February 1, 2024 • 29 mins
The second of our three-part commencement series special checks out the inaugural RCBC STEM Winter Commencement. We'll speak with President's Award winner Adam Jones, catch up with STEM graduates interviewed by RCBC Marketing Intern Eli Booth, and hear a few clips from this memorable event.
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Jason Varga (00:01):
Welcome to the program pod a national award
winning program on the rcbcPodcast Network, which takes a
deep dive into the programsoffered at rcbc. through
different perspectives ofstudents, faculty and employers.
Now, I brought in anotherpresidential award winner here
as we're going throughrehearsals. For the once again,
first time ever rcbc WinterCommencement forum, December 20.
(00:23):
All three ceremonies are goingto be taking place with liberal
arts, stem Health Sciences, andthis time award winner a
presidential award winner, AdamaJones, Adama. Hey, how you
doing? I'm good. How are you?Good. And what's ceremony you
Unknown (00:36):
can be speaking in front of I'm going to be
speaking for the stem stem.Okay. So how do you feel I've
gone through a very good, I'mvery honored to be speaking.
It's funny because the processfor speaking was hilarious. I
didn't think I was going tospeak I got the opportunity. And
I was like, I'm not going to doit. I just want to get my
diploma. I'm almost like, Youshould do it. And I'm like, No,
(00:58):
I'm okay. You know, I'm kind oflike, I just wanted to be low
key about it. And theneventually, it just fell into
place. And I'm the speaker now.Yeah, yeah. So
Jason Varga (01:07):
your story, you know, how did you get to hear
the you know, the want to be inpresidential war because you
have an exceptional story too,which is obviously one of the
reasons why you were chosen tobe one of the rcbc is
Presidential Award for a wintercommencement,
Unknown (01:19):
I went to a vocational school, I went to BCIT and which
is Bronson county Institute ofTechnology for those who don't
know, and I was in the fashionprogram, and I was in sophomore
year when COVID hit. So that wasa really tough year. When I was
in my sophomore year, I wascool. I was chilling because I
was at home, I could eat howevermuch I wanted to, I didn't have
(01:40):
to ask you the bathroom, likethere was just little pros to
it. And I could kind of do whatI wanted to after all my
schoolwork was done. But thensummer 2020 was a big, big like
hit for me because I was kind ofon my own personal growth
journey. And long story short,it really impacted my mental
health. And I just wasn't thesame person. So when I was in my
(02:04):
junior year, I was in APclasses. And I'm like, going
through my own internal turmoil.And it was just a really hard
time for me. And I was I almosthad I like, had senior itis in
junior year. And I already knewthat. And because I was hybrid,
so I was going in person. And Iwas also virtual. So it was
almost like there was no one atschool, really. So I just felt
(02:25):
like a senior, I was just like,I cannot imagine myself doing
another year of that. So it wasthe summer going into senior
year. And my mom was like, hey,like you should, you know, we
had our own personal reasons whyI might have dropped out of
school earlier, but she waslike, um, you know, you can get
if things don't work out the waythat we want them to for senior
(02:45):
year, you can just behomeschooled for your senior
year, or you can get your GED.And I was just like, I'm just
going to get it like I'm noteven going to wait for any
circumstance to happen. I justwant to get my GED. So just get
out the way she was like, Areyou sure because she didn't
expect me to take up on thatopportunity. And I was like,
yeah, like, I'm ready. I don'twant to do another year of this.
