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From her early days in the classroom to her work today with students at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, Ali’ce Loran’s passion for education has never wavered.

Now, with the help of the SUNY Reconnect program, that enthusiasm has led her to the doorstep of her first college degree.

“Reconnect took a lot of stress off my back. I’ve always loved school. When you’re first in school, you don’t think about the cost of it. You’re just enjoying learning. Then, when I started looking at colleges, I was eager to earn a degree but scared because of the cost. I don’t have to worry about that now because of Reconnect,” she said.

In the fall of 2025, while continuing to work full-time, she decided to explore the idea of enrolling in college and selected an online art class at Cayuga. It was during that semester that a friend shared a social media post about SUNY Reconnect, a new program helping adults 25-55 return to college to earn their first degree in select programs at community colleges.

Launched in 2025, SUNY Reconnect is an innovative program that helps adults earn career-focused degrees by covering the cost of tuition, fees, books and supplies. At Cayuga, eligible programs range from Environmental Studies and Computer Science to Nursing and Mechanical Technology.

For someone as passionate about education as Loran, there was little doubt what program she was interested in: Liberal Arts and Sciences: Childhood Education. She decided to contact Cayuga’s Adult Learner Coach, Natalie Indelicato, to see if she was eligible. She was, and enrolled full-time in the spring of 2026.

Less than two months into the semester, Loran says Reconnect has made an undeniable difference in her college experience.

“When I found out about Reconnect, and that I was eligible, I almost started crying. It was a huge weight off my shoulders. And I became excited again about becoming a student, and remembering everything I loved about being a student, especially when you can just focus on learning and not the cost,” she said.

This semester Loran is working full-time while taking courses fully online, but has paired that with forging strong ties on the Auburn Campus. She communicates regularly with Indelicato, and has worked with math specialist Larraine Mahoney and Studio Art and Design Professor Melissa Johnson.

She’s already seen the benefits of her first art class at Cayuga, where one of the prompts led to a series of paintings she titled “Backyard Birds.” The series was later featured at the Cayuga Museum for Art and History.

Now, as Loran looks ahead to her future, she has everything mapped out: Earning her associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, before returning to the classroom as a special education art teacher

After that, she plans to continue her interest in art by opening a studio and hosting classes.