Student Spotlight: Bianca Teixeira

Bianca Teixeira has overcome significant challenges to be here. She's a cancer survivor who became addicted to pain medication. She was raised by her grandfather, a war veteran who struggled with his own substance abuse issues. Today she's in remission, two years sober, on her way to completing her first college degree, and a member of Onondaga Community College's Student Government. "I feel extremely fortunate. I am absolutely blessed."

Teixeira (pronounced tex-AIR-uh) was a 16-year-old student at West Genesee High School when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Her treatment included surgery, two rounds of radiation, and the prescription painkiller OxyContin. She became addicted to Oxy, and when her prescription ran out she found other narcotics. She would eventually get help with her addiction, and do what she needed to graduate high school.

She started at OCC in the fall of 2022 but her first year was a struggle. "I needed to learn discipline so I could do the work when it needed to be done. I taught myself by developing other good habits. I started going to the gym, eating healthy, and sleeping well. Eventually having that structure impacted my academic performance."

During the spring 2024 semester, with both improved habits and grades, she decided it was time to become a leader on campus. "I wanted to have more of an impact here and I thought Student Government would be a good challenge for me. I would be carrying responsibilities for other people, they would be depending on me, and it would push me to get things done. I wanted to put myself out there, socialize, and make a difference."

She ran for office and was elected, and is now Chair of Communication and Media in Student Government. She also switched majors from Creative Writing to Communication Studies. And she's so enthralled with a Criminal Justice class this semester with Professor Pete Patnode, she's interested in becoming a paralegal or criminal psychologist. "I've really enjoyed learning about criminal justice. A lot of people think the program is just for police, but it's so much more than that."

When Teixeira completes her associate degree in December of 2025, she will have achieved a major milestone in her academic journey. "I had a hard time during high school. I figured the best thing for me to do was to come here, basically erase my high school transcript, and do well enough so I could transfer."