Student Spotlight: Hope Spencer

• Degree Program: Environmental Technology
• Home Schooled, from Camillus

Hope Spencer plans to help make a difference on campus. As the Co-Vice President for Service in the college's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), she'll help lead several important efforts throughout the year. "We'll be putting out three service projects this semester which any student on campus can engage in. We have an overall project we're working on, Systemic Racism. We want to educate people about it." OCC's PTK chapter has an amazing track record of success and is highly regarded. In each of the past two years it has been ranked in the top five in the world.

Spencer began taking classes at OCC in the fall 2019 semester, entering the Environmental Technology degree program. "I always enjoyed science growing up. As a child I remembered doing a lot of experiments at home. OCC was local, affordable, and had the major I was looking for."

Spencer came to campus having already earned 24 college credits online and continued to excel in the classroom. During her first year she was inducted into PTK, was a member of OCC's Cross Country team, and was a member of the Lazers Athletics Student Leadership Council. She was also active in the community serving as a lifeguard at the Solvay Youth Center and a self-direction coach at the Kelberman Center where she works with an individual with autism.

Spencer will complete work toward her associate degree next May. She hopes students who are new to OCC this fall will do what she did and get involved on campus. "I see OCC as a place of opportunity. It's very easy to take advantage of opportunities if you are dedicated and get out there and ask. Keep your eyes open to the opportunities. You'll see them in your email or posted on bulletin boards. Engage with your professors. They're here for you. Ask them if they want to do research. They are very open to that."