Dewayne Garner, Jr., believes it’s important to have a dream — and to take the necessary steps to achieve that dream.
“Get a dream and hold on to it,” Garner said. “Surround yourself with like-minded people who contribute to your well-being and want you to succeed. People are either going to add to your life, or take away from it. Life is already hard and you don’t need people that add to the difficulties, but people that help relieve it. Don’t be a burden on others either. Once the dream and people are in place then work! Work toward your dream and make it a reality. Failure is inevitable, but it’s only a pit stop on the way to your destination. Keep God first, stay focused and you can accomplish whatever it is that you set your mind to.”
Garner is well on his way toward accomplishing his own dreams. On May 16, Garner, a 2012 Cicero-North Syracuse High School grad, will graduate from Onondaga Community College. He’ll also have the honor of delivering the student speech at the commencement exercises, a distinction he calls “humbling.”
“Not only do I have to think about what I need to study to ensure I pass my exams and finals, I need to have a well-written speech,” Garner said. “I want the speech to be impactful to everyone in the audience, not just the graduates. I have my work cut out for me, but I know that I’ll get the job done.”
Every year, OCC selects a student to speak at its commencement. Faculty members are asked to nominate a student. The nominees are then sent to a committee, which selects the final speaker. Garner was the committee’s choice for the graduating class of 2015 from a field of 10 or more strong candidates.
Garner said he was pleased to be chosen and suspected his research and presentation experience gave him the edge over his fellow nominees.
“I know that every nominee had the capability of being chosen and giving a great speech,” he said. “My experiences with presenting my research gave me the skill to communicate effectively with others and to get my point across.”
He thinks he may have had a little help from above, as well.
“Moreover, being a believer in Jesus Christ, I know I have favor over my life,” he said. “I believe that favor in combination with the way I presented myself made me an appropriate candidate and granted me the honor of being selected to be student speaker.”
Professor Michael Oppedisano, chair of OCC’s math department and one of Garner’s instructors, said Garner is an excellent choice as student speaker.
“I’m so proud of him,” Oppedisano said. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing his speech.”
Oppedisano, who had Garner in four of his classes and described him as “a friend,” said he’d watched him grow from a “good or great student into an exceptional student.” He also praised Garner’s character.
“He’s one of the nicest students I’ve ever met,” Oppedisano said. “I’ve seen him working with other students and helping people out. He tutors other students, helping other students who are struggling. It’s one thing to help kids who are already smart. But he’s helping kids get better.”
Garner said his love of math began as a student at C-NS under the tutelage of Bridget Bowen.
“She was the greatest math teacher I have ever had,” he said. “She was a big influence on me and she’s the reason why I love math so much.”
In his time at OCC, Garner has translated that love into an academic career devoted to scientific research — but that wasn’t his original intention when he applied to the school.
“Initially I wanted to go out of state for college; however, the colleges I visited didn’t have my major, and the out-of-state tuition was very expensive,” Garner said. “My goal was to be a producer/director because I wanted to make my own films.”
His parents, both OCC grads themselves, first encouraged him to apply to their other alma mater, Syracuse University. When he wasn’t accepted, he tried for OCC’s Electronic Media Communications program and was accepted.
But his parents were concerned about his job prospects after graduation.
“My parents had a conversation with me discussing how many students are majoring in communications and that after I graduated it will be very competitive when trying to find a job,” Garner said. “They would hate to see me graduate from college and not be able to find a job and be stuck in debt. With my father being an electrical engineer, he was explaining the opportunities that I would have if I decided to go the engineering route. I was always good in math, but I wasn’t completely convinced, so I majored in math and science instead of engineering science.”
As it turned out, Garner had quite a knack for scientific study. He enrolled in OCC’s Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), a comprehensive support program dedicated to increasing the number of college graduates from underrepresented ethnic groups in technical-related fields and individuals from economically disadvantaged families who are interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, math, engineering and other licensed professions.
Services include academic support, personal counseling, career awareness, advocacy, transfer assistance, and access to community contacts as resources and research opportunities.
The program helped to connect him with internship, research and conference opportunities at SU and Clarkson University.
He even presented his original research at a national conference in Washington, D.C., where he won first place for his oral presentation on “Immunomodulation of Cystic Fibrosis cells by Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal,” something he lists as his greatest accomplishment.
Meanwhile, his poster presentation, “Gait Lab Validation of Direct Force Measurement in a Transfemoral Prosthesis,” at the 2015 CSTEP conference placed second.
While he’s still waiting to hear from the colleges he’s applied to transfer to, Garner plans to attend a four-year school to study biomedical engineering, then furthering his education in neuroengineering.
“My goal is to be able to find solutions to unsolved problems in the science/medical field. I would like to discover scientific breakthroughs that will further enhance technology in the medical field,” Garner said. “Through my research experience at Clarkson University I began thinking about the engineering involved in prosthetic limbs and consequently the advances that I envision for the way human tissue and human-engineered materials can interact to improve the quality of life for accident victims and veterans. I want to be instrumental in bridging the gap between biology and technology. I think being involved in neuro-prosthetics will allow me to reach that goal.”
Wherever he ends up, those who know him are confident Garner will make a difference in the world.
“He’s going to do amazing things,” Oppedisano said. “I’m glad to have known him.”
