Schools
Belleville Students Earn Degrees: Essex County College Holds 2016 Commencement
Essex County College awarded 1,452 associate degrees and certificates at its 47th Commencement Ceremony.
BELLEVILLE, NJ — Essex County College awarded 1,452 associate degrees and certificates at its 47th Commencement Ceremony on June 3 at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The following Belleville residents were graduates of the class of 2016.
- John Alvarez
- Kristian Andrade
- Michael Annicchiarico
- Erika Atariguana
- Jeremy Atendido
- Abigail Badillo
- Carlos Barragan
- Bruna Cancado
- Alan Castellano
- Emilin Castillo
- Moises Castillo
- Marcos Castro
- Laureano Cayanan
- Rana Cheikhali
- John Cobianchi
- Malikah Collins
- Ananyela Colon
- Xavier Cuenca
- Patricia De Guzman
- Pedro Deidan
- Brianna DeLucrezia
- Anthony Diaz
- Rachel Camille Estrada
- Stanislaw Forfa
- Ace Frianeza
- Mara Garofalo
- Dana Haverick
- Nathan Hayes
- Angelina Hernandez
- Stephany Hernandez
- Francis Holandez
- Maria Idrovo
- Ivonne Jaramillo
- Zorka Jovanovic
- Ahmed Kour
- Maribel Lasalle Rodriguez
- Karen Lau
- Emily Lisojo
- Julie Lorenz
- D'Lae Love
- Priscilla Luna
- Venafe Luna
- Anna-Maria Mamaradio
- Carmen Mejia
- Christopher Migdalski
- Yisneyris Monegro
- Monica Montiel
- Katherine Montilla
- Cynthia Moreno
- Tony Nguyen
- Debbie Padilla
- Riya Parikh
- Eliana Pastrana
- Dhruvita Patel
- Brian Ramirez
- Griselda Ramos
- Jhonatan Rivera
- Margie Rosado
- Kelly Sanchez
- Luis Sandoval
- Michael Schettini
- Zanio Spasojevic
- Monica Marian Estabillo Tabago
- Kenneth Templonuevo
- Linda Tran
- Lizeth Vargas
- Raquel Vazquez
- Alvaro Vera
- William Verniero
- Xiandra Villegas
- Gizem Yildi
This year's class included 260 students graduating with Honors, High Honors and Highest Honors, according to a college news release.
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At 17, Marylynda Ogbundinkpa (Associate in Science in Biology, Pre-Medicine) was the youngest graduate. On the other side of the spectrum, 63-year-old Alcina George (Associate in Arts in Education) was the most senior graduate.
The 2016 class came from 53 municipalities throughout New Jersey (mostly from Essex County) and 18 foreign countries. Countries represented by the class included Brazil, Cameroon, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Liberia, Nigeria, Panama, The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turkey.
Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Valedictorian Ashley Morales (Associate in Science in Business Administration) urged her classmates to look to the future with confidence.
"You earned being here today... Be proud of what you have accomplished and the great institution behind you that played a part in making you who you are today," said the 21 year old Newark resident who is currently attending Rutgers University-Newark's Business School, as a management major.
In her valedictorian address, Morales paid homage to author Dr. Seuss, noting his book "Oh, the Places You'll Go" can be an inspiration to her and her classmates.
Caio Matias, a Biology, Pre-Medicine major originally from Brazil, served as this year's class salutatorian. A resident of Kearny, he will attend Yale University this fall. His ultimate goal is working for Doctors Without Borders.
Edwin W. Powell, an Educational Psychologist/Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Howard University, served as keynote speaker.
Photo: Shutterstock
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