First-Generation Success Story

When Jamaal Reid walked across the SRC Arena stage May 18 and received his college degree, he became the first person in his family to do so. "It felt good. I'm proud of myself and how far I've come. I'm accomplishing something."

Reid grew up in the Bronx, surrounded by challenging situations. "It was a tough environment. There were a lot of distractions. I was happy to make it out." He spent his first two years after high school working, all the while receiving constant advice and encouragement from four friends who were attending Syracuse University. He eventually decided to follow them north and enroll at Onondaga Community College.

His OCC experience began in 2022 with the Educational Opportunity Program's (EOP) Residential Pre-Freshman Summer Institute. Over the course of a month-and-a-half he lived on campus, took two college classes, ate meals in the cafeteria, and got a taste of college life. "It got me super ready. When the fall semester started, I did better than I expected. I shocked myself every day when I looked at my grades."

During his first semester and continuing through his time at OCC, the EOP office on the second floor of Coulter Hall was his home on campus. "They helped me a lot there, put me in the right classes, and were a shoulder of support whenever I needed anything."

After living in the residence halls his freshman year, Reid moved to off-campus housing and lived with his four friends who were attending S.U. "When I saw them do good, I wanted to do good. They motivated me so much, knowing we came from the same place. It's not common for people from my neighborhood to go to college, graduate, get the job. The fact they're making it common is good. That's where I want to be."

Reid's friends at S.U. graduated earlier this month, and he's hoping to take his OCC Communications degree and follow in their footsteps to S.U. He wants to continue his education and show others they can do it too. "OCC was a school where I could focus and see myself grow, but I don't want to stop. I want to keep going. And I want to tell everyone 'if I can do it, you can do it. If you pay attention and do you're best, you can do it.' I want to make it a common thing for the youth around me."