Capped, gowned and ready, graduates await their moment to march in the 46th commencement at Middlesex County College in Edison on May 16. ERIC SUCAR staff With spring comes rebirth and growth — not only in nature, but also for each fresh crop of graduating students growing toward new horizons.
At Middlesex County College (MCC), the May 16 ceremony found 1,324 students receiving 1,385 earned degrees and certificates, turning their tassels as they turned the page to start another chapter in their lives.
Valedictorian Christina Catalano of East Brunswick knows all about starting anew.
“Let’s be honest,” she said, opening her speech to fellow graduates, “I was not the best student in high school — certainly nowhere near valedictorian.”
The top student already transferred to the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Galloway, where she is also maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Valedictorian Christina Catalano takes the stage to address her fellow graduates at the 46th commencement for Middlesex County College in Edison on May 16. PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR At MCC, she pulled off her top-ranking status while taking part in various student groups, holding offices in the Biology Society and membership in Phi Beta Kappa and student government.
However, when Catalano first arrived on the MCC campus, she was simply going through the motions.
“I went to Middlesex because everyone in my family went there,” she said.
“Everyone” included her mom and dad, Jackie and Joe; her brother, David; her boyfriend, Michael Winter; and various aunts and uncles.
“It made sense,” Catalano added. “It was affordable and convenient, and did not require me to take SATs or fill out a long application.”
Rameez Rathore Catalano’s first day in class changed her perspective. She recounted in her speech how she arrived early and sat next to the only other student in the room, a young woman from Pakistan.
“She turned to me and said, ‘Are you nervous?’ ” Catalano said. “It was her first time attending an American school after living in Pakistan her whole life.
“This education was no small matter to her. She had to succeed. That girl inspired me.”
From that day forward, Catalano said, she decided to take her education seriously and see it as a true opportunity.
“This gift would lay the foundation for the rest of my life,” she said.
That life includes plans to become a physical therapist, but Catalano must first finish her schooling at Stockton. Thankfully, her time at MCC has made that a surmountable feat, she said.
David Lazaro “[MCC] was … a lot more challenging than the school I’m going to now,” Catalano said. “It prepared me really well.”
Also a native of Pakistan, Rameez Rathore was well-acquainted with American schools by the time he reached MCC. Like the young woman whom Catalano met, he sees the school — and the country — as a place of opportunity. “I’m … happy that I came here,” he said of his family’s pilgrimage to the United States in 2001, when he was in fourth grade. “There’s more to do here, more to give.”
And Rathore is doing and giving quite a bit.
A resident of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, Rathore studied hotel and restaurant management at MCC, and couldn’t say enough positive things of his experiences there.
“I can’t even put it into words … amazing, outstanding,” he said. “It has made me a person I never thought I could be, because of the people who helped me.”
Clockwise from top: Camille Vega (foreground) braves the rain with other graduates before the start of the graduation ceremony at Middlesex County College in Edison on May 16. James Owens of East Windsor does his best to stay dry while his graduate’s bouquet gets a sprinkling. Graduates wave to family and friends. An errant tassel doesn’t dampen the spirits of a marching graduate. PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR According to Rathore, those people include the professors at MCC, the helpful folks in the Office of Student Activities and the Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Dietetics Department, his parents and friends.
“I don’t drive. So, without them, I wouldn’t be able to do this,” he said.
Rathore came a long way since first coming to America, when he was thrust into a new culture and had to make all new friends in a strange place with a new language.
He dove headfirst into activities at MCC — as an award-winning basketball player, as a student leader serving to orient new students to the school, as a member of the Social Committee and as a member of the Muslim Student Association.
“Every activity I’ve taken part in has been wonderful,” he said.
Some activities left an indelible mark. Rathore recalled helping victims of superstorm Sandy who sought shelter at MCC, particularly a woman who only spoke French and with whom he was able to communicate.
He also was enthused about a clothing drive at MCC that had already collected three tons of clothes to send to Afghanistan.
Rathore’s love of giving his energy and time has steered his decision to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I always wanted to be in the military, because I like helping. Saving lives — that’s what it’s all about.”
Through his military service, Rathore hopes to continue his education at Rutgers University, where he would take part in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. For now, he is eager to heed the call of his country. “It’s a pleasure I get from helping people and serving the community and the country,” he said.
Fellow graduate David Lazaro, 24, of Old Bridge, knows from experience the value that can be gleaned from military service.
“The military essentially saved my life,” the senior airman with the N.J. Air National Guard said. “For that, I am extremely grateful, and for the friends I made along the way.”
The six-year veteran — whose contract ends on July 3 — started at MCC when he was 20 years old, and was able to balance college and military service.
“The military always came first,” he said, explaining that the Air National Guard helped with tuition waivers and veteran entitlements. “Fortunately for me, I didn’t have much problems with school conflicting with the military.”
However, he did mesh the two parts of his life by becoming president of MCC’s Veterans and Servicemembers Association.
“The Veterans and Servicemembers Association tried to incorporate incoming veterans into the college community,” Lazaro said.
The group did everything from taking part in social activities to visiting a veterans’ hospital to spread holiday cheer.
“That was a very nice time,” he said.
As an orientation leader at MCC, Lazaro was able to provide guidance to incoming students.
“I got to impart a lot of wisdom to students,” he said.
His recent acceptance to New Jersey City University will help him to gain even more wisdom. There, he will take part in the National Security Studies program, with hopes of someday working for the Department of Homeland Security or the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“I always wanted to feel like I made a difference in my life and what I did mattered, and I feel like this would be a good position for me,” Lazaro said.