OCC to hold 55th commencement 10 a.m. Saturday, May 12
OCC will also host the Men’s Lacrosse National Championships on the same weekend. The undefeated and defending national champion Lazers will play Saturday, May 12, at 1 p.m. in the National Semifinals.
WHEN: Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m.
WHAT: Onondaga Community College will celebrate its 55th commencement ceremony Saturday, May 12, at 10 a.m. in the SRC Arena and Events Center. Dr. Casey Crabill will preside over the ceremony. Nearly 1,100 students will be eligible to receive their degrees. These students will have completed their coursework in the fall 2017, spring 2018 or summer 2018 semesters.
Watch commencement live and later:
- The ceremony can be viewed live online at www.sunyocc.edu.
- The ceremony will be rebroadcast on WSYR TV’s “MeTV” channel Saturday, May 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. MeTV can be found at 9.2 with a digital antenna, Spectrum Cable channel 1240, Verizon Fios channel 470 and New Visions cable channel 23.
STUDENT SPEAKER: Each year Onondaga Community College selects a graduating student to deliver the commencement address. This year’s speaker is Andrea Capodagli, a Communication Studies major with an honors minor. Andrea was born in Romania, adopted as an infant and brought home to Central New York. She graduated from Bishop Grimes High School in 2009, came to OCC and quit after a semester-and-a-half. Andrea worked a variety of jobs before returning to OCC in 2016. She began by taking two classes at OCC @ Liverpool and was inspired by the encouragement she received from professors. Andrea, retook several of her previous classes, became a high-achieving student, earned membership in international honor society Phi Theta Kappa, assisted fellow students as a Peer Connector in the College’s Advising Center and worked as an intern in the Corporate Communications office at SRC, Inc. Andrea is a licensed cosmetologist who founded “A Movement of Shear Faith,” volunteering her time to provide free haircuts to the less fortunate. In the fall she will transfer to Syracuse University and major in Public Relations.
STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES: Mounted around the upper walkway of the SRC Arena and Events Center will be a series of colorful posters highlighting student success stories. Noteworthy stories at the 2018 commencement include:
- Moise Laub, General Studies: Moise grew up in an orphanage in Haiti and dreamed of living in the United States. When he was 12 he was adopted by an American family and raised in Oklahoma. During his senior year of high school, Moise and his girlfriend became pregnant. He joined the Navy to support his family. Moise took an online class from OCC and enjoyed the experience so much he decided to become a full-time student. He plans to transfer to Syracuse University, major in International Relations and eventually attend law school.
- Carlos Prillwitz, Business Administration: Carlos is a native of Los Angeles who retired from the United States Army after 22 years of service. He decided to come to college to prove to his three daughters they could accomplish anything they put their minds to. Carlos will transfer to Le Moyne College in the fall and major in Business Administration with a specialization in Analytics.
- Hannah Robles, Business Administration: Hannah is the youngest of five siblings, all of whom attended OCC. She earned a 3.9 grade point average and was named top student in the Business Administration major. Hannah will transfer to the Rochester Institute of Technology where she will major in Marketing.
HONORARY DEGREES: The honorary doctorate degree is the highest form of recognition offered by the State University of New York to persons of exceptional distinction. OCC is honoring four distinct individuals who have exhibited professional excellence, meritorious and outstanding service, and whose accomplishments serve as examples of the SUNY system’s diverse student body.
- Evelyn C. Carter, Director of Community Relations, Wegmans
Evelyn is Director of Community Relations for the Central New York Region of Wegmans Food Markets. Her primary responsibilities are oversight of activities in the areas of media relations, community investment and consumer affairs. She also serves as Wegmans’ regional spokesperson. Evelyn serves on the Board of Directors for Centerstate CEO, Central New York Community Foundation, Hillside Work Scholarship Connection, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, the Salvation Army, the United Way of Central New York and WCNY Public Broadcasting Corporation. Evelyn served twice as Chair for the Go Red for Women campaign sponsored by the American Heart Association and is an is an active member of Links Inc, one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women of color.
- Mary Beth Frey, Executive Director, Samaritan Center
Mary Beth is the Executive Director of the Samaritan Center, a not-for-profit organization in downtown Syracuse working to feed and assist the hungry and those in need. The Samaritan Center provides meals for those struggling in homelessness and poverty and the support services that help move individuals toward self-sufficiency. Last year the Samaritan Center served over 124,000 meals with seven full-time staff and the invaluable support of over 1,500 community volunteers. She also serves on the local FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Board and the Onondaga County Department of Long Term Care Community Advisory Board.
- Michael F. Melara, CEO, Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Michael is CEO of Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. He has over 30 years of experience in not-for-profit and government work, including being a direct service provider, supervisor, and administrator. In his current role he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a $62 million agency, including strategic planning, resource development, budget planning and management, human resources management, public relations, and Board relationships. With a workforce of nearly 2,000 staff, Catholic Charities serves over 130,000 people across the seven counties in the diocese.
- Wayne O’Connor, Regional Executive Director of Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection
Wayne is the Regional Executive Director of Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection (HW-SC). HW-SC supports approximately 1,300 middle and high school students and families in the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and at Onondaga Community College (OCC). O’Connor’s career in education, school administration and youth development spans nearly 50 years. He is also an alumnus of OCC. O’Connor has been with HW-SC since 2007. Last year 95% of the over 200 high school students in HW-SC’s senior cohort graduated.
Onondaga Community College is hosting the NJCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Semifinals and Finals commencement weekend. The National Semifinals will be played Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The top ranked and undefeated OCC Lazers will play Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. The National Championship game is scheduled for Sunday, May 13 at 1 p.m. All games will be played on Chuck Wilbur Field at Lazer Stadium which is located next to the SRC Arena.