So I left in, I believe July. Isaid my goodbyes to some of the
(03:09):
faculty. And you know, it'sfunny, because in my transition,
a lot of people were, I can tellthey almost were a little
disappointed that I went tocommunity college because I had
a really high academic standing,you know, I was I was just
really good. And I had areputation for being good from
an you know, in high school. So,you know, when I would talk to
(03:31):
some people, they're like, Oh, Iexpected you to go to like
Harvard, or I expected you to goHoward or something like I
didn't expect you to go to ICBC.And I've been I mean, a part of
me was just like, like, I didn'treally think that the school was
what made me and I said that inmy speech. That doesn't really
matter. To me, it was more ofwhat I was getting out of the
(03:52):
school and what effort I wasputting into it. The beauty of
our community colleges is thatthere's not fluff in it. So
there's no shades, any largeuniversities or anything, but I
just I'm more of like astraightforward person. I'm just
there to kind of get the jobdone. And that could have been a
blessing and a curse in myearlier college career. Because
I think I was so focused ongetting the job done. I wasn't
(04:14):
really focused on buildingrelationships. Like I was just
like, go to class and go home, Iwasn't involved. And I give
myself grace because I was goingthrough a tough time in that
moment. I was kind of coming outof a hole at that point. So I
think isolation is what helpedme and I don't think a big like
I cannot see myself going to theuniversity like I just was not
in the mental state for that. Sogo back to July I leave BCIT and
(04:40):
I went to Barnes and Noble Ifound the GED studying materials
and at first I was like I don'tknow if I could do this. And
then me and my mom were sittingon the bench looking through the
books and she was like this Idon't want you can do this. Like
this is so easy. So we justdecided I decided to leave after
I saw that. And then I took mytest it took probably about like
(05:01):
a week for me to take all thetests because there's four parts
to the GED. And I aced it. And Iwas able to enroll literally,
like, I think I enrolled. Yeah,July and August. No, I think I
the whole process was likeAugust was me trying to enroll
and like, get my classestogether and stuff. So it was
like a big time crunch. But Igot through and the BD but rcbc
(05:24):
says open enrollment. So there'sno like, I mean, as long as I'm
sure as long as you have yourcredentials, as far as your high
school and stuff, you're fine.So, you know, they saw that I
had a GED, they were like, Okay,you're you're in you know, I
was, I didn't know that, thatthat was the way rcbc worked. So
that was beautiful. And, yeah,it's just I just started school
ever since. Yeah,
Jason Varga (05:44):
here doing Presidential Award. And, you
know, I kind of had a similarpath of sorts. I thought I was
gonna go away to someprestigious school, I had great
and great grades trying to goathletics, my dad was fighting
with my dad. Because he thoughton my part of myself out of
school, right, so I did have Idid have some, some bad
influences and such, but I stillgot my stuff together, and we're
still getting some great grades.And I busted my butt to get get
(06:07):
to that point. But he's like,I'm not sure if I trust us like,
but if you go to communitycollege, and you really figure
out what you want to do, he'slike, I'll pay for that. But you
go off to school, you're goingto pay for yourself, and kind of
want to gamble and I wasn't sureabout what I wanted to do. I
thought I really knew what Iwanted to do. But it wasn't I'm
grateful for the communitycollege because I came here at
that time was Bronx CountyCollege. But that really kind of
set my path because a lot oftimes people go to school, not
(06:29):
really knowing what they'redoing or something. So a lot of
fluff, they get out there. Andthey're like, they're not
prepared for it. Right. And thenthey they either fail out
withdrawal, whatever, and thencome back to the community
college, get themselves right,and really prepare themselves.
And I think, you know, that's abeautiful thing to think about
rcbc. And like you said, OpenEnrollment. We talked about the
GED, we're doing adult basiceducation graduation on top of
that part of the of all theseceremonies and stuff. But what I
(06:51):
was reading from your story,though, is that you're still
looks like you're sticking withfashion, which I found to be
pretty incredible. So I guessyou're really passionate about
fashion I am, what is it
Unknown (06:59):
about I'm in a space where I want to still be in the
in the arts, I still want to bein design. But I'm still
figuring out specifically what Iwant to start with, like what I
want to do, because I've latelylike in the past past few years,
I've adopted the mindset thatyou don't need to be a part of
one career. And so there arecertain people that inspire me
(07:20):
that they tap into multiplecareers, they might be into
music, but they also have afashion line. And you see a lot
of that today where you don'thave to be one thing, like you
can be multiple, you can bemultiple careers, and they don't
even have to do with each other.You know, so
Jason Varga (07:35):
I'm gonna not cut you off. But who are some of
these inspirations?
