Page 1 April 2017

Volume LV Issue 2 The Student Newspaper of Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ April 2017

VISIONS P C C C ’ s

By Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw By Katherine Tapia

Alpha Eta Chi Takes Home Gold at Regional Convention

By Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw

Arrival, Settling In

From March 16-19, 2017, PCCC’s Alpha Eta Chi chapter participated in Phi Theta Kappa’s (PTK) Middle States 30th Regional Conven-tion in Long Branch, NJ. The Phi Theta Kap-pa Middle States Region in-cludes chapters from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the Dis-trict of Colombia, and has 80 chapters. This year, the Mid-dle States Region is celebrat-ing its 30th anniversary at Re-gional Convention. The 30th annual Re-gional Convention was a cel-ebration and recognition of all the chapters’ success and work within the region. Six members of Alpha Eta Chi attend-ed Regional Convention: President Rayniery Gomez, Treasurer Alex Medina-Sosa, Histo-rian Yemely Ventura, Ryan Puebla, Student

Government Association (SGA) Vice-President Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw and SGA Treasurer Cameron Ameye, along with Alpha Eta Chi’s advisor, Professor Jennifer Gasparino. The chapter members and their advisor arrived at the Ocean Place Hotel and Resort late Thursday afternoon, after spending the morning

preparing for the three-day trip.

Thursday Night, Ice Breaker

On Thursday night, Al-pha Eta Chi, along with sev-eral other chapters from the region, participated in the first round of activities, which was the Middle States Open Mic Night hosted by Brookdale Community College’s Alpha Pi Theta chapter. Chapter members sang karaoke, recited poetry and rap lyrics. Members from Al-pha Eta Chi did a rendition of High School Musical’s “What I’ve Been Looking For.” “It was a really great ice

breaker,” Historian Yemely Ventura, 19, who is a biology major, commented about Open Mic Night. “It was also another great way to show-case talent besides academia. I met a lot of stu-dents from other chapters too.”

On a hot, summer day in 1999 in Kingston, Jamaica, a young boy sits on the stairs of his parents’ house in the housing complex, eating a bowl of por-ridge. He waits to see the neighbors’ chil-dren in the compound come outside so he can go and play in the dirt or a game of mar-bles. Two men en-ter the compound and approach a man sit-ting on his porch; the man jumps up and is shot in his head, his chest and his stom-ach. The man suffered nine gunshot wounds to his body. The young boy drops his bowl of porridge, runs upstairs into his house, locks the door and hides under his parents’ bed. He sees his mother cowering under the bed as well. For the majority of his child-hood and adolescence, this is the young boy’s reality: widespread gun violence, a heavy militarized police

force, poverty, and a corrupt govern-ment. The young boy dreams of escaping such conditions and moving towards a life of comfort and suc-cess. Eighteen years later, O’Shane D. Wil-liams, 24, is about to graduate with honors with an Associate’s degree in Studio Arts. His journey getting to graduation, however, was not easy. Williams came to America when he was 17 years old in 2010 with his mother and older sister. The family moved into his grandmother’s house in Paterson, but they did not receive their

official state and federal documents, so they were not able to work. Although adjusting to their new life in America was a challenge, they preferred it over their life back in Jamaica. “Living there was not easy,” Williams recalled. “Living in Jamaica is expensive.

Women’s History Month is celebrated every year throughout the month of March. During this month, people ac-knowledged the ever growing and remarkable presence of women in the arts, culture, his-tory, economics, politics, sci-ences, and other disciplines. Courageous woman-hood and its significance is celebrated. This aims to bring awareness to the contributions women make to society and hu-manity in different fields. Passaic County Com-munity College (PCCC) wanted to be part of this powerful cele-bration. Women’s History Month Opening Ceremony took place on March 2nd, 2017 in the Paterson Room at the main campus. It was orga-nized to bring a mes-sage of respect, and to encourage wom-en to keep moving forward. This celebra-tion marked the be-ginning of a month in which people re-membered the strug-

gle that women have faced throughout history to be grant-ed the equal status they deserve alongside their male counter-parts. Women still continue this fight every day. The theme for this year’s celebration was dedicat-ed to honor trailblazing women in labor and business. PCCC found suitable representatives in Professors Lucia Gheorghiu and Khloud Kourani from the business department, who were invited as speakers. The ceremony was well attended. Each speaker contributed a unique perspec-tive on the qualities and val-ues found in womenhood from their personal angle. Profes-sors Gheorghiu and Kourani

News............................Pages 1-9 Profiles.........................Page 9 Art................................Page 10 Features........................Pages 10-12 Opinion...........................Page 12 Business Club..............Page 12

In This IssueWilliams at the Phi Theta Kappa

Induction Ceremony on May 20, 2015.

Alpha Eta Chi accepts the Five-Star Chapter Plan Award. From left to right: Cameron Ameye, Rayniery Gomez, Alex Medina-Sosa, Ryan Puebla, Yemely Ventura, Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw,

and former Maryland State President Azaria Gallo. Photo credit: Jason Aguila

Overcoming Potential and Reaching Success

Women’s History Month Opening Ceremony

(Continued on page 4)

(Continued on page 3)

Continued on Page 2)

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Friday Morning, Race to Completion

On Friday morning, Alpha Eta Chi hosted their Race to Completion game, which was an informational resource fair for students to learn about the services and departments their colleges provide. Students from different chapters got into groups of five and had to “race” their way to graduation. Challenges involving PTK trivia and projects were incor-porated into the game. One of the game’s attendees, Alli Allocco, 19, serves as the Public Re-lations officer for the County Col-lege of Morris’ Alpha Kappa Kappa chapter. She lauded the game’s orga-nization and purpose. “I really felt as though the game was a great way to open my eyes to

the endless resources community colleges have to offer their students,” Allocco commented. “The game really motivated me to get started on my resume and start thinking about the transfer process, as well as what resources I can utilize to achieve these things at my own college. [Alpha Eta Chi] did an awesome job!”

The chapter was also met with a personal surprise: former Alpha Eta Chi President and PCCC alum Miguel DeJesus joined the chapter members for the weekend. “It was an enjoyable experience. It was a different look when I was just a member,” DeJesus exclaimed, who is now an English major at Seton Hall University. “I was more involved behind the scenes, helping to make sure the members’ experience was memorable.”

Friday Evening, Commencement

of Individual Awards

On Friday evening, the Middle States Regional officer candidates campaigned and presented their speeches, followed by chapter roll call and the distribution of individual awards. Three chapter members were recognized for their completion of the Five-Star Competitive Edge devel-opmental program: Ryan Puebla, Yaritza Valencia, Serenity Coleburn and Alexis Hofmann. After individual awards were distributed, students were led into a ballroom for the dinner dance and celebration.

Saturday Morning: Workshops and College Fair Luncheon

On Saturday morning, chapters attended several workshop ses-sions that discussed topics such as Honors in Action, College Project, how to become a Five-Star chapter, and recognizing obstacles chapter members face in their organization. During lunch, the Middle States Region hosted a college fair lun-cheon, where students had the opportunity to meet with over fifty colleges in the region and speak to admissions counselors. Later that evening, the Middle States Region commenced the 30th Annual Gala Awards and Ceremony. The Gala Awards distributed awards to chapters and their advisors. Professor Gasparino was awarded the Paragon Advisor Award for her outstanding work as the chapter advisor.

Gala Awards: Receiving the Gold

“Having the opportunity to bring students to the Middle States Regional Convention is one of the best experiences as an Advisor,” Pro-fessor Gasparino stated. PCCC’s Alpha Eta Chi chapter also won the Middle States Gold Award for their involvement in the region and maintaining a 5-Star Ex-ecutive Board; Middle States Region Five-Star Chapter Plan for their en-gagement in the local, regional and national level; and the Distinguished College Project Award for their outstanding development of the project, which was the Get to Graduation Game held back in October 2016.

Closing Quotes

Ryan Puebla, 19, who is a psychology major, stated his experience at the Regional Convention was “transformative.” “I have met many other people [at Regional Convention] who are ambitious and knowledgeable in various subjects,” Puebla commented. “My perspective changed which allowed me to see the opportunities one has, being a part of the Phi Theta Kappa community.” Cameron Ameye, 24, and a Human Services major, shared his ex-perience at Convention as an “educational and interactive experience.” “Phi Theta Kappa members had the opportunity to network and collaborate with other chapters,” Ameye said. “The conference gave me the sense of fellowship.” Although Regional Convention was a huge success for Alpha Eta Chi, the chapter sets its sights higher: Phi Theta Kappa International Cat-alyst Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Four chapter members will be attending Catalyst from April 5-9, 2017: Executive Public Relations Officer O’Shane Williams, Alpha Eta Chi Secretary Doris Pagan, Honors in Action Co-Chair Zenya Koprowski and Public Relations Officer Kenny Juarez. The chapter hopes to present even more awards and recognitions at their Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, April 19th from 6-8 P.M. in the college’s gymnasium.

