Bergen Community College

In all honesty, Bergen was one of my only options. In high school I was not much of a student and was just looking for an easy way out, but when I started Bergen, I found that it was not all too easy. Still, I worked hard and got by.

Just college in itself is a great experience. Having been able to go into a classroom where I could sit with people of every race, cultural background, and age was something else. I remember taking a Western Civilization course in the summer and having a woman in the class who actually lived though the Holocaust. It was so interesting to hear her story first hand instead of reading out of a text book.

I remember meeting a deaf student at Bergen, and at the time I was only able to sign the alphabet to him to comminute. I would tell jokes in class and the translators would sign everything to him. It would often amuse me that he was the only one laughing. From then on, he and I would try to communicate before and after class, and he would teach me what he could. I decided to take courses in American Sign Language to improve my skills in speaking with him and he and I still talk to this day! I loved how diverse Bergen was; it was such a great experience to not only learn a new language but be able to communicate with someone on a different level.

Some people say Bergen is like the 13th grade but in all honesty, it is anything but that. Do not let your friends tell you that because they are in a four-year college they are getting a better education because it is all about you and the effort you choose to put into it. I started at Bergen right after high school when all my friends where attending four-year schools, but many of them did not last there because it was such a transformation from high school to living away at college. I was glad I got to experience my first years at Bergen. Now that I have graduated, I am right where I need to be. Thanks to the programs Bergen offered, I am well prepared for the next two years as I work towards my Bachelor of Social Work degree at Dominican College. Because of Bergen, I will graduate on time, I was able to experience a GREAT first 2 years of college, and I met some of the best professors and friends that I still speak with today!

Monmouth University, Dominican College. I am now a full-time student at Dominican College where I am pursuing my Bachelor of Social Work degree.

A.A.S.