Amazon donates $50K to OCC to support its student-success coaches

ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) on Wednesday donated $50,000 to Onondaga Community College (OCC) to support student-success coaches at the school.

The Seattle, Washington–based e-commerce giant operates a massive fulfillment center at 7211 Morgan Road in Clay and a delivery station at 6834 Kirkville Road in DeWitt.

In October 2022, Amazon chose OCC to be its partner in the Career Choice program. Career Choice provides Amazon’s hourly employees the opportunity to take classes at OCC at Amazon’s expense, the school said. Employees can focus on the academic programs of their choosing and learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.

During the spring 2023 semester nearly two dozen Amazon employees took advantage of Career Choice, OCC noted.

“We are grateful to Amazon for their partnership with us at Onondaga Community College. From the Career Choice program, which is already changing lives, to today’s support of our Student Success Coaches, Amazon is truly making a difference,” Warren Hilton, president of OCC, said in a release. “Their transformational support is paying dividends today and will continue to do so in the future.”

The responsibilities of student-success coaches include monitoring student academic progress and providing “proactive and just-in-time” guidance and support.

They also include providing a “sense of community” by organizing educational and social events for students in their respective school; guiding students through the higher-education landscape and managing competing demands from school, family, and work; and collaborating with colleagues and departments across the institution to provide “holistic support and meet the unique needs of individual students.”

“We know that OCC’s Student Success Coaches program is a critical resource for supporting students as they achieve their education goals,” Carley Graham Garcia, Amazon’s head of community affairs in New York, said “It’s also a great way to support Amazonians who are taking advantage of Career Choice and all the benefits it has to offer them and other employer-sponsored students.”