News

(Continued from page 1)

Faculty Staff Advisor:Dr. Christine Redman Waldeyer

Co-Editors-in-Chief:Lismery LunaKatherine Tapia

Layout:Albert Bustos

Contributing Writers:Tabitha-Anne BloodsawMartina FrascaAla HammoudaStephany HeilbronDaisy NegronMatthew RedlingJarryn SolisJulian SolisSha’Cora WellsKwaisi Wright

Contact us at:visions@pccc.edu

Alpha Eta Chi Takes Home Gold at Regional Convention

(Continued on page 3)

Alpha Eta Chi’s “Race to Completion” participants celebrated their “graduation”, waving their diplomas in the air. Photo Credit: Professor Jennifer Gasparino.

From left to right: PCCC Alum and former Alpha Eta Chi President Miguel DeJesus, Cameron Ameye, Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw, Yemely Ventura, and

Ryan Puebla at the Regional Convention General Sessions Friday evening.

Professor Jennifer Gasparino (center) holding the Paragon Advisor Award. From left to right: Linda Gronberg-Quinn, Associate Regional Coordinator of Maryland ; Pattie Van Atter, Middle States Regional Coordinator; Professor Jennifer Gasparino, Alpha Eta Chi Advisor; John Ortiz, Associate Regional

Coordinator of New Jersey; Sarah Iepson, Associate Regional Coordinator of Pennsylvania. Photo credit: Jason Aguila.

Page 3 April 2017

It was hard to get by a lot of the time; my par-ents worked multiple jobs just to put me through school.” Williams learned about PCCC after his aunt told him about local colleges in the area, and decided to enroll in the fall of 2011; he was

the first person to go to college in his family. He was charged out-of-state tuition because he had not been a resident of the state for at least six months. He was eligible for financial aid, but it did not cover the finances. Williams took classes full-time as an en-gineering science major, as he had hopes to pursue a career in indus-trial design. “I liked the college and I was doing well,” Williams stated. Considering his future plans, Williams researched four-year universities to transfer to and was advised by admissions counselors to major in an art and design based program instead of engineering. At the same time, Wil-liams’ grandmother filed for bank-ruptcy. The family had to move out of her house by January 2012, and quickly had to find work to support themselves. Williams had to take a hiatus from school in or-der to work two part-time jobs. In the fall of 2014, Wil-liams returned to PCCC. He checked the college’s website and saw a new art program offered, which was the one needed for his career. He enrolled back into classes part-time and majored in Studio Arts. “The classes were tough, but really good,” Williams re-called of his Studio Arts class-es. “The classes were long and involved a lot of drawing. We were learning a lot of drawing techniques and artistic styles.” Williams also received an invitation to join Alpha Eta Chi, a chapter of Phi Theta Kap-pa (PTK), which is an international Honors So-ciety for students in two-year colleges who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above. He accepted the invitation and was inducted in May 2015, but was not an active member—until spring 2016. Williams began to attend PTK chapter

meetings sporadically, but was urged by the chapter’s advisor, Professor Jennifer Gasparino, to become more involved. “Professor Gasparino would come into the Gateway Center where I worked and would ask me if I was coming to the meetings,” Wil-

liams commented. “I felt like I was too busy. I was working a lot; I had two jobs and my mind was set to just go to school and get out. I wasn’t thinking about getting involved.” Miguel DeJesus, the former President of Alpha Eta Chi, encouraged Williams to run

for office and become a Public Relations officer. By the end of the spring 2016 semester, he was appointed as the Exec-utive Public Relations Officer. Williams also volun-teered to be the chief usher for the Induction Ceremony that May. He was tasked to direct the inductees into the proces-sion and he helped with re-hearsals. In the summer of 2016, Williams was appointed to be one of the four co-chairs of Phi Theta Kappa’s College Project. The College Project is a college-wide event or pro-gram initiated by the chapter that promotes college com-pletion. The chapter’s project was the Get to Graduation Game, which was held in Oc-tober 2016 in the college’s gymnasium. “It was a great experi-ence,” Williams said. “It was a lot of hard work, especially trying to organize the game. It really gave me the chance to apply myself to something,

and to step up and deliver for my fellow chapter members.” During the fall of 2016, Williams’ GPA was below a 3.5, and worked to try to get it back. He was taking two honors classes, one of which was writing-intensive. “I had to put more effort into my classwork to get it back up, and I did it.” Williams also was one of the commit-tee members for the PCCC Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa 5K Run for Completion, which was meant to raise money for scholarships. He volunteered at the event in October from 6 A.M.

until noon, distributing cups of water to partici-pants. Professor Gasparino also asked Williams to be one of the two student liaisons for the New Jersey Community College Completion Corps (NJC4) Conference in October to discuss col-

lege completion with Phi Theta Kappa Middle States Regional advisors. Williams also led ad campaigns in both the fall and spring semesters during PTK Aware-ness Week, posting flyers on campus and creat-ing buttons to raise awareness about PTK. He has volunteered at bake sales and has spoken to freshmen in College Success classes about the chapter. Williams was nominated by his chapter to receive the Distinguished Chapter Member Award on the regional level and the internation-al level, competing against thousands of com-munity college students. Although he did not attend the Phi The-ta Kappa Middle States Regional Convention, Williams was recognized as a “Hall of Fame” member and the 2nd Most Distinguished Chap-ter Member in the region, which encompass-es over 80 chapters in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Williams was also one of four students chosen to attend PTK’s International Catalyst Convention from April 5-9, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. He described Convention as being “inspiring.”

“The workshops I attended helped me to learn a lot about myself, including things I can apply outside of school,” Williams commented. Williams was one of the 31 students to receive the Distinguished Chapter Member Award at the International Catalyst Convention. “It meant a lot to me because it confirmed that hard work does pay off.” Williams credits much of his academic and artistic success to Professor Rachel Bomze and Professor Mary Dajnak; they helped him improve his drawing skills and find tutoring jobs on campus. Williams attributes his leadership development to Professor Gasparino. “Professor Gasparino sees the potential in me to be a good leader and she pushes me by giving me certain responsibil-ities and putting me in positions to lead.”Williams received his acceptance from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), which was one of his top-choice schools. “I felt like I would never to be able to get into a program like

News

Alpha Eta Chi Takes Home Gold at Regional Convention(Continued from page 2)

Overcoming Potential and Reaching Success

Alpha Eta Chi receives the Distinguished College Project Award. From left to right: Cameron Ameye, Alex Medina-Sosa,

Rayniery Gomez, Yemely Ventura, Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw, Ryan Puebla, and former

Middle States Regional Officer Joseph Artu.

(Continued on page 4)

PCCC student O’Shane Williams discusses overcoming obstacles and being recognized internationally by Phi Theta Kappa.

Alpha Eta Chi pictured at Eastside Park in Paterson for the 5K Run for Completion on October 22, 2016.

(Continued from page 1)

Williams walking across the stage at the PTK International Catalyst Convention receiving his medal as

the Distinguished Chapter Member on April 7, 2017.

Photo Credit: Jason Aguila.

Page 4 April 2017

that at NJIT. But now, I can stop doubting myself and I can be confident in who I am as an artist, a student, and as a leader. It just feels really good when all the work pays off.” He plans to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design (B.I.D) at NJIT, then a Master of Fine Arts in Transportation (M.F.A) to pursue a career as an automotive designer. His dream is to work for Mercedes-Benz and design model cars. As Williams’ academic career at PCCC comes to an end, he shares advice with students who may be struggling with the same obstacles he faced as a student leader, as a first-generation college student, and as an

immigrant. “Never give up hope because if someone like me, considering where I am from and what I’ve been through, can come to America to pursue a career that didn’t even exist in my own coun-try, then I believe anyone can achieve their goals if they work hard enough.”

News

Overcoming Potential and Reaching Success(Continued from page 3)

On Tuesday March 28th, 4 students grad-uated from the food service training program here at Passaic County Community College. The momentous occasion took place in the Paterson Room from 1-3pm. The training program is an introductory course in the culinary arts. It provides the opportunity for students to learn the basic principles of professional kitchen techniques. The students learn to identify tools and equipment of a commercial kitchen. They will also learn the different types of cooking meth-ods, product identification, and recipe interpre-tation. Also, they will be introduced to fabri-cating various protein products, vegetable and starch cookery. Moreover, the program covers a number of topics, such as history of the food service in-dustry, standards of professionalism, culinary terminology and math. Also covered is an intro-duction to kitchen cleaning to build knowledge on how to maintain a clean and safe environ-ment. The training will enable the student to undertake and complete ServSafe®, a food safe-ty and sanitation course administered by the NRAEF or the national restaurant association educational foundation.

