Gavan Liston remembers the harrowing moment when he knew he wanted to become a firefighter. He was asleep in the middle of the night when he was abruptly woken up. "My mom was screaming 'fire!' She went and I followed. There was a fire in the apartment next to us and heavy black smoke in the…
George Cooper’s younger sister, Monique, convinced him he needed to change the way he was living. "You get to a point where reality hits you. You realize you're going to be 40 soon. Do you want to keep running the streets? There's no retirement plan in that. My sister really put into my brain…
Gina Segreti is unbelievably strong. She has epilepsy and autism, was bullied constantly in school, never knew her father, lost her mother when she was 17, and was placed in a group home until she was old enough to live on her own. Despite all of that, in her…
Glenna Jackson is a superhero. She's been knocked down by just about any type of tragedy you can think of, gotten back up, and been stronger for it. Next month, at the age of 53, she'll earn her first college degree. "I couldn't do this without God. And I love OCC. It's my safe place. I'm so…
Gordon Gallery is part of a unique group of high school and college students. As a member of East Syracuse Minoa High School's Spartan Academy, he's simultaneously working toward his high school diploma and Mathematics & Science degree from Onondaga Community College. He will receive both…
Grace Cordone thought she everything figured out. During her final year of homeschooling in Cato, she was going to come to the Onondaga Community College campus to take two very challenging Anatomy & Physiology courses she would as she worked toward her Physical Therapist Assistant degree.…
Word-of-mouth led Grace Norton to Onondaga Community College. She grew up in the southern tier and planned to attend SUNY Fredonia until a music audition there didn't go well. "One of my dad's friend is a music…
Hadassah Johnson's future was always in music. She just had to figure it out for herself. Music was a constant in her Auburn home where she was the youngest of 12 children. Family members regularly participated in music-related activities like church choirs. But it wasn't until she was watching…
Haley Madej has vivid memories of her first day of classes at Onondaga Community College. It was the fall of 2022, a full 4 years after she had graduated from Amsterdam High School which is a couple of hours east of Syracuse. "I had an 8 a.m. class. I got here at 7 o'clock. I was very nervous.…
Hannah Durand is an outstanding student and athlete who will represent the student body this year by serving as the Student Trustee on the Board of Trustees. "I'm looking forward to it. It will be a great opportunity for me to be more involved." As the Student Trustee she will attend monthly…
Holly Adams seems to have everything figured out. She's found the perfect degree program and is working toward her dream career, is Student Government president, and gets to bring her nearly 2-year-old son to campus with her every day where he is cared for at the Children's Learning Center.…
Hope Spencer plans to help make a difference on campus. As the Co-Vice President for Service in the college's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), she'll help lead several important efforts throughout…