Unknown (07:38):
Um, well, some people that have inspired me is like
Rihanna, Kanye West, like thefact that they have tapped into
multiple Absolutely, industries,and they've kept in, they've,
like, capitalize off of that,you know, off their multiple
skills, they don't feel theneed, you can even say that with
Beyonce, like he has Ivy Park,you know what I'm saying? Like,
they're not only limited to onefield, you know, and I'm saying,
(08:01):
so, I'm going to space where,and it's funny, because, you
know, I'm also still in schoolfor my bachelor's in global
business at wrong, and I'm doingthe three plus one program. So,
you know, I, when I have thatmindset of like, you can kind
of, you know, you can you cancapitalize off of anything. You
(08:22):
know, there, I just received somany opportunities for me,
there's so many, like,industries that I can tap into.
So, yes, fashion has been apassion of mine for a long time.
I wouldn't say it's as strongfor me anymore. But I definitely
still want to be in the arts forsure. Yeah.
Jason Varga (08:39):
And like you said, go with a three plus one record
program and building off thatbusiness model. You need it. And
I think I never wanted to juststay one stream, right? When I
was telling a lot of mystudents, you know, because
again, coming from a radiobackground, I used to be just
like an audio guy, but I kepttelling him like, you need to be
video and you need to be doingsocial stuff because now jobs
people you know, they're doinginfluencers. A lot of companies
(09:03):
are hiring people just to dosocial media stuff, but you can
use your voice you can usevideo. You know, I was I was
joked around like, Jay of alltraits, right? But, but I'm also
gonna get bored real quick, too,right? So I need to feed my feed
my beast, but I have I have apassion for woodworking I have a
passion for doing voiceovercommercial work and stuff
because I don't know, maybeyou're on the same wavelength of
just a creative mindset. Butalso, you know, keep hunger for
(09:25):
more, right? And how to kind ofreally get out there in the
world, put yourself out there.But you know, Kanye, how he's
very impressive. And obviouslysome of the business models that
he's creating, not just musicand not easy stuff. So we can
talk a lot more, bring someother, you know, another
presidential award winner onhere as we're doing this
commencement coverage on thisedition of the program pod for
(09:46):
the podcast. So do you have anend goal, you know, you still
kind of feel in yourself outlike obviously, you said you're
still going to school and doingthe whole business model, where
you see yourself a couple yearsfrom now.
Unknown (09:57):
Um, I always just tell people, entrepreneurs To get
out, I just know that whatever Ido, I want to own it and be the
one ahead of it. Butessentially, that's it that I'm
interested in hospitality, like,the hospitality industry, I'm
interested in music, like, I'minterested in a lot of things.
(10:18):
And I'm almost before I couldn'tunderstand that, how people
couldn't know where they wantedto go. Because for so long, I
told myself, I'm doing fashion,like fashion, fast fashion. And
now I give those people moregrace, because I'm like, It's
okay to not know, even if you'rea grown adult, and you still
don't really know, like, it'sperfectly fine. It doesn't mean
that there's something wrongwith you, or you failed, like,
(10:40):
it's okay. You know, because weall have an inner child, we all
have new passions, we don't havea feel like you're dying, if
you're not exploring yourpassions. Anything that anything
that doesn't grow is dying. Soyou have to kind of like feed
those. Those passions, thosethat you get, even if it's
fleeting, even if you onlypursue something for a few
(11:02):
months, it's okay, because atleast you can look back years
from now and be happy that youfulfilled that, versus being
miserable, because you'veconditioned yourself to be
committed to something, you knowwhat I'm saying? Yeah,
Jason Varga (11:15):
well, and again, because we're off, we just spoke
with her, she said the samething, can't be afraid to fail.
