In the latest edition of our podcast, "Chatting About College," we're joined by Onondaga Community College Class of 2024 Commencement Student Speaker Melissa Duran. She's a native of Ecuador who immigrated to the United States with the dream of becoming a surgeon. She's about to complete her Surgical Technology degree.

During her time at OCC she earned membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and was also a Meg O'Connell Scholar. She shared her knowledge at the Learning Center where she tutored fellow students in Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology 1, and Spanish 1 and 2. She was also part of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) which connected her with a research opportunity at Syracuse University.

OCC's Commencement ceremony will be held Saturday, May 18 at 11 a.m. in the SRC Arena. And the day after commencement Duran will celebrate her 29th birthday! She plans to return to OCC in the fall to complete a second degree in Mathematics & Science, before transferring to SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Duran joined us for a conversation in our podcast along with Colleen Stevens, Director of CSTEP, who nominated Duran to be commencement speaker.