Student Spotlight: Devin Harvil

Ten years ago at this time Devin Harvil was wrapping up his senior year at Syracuse's Nottingham High School. He planned to attend Syracuse University that fall and begin working toward his bachelor's degree. Two years later, he realized he needed a break. "I didn't know what I wanted to do. It felt very intimidating and I was very overwhelmed. I didn't think I could achieve anything. I was very lost."

Harvil was dealing with depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. "It was a hard time for me. There was a point in my life where I couldn't function for a whole year."

He got the help he needed, which included support from his husband and family. Rather than return to school, Harvil decided to go to work. He spent seven years in retail before enrolling at Onondaga Community College last fall. "I had heard good things about OCC. It seemed to be approachable unlike other colleges."

Harvil loved meteorology, and thought OCC's Mathematics & Science degree program would be a great place to start. "It was very exciting being back in a classroom. I felt very at home. It was the right place to be."

During the break between the fall and spring semester, on the advice of his advisor Dr. Melissa Hicks, Harvil participated in a week-long paid research opportunity at SUNY-ESF where he worked with Professor Aidan Ackerman on landscape visualization, computer simulations, and 3-D modeling. "I loved it. We worked with computer programs which is important for what I want to go into. He made those programs seem like a cake walk to use. As he helped us, it became easy and it was so much fun."

Harvil will complete his OCC degree this summer. He plans to transfer to SUNY Oswego where he will pursue a Meteorology degree. "Getting out of the situation I was in made me feel very proud. I've gained a lot of confidence. I feel motivated now, like I have a future."