"OCC Changed Everything For Me"

Heather Silvia is living a life she never would have dreamed for herself. She's a self-described 'late bloomer' who has risen up to become the Principal of Donlin Drive Elementary School in Liverpool, one of the top-performing elementary schools in all of New York State. She credits her success with the path she was set on as a student at Onondaga Community College. "I don't know what would have happened to me if not for OCC. I didn't believe I could do anything more than bartend. OCC was such a game changer."

Silvia grew up surrounded by a large, extended, immigrant family on Syracuse's west side. Her father was a Syracuse Police Officer, and her mother stayed home and raised their four children. “My family was just surviving. My parents were very well-meaning and hard-working who were just trying to keep food on the table versus being able to focus on education."

During her senior year at Westhill High School she applied to several colleges and was rejected by all of them. Her only option was OCC. Her parents couldn't afford the cost of tuition, but they allowed her to keep living at home. She took a job bartending at Coleman's on Tipperary Hill, and bought a car for $125. "I was trying to pay for college, buy my books, keep the car running, you know... just getting by."

She enrolled at OCC in the fall of 1988 and chose the Early Childhood program. "I was from a huge immigrant family. I loved baby sitting and I loved kids." It didn't take long for her to realize she had chosen the right program for her. “I quickly fell in love with what I was learning. I was in a couple of classes that ignited my brain in a way it had never been ignited in school.”

Silvia also took advantage of an opportunity to work with preschool-aged children in the Children's Learning Center on campus. Center Director Michele Ferguson saw something special in Sylvia. "Heather was one of my first natural teachers. I knew immediately she was going to do great things," said Ferguson. "Michele encouraged me to eventually transfer and become a teacher. I didn't see it as a possibility. At that point I never dreamt I would go anywhere else," added Sylvia.

Sylvia was one semester shy of completing her associate degree when she transferred to SUNY Cortland. She continued to live with her parents and work at Coleman's while commuting. She also continued her relationship with Ferguson, leaning on her for assistance with Financial Aid documents and updating her on her academic progress. “She was a game changer in my life and she had no idea. She was just being an amazing teacher. There was so much chaos in my life that she was someone who could see a future for me when I had no idea what was possible.”

After completing her bachelor's and master's degrees, Sylvia took a job in the Syracuse City School District focused on Reading Intervention. Nine years later she became a Literacy Coach for teachers in the West Genesee School District. In 2013, she became the Principal at Donlin Drive Elementary. 

With each career milestone, Sylvia has contacted Ferguson and shared the good news with her. “I would send her a letter or I would stop by and tell her ‘you have to hear what’s going on in my life.' I would say ‘I don’t believe it and you’re not going to believe it.’ And she would say 'oh I believe it.' She was way more to me than a college professor. Michele and OCC changed everything for me.”

When Sylvia looks at the students at Donlin Drive Elementary, she sees her younger self. “I have a school where half of my kids live in poverty and there are 23 languages spoken in the student body. There’s a drive I have that these kids get what they need. Poor kids aren’t unable, but there are some barriers we have to eliminate. This is the drive in me. I’m a kid that would have gone here. My teachers know my story. I tell them we’re not sending kids out of this place unable to read or think complexly with mathematics.”

Despite the barriers her students begin life with, Donlin Drive Elementary has been named a Model PLC@Work School. PLC stands for Professional Learning Community School. Donlin Drive is one of only five elementary schools in New York State with that accreditation which, Sylvia says, indicates all of the children are achieving at high levels. Her school's success has led to Sylvia becoming a National Trainer for Solution Tree which awards the PLC@Work School accreditation.

Although it's been more than 30 years since Sylvia was a student at OCC, she remains a strong supporter of the institution. Both of her children attended OCC, and next month her daughter will complete her bachelor's degree in Business at SUNY Oswego.

Last month Sylvia returned to campus to participate in a panel discussion titled Educators in Action. She spoke with current OCC students about her professional experiences and the role OCC played in her success. "I told them to look for the person holding their hand out to help you because they are all over this campus. OCC was a turning point in my life. I have a life today doing what I love I never would have dreamed for myself."