The program’s goal is to prepare their students for an entry level position in the food service industry. The final step in the program requires the student to complete a 120 hour in-ternship in order to obtain a real life, hands-ex-perience. Consequently, the internship allows stu-dents to practice in a real life setting –no dummies or simulations for them. Graduating from the program allows its students to work in any station anywhere in the world. Completing the hands-on course counts as six months of industry experience. After, graduates will be able to begin a career in the food service industry, with many opportunities for progression. Students in the food service program give a hand assisting in catering. That includes all events on campus that offer any sort of re-freshments for attendees. They also train in sani-tation safety-which teaches food safety and han-dling. Before the ceremony began, there was a slide show displaying all past graduates and where they headed after they finished the pro-gram. The four graduates were Kelton Webb, Elona Cook, Tyleaka Price, and Abdel Hamoad. Each of the graduates got offers from

places such as Chipotle, Marriot Hotels, IPHOP, Soul Food Factory, and Stop & Shop. Each of the graduates gave heartfelt and compelling speeches that detailed each of their experiences with PCCC and the program. Members of the audience, proud family and friends, can imagine and place themselves in their shoes – “Do you best. We will teach you everything. Everything will come in time. Just do your best. It’s been the best experiences in my life,” Webb said. “Here I became a part of this family. You can’t put a value on that” Price said and Cook agreed. The graduates gave advice to the current students: keep relationships alive, networking is the key. A few of the graduates agreed that Ha-moad, a fellow graduate was a precision cutter, “I don’t know anyone who can cut as well as he can,” Webb stated. Moreover, fellow alumni were also there to congratulate and give their best to the gradu-ates, as well as to network. The ceremony finished with each of the graduates cutting the cake, homemade by the head teacher, Robert Eckert. If interested in the Food Service training and ServSafe® Certification Program here at PCCC, please call this number at 973-684-6153.

Food Service Training Program Graduation: A time to move forward By Lismery Luna

Women’s History Month Opening Ceremonyshared powerful messages through glimpses into some of their own life journeys. Professor Kourani spoke about the importance of courage. Courage for women to be them-selves, explore different things in life, and to dare to indulge in some divergent thinking. She connected the importance of trying different things – even different disciplines of study – with a breakage of con-straining molds and predefined roles that society expects women to fulfill. She noted that women should give themselves the oppor-tunity to do more as they strive for excellence and personal fulfillment. Having the bravery of breaking away from absurd limitations al-lows women to dream and live their lives to the fullest. It grants them the opportunity to explore a vast ar-ray of possibilities, to reveal their true selves and experience more. She also encouraged the use of creativity and willingness to try different things as means to get the most out of life. Professor Kourani knows and understands firsthand how ful-

filling and challenging it is to dare to explore more than one role at a time as a woman. Through insights into her own journey, she showed the audience how curiosity and non-conformism can pave the way to a fruitful life. A mother herself, profes-sor Kourani has waltzed through being a parent, a musician, a pro-fessor, and a business woman. Her empowering message of the many roles women may pursue encour-aged the audience to seek and embrace diversity, and dare to do more. Professor Gheorghiu en-gaged the audience in a different way. While speaking to everyone present, she spoke directly to wom-en. She shared her personal experi-ence, but focused primarily on how women should care for themselves. She acknowledged that women go through many challeng-es in the modern world. However, she also pointed at the many joys and the beauty that holding the title of being a woman bears. She noted that women tend to care for others, but often neglect their own selves. Therefore, she provided the audi-

ence with brief guidelines on some things that should matter to wom-en. Professor Gheorghiu brought in a message that com-pelled women to enjoy every day of their lives while planning, seize every opportunity made available to them, give without reserves, be truth seekers, and enroll in a life-long journey of learning and explo-ration. She encouraged them to perform at the best of their capac-ities, never settle for less than what they are truly capable of. She also asked them to dare to raise their voice against injustice while being wise and prudent, listen to others, and give and ask for help when needed. She urged women to de-mand respect from others, and not let anybody hurt them in any way. She also reminded them of the im-portance of caring for themselves and their needs first while being kind to all, including themselves. She advised them to follow their passion and work on some-thing that they enjoy, and in case they could not, to still give the best

of them. She asked women never to judge, and love fully and unreserv-edly. She asked them as well to for-give so they heal, but to not forget, so they learn. Professor Gheorghiu spoke as well about how important it is for women to remember that they are part of a whole, not isolated en-tities. She stated that women are never alone. They are bonded with one another in an everlasting sister-hood, in addition to being a daugh-ter, a mother, or a sister to someone. Therefore, women must always bear in mind that their actions car-ry a weigh on themselves, and are observed by those who surround them. The presentations were as unique as the presenters were. Every presentation was powerful on itself, and emphasized the val-ue of women and how they strive for equality and righteousness ev-ery day. To learn more about the impact of women in history, visit http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ or http://www.nwhp.org/

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Page 5 April 2017

On March 23, 2017, the Student Govern-ment Association held their monthly town hall meeting on PCCC’s main campus theater. In at-tendance were members of the Student Program-ming Committee, President of PCCC, Dr. Rose and many students. Also, there was a live feed present of the Wanaque Campus, and Passaic campus. To open up the meeting was SGA speak-er Pruvi Pierre. She opened with a discussion re-garding plans for an event that may be coming soon in April at the college. The event is a soli-tary rally. The reason for this rally is to support and come together as a college. The SGA plans to in-crease enrollment and show support for each oth-er. Plans are to have all clubs and organizations

in attendance as well to promote themselves and show support for the community. Next SGA candidates for office elections were introduced. For vice president candidates, we have Saray Calderin and Quindaya S. Wil-liams. Also, there is one candidate for speaker, Ase Awari. A debate for vice president was held on Monday April 3rd between the two candi-dates. SGA President Ramona Padilla spoke on the organization’s goals – They want to create more spaces and renovations to campuses like the meditation room on the main PCCC campus. As another part of the SGA goals to sup-port social justice and unity on campus they would like students to participate in a project that is called “Hidden Figures.”

Students are encouraged to make a two-minute video to recognize hidden figures on campus. Students are to film any staff, or or-ganization member at PCCC who goes above and beyond in their duty or really stands out to them. Students that participate can send their submissions to sga@pccc.edu with subject title “PCCC’s Hidden Figures Video” with reason for why the person they picked. Last that was mentioned at meeting was PCCC Shuttle day, a day where students take a shuttle to Wanaque campus to take a tour and see what the campus offers. Also, the dates for the PTK Induction ceremony on April 19th, SGA & Athletics Award Ceremony on April 20th.

On March 2nd and 3rd, 2017, PCCC’s Nursing Student Organization (NSO) attended the 65th Annual New Jersey Nursing Students (NJNS) Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. NSO members Sasha Ka-taw, Daisy Negron, Rachel Martes, Yestel Palma, Ewelina Ciampi, and Beata Wolska assisted in organiz-ing registration and focus sessions with speakers, and most impor-tantly represented Passaic Coun-ty Community College’s lauded Nursing Education Program. These members volun-teered at the convention as moni-tors and Sasha Kataw served as the delegate. As a delegate, she was mandated to attend all the House of Delegate meetings. At these meetings, she was taught parlia-mentary procedures, was able to vote for the new executive board members of the NJNS and had the opportunity to recommend and vote on any changes to the NJNS bylaws and resolutions. This year’s resolution focused on the importance of education on the use of opioid medication and the associated risks of depen-dence on such medication. The resolution will be presented by the NJNS Executive Board at the NSNA (National Student Nurses Associa-tion) convention in April to be held in Texas. Kataw stated, “I enjoyed my first House of Delegates meeting. I was able to ex-press any concerns in regards to the bylaws and resolution. It felt great to be able to pro-vide input and make a difference.” The convention for NJNS is consid-ered to be one of the largest student nurse con-ventions in the country, comprised of nursing students from various nursing programs in New Jersey (diploma, associate’s and bachelor’s degree). The convention allows student nurses to network, learn, grow and share their current student experienc-es, putting the nursing school experi-ence in a new perspective. As Martes mentioned, “It helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel.” The convention consisted of numerous educational sessions with various topics throughout the day such

as, “Things I Wish I Would Have Known on my First Day as an RN,” “Nurses Saving Lives: Strategies for Student and Graduate Nurse Success” and “Social Media and the Nurse: What Could Go Wrong.” The convention also provid-ed an opportunity to participate in NCLEX (National Council Licen-sure Examination) reviews. This was great to help prepare students for licensure. Wolska stated, “I even learned information I am going to need next semester.” Another great part of the convention was being able to meet with representatives from various undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Palma stated, “I was so happy to finally speak to a represen-tative from a top-picked University for my Bachelor’s Degree. She an-swered all the questions I had.” After completing an Asso-

ciate’s Degree, nursing students will need to continue their education, so this was a great way for exploring various options. Ciampi also stated, “We all left feeling a little less stressed knowing there are more of us out there, and even more prepared for the future.” Both the monitors and the delegates devel-oped valuable leadership skills at this year’s convention and hoped that sharing their expe-rience encourages future nursing students to step out of their comfort zone and get involved. Go to job fairs, school fairs, and school events to meet faculty, fellow students and potential future employers. Network, share, let your voice be heard. Join your local (NSO), state (NJNS), and national (NSNA) students and get involved today. I was so happy to meet the representative from Atlantic Health System who encouraged

me to apply for their Hire Learning Residency and Externship Program. Just what I was looking for!

