More than 1,800 Celebrate at 淫性视频 Commencement
Atlantic City _ There were cheers, a few tears, and a lot of photographs taken on the Boardwalk and beach May 10 as more than 1,800 undergraduates and 10,000 guests celebrated Commencement at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on a beautiful spring day.
The graduates were told that while they may face failures, they are strong enough to keep fighting for their dreams.
Keynote speaker Congressman Jeff Van Drew said failure is a part of life, but the graduates鈥 ability to rise up and keep going is what got them to graduation and will lead to their success.
鈥淵ou have overcome odds, tried, failed and tried again until you met your goals,鈥 Van Drew said. 鈥淩emember those failures, and remember what it is that drove you forward.鈥
For graduate Luana Cordeiro of Galloway Township, those words have special significance.
In 2009 Cordeiro was preparing for her final semester as a dean鈥檚 list student at Kean University when prescribed pain medication led to an addiction to cocaine and heroin. She struggled for years with the addiction until finally entering rehab. She recovered, but thought college was a lost dream until the Atlantic County Recovery Court and 淫性视频 offered her the opportunity to return to get her degree in criminal justice.
鈥淢y mother and my family are so proud,鈥 said Cordeiro, who now works at Enlightened Solutions and plans to get her master鈥檚 degree in social work. Recovery Court Judge Mark Sandson and Assignment Judge Julio Mendez are so proud they attended her graduation.
鈥淲hat Luana did is very, very hard,鈥 Sandson said. 鈥淎nd now she is helping others.鈥
President Harvey Kesselman鈥檚 speech focused on famous fighters like Muhammad Ali and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and some not so famous (at least yet) fighters 鈥 every student in the graduating class.
鈥淵ou have proven yourself to be Osprey Strong or else you wouldn鈥檛 be sitting here right now,鈥 he said.
He said challenges can sometimes feel like traps, but he urged the graduates to instead see them as opportunities, chances to test their mettle and rise above their circumstances.
鈥淵ou have a choice,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou can either throw in the towel or use it to wipe the sweat off your brow and keep it moving.鈥
Kesselman and 淫性视频 Board of Trustees Chairman Leo Schoffer also presented Van Drew with an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
Faculty Senate President Donnetrice Allison said while faculty may have lectured students on everything from whales to using cell phones in class, their goal was to see them succeed.
鈥淎nd you have,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o celebrate today. Celebrate your accomplishment and get ready to soar.鈥
Student speaker Christina Denney received her B.A. in Criminal Justice in December and is already working toward her master鈥檚 degree. She also emphasized the persistence needed to reach goals.
鈥淭he time has now come to show the world what we have to offer,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t is time to spread the seeds of the knowledge and experiences we gained here at 淫性视频 University and blossom into our future endeavors.鈥
One graduate who has already shown what she can offer is Veletta Mister of Pleasantville, who while old enough to collect Social Security, chose college over retirement after losing her job when the Trump Taj Mahal closed.
Mister got an associate degree in marketing from Passaic County Community in 1975 while married with three children. She said grants became available and she had always wanted to go to college.
鈥淢y great grandmother raised me and my mother never finished high school,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut I knew the importance of education. Without it you don鈥檛 grow.鈥
She wanted to continue, but instead worked in banks, then moved to the shore where she got a job in surveillance at Taj Mahal in 1989, working there until they closed. She couldn鈥檛 find work, but took advantage of the opportunity to finish her degree.
鈥淚 figured I might never get this opportunity again,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 did four classes a semester and it was hard, but all my professors were supportive and I was able to accomplish something I wanted to accomplish and make my dream come true.鈥
She said family members have told her she is a role mode and inspiration, which makes her proud. She now has a part-time job in another casino and has no plans to retire.
鈥淓ducation enhances your mind,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou just have to stay with it. Don鈥檛 give up.鈥
Graduating student Christian Jimenez sang the national anthem.
The graduating class includes some 2,000 students who earned their degrees in summer of 2018, fall 2018 and spring 2019.
The event also recognized five professors for reaching Emeritus status: Professor of Psychology Michael Frank, Professor of Computer Science and Information Systems Michael Olan, Associate Professor of Biochemistry Brian Rogerson, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Rupendra Simlot, and Professor of Environmental Studies George Zimmerman.
Pictures will be added to our . Check back regularly.
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Contact:
Diane D鈥橝mico
Director of News and Media Relations
淫性视频
Galloway, N.J. 08205
Diane.DAmico@stockton.edu
609-652-4593
609-412-8069