Meaghan Geary's road to a successful college education began with a conversation with a co-worker at a pizza shop she was managing. "She had just graduated high school and told me she was going to OCC. I didn't know anything about OCC so I started looking into it. But it wasn't until the owner…
When Michael Speach was growing up, life revolved around the family business. He couldn't wait to get as far away from that life as possible. "We didn't enjoy the holidays because those were our busiest times and we were exhausted. My view of life and holidays were very skewed. We didn't take a…
Peter Raymond-Smiedy, '17 never expected to be where he is today. A decade ago he was struggling through his senior year at Syracuse's Fowler High School. "I wasn't the best student. I had no concept. I didn't have the best grades." Now he's in his first semester of graduate school at Syracuse…
Zach Ott is as surprised as anyone by his journey to a successful career. "I never would have imagined this. I'm still not sure it's real. I went from working at a cell phone store two or three years ago to where I am now." Where he is now is working as a Network Engineer at Loretto. It's a…
It's been a little more than two decades since Cameron Littlejohn '15 was a kindergartner at Ed Smith school in the Syracuse City School District (SCSD). Today he's back in elementary school, teaching 1st grade at Meachem Elementary which is also in the SCSD. "Being able to be part of kids…
When Shayne Turo '23 read a story on OCC's website about the work Cameron Littlejohn '15 was doing, he saw…
There's a pretty good chance you've seen the amazing work G.M. Crisalli & Associates does, and an equally good chance you've never heard of the construction management company which is headquartered on Hiawatha Boulevard in Syracuse. They've built spectacular…
Christopher Ellis, '14 and Richard Whitney, '13 are days away from a potentially life-changing moment. They are among the leaders of SparkCharge which makes portable rapid electric charging units. A SparkCharge charging unit, when plugged into…
Onondaga Community College Alumni Layne Bolton '18 and Mike Burst '19 want students who sit where they once sat to know they can have great and rewarding careers right here in Central New York. Bolton and Burst are graduates of OCC's Mechanical Technology program who work together in East…
It takes a special kind of person to run toward danger. That’s what first responders do. That’s what medical personnel do in the time of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Community colleges certify 80 percent of first responders in the United States and produce more than 50 percent of new nurses and…
Onondaga Community Alumni are continue to give back to today's students, helping them ensure success tomorrow. Early in the spring semester the OCC Mentoring Program brought industry leaders and current students together on campus to exchange ideas about navigating the college experience,…
Students interested in starting their own businesses invited three successful alumni to campus to share their wisdom as part of the OCC Business Club's Entrepreneur Panel.
Members of the panel were:
Michael Ancillotti '82, President of LP&M, a…