OCC Foundation Helping Student Achieve Her Dream

On a good night Sam Moore gets three or four hours of sleep. She's a full-time student, a full-time mom, and she works three jobs. "The work life balance is really challenging but I want people to know they can do it, even if they have to take the hard way. Everyone can do it even if they think they can't."

Moore's wake up call for earning a college degree was the pandemic. "I always wanted to go to school. It was always something I was going to do. And then Covid happened. Everything got put on hold and it shifted my perspective. I realized I wasn't doing everything I planned. Covid made me want to go back. It reminded me I had a plan and put me on track."

Eight years after she graduated from Chittenango High School, Moore came to Onondaga Community College. She chose the Mathematics & Science degree program because she knew she wanted to help people in some way. "My interest is in neuroscience. I want to study neurodegenerative diseases like ADHD (which she has), Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, bipolar... ask the questions 'why' like a 4 year old... always ask the questions why."

Speaking of 4 year olds, there's a very special one in her life. It's her son, Maddox Phoenix. "He's all boy. Most days he's a ninja and also a dinosaur. I might come around the corner and get a broom stick which is his ninja staff, and then get eaten. I'm always on my toes!"

Early in her first semester on campus, and far away from the dangers of Maddox the ninja/dinosaur, one of Moore's professors suggested she apply for a scholarship from the OCC Foundation. She filled out the necessary paperwork for the Jane D. Tanner Scholarship, which is given to a high-achieving female student with an interest in a STEM field. A short time later, she learned she had been awarded the scholarship. "It was really exciting. It was more empowering than financially helpful... although it was definitely financially helpful. It made me feel like 'I could.'"

That boost to her self-confidence carried her a long way. She completed the fall semester with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and last month was inducted into the College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa. "I'm really proud of that 4.0 I worked really hard for it. I wasn't a great student in high school. Somewhere along the way I lost that joy for school but I found it here and it's very exciting."

Moore's plan is to complete her Mathematics & Science degree a year from now, then transfer for Biochemistry and ultimately Neuroscience.

You can learn more about scholarship opportunities through the OCC Foundation by visiting their website.