Bergen Community College Commencement Moved To YouTube

PARAMUS, NJ — In what the school is calling the most "unique" graduation ceremony in its history, Bergen Community College will move the 2020 commencement ceremony online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a release from the school, the ceremony will stream live on YouTube on Monday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony was originally scheduled at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford for the same day.

The event will try to replicate an in-person commencement, as there will be remarks from government officials — including Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III and Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders Chair Mary Amoroso — and the reading of graduates names.

College officials also believe there to be advantages to the online commencement, according to the release, as family and friends from around the world can watch the ceremony in real-time.

CLASS OF 2020

The Bergen Community College class of 2020 features more than 2,000 candidates for graduation, according to the release. Among the distinguished graduates are valedictorian Maciej Szajwaj, of Wallington, and Student Government President Bernadette Duran, of Bergenfield.

60 students in the class of 2020 hold a 4.0 GPA, and other members of the graduating class include two New Jersey All-State Academic Team honorees — Jenna Santacroce, Saddlebrook, and Eirsa Ganellari, Garfield — and members of the Turning Point Program, a program for students with intellectual disabilities.

HOW TO WATCH

Slated for May 18 at 5:30 p.m.,the commencement ceremony is available to stream on the Bergen Community College YouTube channel, or on any of the college's official social media channels.