EDISON – During her time at Middlesex County College, Alexandria Wonski of Metuchen felt right at home, calling the environment at MCC filled with “care and effort” from the professors as well as her peers.
“Middlesex has been such a wonderful school,” she said. “The professors have been so caring and willing to help every student as much as possible so all succeed in their classes. The school is filled with so many hardworking students trying their absolute best to succeed.”
Wonski was one of 1,422 students who graduated from MCC on May 23 at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway.
Approximately 725 members of the class participated in the exercises, representing the 350 graduates of August 2018, 364 from January 2019 and 708 from May 2019. Participants included several students who fulfilled the requirements for more than one degree or certificate during the academic year.
Wonski graduated with the highest honors. In the fall, she will transfer to Princeton University on a full scholarship; she is the first MCC student to transfer to the Ivy League since 1990.
Linda Scherr, dean of Arts and Sciences at MCC, said since 1990 until last year, Princeton didn’t take transfer students from community colleges.
“This is a recognition that prestigious universities such as Princeton understand that community college students can do first-rate work,” she said. “It says a lot about community colleges in general and MCC in particular.”
Wonski said she didn’t know about transfers being accepted until the fall when she began looking at university applications.
“It was beyond exciting to hear transfer admissions had been reopened after such a long period of not accepting any,” she said.
Wonski said she has been interested in Princeton University since she was very young. Now, she is realizing her dream.
“I love that Princeton is filled with so many opportunities and brilliant professors,” she said. “There’s a lot of challenge presented with the rigorous curriculums. I also always heard the math department was one of the best, if not the best in the world, which was very appealing to me.”
Wonski toyed with majoring in chemistry before choosing mathematics at MCC. At Princeton, she would like to combine the two, studying theoretical or computational chemistry. She hopes to eventually earn a doctorate and work in research at a university.
While a student at Bishop Ahr High School in Edison, Wonski took a pre-calculus class at MCC through the high school scholars program. She said she loved the experience and decided to come to MCC after high school graduation.
At MCC, Wonski was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges, as well as the Music Club and the Dance Club. She plays the piano, guitar and ukulele; she is also an opera singer who twice won contests and performed at Carnegie Hall.
Jeffrey Herron, acting vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, presided at the commencement ceremony. Greetings were delivered by Mark McCormick, MCC president; Dorothy K. Power, chairman of the board; and Ronald G. Rios, Middlesex County Freeholder director.
Valedictorian Courtney Rohrig, of the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick, delivered the class welcome, sharing her experiences and offering advice.
“Wherever your next step takes you – either into a four-year university or out into the real world – remember all that you have learned here,” she said. “Thank you to the professors who have shared advice and guidance, for taking time after class to help us better understand, and for leaving us with a foundation to succeed. Thank you to the advisors for making sure we were on track to graduate. And thank you, Middlesex County College, for preparing us as we take our next step.”
Rohrig told the class to embrace art.
“Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, allow art to become a part of your life,” she said. “It will enrich your daily experience. Take an art class. You will be surprised by the amount that can be learned and the skills that will carry over into your field. You become a team and learn from one another. You gain confidence with each critique. You learn to problem-solve and always have a backup plan.”
Herron presented the candidates for graduation and McCormick conferred the degrees and certificates.
Earlier in May, MCC held an honors convocation for students with the highest academic achievement in each program. MCC also presented the Chambers Awards to graduates with the highest grade point average including Rohrig; Austin S. Brooks of Metuchen, who served as salutatorian; Matthew J. Cassisi of South River; Amanda N. Fernandez of the Colonia section of Woodbridge; Julissa Gesumaria of Woodbridge; Kaitlin Gray of Middletown; Matthew M. Guerrero of Perth Amboy; Isabelle Gunn of New Brunswick; Sarai Jacqueline McCullough-Garcia of Madison; Larson C. Pushard Hutchinson of Cherry Hill; Alexander Lewis of New Brunswick; Amber Scalera of Princeton; Rashmiben M. Shah of Monroe; and Kendall C. Westbrook of East Brunswick.