65th Annual New Jersey Nursing Students (NJNS) Convention

Solidarity and Unity at PCCC: PCCC March Town Hall Meeting

News

By Daisy Negron

By Matthew Redling

Sasha Kataw, Daisy Negron

Post House of Delegates meeting Starting from Left: Daisy Negron (White shirt), Rachel Martes, Yestel Palma,

Post House of Delegates Meeting Starting from Left: Daisy Negron (White shirt), Rachel Martes, Yestel Palma,

Ewelina Ciampi, Sasha Kataw, and Beata Wolska

Page 6 April 2017News

SGA Student Town Hall Meeting: February 2017By Lismery Luna

SGA Secretary Kimberly Steed celebrating her induction in Phi Theta Kappa

The Student Town Hall Meeting on February 16, 2017 commenced at 1:10 pm. All mem-bers of the Student Government Association and several members from other clubs and organizations were present for the meeting Special Guest Speaker Professor Nina-Alsbrook Jackson spoke to the audience about some current issues in black education that pertains to African American History Month. Professor Alsbrook-Jack-son spoke on three important top-ics, which were, the importance of choosing a legacy/narrative, the unification of the Diaspora, and building a collective responsibility for cultural identity and social im-pact

To see more on Professor Alsbrook-Jackson clarification on the Diaspora and her insights, refer to “Guest Speaker Professor Als-brook-Jackson on “the diaspora” on page “ ”. SGA speaker Pruvi Pierre continued the meeting with the speaker news and updates, which are that the speakers and senators are trying to promote the town hall meetings, and to push for social justice. The senators and speaker would also like for more students to be involved. The senators are assisting in getting the information out on campus, assisting in getting the in-formation in to SGA, so that SGA can make any necessary changes in PCCC. Current affairs included working on the Wanaque campus and its cafeteria. The senators and speaker’s main goals are to make everyone feel welcome and safe on campus, especially with Donald Trump’s travel ban in full effect. President Ramona Padilla spoke next on the updates from her end. Padilla stated that last semester, fall 2016, the SGA had a few goals. Now, they have accomplished two of them. The goals were to encour-age students to vote, increase so-cial justice and raise money for the SGA scholarship. She emphasized that the current issues, social issues affect all of us, in one way or anoth-er. President Padilla also stated that “It’s just impossible for me, for us to ignore those things.” The Student Government Association tried to gather a letter together for the students but they still need to work out the technical/administrative details. However, they will try to send a message to the student body that “we are with them, we understand what is going on, even though we are not from the same culture, or the same race,” SGA President Padilla stated. President Padilla empha-

sized the importance of standing in solidarity with those who are targeted, to not participate in disre-spectful language and if you see or hear something, contact SGA or the Dean of the College. SGA & Pas-saic County Community College are trying to send the message that intolerance of any kind will not be accepted from anyone. “Now it’s happening to them, tomorrow it’s going to hap-pen to the Latinos, tomorrow it’s going to happen to the African Americans, so we don’t want that in our school,” President Padilla stated, in reference to the Muslim travel ban. Next, President Padilla con-tinued with other updates. SGA has been working on fixing and updat-

ing rooms on campus. The Director of SGA and President Padilla, as well as all members of SGA met with The Director of Facilities. They got the paperwork and technicalities fin-ish and now they are working on buying the paint, furniture’s, etc. to make the game room look great. President Padilla hopes that every-thing gets done by this semester, so that those who are graduating can get to see it. The next update on the agenda was the announcement of a prayer room on campus. Unfor-tunately, Public Institutions, like PCCC are not allowed to have a prayer room, However, it is to be called a mediation room instead. The mediation room hasn’t been used lately because it was used for storage. Now, if anyone wants to use the mediation room, you guide whoever needs it to the basement room of the Hamilton Hall Build-ing. If anyone has any questions on this, please contact SGA about it. President Padilla stressed the importance of getting involved if you can. There are so events host-ed by different departments going on, that may interest any student on campus. Two events that President Padilla mentioned were the African American Closing Ceremony, The Woman’s History Month Opening Ceremony and The Center of Vi-olence & Prevention has a healthy relationship workshop as well. The last important update was the financial aid deadlines. The deadlines for the State of New Jer-sey has changed all the deadlines. Before, a student was supposed to submit an application by June 1st, now the deadline is April 15th. The SGA elections Rep-resentative also made some an-nouncements. Positions were still open for anyone interested in join-ing SGA. President Padilla made a fi-nal announcement. SGA is hosting

an SGA scholarship, and they need our help. The goal for SGA is $500 dollars, and they have raised $171 dollars. If any students have any ideas on how to raise more money, please reach out to treasurer Cam-eron Ameye. Vice-President Tabitha-Anne Bloodsaw gave the Vice-Pres-ident updates next. For the SGA staff, they have been working on a 30-day challenge for social justice goals. The staff is still choosing a topic from gender violence to rac-ism to islamophobia. SGA is having its staff meeting next Thursday and if anyone is interested; the meeting runs from 11:30-12:30 in Memorial Hall m332. Next update was more of a warning. There have been some

ICE raids in Passaic, a week ago. So if anyone knows anyone who lives in that area or friends’/ fam-ily members, SGA advises people to be careful and to spread the mes-sage to those who might be affect-ed. Vice-President Bloodsaw asked if anyone is interested in run-ning for elections. The vote was 3 people were interested. Another announcement Vice-President Bloodsaw made was for Phi Theta Kappa. Professor Gasparino wanted to let interested students that the induction ceremo-ny will be in April 19th not May. If awaiting membership, you need to accept by April 15th to be part of the ceremony. Treasurer Ameye gave the updates from his front. SGA has been looking at new dates for meet-ing – Treasurer Ameye has sent a doodle to all members of SGA, the next meeting they looked at was February 24th at 1:45-2:45pm. SGA will be doing some fundrais-ing for the scholarship previously mentioned. They would still like for students to reach out with any ideas, or help them in any way. Secretary Kimberly Steed gave the secretary updates after. The annual SGA Athletics award ceremony will be taking place on April 20th; however, Secretary Steed needs more people, so if in-terested please reach out to Secre-tary steed to know what joining the committee is about. Marcos Salazar, President of the Graphic Design/Fine Arts club, expressed his concerns on privacy concerns regarding emails. A legitimate concern is whether emails sent to and from club/orga-nization members may be tampered or altered with. Secretary Steed answered Salazar’s question/concern, “For the club emails is that if anyone doesn’t want to be part of the club email, you do not have to use it. If

you choose, we can email your in-dividual emails so if there is an is-sue with your club email, just let us know. Regarding privacy concerns, your student emails and your club emails will always be in a database with IT. If you have any concerns or worries, you can contact IT and they can find any email that’s ever sent to you or you to someone else.” Salazar expressed another concern: lack of clubs on campus – “I came to this campus three year ago, and now there is not a lot of clubs. So, how can we come to-gether, to make it great again?” Speaker Pierre addressed his question “Actually that is one of our goals, during work hours, they [senators] have been promot-ing clubs, inviting students’ to town

hall meetings, so that they inquire about more information on clubs, learn more about clubs. Hopefully the next meeting will have more students come to the town hall meetings. We’ve definitely been doing the ground work to inform students about the clubs, and see if they are interested in joining or cre-ating their own [clubs].” Vice President Bloodsaw added, “We just got two clubs, two people in the office have come in and spoke to us about wanting to start a dance club and another club. Last month, we got someone else that wanted to start a science type of club. We are getting people to come into the office, it’s just they have to be voted in at our staff meetings.” The meeting continued with members of SGA adding their com-mentary and discussing the main issues revolving around why stu-dents don’t want to get involved and be active on campus. It’s appreciated that stu-dents have great ideas and want to start clubs and such. However, it’s more important to focus less on the issue and more on the solutions. The members also added that it’s almost impossible to get students involved because students come to events, eat food or refresh-ments and leave. Hence, it’s easier to focus/ complain about the prob-lem than putting the effort and time to find a solution. Other attendees offered suggestions to Salazar, such as an-nouncing your club in your classes after or before class, and see if stu-dents are interested. Enrollment declining is an-other considerable factor that per-tains to the drop of involvement on campus. SGA’s first priority, how-ever, is to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable on cam-pus before conquering the partici-pation issues pertaining to clubs. Treasurer Ameye brought a n o t h e r

“It’s just impossible for me, for us to ignore those things.” – President Ramona Padilla