Right. And that's kind of, youknow, it's such a great
inspirational quote, and it'ssomething I kind of want to
have, you know, leave us outwith. And I said, she said, just
don't be afraid to fail,because, you know, throw a bunch
stuff at the wall, andeventually something will stick
but he said, You don't know ifyou don't try and I had an I had
(11:35):
something similar to it'sunfortunately COVID I, you know,
I owned a brewery on top ofthings. My passion was craft
beer, like, I have to say, whatdon't you do, right, to an audio
do and everything else. But Ihad a really passion for just as
more about the brewing of beerand creating it right, rather
than actually kind of tasting itand sharing with others. But
it's just I think that's theartsy stuff that's in me. But
(11:57):
then French have turned it intoa business. And now I had an
opportunity to kind of buy in,did not see a worldwide
pandemic, part of my riskassessment, unfortunately, that
ruined it and closed ourbusiness and stuff. But I'm glad
I went through the experience,even though I lost some of the
money because I went throughsaying What, no, I don't want to
say what if, because whathappens if that business had a
chance to buy in and I didn't,and it took off, then I would,
you know, kind of hate myself,it's okay to fail right now. And
(12:19):
my wife was appreciative of it,because she was super supportive
of it. But you had to get outthere, like you said, you go out
there and you try, it didn'twork out cool, move on to the
next, you got to have that youjust can't let it get to you.
And I think that's anotherreason why they you know, I can
see your vibe and feel your vibethere, it's while you're kind of
brought you in to be making youanother presidential award
winner and get ready to have tospeak in front of everybody
(12:40):
else. So before, you know, forsome parting words, for your
fellow classmates, I know youkind of touched on it, don't be
afraid to fail, you know, getinto some of your passions and
stuff, but just leave us like,what kind of inspirational
message to your fellowclassmates, anybody, mom,
whatever, what do you got,
Unknown (12:55):
um, I would pretty much say that in order to achieve
whatever you want, you have tobe in tune with yourself, you
like success is an internal isan internal work before anything
else. Because if you're not intune with yourself internally, I
won't say that whatever youattempt won't work out. But
it'll just make it harder. Andyou have to like really
(13:16):
understand why you're doing whatyou're doing what you're doing,
you have to know like, from yourcore, what you're really
inspired by, I'm someone who'svery much into spirituality. And
so I believe that we all have adivine purpose. And you really
have to be in tune with whatthat is for you. I, I consider
myself a spiritual person, I'mnot religious, but if you are,
(13:37):
be in tune with that deeply, Ireally believe that you have to
have your purpose. Like you haveto be operating from a place of
purpose in order to be so. So sodriven, you know, that that
troubling year of 2020 Likeliterally changed my life. And I
always say it's the worst yearof my life. But it also was the
(13:59):
best year because I wouldn't bethe woman I am today without
that year. And it made me somuch stronger and my
spirituality, because I feelthat's what helped keep me keep
me here, you know what I'msaying? And I feel that even if
you didn't go through anythingdramatic, you know, you still
need to be in tune with who youare in order to to achieve what
(14:22):
you want to you know, big
Jason Varga (14:23):
believer like you said divine purpose. I think you
know, 2020 happen for a reason.For whatever reason to happen.
Yeah, right. But it kind ofstarts creating some of the
paths you don't know what thatpath is. But you know, what
doesn't kill you makes youstronger type thing. Absolutely.
Did there. Alright, so damaagain, congratulations on one of
(14:44):
their presidential award winnerslooking forward to hearing your
speech and for the commencementstuff. So good luck with that
and thanks come on the show.
Unknown (14:50):
Thank you.
Jason Varga (14:51):
Thank you. I just loved Adamas attitude right
there and perspective on life bysaying get in tune with yourself
and how we all have a divinepurpose proving once again And
why she was a well deservedPresident's Award winner at rcbc
inaugural Winter Commencement.Now I'm going to take it back
down to our marketing internEli, who had a chance to catch
up with some students before thestem and adult basic education
(15:12):
commencement was about to takeplace.
