Camden County College Graduation Set For Friday

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Camden County College graduation is set for Friday, May 12, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Truman Courtyard of the Blackwood campus, 200 College Drive in the Blackwood section of the township. Camden Mayor Dana Redd is the commencement speaker, and Camden County Technical Schools Superintendent Patricia Fitzgerald will be recognized with the college’s Distinguished Alumna Award for 2017. Tonya Gabriel will be the student speaker.

Heavy traffic is expected in the area prior to and after the graduation. Gloucester Township Police are advising drivers to avoid the area of College Drive and Peter Cheeseman Road, College Drive and Erial Road and Peter Cheeseman Road at Hickstown Road. They should seek an alternate route of travel.

Redd has a long history in politics. Since being elected mayor of Camden in 2010, she successfully transitioned the city from state takeover to local control. She led a full state intervention for the public school system to improve academic outcomes for urban youth. The state and local partnership created a “cradle to college to career” pipeline which allowed the college to work closely with the city.

Her speech will focus on the accomplishments of Camden County College students, and their great influence on the community. She is not running for re-election this year and this will be her final commencement speech as Mayor of Camden.

Gabriel’s personal story is one of resilience and patience. After dropping out of high school, Gabriel took several years to make the decision to return to school and obtain her GED. She felt embarrassed and afraid, but ultimately made the decision to go back to school while working as a Behavior Care Specialist.
For 11 years, she worked with children between the ages of 14 and 17 who struggled with psychiatric issues and behavior complexities.

“I love to see them change with proper medication, love, and care from staff,” Gabriel said.

She thrives when she sees a seemingly hopeless situation resolve, and a person comes to life. A Human Services and Drug and Alcohol Counselling major, she has earned a spot on the permanent President’s List while studying at Camden County College. She is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. After graduation, Gabriel plans to transfer to either Drexel or Rutgers-Camden to pursue her bachelor’s degree.

For More Graduate Stories Visit http://camdencc.edu/camdencc17/.

For more on Fitzgerald’s accomplishments, click here.

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