Cheyenne Sinchico came to the United States from Ecuador with the dream of one day earning her college degree and making a difference in the lives of others. She's on her way to doing that at Onondaga Community College. "I'm grateful for all of the support I've received at OCC because without it I wouldn't be here."
Sinchico was born in New York City, left the country at a young age with her family, and returned to the U.S. in 2014 along with her two sisters and brother. She worked hard to learn the English language and graduated from PSLA at Fowler High School in 2020.
During her time there two people had a significant impact on her success; School Counselor for High School Special Education Transition Susan Sturgeon and Guidance Secretary Sheila Guzman "They were always guiding me through school and it made a big difference in me getting my high school diploma. I want to do that for other people."
Her experiences with Sturgeon and Guzman led Sinchico to choose Onondaga Community College's Human Services degree program with the goal of one day becoming a school counselor. During her first three semesters here she's found support in all corners of campus. She goes to the Learning Center for help with writing. She receives assistance from the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). "They help me with difficult things in life, mentor me, and plan college visits so I can transfer." Thanks to her participation in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), she mentored two students during the fall semester. "I really liked the experience of helping students and hope to keep doing it."
Sinchico has come so far academically she was inducted into OCC's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa which requires a minimum grade point average of 3.5. "I was an average student in high school but I'm much better here because of the support I've had from EOP, CSTEP, TRIO (a federal program which assists low-income, first-generation college students), and the Learning Center."
In May Sinchico will complete work toward her Human Services degree and plans to transfer to a four-year SUNY school as she works toward her goal of becoming a school counselor. She hopes future high school seniors will realize what they can accomplish at OCC. "Come here and take advantage of every opportunity. Those opportunities can help you in the future. And believe in yourself that you can do anything you want in the future."