Unknown (15:14):
Hello, my name is Eli, I'm here with the Andre the
Android guy asked you Well,first and foremost,
congratulations, I want to askyou before you know we have this
commencement ceremony How youfeeling?
I feel accomplished, honestly,you know, because I've been here
for a while now and stuff likethat too. And I'm being here
I've been experienced a lot ofstuff, you know, like meeting
(15:34):
new people and swings to life oncampus and everything you know,
it's not as much as like auniversity but I'm glad to be
here. Honestly, you know, mygang connected with professors,
certain clubs and stuff to likethe land next, I'm the minority
brave which is called um, youknow, certain things this school
has a lot to offer for peoplethat don't know what they're
(15:56):
doing to start with and stufflike so I recommend it to any
other ones too. For sure. What
would you say is your favoritelike extracurricular or club or
something that you've gotinvolved in outside the
classroom,
outside the classroom, I want toshout out to brave honestly. So
because I was here since thebeginning when it was used to be
called something else like trueessence. And then now is be like
seeing how it matures, onlygetting having new people come
(16:18):
in doing certain things likecampus tour, bringing speakers
in, and stuff like that. I likedthat so much barbershop talk,
you know, love it so much. Yeah.
And then to wrap it all up, whatwould you say is one thing that
you're most grateful for duringyour time here or CBC?
I'm most likely grateful for thepeople I met. So like my
friends, and my professors,honestly, I would not be there
without them. Honestly, too weakhere graduating?
(16:40):
What's your major?
Electrical EngineeringTechnology?
Also, yo, thank you so much forHello, my name is Eli. I'm here
with Frank med. Frank, nice tomeet you wholesale.
Congratulations as well, whatwould you say is one thing that
you're most grateful for theirtime here rcbc.
What I'm most grateful for isactually getting my degree,
because I know, it's not an easything to do, because it's
(17:02):
figuring out how my parentsdidn't go to college. And like,
they're really relying on me tolike, fulfill their promise. So
I'm really just a firstgeneration student, and I'm just
really happy to get my degree.
Gotcha, gotcha. Would you saythat, you know, being a first
gen really was one of the thingsthat motivates you the most
during your time at rcbc are theother motivating factors while
you're inside the classroom,like friendships or other
(17:24):
relationships that you're ableto create during your time here?
Well, what I'm most motivated ondoing is actually like learning
new things. Because we want towe want to try something new.
Any advice
or things that you've learned inyour time your rcbc Chuyen that
you would tell your fellowgraduates or people who are
going to graduate who are goingto be in your shoes sooner
(17:44):
rather than later.
First off is never give up.That's that's number one rule.
And second, do something thatyou're really good at,
like them appreciate orCongratulations once again,
Jason Varga (17:55):
never give up indeed, and great hearing from a
few students talking about thebrave program, which stands for
brother's Achieving Excellence,which is an institutional effort
to increase successful progressand graduation rates of rcbc
African American Black andLatino male students through
various ways includingbarbershop talks, campus tours
to four year schools,connections, and a whole bunch
(18:15):
more. So if you want some moreinformation about that brave
program you can visitrcbc.edu/brave Meanwhile, let's
take it to the 2023 stem wintercommencement and hear presidency
OSI welcoming the crowd offamily and friends in the vote
auditorium along with a snippetfrom President award winner,
Adama Joe and speech
President Cioce (18:33):
afternoon. All right, in full disclosure, this
is our first time ever doingthis. So we had to guess on
size. So we had like 90graduates this morning or
earlier today. There's clearlynot 90 of you so I'm going to
need you guys to be doubly loudOkay.
