Honoring the Alumni Faces Class of 2023

Onondaga Community College paid tribute to the six newest members of its distinguished class of Alumni Faces during a ceremony held Wednesday, October 18 in the Frederick Marvin and Ernst Schuh Recital Hall in the Academic II building. The event was emceed by Glenn LaPoint '16 who is also known as "Gomez" on radio station WTKW FM, TK-99. You can view the event on the Onondaga Community College Live Events YouTube page. This year's honorees are:

Anas Almaletti '08

• Degree: Mathematics & Science
• Entrepreneur
• Anas immigrated to the U.S. from Jordan so he could attend college while working with his father in their cell phone repair service. He learned the English language and came to OCC, completed his associate degree, then earned a chemistry degree from SUNY Binghamton. He decided to take a year off school, found his true passion in business, earned his MBA from Syracuse University, and partnered with his brother to grow the business to 50 Cricket Wireless stores in New York and Pennsylvania.

James Domroe '02

• High School: Liverpool
• Degree: Electronic Media Communications
• Marketing Agency Owner
• James turned his teenage passion for making home movies into a career, creating a content-based marketing agency. He earned his associate degree at OCC where he says the EMC program, "Pushed me to grow, pushed me to evolve, and turned me into a professional. If it wasn't for OCC I don't believe I would be where I am today." His client list at 325 Productions includes Cornell University, Salt City Market, SUNY Upstate Medical University, JMA Wireless, Syracuse University, Loretto, OCC, and Saab.
• Quote from his speech at the ceremony: "I tell pretty much anyone who asks me that OCC changed my life. When I was in high school I was a very lost kid. I had no direction, no idea what I wanted to do, I was depressed, anxious and socially awkward. When I came here I was welcome with open arms. Every single person I can remember was smiling and happy and letting me be me. That's what made the difference. It was the culture of OCC that really let me thrive."

Dennis Hebert '67

• High School: Henninger
• Degree: Liberal Arts
• Financial Services and Community Servant
• Dennis decided to try the "new college downtown" on the advice of his guidance counselor. While pursuing his degree he served as Student Government Vice President and Treasurer of the Ski Club. He transferred to the University of Bridgeport where he met his wife Judi. The Hebert's eventually moved to Liverpool where Dennis became a leader both in village government and with many community-based organizations. While working professionally in financial services, he held multiple positions on the OCC Foundation board and led fundraising efforts for student scholarships.
• Quote from his speech at the ceremony: "I was a member of the Student Council when we did the dedication for this campus. I never in my wildest dreams thought we would have here what we have today. From 1967 on, a lot of what happened to me is because of OCC. I'm proud of OCC and I'm very proud of this award."

Kayla McKeon '22

• High School: Cicero-North Syracuse
• Degree: General Studies
• Down Syndrome Advocate
• Kayla earned her degree over the course of 12 years while advocating for those with Down Syndrome. She became the first lobbyist in U.S. history with Down Syndrome; was named the National Down Syndrome Society's Self-Advocate of the Year; led an effort to pass legislation in Congress which aids people with disabilities; and helped Mattel design a Barbie doll with Down Syndrome.
• Quote from her speech at the ceremony: "I hope some day someone with Down Syndrome will walk by my plaque and be inspired to say 'I can do this to.' Hopefully it won't take them 12 long years!"

Bryan Morris '14

• High School: Red Creek
• Degree: Engineering Science
• Engineer
• Bryan went from high school to the United State Air Force, then came to OCC. While earning his degree he was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and worked in OCC's Office of Veterans and Military Services. He completed his bachelor's degree at Syracuse University and is now an engineer at Micron Technology in Boise, Idaho.
• Quote from his speech at the ceremony: "The sense of purpose here in community and serving that community... I experienced it first hand with the way professors presented their material. I also saw it with the Veterans organization which helped me transition from military life to civilian life which is not an overnight process. The emphasis this college put on providing an avenue to reach common ground with other Veterans and give them the tools to succeed was paramount in my education here. It is because the faculty cared that I am up here today. Thank you for everything you did when it truly mattered."

Diana Robertson '77

• High School: Westhill
• Degree: Drama
• Fundraiser for Higher Education
• Diana unexpectedly found her passion in a Creative Writing class at OCC. Writing became an important component of her work as Director of Development and Alumni Affairs for the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. As she saw the gradual erosion of writing skills due to the growing influence of texting and social media, Diana and her husband Drew gave the OCC Foundation funding for the creation of the Endowment for Student Success in Writing
• Quote from her speech at the ceremony: "I landed in a Creative Writing class taught by Candace Rhea. She influenced my life and career like no one else. I do a lot of persuasive writing as a development officer. Every day I have to reach out to someone I don't know and convince them to do something that they hadn't thought of doing. I have Candace Rhea in my head telling me 'keep it simple. Speak from the heart. If you can say it in fewer words, please do. Your audience will thank you.'"

Earlier in the day, the honorees spent time on campus with students, sharing stories and answering their questions.

Congratulations to the Onondaga Community College class of 2023!