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Page 7 April 2017

SGA Student Town Hall Meeting

AESNJ Holds Giveaway Event for our Community

News

Student Day at the Capitol Every year, Educational Opportunity Fund students (EOF) from all around New Jersey go to what is called a “student day at the capitol.” The reason for this event is that it marks a day where stu-dents are free to voice their opin-ions to their legislators and meet their local representatives. On top of this, the event and the programs associated with it provide a plat-form for students and alumni alike to make a difference in the world that they live in. Many colleges were in-volved in this very event, and oth-er events like this still continue on in other parts of the United States. However, this specific time includ-ed New Jersey’s very own Passaic County Community College and its associated programs. Being as big of an event

that it was, it took significant plan-ning and expenses to make the event even possible, so students were even more so encouraged to be a part of it. Fortunately, it was discovered to be an event worthy of the students and alumni’s times as they each ended up with more in-formation walking out than when they first stepped in to the capitol. On February 28, EOF stu-dents from Passaic County Com-munity College were provided a bus onto New Jersey’s capitol state house in Trenton, where simply entering the main capitol building was the first of many things on their agendas that day. All EOF students met in a designated conference room suited for about fifty people. It was here that the attendees had the opportu-nity to meet and listen to valuable

speakers such as Senator Nellie Pou, Assemblywoman Shavonda E. Sumter, Assemblyman Benjie E. Wimberly, and EOF’s PNJ Director Alex Delgado. The event at the capitol be-gan with Alex Delgado greeting ev-eryone and explaining the event’s meaning, purpose, and impact that students have when they meet in one accord. The other speakers then came in and mentioned how they value and have a dedication for EOF, which was reassuring and welcoming to everyone present. The speakers also mentioned that their voices are always heard and how it was a pleasure to have them all there. A big focus of the event was when the speakers not only in-formed, but also encouraged EOF students about being involved in

the political process, even though they don’t deem it entirely neces-sary to get wrapped up in if stu-dents didn’t want to. Altogether, the EOF stu-dents, staff, and alumni ended up gaining information that may po-tentially prove useful to the world ahead of them. Each person who ended up attending gained more knowledge and insight about the legislative process and how it func-tions. Not only that, but students and alumni were also given the op-portunity to engage with legislators as they learned more about higher educational funding. In the end, legislators were thanked for their continuous and still ongoing support when it came to assisting the Educational Opportunity Fund. It was also re-

By Julian Solis

(Continued on page 9)

difference between our schools and four year col-leges/universities: most of them don’t have a lot of clubs on campus – they have more fraternities and sororities to compensate. President Padilla gave one final comment on the matter. “You [to Salazar, the audience] you can go to OSA with all those ideas, and do some-thing about it. Our minds have to switch –instead of thinking of the problem, its more about how can I find a solution. Who has ideas and what they can do for us.” Speaker Pierre added, “We all need to

collectively put out best foot forward and try to get more students involved and to want to create clubs, be a part of clubs, come to town hall meet-ings, events, fairs, all of that stuff.” Speaker Pierre asked if there were any fi-nal questions and adjourned the meeting at 2:10 pm. Treasurer Ameye addressed a challenge to the members of the audience: Bring as many people from your clubs, or students to the next meeting.

The organization of AESNJ (Alliance of EOF Students of New Jersey) has always done a remarkable job in catering to our community all throughout its years. During its lifespan, the group has always worked its hardest to help out others in need, and during the month of April, their motivations were no different, this time giving out items to the community via care bags. This idea was first thought of back in early January, a time when the group was think-ing of new ways to help out the community. It was a regular meeting that concluded with the idea of initiating a partnership with the Salva-tion Army that involves handing out numerous care bags filled with an assortment of goods. The campus of Passaic County Commu-nity College was tasked with handing in a spe-cific type of item collected from students who were willing to donate: Chap Stick. Especially in the recent cold and windy environment, the AESNJ had decided that there were many peo-ple out there who needed this as well as the oth-er items. After speaking to Brandyn Veal, a fellow member of the AESNJ organization as well as a tutor for the EOF lab at the PCCC campus, I was provided with much insight on the group’s methods and goals. “Our group here at the PCCC campus was not the only ones who participated in this giveaway. Over the course of 2 months, we’ve managed to reach out to many different colleges

for their support. The schools of Rutgers, Union County Community College, and Seton Hall de-cided on joining our efforts. Over here, we’ve asked around campus and tried gathering a to-tal of 150 chap sticks of any type, as long as they were unused, to include in the bags. With our combined efforts, our goal was to form 150 bags, each with 15 items from across these dif-ferent schools.” This of course was not the only instance of the group providing community service, as they already have built and maintained a history around it. The AESNJ is well-known for their community service and how they actively make connections to different colleges, high schools, and community agencies, which effectively promotes the idea of community partnerships, much like this particular event. As mentioned, the AESNJ does not only exist on the PCCC campus, but also all around the state of New Jersey, hence the name. Veal continues, providing further details on the event. “The actual giveaway took place on the day of April 1 after much gathering and preparations. A total of 25 people, students and faculty alike, all came together to pack every item of each school into the bags. Thanks to ev-eryone’s efforts, we managed to pass our target and get up to 154 bags.” “In the end, it was a big success for our EOF students showing that we can all come to-gether and do something big. We plan to contin-

ue making this a yearly thing within our group to show support with our community.” This is an organization that caters to the EOF community all around the state. Their pur-pose is for the development of programs which help boost the welfare for the EOF students; welfare that exists in a social, political, or even educational way. They do this by hosting nu-merous events, much like this one, in an effort to build the necessary resources in improving their effectiveness at meeting students’ needs. A plan of theirs is to provide leadership training to the students of different colleges, whether they are EOF or not, to improve their ability to with cooperate others in a work en-vironment as well as strengthen self-empower-ment as a whole. This is of course very helpful given the upcoming futures of the students and how many are now being introduced into the world of work. This giveaway is a prime exam-ple of boosting one’s teamwork skills as many of these schools are working together for the same goal. What took place during the month of April was only one of the many events that this group has done. To this very day, the AESNJ still continues to show the community some support in varying ways. In fact, the AESNJ is currently holding elections for multiple positions, meaning that even you can become a member and help out society.

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By Jarryn Solis

Page 8 April 2017

For some, when they hear the word Jeopardy they think of the show hosted by Alex Trebek on tv weekday nights at 7pm. For a Deaf individual they may run into “jeopardy” often in their life and it is no longer about a game then. It turns into two people trying to communicate with the other. Unfortunately, not many people were taught how to communicate with people that are not like them – people that communicate with their hands. It becomes an uncomfortable game of guessing, hoping to in the end to figure out what that person is trying to express to you. On March 20, 2017 at 7:30pm in A226 of the main building of PCCC I had the privi-lege of observing an ASL meeting where they played “Jeopardy,” The Deaf Culture Version. This particular night, however, there wasn’t anyone trying to communicate with the other. It was more a friendly game to brush up on old signs or vocabulary that has been forgotten over time. In attendance were ASL Club President Nick DiPillo, Vice President Wildre Paulo, Trea-sure Jenny Garcia, ASL Club Secretary Elnora Houston, along with other club members. They began by going around the room and allowing everyone to introduce themselves and sign their name for others to see. Before they began the game they took a vote to determine who would be Treasurer for the club. By a unanimous vote Jenny Garcia was given the title of Treasurer for the PCCC ASL Club. After that they proceeded with the game.

The room broke up into two groups. The “I love you” team and the “Winners” team. Two members were instructed to come up and “face off” to see who would be able to grab the bell the fastest. The person who had succeeded in grabbing the bell was able to pick a category and value from the game board. The questions were selected by Vice President Paulo. One of the first questions selected by the “I love you” team for 200 points was, “What is the difference between the words deaf and Deaf?” The member holding the bell would then answer the question. If the answer was right, they would earn the value for that question for their team. If the answer was incorrect the value of the question was subtracted from the teams overall score. As the game went on it became more in-tense. Both teams were determined to win. The game began forcing the members to think harder and harder. Jogging their memories from what they had learned semesters before. One question that seemed to stump everyone was “Who in-vented French Sign Language?” Unfortunately, the answer given by the “Winner” team was an incorrect guess which deducted 400 points from their score. They then reached a sudden death. Both teams were instructed that they would both re-ceive the same question worth 1000 points. The catch to the question was that there was multi-ple answers but there would be one answer in particular that was being looked for. The ques-tion was, “What are the disadvantages of being

deaf?” After a couple minutes of both teams writing their answers down and discussing them with one another it was time to reveal the an-swer. The winning team was coincidently the “Winners” team ending the game with 1,500 points after winning the sudden death question. The “I love you team” ended with 800 points but everyone was interested in knowing what the answer was. The answer was “Others think deaf people are not capable of doing exactly what they can do.” The meeting then adjourned a little after 8pm. Unfortunately, many deaf individuals have to deal with this on a daily basis. Whether it is as simple as ordering food at a restaurant or going to the movies. The world in some places are not deaf friendly. It important to remember when in contact with a deaf person that they are no different than anyone else. They are able to do everything hearing people can just in a dif-ferent way. It is important for others to learn about deaf culture to make their encounters easy even if it’s simply learning the alphabet. That’s a start. For anyone interested in learning about Deaf culture PCCC offers the major but if you simply want to get some insight into the world of ASL the ASL Club will welcome anyone to a club meeting with open arms. Their meetings are located in A226.

