Caldwell Area Students Earn Degrees: Essex County College Holds 2016 Commencement

CALDWELL, 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 Caldwell area residents were graduates of the class of 2016.

CALDWELL

• Luz Cortes
• Jessie Duroseau
• Keenan Flack
• Marina Forlenza
• Gianna Vandenberg

FAIRFIELD

• John Gray
• Nicholas Guizio
• Nikolas Petrovski
• Claudia Rios
• Pasquale Rizzo
• Julissa Shine
• Marylisa Vitiello
• Nicholas Wolff

NORTH CALDWELL

• Nicos Nicolaou
• Peter Pfaff

ROSELAND

• Christopher Hill
• Donald Short

WEST CALDWELL

• Edwin Blas
• Hanna Bocchini
• Natalia Brown
• Ney Paucar

This year's class included 260 students graduating with Honors, High Honors and Highest Honors, according to a college news release.

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.

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.

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