Bergen Community College

A.A

I knew that music was my calling from a very young age. My grandmother was an organ player for the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Passaic; to carry on her musical legacy, I began taking piano lessons at the age of six. When I entered third grade, I decided to broaden my horizons musically, and began studying clarinet. I developed a love for the bass clarinet, specifically, and that instrument is the primary one I still play to this day. Since then, I have played in the Passaic High School honors band and have been invited to perform in front of audiences at Rutgers University, William Paterson University, and the College of New Jersey. Most recently, I was the proud recipient of the Paul Marshall Scholarship, which is an academic scholarship awarded to one music student at Bergen, annually.

When I began researching schools online, I came across a review of Bergen that had them ranked #5 amongst all community colleges in the nation. This impressed me a great deal. Although, I would have to spend more money per credit as an out-of-county student, it was still significantly less than I would have spent attending a four-year college or university right out of high school.

Two things: 1) Don’t be afraid to get out there and meet your peers. I waited a long time before opening up to the people at this college, but since I have, I’ve met a ton of great people. 2) Get involved beyond the classroom. I regret not getting involved in extracurricular activities until very late in my college years. I found the pop-rock ensemble to be a great club to get involved with, and I wish I was aware of their existence, earlier on.

The vocal workshop class I took last semester was great. Prior to taking this class, I was very self-conscious about my singing ability. The course turned out to be just what I needed and it helped me hone and refine my vocal talents.