Every year, PCCC campuses participate in an event called Spring Day where many clubs and organizations get together to create events for the student body and faculty to enjoy. This year Spring Day was held on April 11, 2017 at the Passaic Academics Center. Each campus location Wayne, Wanaque, Passaic, and Paterson have different days select-ed for spring day so that the events at each cam-pus don’t overlap with another. The events are created by SGA and oth-er clubs with the purpose of uniting the student body by creating free and friendly events which will hopefully invite students to feel more com-fortable and inclined to join student activities and have a better college expe-rience. Spring Day is also a great event for clubs to show-case themselves in a way that represents the school in a pos-itive manner to outsiders who may possibly want to join the college in hopes of furthering their education. The event began at ten in the morning and was sched-uled to end at one in the after-noon. This year at PAC aca-demic center, SGA, the Lions club, and the PAC club created separate events for students in the main lobby as well as in the cafeteria. Each club created three separate designated areas in which students could approach them from all sides. SGA and the PAC club were in the main lobby area directly between the two entrances, while the lions club was in the cafeteria. SGA set

up a table on one side of the main lobby with a black table cloth, and the other side had free juice bar for all the students and faculty who wanted a free drink. The PAC club was located on the opposite side of SGA in the main lobby. Their table had a black table cloth on it, and was decorated by cupcakes, a puzzle game, and a television was placed behind them showcasing a PowerPoint presen-tation which showed a trivia quiz. One of the games the PAC club held was a puzzle building exercise, which had to be

solved within fifteen minutes in order to win a prize, as well as a trivia game which had to be solved within one minute for students to win prizes. Students could decide whether they would time them-selves to beat the puzzle under fifteen minutes or take the triv-ia quiz, which was centered on the topic of PCCC’s college community. The prizes varied from candies to hand sanitizer, pens, sticky note pads, and small clear bags as well as agendas for 2017.

The lions club was in the cafeteria with a henna table set for anyone who wished to get henna hand art. They also had a small table with various types ‘of sandwiches for anyone to en-joy while music played in the background. Many students enjoyed the lion’s club table because of all the different designs that the

henna artist had prepared for all that were interested. The designs varied from astro-logical signs, to flower based de-signs, and various other designs which would be handpicked by the students and then drawn by the henna artist. As students walked into the campus they were approached by either an SGA member or a mem-ber of the PAC club and informed about the events that were being

held at their booths as well as the other booths in the area. SGA was holding a raffle at their table in which they would give away shirts with the PCCC logo on it as well as other PCCC relat-ed items to the student body; they also had a wheel spinner and when it landed on a question the student who answered correctly received a prize. On the other side they were also giving away free drinks to the students as they left the table or walked around the lobby area. The students looked excited as they walked around the lobby and cafeteria area and slowly filtered out and went to their classes; when the event ended at one in the afternoon each club carefully picked up and cleaned after themselves considering the event a success for all parties included. Ultimately, Spring Day was a fun event that any student and faculty member could en-joy after a long day at school or work. It was also a great was for clubs to actively promote themselves in a manner that helps students re-alize that there are fun organizations they can join in order to make their community college experience an exciting time in their life.

Sign Language for One Hundred

Celebrating Spring on all Campuses: Spring DayBy Stephany Heilbron

By Sha’Cora Wells

News

Page 9 April 2017Profiles

Passaic County Community College has many awards for their Graphic Design program, which has many experi-enced professors’ running the program. One that stood out is Ardra Spector. Professor Spector, is widely known for the great work she has done at Passaic County Com-munity College and the many achievements she has made throughout her experience in Graphic Design. This leads me to

ask professor Spector what accom-plishments and challenges has she faced in her life to become a pro-fessor for Graphic Design. Professor Spector, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, has had a long journey in becoming a Graphic Designer at PCCC. Professor Spector’s pas-sion for technology, graphic de-sign, fine art, and education stems from exposure to various cultures, ethnicities and artists as a child. First, what inspired Profes-sor Spector to become the Graphic Designer she is today was through experiences in high school. During her years of high school, there was a teacher who appreciated com-mercial art and is the one who peaked her curiosity. Professor Spector had an intuition for technology and that was when it really began. She began gathering information on Graphic Design, exploring the lat-est technology and receiving help along the way from her teacher. At the time, Graphic De-sign was not at its full potential due to technology at the time like Adobe – the major graphic design tool, was not yet fully operable. Professor Spector had an idea of the direction this software was go-ing and she had full faith that it will advance and lead to her success. Professor Spector received her education in Graphic Design from County College of Morris. She completed her first degree and then received her second degree in

visual art at Rutgers University. Rutgers University impact-ed her the most throughout her education by showing Professor Spector what is high standard and how important good presentation and a portfolio is for a designer. As time went by, Professor Spector was working her way up to get her master degree in art and education, while being employed as a graphic designer. On some level, she has said that she “has an intuition for tech-nology and how others learn it.” Professor Spector has been trans-lating code, software applications and digital design tools throughout most of her adult life. At the time, Professor Spector’s number one challenge that she has faced as a graphic de-signer was being a full time graph-ic designer in New York City. Al-though the health benefits were good, Professor Spector disliked commuting into New York City. It was a struggle each day coming to work because she would literally have to go through public transportation and the many prob-lems it came with like traffic, de-lays or accidents. Also, using pub-lic transportation was her only way to get to work at that time and it was very time consuming. Eventually, she was able to obtain a full-time job as a graph-ic designer in New Jersey – taking on second job as an art director. Professor Spector felt she was in path to success and she loved it! But that all change once Professor

Spector started teaching. As she began to continue in her field of profession she finally had a chance to work for Passaic County Community College. Pro-fessor Spector had a gut feeling with her teaching and graphic de-sign experiences she was the right one to develop the graphic design programs. She felt should could change the programs and make the students see the joy and many interesting things that Graphic De-sign would have to offer. To this day many of her student won plen-ty award for all their hard work and achieve in graphic design. Other than being a profes-sor in Passaic County Communi-ty College, Professor Spector had many other opportunities to use her skills and knowledge. Professor Spector said “The older I get the more I see myself as a leader and I hope to inspire other leaders.” She felt more “community conscious” than when she was younger. Some-times you must be self-disciplined and center yourself. Professor Spector said “it’s hard to work and get a degree at the same time.” Many students or anyone successful would agree with that. Professor Spector’s cre-ativity, knowledge and originality as made her list of achievements grow. Some of Professor Spector’s greatest accomplishments was be-ing able to design many famous lo-gos used today, including Rutgers university logo for its Livingston

Campus and WDHA ra-dio. She has also helped develop the first 3D ani-mated commercial – the Snapple bottle that ev-eryone loves to drink, she had created the bouncing Snapple bottle using the first Unix computer that could use animation soft-ware. She has done many other designs and logos for the pharmaceuticals industry, including a logo for a drug called Plavix. Professor Spec-

tor feels the most important thing is to learn what is new and not to be threatened by technology. Pro-fessor Spector has no regrets for the career path she has chosen. She loves what she does now and wouldn’t change it for anything. Food for thought, if anyone needs advice in becoming a graph-ic designer or a professor, working as a graphic design its thrilling and exciting. Professor Spector said,“the technological advance-ment is outstanding and the things you can do make you feel like a magician.” Professor Spector said, “There are an unlimited amount of positions out there in graphic design that pay well, don’t lim-it yourself, learn what is new and create the future!” The people that gave her inspiration and motivation to help her succeed was her family. Fami-ly is the key to success. Professor Spector has ac-complished many things and has experienced many of the things she would have never thought she would get the chance to do. Professor Spector is re-spected in her field of study as a professor at Passaic County Com-munity College. Many of the stu-dents look up to her and hope to achieve all the things she has. Her story is not only a sign to constantly work hard toward your dreams, but to always love what you do because if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life.

Challenges and Accomplishment: Professor Ardra SpectorBy Ala Hammouda

“The technological advancement is outstanding and the things you can do make you feel like a magician.” – Professor Ardra Spector

Student Day at the Capitolquested that additional

funds were to go to the EOF program to better assist students of the program statewide as they continue to learn and grow. Lunch was provided for all who came to the event and took the time to educate themselves, as well as free bus trans-portation being also readily available to pick them up and return them to their own campuses. We had the opportunity to speak to Bran-dyn Veal, who attended the event that day and who also happens to be the vice chairman of the ASNJ state wide board, also representing EOF

and PCCC. According to Veal, it was a very in-formative and greatly beneficial time was what he thought when we asked him about his overall experience at the capitol. “It was a very productive and enriching experience. I love the fact that students took the time out of their day to visit the capitol to in-volve themselves in the political process. I see it as a step in the right direction for the American people to make positive change.” The students can now return to their ev-eryday lives with the knowledge that they have

just gained on the political process, and possi-bly even making a difference in the world to-day. The EOF and the ASNJ programs, as well as countless other educational programs alike all have the potential to enlighten, motivate, and inspire students and point them in a positive di-rection. It is thanks to colleges having programs such as these that have positively shaped young minds for many years and will continue to truly change the world for the better as a result.

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Page 10 April 2017Art/Features

On the Paterson campus of Passaic County Community Col-lege, there was a display of fine lines, a distinctive pattern, accu-rate images of real places and a touch of uniqueness plastered on the walls outside of the cafeteria in the Broadway Gallery. This dis-play was none other than the artis-tic stylings of Marcos Salazar who displayed his art from February 28 – April 6, 2017. Salazar is a young artist of Do-minican heritage. He was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1993 and moved to Paterson, New Jersey, in 2011. He is also a full time Graphic Design student at Passaic County Community Col-lege and will be graduating in May of 2017. He commonly works with mixed media art and his a recep-tion launched his art exhibit, “The Storm before the Calm,” on March 30. According to Salazar, he has always been experiencing art and it has helped him to push fur-ther in the artistic field. “For as long as I could remember, art was always in my life. My most vivid memories as a child was exploring the world of creating all different kinds of art. I cannot explain why but I always just had an attraction and desire to create.” Salazar said that his art is a representation of his surroundings in Paterson. It represents his daily living in Paterson. “Growing up in the Bronx, everything and ev-eryone was familiar to me. When I moved, I started reflecting on my current reality and the existence of human kind. I started questioning myself – who am I? this is where the fingerprint style of my paint-

ings where born.” Artists have their individ-ual reasons or inspiration for dis-playing the art they create, some for money, others for recognition, some were encouraged by friends and family to show their talent to the world and some wish to send a message.

