A Syracuse woman is now clean and excelling in the classroom after spending years battling alcohol abuse.

Angela Adams is a student at Onondaga Community College and was recently honored as one of the college’s honor society all-New York state students. She's planning to use her education to help others facing the same issues she did in the past.

Aside from her studies at OCC, Adams has been spending lots of time helping people at the Center for Community Alternatives in Syracuse. It’s part of her internship as she works toward an Alcohol and Substance Abuse degree at the college.

“I’ve got three or four classmates, that are there as well. Some of them have been hired. Some do a lot of community work, and we just spread the word that there is help for people,” said OCC Student Angela Adams.

That help involves talking to people battling drug and alcohol abuse. Up until just a few years ago, The 51-year old mother of two had an addiction with alcohol herself

“I’ve pretty much had substance abuse issues pretty much all my life. It’s something, learned behavior so I started young. I did have a seven-year period where I was clean,” Adams said.

After that seven years she went back to drinking and in 2019 she hit rock bottom. She got two DUI’s, lost her license and her job. In January of 2020, she finally got help and nine months later enrolled in classes at OCC.

“Over two years, clean,” Adams said.

She’s been sober ever since.

“Knowing who and what I was back then, I don’t want to be that person again. I want to be somebody better. I want to be somebody stronger. I want to be able to look up to me and be able to come to me with their issues,” Adams said.

Adams has excelled in the classroom. She was inducted into the college’s international honor society Phi Theta Kappa. In April, she was recognized as a member of the society’s All New York State Academic Team. 

She graduates this month and her goal is to keep working to become a counselor to help others.

“Everybody has their own time line, I didn’t do this when I was younger. I’m doing it now,” she said.

Angela will be one of about 900 students participating in OCC's 59th Commencement Ceremony next Saturday, May 21. Retiring president Doctor Casey Crabill will preside over the ceremony will will mark her final commencement at the college.