Yesvier Aviles Mendez found his eventual career path as a member of his high school track & field team in Puerto Rico. "I was really good with my hands. My teammates were always asking me to help them stretch out and massage them before meets."
Those experiences coupled with a desire to work in health care led him to a Physical Therapist Assistant program at a college in Puerto Rico. He completed his degree there in 2015 and was working what he described as a "regular 9 to 5 job" when a relationship changed the course of his life. He met a native Puerto Rican living in Syracuse who would come to her home country as part of her work with SUNY-ESF. "In one of her travels we hit it off. We began dating on and off, and then I decided to move to Syracuse."
One year ago he became a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) major at Onondaga Community College. The bachelor's degree he earned in Puerto Rico was from a program which was not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). OCC's PTA program is accredited by CAPTE, and he would need to retake all of his classes.
Aviles Mendez had an outstanding first semester at OCC and earned membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. On the advice of his PTA Professors (Kristen Lounsbery and Tammy Lytle) he became a member of the Student Advisory Board for OCC's School of Health, Wellness & Human Services. And he received more encouragement from Abi Marin, a graduating member of Student Government. "She told me I was so good with people I could be a Student Government officer. I thought since I was already doing so much, this would be just a little bit more."
This semester Aviles Mendez is one of seven Student Government officers, serving as Chair of Adult Student Success, which is a perfect role for a 29-year-old student. He's been impressed with the support he's found in all corners of the OCC campus. "There's a lot of opportunity here I didn't see at my other university in Puerto Rico. If you just put yourself out there, OCC responds."
One of the ways the campus responded was through its Career Closet which provides students with professional clothes at no charge. Early in the semester, Aviles Mendez took advantage of the Career Closet as he was preparing for a Student Leadership conference in Albany. "Everything I wore was from there. I've been blessed every step of the way."
Students can learn more about the Career Closet which is part of the office of Career & Transfer Services at this web page. You can also email the office at careerservices@sunyocc.edu or call (315) 498-2585 to schedule an appointment. The office is located on the first floor of Mawhinney Hall in room M182.
