Meet Our 2024 Student Statewide Award Winners

Two Onondaga Community College students are being recognized with the SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence. It is the highest award any SUNY student can receive.

Alex Espitia-Casallas attended college at a four-year school for a semester, spent a decade working as a baker, then decided he was interested in a science-related career. He volunteered at a hospital during Covid, learned about career options, and decided to come to OCC for the Laboratory Science degree program. He was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, was a Meg O'Connell Scholar, and a member of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (C-STEP). Through C-STEP he participated in two research sessions at SUNY Upstate Medical University which led to a paid research position there. Alex will complete his Laboratory Science degree this semester and transfer to Upstate where its Medical Technology program will put him on the path to becoming a clinical laboratory scientist.

Danielle Lambert was a senior at Henninger High School when the 9/11 attacks happened. She joined the military after graduating, spent four years in the U.S. Air Force, married a U.S. Army Veteran, and they started their family. When the youngest of their three children became school-aged, Danielle focused on her future and enrolled at OCC. She served as an officer in Student Government, was a Meg O'Connell Scholar, and earned membership in the PTK Honor Society with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She became PTK's Vice President of Scholarship and counseled fellow students on scholarship opportunities. Danielle will complete her Early Childhood degree this semester, then transfer to SUNY Cortland. Her goal is to become a teacher.

Espitia-Casallas and Lambert are also being recognized as PTK All-State Students.

A third OCC student, Rebekah Wade, is receiving PTK's Hurst Review NCLEX Scholarship. NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination. It is the exam which Nursing graduates are required to pass to become licensed as a Registered Nurse in the United States and Canada. The Hurst Review NCLEX Scholarship will cover the cost of Wade's study materials and exam fee. "I'm very thankful. This is going to help a lot! I wasn't expecting this but it was a very nice surprise." Wade is a United States Navy Veteran, a member of the PTK Honor Society, and she will complete her Nursing degree in May. She plans to continue her education and work for the Veterans Administration.

Gavan Liston, an OCC student who is also a member of the Fayetteville Fire Department, will receive the Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award for EOP Student Excellence. EOP stands for Educational Opportunity Program. The award is given to a student who shows positive academic trajectories despite challenges faced during their academic career. Liston is enrolled in the Fire Protection Technology major. As part of OCC's bunk-in program, Liston lives at the Fayetteville Fire Department and responds to emergency calls while also taking classes. He's a native of the Bronx whose career goal was inspired by seeing firefighters respond to a fire at the 18-story apartment building he grew up in.

All four students will be recognized during ceremonies in Albany next month.

"We're so proud of Alex, Danielle, Rebekah, Gavan, and everything they accomplished here. Their success is a testament to the opportunities which are available to students of all ages at Onondaga Community College. Each of them decided what they wanted to do, built a strong academic foundation here, and are on their way to successful careers which will benefit our entire community," said OCC President Dr. Warren Hilton.