Destined for Disney

The Magic Kingdom has been Avrie Hammond's dream destination for a couple of years, and this fall she will be spending a semester in Orlando as part of the Disney College Program. "I'm looking forward to it! I'll get to live down there and work. I want to be a voice actor one day."

Her love of Disney movies, cartoons, and animes introduced her to the possibility of making a living with her voice. During her junior year at Marcellus High School where her voice greets anyone who contacts the school district by phone, she started hearing about the Disney College Program. It requires participants to have a minimum of one successful semester of college. After graduating from high school in 2023, she decided to enroll in Onondaga Community College's Sound Recording degree program. "I wanted to get a grasp of how things worked, and thought this would be a great place to start. It was an easy choice for my first two years."

When classes started, she found she enjoyed her Sound Recording coursework. Her background in school musicals and summer theater camps allowed her to fit seamlessly into opportunities in OCC's Music program where she joined the OCC Singers, the Concert Choir, and performed in the musical, "Spelling Bee."

With her freshman year behind her, Hammond will work two part-time jobs this summer as she saves money for her upcoming semester in Orlando. She plans to return to the OCC campus for the spring 2025 semester and continue working toward her Sound Recording degree.