Hillsborough Student Graduates Summa Cum Laude From RVCC

BRANCHBURG, NJ — Close to 1,300 graduates were awarded associate degrees and certificates from Raritan Valley Community College during the commencement on May 13.

Thomas H. Kean, who served as Governor of New Jersey from 1982-1990, Chairman of the 9/11 Commission and President of Drew University, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree during the ceremony.

The program featured RVCC student commencement speaker Joseph (Joe) Hamilton of Fanwood, formerly of Bridgewater.

Hamilton is a married father with a toddler and stepson who first started his college journey at RVCC 10 years ago after graduating from Bridgewater-Raritan High School. Hamilton struggled academically and didn’t know what he wanted to study.

After taking a break for several years, Hamilton says his life and priorities changed when he met his now wife who had a young child. He decided education was really his passion, so he returned to RVCC. His grades improved dramatically, and Hamilton even made dean’s list his past two semesters at RVCC. Hamilton plans to continue his studies and eventually teach high school social studies or science.

Thomas Valasek of Clinton, Professor of Communication & Film Studies, delivered the faculty commencement address. Valasek, who is retiring after 48 years with the College, has taught classes in three different academic departments and has been instrumental in developing RVCC's Communication Studies and Film Studies programs.

His academic achievements include Princeton Mid-Career Fellowships and international research exchanges and a J. William Fulbright Fellowship to the Czech Republic. His books include The Confident Speaker's Handbook and Frameworks: An Introduction to Film Studies. Valasek has served as an academic Department Chair multiple times and as Interim Dean of Faculty.

The other graduates speaking during commencement included Jenna Douglas, Juan Prada-Ojeda and Kristine Bulava.

Bulava, a resident of Basking Ridge who came to the US from Latvia to work as an au pair, delivered a welcome to the graduates. She recently was named a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact for her service learning work, and she was honored by the New Jersey Council of County Colleges as one of the state’s top community college students during its annual Phi Theta Kappa Day celebration.

The General Business major has organized fundraising events for the hungry and displaced as Vice President of Scholarship and Service for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. As President of RVCC’s Enactus club, she taught disadvantaged youth how to operate a small business.

Jenna Douglas of Bridgewater, a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School, introduced Governor Kean. The Social Science major, who is enrolled in RVCC’s Honors College, has excelled academically at RVCC and has been named to both the president’s list and dean’s list. Douglas served as a Student Ambassador and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the Rotaract Club. She also traveled with Rotaract to Nepal in January to distribute donated school supplies and engage in community projects.

Juan Prada-Ojeda of Hillsborough, a native of Colombia, is an Engineering Science major who started his education at RVCC taking English as a Second Language classes. Prada-Ojeda, who is graduating Summa Cum Laude, introduced the faculty speaker.

Prada-Ojeda is a Galileo Scholar and member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society who has received several awards including the Vincent Bodino Math Achievement Award and the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Mentor Award. He was a member of the College’s Cross Country team.

This year’s class includes the first cohort of 11 students graduating from the Somerville Academy for Liberal Arts (SALA), a partnership between Somerville High School and RVCC. Launched in fall 2013, the Academy offers students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to earn both a Somerville High School diploma and an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from RVCC.

Students in the full-time program take classes at both their high school and at RVCC. The graduates will be transferring to a number of prestigious four-year colleges and universities including Tufts University, Drexel University, the University of Massachusetts and Drew University.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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