Taha Hayali had a unique "you're not in high school any more" moment. It happened in the fall of 2022 while he was taking classes on the Onondaga Community College campus but technically was still an 11th grade high school student. He noticed in class students would leave for the restroom without asking permission. "I just saw people get up and go! You didn't have to be excused. I remember the first time I did it and I looked around the room to see if anyone would notice or say anything!"
Hayali began taking OCC classes as a member of the Early OCC program. It provides high school students over the age of 16 in partner school districts the opportunity to take OCC courses on campus during their regular school day. Students receive a tuition waiver and are only required to pay for their books and associated course fees. Through the Early OCC program, students are able to begin earning college credits on a pathway toward their desired degree.
Hayali actually began as a 10th grader at the Syracuse Academy of Science when he took calculus and pre-calculus online. The next year he started coming to OCC everyday. He's now in his final semester, and soon will receive his high school diploma and his Computer Science degree. "It's been really good here. All of the professors are really understanding and work with you."
When it was time to select a degree program, he looked at the future of Computer Science and thought it was perfect for him. "The field looks really promising, especially with AI (artificial intelligence). There's a big future there."
In the fall he plans to be at either the University at Buffalo or the Rochester Institute of Technology. His parents came to the United States from Turkey, and he finds a large Turkish population in Rochester to be attractive.
In between now and then he's joining forces with students at the Utica Academy of Science on a fundraiser which will benefit youth in Tanzania. They've created a GoFundMe page and are trying to raise $20,000 as part of a clean water, medical, and hygiene project. You can learn more about it here.
