Throughout the week we are highlighting students who are completing their degrees this month. Today we introduce you to Kyrillos Dawoud.
During his senior year at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, Kyrillos Dawoud applied to several four-year colleges. He got into some, but the schools he preferred rejected him. So he switched to his "plan B," Onondaga Community College. "I decided to stay local. OCC was close and affordable. Originally, I planned to stay for just one year. But when I came to OCC and saw the environment, my first semester was really fun and really nice. I decided to jam pack my schedule so I could graduate early."
While pursuing a Business Administration degree Dawoud took 5 classes his first semester, 6 in his second semester, 3 classes in the summer while also doing an internship, and 4 classes in his final semester. His internship was at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY as part of the Skills Training in Advanced Research & Technology (START) program. He gained foundational knowledge in Quantum Computing. He also identified potential productivity improvement by optimizing computational processes, enhancing risk mitigation, and suggesting annual cost savings.
Dawoud's interest in a business-related career started during Covid when he successfully resold sneakers and electronics online at sites such as Facebook Marketplace and E-Bay. He used profits to open up a Roth IRA and a brokerage account.
In recent years he worked with his father to manage and rent out a property in downtown Syracuse. He also completed a 77-hour real estate course, and is working on the Security Industry Essentials Exam for finance.
On campus, Dawoud was a member of the Business Club and a regular at the Learning Center. "I took advantage of the tutoring sessions so many times. Whenever I was stuck on anything, especially when I was taking 6 classes, I was there 3 or 4 times a week."
Earlier this month, Dawoud learned he had been accepted at the University of Virginia. He plans to start there in the spring semester and major in Economics as he pursues a career as an investment banker. "My hard work at OCC paid off. This was a good stepping stone for me. I got a good foundation I could build on."