Just as those other artists, Salazar has his own inspiration for displaying his art. “I feel like as an artist, I can express emotions without words. When creating art, my emotions are not censored and I feel like my works come from a deep part of my subconscious mind.” Salazar displays his art as a means of expressing his emotions as well as influence others to think deeply. Salazar gets inspiration for his art from his community and surroundings. He is always explor-ing his surroundings and finding new things to be a part of his art. Salazar added that his “…paintings are my everyday re-flections. The inspiration behind every work comes from walking around Paterson with a sketchbook or camera.” He continued, “The residents come to me and tell me stories from their past. These sto-ries replay while I paint and help to capture my works of art.” “Everywhere I look, there is a story to be told with the city rich architectural details that are

slowly decaying. By painting the different monuments, people and places around town, it helps me further connect with the city and my current reality.” The young artist currently has art being displayed such as the ‘Gold star jewelry’ and his most recent work called ‘Into the Rose

Garden.’ Gold star jewelry is a 65 x 50-inch mixed media painting. “This work captured the city move-ment and energy. Paterson can be-come very busy at night time with everyone driving home from work and school. Other people trying to catch the bus, while the homeless make these streets their home.” His other piece, ‘Into the Rose Garden’ is a 100 x 54-inch ink on canvas painting. “I wanted the viewer to go deep into their subconscious mind and explore their own re-ality. When I look at this work, I am simply consumed by it and the works puts me in a deep state of self-reflection.” Based on the feedback he got from students who saw his work, Salazar achieved his goal with his artwork. His piec-es weren’t just paintings to them; they had deeper meaning and has touched them as individuals. “Many students have stopped me and told me that my works are very powerful and beau-tiful. I cannot remember the name

of one student who told me ‘When I look at your works, I see a ripple effect, and the decision that others make will impact not only our-selves but everyone around us.’” “Another student told me that ‘even through your works you represent Paterson NJ, and I only know this because I live in

this town and see street signs in the paintings – the works are universal. The people are abstract and even the buildings could be anywhere in this world. The people walking is so abstract that they could be me and I just wouldn’t know.” Salazar, since be-

coming a PCCC student, showed his work at the Paterson Museum, the Art Factory in Paterson NJ, and various lounges in the downtown area of NYC. “My works have also been published in books and journals. Some of these designs include, the front and back cover of The Perception of a Paterson Poet, Adanna Literary Journal, and the front and back cover of the 4th issue Literary Panther Journal.” Salazar’s future goals are to explore and experience other parts of the world and have different ex-hibits around Paterson as well as in bigger galleries such as the Bronx Museum of art, the MOMA, and the MET. Salazar is a talented young artist who aims to help others through his art. Salazar also stated that if anyone is interested in see-ing more of his work, they can visit his website and Instagram. “To see more of my works, you can visit my website at marcos0043.wee-bly.com or my Instagram account at crusherart. I am constantly up-loading new works to these sites.”

The Storm before the Calm: PCCC Student Displays ArtBy Kwaisi Wright

The monthly Student Town Hall Meet-ing in February began with Professor Nina Alsbrook-Jackson discussing a bit on African American History. The first thing she spoke about was the importance of choosing a legacy. “Often times when the story of African American and other people around the Diaspora is told, the parts of their stories that are amplified are chosen for them. So, they are not always in control of the narrative,” Professor Alsbrook-Jackson stated. “I want everyone to be aware of choos-ing your legacy, and it starts with informing yourself… you cannot call slavery a pattern of migration if I choose not to make that trip,” Professor Alsbrook-Jackson said. “You have to choose the legacy. You have to pick the narra-tive or else the narrative is written for you, then the story becomes a lot less dimensional,” Pro-fessor Alsbrook-Jackson stated. The second topic that Professor Als-brook-Jackson covered was the unification of

the Diaspora. “The Diaspora simply means peo-ple that are represented around the world that are African in origin in terms of their hereditary,” Professor Alsbrook defined for the audience. “It means acknowledging what gave you that culture is about the geography about how you got where you were. And that there is a place where you came from and a power in un-derstanding,” Professor Alsbrook emphasized. “I think that unifying the Diaspora is also important in terms of how you have con-versations with other people. I think that we are very often afflicted with otherness,” Professor Alsbrook stated. “Unifying the Diaspora starts with you. You have to have a unifying understanding of yourself; your cultural identity, makeup, and then going out into the world and all that branch-es out from that,” Professor Alsbrook said. The last topic Professor Alsbrook-Jack-son covered in her speech was building a collec-tive responsibility for cultural identity and so-

cial impact. She stated that if you don’t like the way your image is being portrayed, you have to decide what you are going to do about it. It’s important to understand that if there are shows, music, anything that may not be representative of who you are and your beliefs, then you must decide what to do about it. Professor Alsbrook-Jackson emphasized the importance of deciding what your narrative to be and what your social impact to be, also. It’s also important to know what your social impact is going to be based on the type of degree you are pursuing. Professor Alsbrook-Jackson concluded her speech with “To me, if you can control the narrative/legacy, if you can stop with the other-ness and start to think about ways you can unify the Diaspora, if you can pour collectively into your social development and in a way that in-formation is trafficked about you, you’re a mile ahead of where you started.”

Speaker Professor Alsbrook-Jackson on “the Diaspora”By Lismery Luna

Page 11 April 2017Features

At Passaic County Community College there is the Food Service Training Program. Currently the director of the program is James Hornes and teachers are Chef Robert Eckert and Chef Michael Bourland. The Food Service Training Program is a year-round offered pro-gram open to anyone, no prior culinary experi-ence is required. The program is a six-month course that requires its students to partake in lectures and hands on experience in a real-life kitchen. It is offered at PCCC Main Campus. Once a student is enrolled in the program they will start it on the first Monday of every month. The time students come in and leave is 7:30 am – 3:30 pm Mon-day-Friday. The outcome of the program for stu-dents is to have the necessary skills to work in the career of culinary arts. Lecture topics range from the history of food service, standards, ter-minology, and math. Different lessons each day consist of cooking methods, product and recipe identification. Ranging from knife skills to preparing meals they also learn how to use total utiliza-tion of ingredients. Another critical part of the program is food handling and safety. Teachers reinforce daily the importance of handling and storage of products. The training will prepare them for the ServSafe, a food safety and sanita-tion course, which is every Friday. After five months into the program the students are then sent off for four weeks with a participating partner called the Workplace Learning Experience. The partners the program works with are Ihop at the Center City Mall in Paterson, Soul Food Factory in East Orange, Portobellos in Oakland, and Brownstone in Pat-erson. After the internship, they have completed

the program. In addition to the curriculum Chef Robert Eckert and Chef Michael Bourland teach, there is also learning about teamwork, delegation, speed, and resiliency. “In the real-world speed is very import-ant, “said Eckert. When it comes to working in kitchen things are never set. “Adapt while mul-titasking,” according to Bourland. Other than the chefs teaching the students, the students themselves become teachers as well. Throughout the program since it is year-round, there can be five-month students present to teach the newcomers. The teachers take a per-son interested in students, learning about them personally to better help them along this path they decided to take. “Learn and you will teach, teach and you will learn, “said Eckert. The program is open to anyone, there is no exclusions. The only requirement is to have high school diploma or GED. To enroll there are many organizations that refer the program to you. Unemployment, Center of Continuing Education, etc. The program is part of the Eligible Train-ing Provider List(ETPL) and is eligible for Pell Grant, Financial Aid Assistance, and Veterans Benefits. The chefs and Director James Horne also attend meetings and gatherings from tour-ist industry, hospitality, veterans’ organizations, and the Began Employment Network. The pro-gram works with unemployed, reentry citizens, veterans, etc. All walks of life and old enough to work in a kitchen. In regard to the food service industry need – “as population increases so does the need for food service,” said Hornes. Chef Eckert, Bourland, and Hornes say in regard to the program “it changes lives.” Their goal for the outcome of the pro-

gram is to prepare students for an entry level po-sition in the food service industry. The students are required as well to partake in job fairs while they are in the program to search out employ-ment. Once completed the program they will have a full six months of kitchen experience thus further their advancement in the food ser-vice industry. One student who graduated from pro-gram on March 28th, Kelton Webb, 55, joined the program six months ago. Before he took the path into food service he worked a corporate job and was laid off in summer of 2016. Having a passion for cooking since he was 12 he was showed the path to the Food Ser-vice Training Program. “Having to restart and get back into cor-porate, they want now faster thinking minds,” said Webb in regard to going back into his previ-ous career. When taking the program, he went to Portobellos for his four-week internship work-ing on the satué line. Reflecting on his time in the pro-gram—“Introduction by the chefs were great, not only they taught the tools, but on the job ex-pectations, no matter which level you are on.” Webb’s future is to someday open up his own restaurant. His final remarks regarding his experiences, “trust in your ability to learn.” For the future on the program, there will be an opportunity to take on a two-year appren-ticeship with participating restaurants to build a career after six-months training. After comple-tion of program there is a graduation ceremony, more on the most recent ceremony refer to arti-cle Food Service Training Program Graduation: A time to move forward. For more information on the program you can call 973-684-6153.

