2025 Meet OCC Grad: Alissa Skonieczny

Alissa Skonieczny’s higher education journey began 27 years ago, interrupted by life, but not forgotten. It might have been longer if she hadn’t attended her daughter’s OCC Commencement ceremony last year. 

Alissa was sitting in the audience, watching the video featuring several graduates. Their stories inspired her, especially the ones who were older. 

“I was already motivated by my daughter finishing her degree. But then I saw people who were my age or older, and they went back to school. If they could do it, I could, too.”

Alissa started at OCC in 1998, right after high school. She took classes for a few years, got pregnant, and shifted her focus to raising her daughter but planned to go back. 

“I imagined her in preschool, watching me walk across the stage,” said Alissa. 

She returned to OCC seven years later, trying to balance parenting, taking classes and studying. A year later, she became a single mom and was working at Blockbuster Video where the hours were inconsistent, making it difficult to schedule classes and find the time to study. She tried taking occasional classes and ultimately stopped for several years.

“By 2010, I had been working for Blockbuster Video for five years,” said Alissa. “I thought I would work my way up from store manager to district manager. Then Blockbuster closed.” 

Alissa worked a variety of jobs—sometimes more than one at a time—while her daughter grew up. She did everything to support her family, from cashiering at a pizza place to serving as an administrative assistant, working at a bank, a school and even as a supervisor for the 2020 Census.

“Never give up! You may be busy raising kids or working multiple jobs to pay rent. Just know, if you take a class now and can’t take another for three years—or if it takes you 27 years to get your degree like I did—that’s OK. You can always finish.”

Inspired by the stories of older students returning to finish their degrees, Alissa reached out to OCC’s Financial Aid office. There, she discovered the Michigan Reconnect program, which offers free in-district tuition to qualifying Michigan residents. 

As many years had passed since she first started at OCC, her original liberal arts degree was no longer offered. Undeterred, Alissa explored her degree options and met with an OCC counselor, who gave her exciting news. 

“If I switched to General Studies, I only needed one more class to graduate!” said Alissa.

Even with the finish line in sight, returning to school presented challenges—technology being a big one.

“I’m not very tech savvy, and a lot of things were online,” Alissa admitted. “I'm one of those people who said, ‘Why can’t we have the paper catalog?’ I missed 1998!” 

She was also still working and helping to care for another family member. Alissa needed to navigate ADD and required quiet spaces to focus. She often planned her homework and studied during the early morning or late at night, when everyone else was asleep. 

Having completed her last class, Alissa is ready to graduate and looking forward to the next step in her career. She currently works at a computer repair shop as a personal assistant, managing the store while the owner is away.

"I also do his bookkeeping, and I’ve found that I really enjoy it,” said Alissa. “Now, I’m considering taking more classes at OCC to earn an accounting certificate and transition into a new career.” 

First and foremost, Alissa is excited to walk across the stage in front of her family—especially her daughter, who has witnessed her work and dedication over the last two decades and has been part of her journey every step of the way. 

Alissa also hopes her story will light the way forward and inspire others to take that next step forward.

Alissa Skonieczny is graduating with an Associate in General Studies. She joins more than 1,900 OCC 2025 graduates empowered to succeed. Join them in starting your someday, today.