Meet Our 2020 SUNY Chancellor's Award Winners

Four Onondaga Community College students have been named 2020 recipients of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. This is the highest honor which can be bestowed upon any SUNY student.

The Chancellor's Awards are handed out annually to students who have best demonstrated the integration of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives which may include leadership, campus involvement, athletics, career achievement, community service, or creative and performing arts.

All of OCC's honorees are members of the College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa. They are:

Nidaa Aljabbarin

• High School: PSLA at Fowler, class of 2018
• Major: Mathematics & Science
• Nidaa came to the United States from Syria in 2016, learned English, and earned her high school diploma. She attends OCC tuition-free as a member of the Lillian Slutzker Honors College. She serves the campus community as co-vice president for scholarship in Phi Theta Kappa. Nidaa will pursue a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, then focus on clinical genetics in medical school.

Maddie Bohrer

• High School: Skaneateles, class of 2017
• Major: Humanities & Social Sciences
• Maddie is president of the College's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and is attending OCC tuition-free as a member of the Lillian Slutzker Honors College. She's the third member of her family to come to OCC. Her plan is to transfer to a four-year college and pursue a career in international relations.

Colleen McGlin

• High School: Guilderland, class of 2002
• Major: Computer Science
• Colleen is a Student Veteran who earned bachelor's and master's degrees before joining the United States Marine Corps.While serving in Europe she was seriously injured and spent several months recovering at Walter Reed Hospital. Colleen began attending OCC one year ago and has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average. This semester she is finishing her coursework online while serving with the Army National Guard as a 2nd Lieutenant. She's looking forward to a career in either computer programming or cyber security.

Dawn Penson

• Hometown: Bridgeport
• Major: Human Services
• Dawn is a 41-year-old mother of three with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She lost her sight in 2012 after being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. She serves the campus community as the Student Trustee on the College's Board of Trustees. Her goal is to advocate for the disabled with a focus on policy and legislation.