PCCC’s Food Service Training ProgramBy Matthew Redling

Amongst the many club and organiza-tions PCCC has to offer, The Graphic Design and Fine Arts Club is one that many students are unaware of. A club is an organization dedicated to a particular interest and are intended to help students connect with other students, however members in The Graphic Design Club say that they receive more than just that in their club. Graphic Design majors and members of the club speak out about their enjoyable expe-rience being involved and the honest benefits a club member will receive. All can agree that joining the club has enhanced their community college experience and will further impact their future career. It is much more than pizza parties and art museum trips. Edgar Cruz, 22, has been a part of the club for 3 semesters so far. He says, “on my first visit I felt so at home that I even decided to change my major after just one semester. I will definitely miss the friends, connections, and memories I’ve made.” Cruz plans on continuing with Graphic Design as his career in the near future. He says, “Because of this club, I’ve learned how to use important everyday tools and programs just as a professional Graphic Design Artist uses, such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. This club as well as the members in it have made me ea-ger and excited for my what the future holds for me.” Freddy Leon, 21, says being in an envi-ronment surrounded with students with the same interest as him has helped him grow immensely

and become more passionate about his major. He says, “Everyone is in it for one reason: their love for art and design. Being able to connect with each other and learn different techniques and styles is both enjoyable and beneficial.” Leon goes on to say, “When I leave I’m going to miss the satisfaction of seeing my work framed and displayed in the school exhibits which isn’t the easiest thing to do without the help and support of a club and faculty advisor that overlooks it. It serves as a motivator to keep going and gives students a chance to see what they can accomplish.” Kwaisi Wright, 19, joined the club his first semester here at PCCC. He says, “I first joined to explore the world of art more, but I did not expect to meet people I would now call my closest friends I have here at PCCC. When I leave I’ll definitely miss all of our fun memories and experiences.” Alex Sevillano, a Graphic Design Major, 28, says, “When I came here from Peru, PCCC was my first school I attended in America so I didn’t really know anyone. Being in the club for almost a year, the club has helped me socialize and meet other students with different cultures but with the same attraction for art.” President of the club, Marcos Salazar, 24, says his mission as president has been to teach students to fully express themselves as an artist. He says, “I strive to highlight the artist and to teach students that their art is just as im-portant as anyone else’s.” This year the most enjoyable part as president for Salazar has been “watching stu-

dents who were very shy last year take up lead-ership positions and showing great effort to help other club members complete their projects for our upcoming exhibition.” Just as many of the other club members feel, Salazar goes on to say, “Leaving the club as well as PCCC feels like leaving a childhood home. I grew up and learned so many things like leadership and most importantly that my voice matters. I’ve gained much power and now it is my responsibility to fight for my beliefs.” Well-known faculty advisor of the club and Graphic Design professor, Professor Ardra Spector says, “The club is intended to bring students together so they have their own com-munity, a place to call their own to be creative, express themselves and exhibit their art and de-sign.” Every year Professor Spector is excited to see the student’s artwork presented in the stu-dent exhibits. She enjoys seeing more and more people join every year, especially those who ar-en’t Graphic Design majors. “The club is great for those of us that want to enhance our graphic design skills, but it is also great for those look-ing to find new ways to be creative.” Members of the club invite all PCCC students of all majors to join and express their creativity. The club is more than just a center to make art. “I think the truth behind the GDFA is that we all work together to help each other suc-ceed and we share a passion for art and design,” Professor Spector says.

The Truth Behind PCCC’s Graphic Design ClubBy Yasmin Arroyo

Page 12 April 2017Features/Opinion/Business Club

As a PCCC student, I feel motivated to come to school to learn about my major to ex-cel in my career choice but I also come to learn overall about knowledge of society, the way people think and things I would never think and know about or explore if I wasn’t being taught. People’s decisions and actions are based off of motivation everyday whether it’s just get-

ting out of bed to studying for a test. Remez Sasson, author and founder of website “Success Consciousness” explained, “Sometimes, you might have the desire to get something done, or to achieve a certain goal, but if the desire and ambition are not strong enough, you lack the push, the initiative, and the willing-ness to take the necessary action.” Sasson made the comparison of, “Com-pare a student who lacks motivation and who hardly studies, to a student who is highly moti-vated, and who devotes many hours to his stud-ies. Each student will get absolutely different grades.” Sasson continued by stating, “A moti-vated person is a happier person, more energet-

ic, and sees the positive end result in his or her mind.” PCCC students find that keeping their end goal and soon to be proud feelings in mind helps them push through their classes. Nireesha Sidduri, 21, public health ma-jor started by admitting “Honestly, I can’t think of any good alternatives besides being in school

right now – dropping out would be a bad idea.” Sidduri continued by saying, “I some-times feel like it is pointless and I won’t have a job when I get out but I try to boost my motiva-tion by picturing a good outcome and remember all the people, including myself, who would be disappointed if I gave up.” Selena Rivera, 21, early childhood ed-ucation major expressed “I’m motivated about my career opportunity and I imagine how good I will feel after I graduate.” Rivera continued by saying, “the classes that have their difficulties stops me a little from going but I just need to remind myself that I can do this and focus on what I want. Cynthia Legault, 21, nursing major stat-

ed, “Stress and exhaustion makes it hard but it will be worth it when I get to see the lives touched through my career choice.” Legault continued by saying, “I know that I’ll have a family to provide for one day and I want to start by helping my parents out with my expenses as they have been paying my bills as of late.”

Crystal Williams, 23, nursing major says, “Keeping the end goal in mind is motiva-tion enough. I know I will love what I do and the hard work will pay off.” Williams continued by explaining that she is more motivated and focused when she re-moves all her distractions like her phone so she can keep her mind on the end goal. Christina Manago, 22, early childhood education major said that she wants to better herself and be successful but she also said, “I try to remind myself that if I keep working hard I will wind up at a job that is better for me and everything will be worth it in the end.”

College students deal with different types of stress whether it be from expensive tuitions, exam-inations, or book prices. Faculty and staff are witness to students falling into bouts of depression. According to healthline.com “1 out of 4 college students suffer from some form of mental illness, including depression and 44% of American college students report having symptoms of depres-sion, 75% of college students do not seek help for mental problems, Suicide is the third leading cause of death among college students.” An issue within society is that talking about mental aware-ness appears to be a taboo subject. Many students don’t actively seek out help. Suicide is the third leading

factor of death within college and university students in the United States. The main factors for the high rates of suicide are stress and depression as a direct result of stu-dents being unable to cope with multiple courses with varying lev-els of difficulty. As a college student, I’ve witnessed fellow classmates drop out for several reasons. They are unable to handle the copi-ous amounts of examinations and homework, the tuition cost is too high, or they’ve failed their classes and feel as though they aren’t good enough to be in school. In addition to this, students may have dropped out and returned acclimating once again to the college environment. I know that Passaic Com-munity College offer students

various types of scholarships. However, the scholarships aren’t advertised properly and as a result students aren’t aware that they are being offered. PCCC offers guidance counselors for students to speak to when they are experiencing hard-ships; however, in order to speak to a counselor students have to make appointments. Counselor’s sched-ule’s can be filled for weeks and at that point a student suffering from any sort of mental illness would rather deal with issue by himself or herself instead of seeking help. A solution to this problem would be a student help center specifically designed for assisting students who are suffering from various forms of mental illnesses. Having a help center that solely

deals with helping students feel more at ease in college/university could possibly help lower stress levels by allowing students to speak about their problems in a judgment-free zone. As beings who live in the 21st century it’s up to us to change the stigma that surrounds mental illnesses and help fellow students around us who live with depression and stress by giving them a safe en-vironment in which they can freely speak about their problems. Universities and Colleges should make an effort to reach out to students in a positive manner as many of these issues stem at the schools.

Motivation Working at its Best

New needs for Mental health awareness at colleges

By Martina Frasca

By Stephany Heilbron

… I try to boost my motivation by picturing a good outcome and remember all the people, including myself, who would be disappointed if

I gave up. – Nireesha Sidduri

On Thursday, April 6, 2017 the business leadership club held the Business Department Information Day” event in the Paterson room from 1:30 to 3 PM. It was coordinated by the business students club and advisor Professor Khloud Kourani. Presenters included Dr. Thomas Cox the chair of the business department, Dr. Lucia Gheorghiu and Professor Kourani. It was a great event for the business students to inform them about their business majors and classes and it was done right before registration so it can prepare them to register for the right classes. Students additionally learned about the busi-ness department’s opportunities and requirements for internship program. For more information about the club please contact Professor Kourani at kkourani@pccc.edu

Business Department Information Day