding, and CNC Machining. And next year a $32 million project will begin in Ferrante Hall where Health-related classes are taught. "It's tremendous to see what's been going on just since I arrived. Students are going to benefit from all of the advancements and new developments. I'm so happy to come to work here every day.”
