The week of October 21-25 is National Transfer Student Week. Onondaga Community College will host a Transfer Fair Wednesday, October 23 in the Gordon Student Center Great Room from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Students will have the opportunity to have in-person conversations with representatives of colleges and universities where they are interested in continuing their education. Between now and then, we are sharing stories with you daily of students who earned their associate degrees at OCC and transferred to four-year institutions.
Ellion Magsino built his higher education foundation at Onondaga Community College, and now he's just a couple of months away from completing his bachelor's degree at the University at Albany-SUNY. "My professors at OCC invested time and effort into teaching me both the substantial content of the class and the proper ways to approach a given assignment or project. And my involvement with the Lillian Slutzker Honors College, the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and Career Services provided me with the tools to be ready for my first internship such as public speaking, proper work ethic, and self-discipline."
Five years ago Magsino immigrated to the United States from the Philippines with the dream of a better life here. He graduated from Chittenango High School in 2020 and enrolled in OCC's Business Administration degree program that fall. Through OCC's Career Services office, Magsino took advantage of a summer internship opportunity at Brackens Financial Solutions Network in Syracuse. His internship went so well, he still works there as a Business Operation Associate. "Working at a firm like Brackens is fulfilling for me because not only do I have a multitude of opportunities to advance my career in financial planning, but I also get to work in a collaborative and supportive environment that is beneficial for someone like me who is still fairly new to the industry."
After earning his associate degree at OCC in 2022, Magsino continued his education at the University at Albany-SUNY. He will complete his Accounting degree with a minor in Business this December, and is interested in becoming a Certified Public Accountant. He's already proven he's good with numbers as evidenced by his decision to attend OCC. "The low-cost, high-value education I received at OCC was a tremendous help for me in my college journey. I was able to complete my first two years without the burden of student loan debt, and it made finishing the rest of my college journey easier financially. This means I am able to allocate more of my future earnings toward my financial goals, and less towards paying back student loan debt."