(19:02):
Perfect, I think we're gonnahave fun this time of year. You
know, everything is kind ofcrazy. And there's there's a lot
of different emotions for a lotof different reasons. You know,
this room is filled with prideof past accomplishments,
optimism for future success. AndI'm humbled to be among
inspirational graduates. They'reproud and supportive friends and
families and those of us who areprivileged to work with all of
(19:24):
them. I guess STEM is hardright? That's why there's so few
graduates right? I think that'sthat's the trickier liberal
arts. It was like packed, it'sgonna be packed because
cakewalk. The ceremonycelebrates graduates from
programs in the science,technology, engineering and
mathematics division, today'shistoric. This is the first time
ever that rcbc has hosted aDecember commencement to
(19:45):
celebrate the success of ourstudents who completed their
academic journeys in eitherAugust or December. It's also
the first time that we areincluding students who earn
their high school equivalencythrough our adult basic
education program. Welcome youraccount. postman is worthy of
celebration. Next up, we'regoing to hear from an extremely
(20:05):
impressive, Baron. Any greatsuccess usually requires someone
taking a risk and betting onthemselves. Many graduates have
rolled the dice worked hard, andare here today as proof of that
success. Our speaker Adama Jonesbet on herself big time. She was
a successful high schoolstudent, but she decided it was
(20:26):
time to move ahead. After thepandemic hit, she courageously
decided to end her high schoolcareer to take the GED test and
enroll in our CBC with a monthof ending her junior year of
high school. Those graduatecelebrating earning their GED
today will tell you that thattask is challenging. Her venture
(20:46):
paid off. She's graduating todaywith a 4.0 in the fashion design
program, while pursuing a threeplus one degree in business
administration. While here atrcbc, she began her professional
career with interior design andfashion design. She has
presented her designs inprofessional shows and will be
part of Atlantic City Fashionweek in February. It's good for
(21:09):
the casinos that she's too youngto gamble, because she had wiped
them out. That's it go on. Trythe veal. I'll be here all week.
Please welcome president's awardwinner, Adama Jones.
Unknown (21:35):
Hello, everyone. Thank you presidency Yossi for that
beautiful introduction. I am soproud and honored to be speaking
before so many beautiful, highachievers in front of me. What
does it mean to be a highachiever anyway? Being a high
achiever means exercising ahealthy mix of courage,
(21:56):
confidence willpower, reachingbeyond the stars and something I
like to call supernaturalalignment. reaching beyond the
stars is wanting things thatyou've never seen nor
experienced. Whether that beingyour family, your town, your
country or the world. Couragemeans going after your biggest
dreams regardless of theinsecurities you may face.
(22:20):
Confidence means ignoring thenaysayers, your past trials and
tribulations and striding withyour strings on your back.
Willpower looks like not lettingyour immediate circumstances
stand your way and taking theextra mile even when it's
painful. Lastly, my favorite issupernatural alignment. It means
(22:41):
pursuing as if you alreadyaccomplished being one with your
vision. There are so manyamazing individuals that I went
to school with every day. And asmuch as we blend into the crowd
on campus, I've discovered thatthere were talented, skillful
and insightful individualssurrounding me all along.
Getting your degree is a hugeaccomplishment because it took
(23:01):
dedication, you had all theoptions of giving up. And some
of you may have left the pathfor a little while. But you're
here, which means you'vesucceeded. I'm sure you've had
to practice courage, confidence,willpower, visualization, and
self trust along all of yourpaths. From the cap on your head
to the gown of your body. Itlooks like your efforts paid
off. You are all high achievers.This degree is the fruit of your
(23:25):
labor. And hopefully it is aworthwhile chapter and your
highest purpose in life. Take asmuch time as you need to reflect
on yourself through thisjourney. What have you learned?
How did you grow as a person?Who did you meet along the way?
What have you overcome? As yougo through these thoughts,
(23:47):
you'll realize that you're a lotgreater than you probably give
yourself credit for. Today, wecelebrate our accomplishments.
But don't keep your pride onlyfor today. Carry this pride with
you into the future and nevertake yourself for granted.
Congratulations, class of 2023and thank you for having me.
President Cioce (24:11):
Congratulations to the members of the Class of
2023. One final thing, graduatesmay now move your tassels from
your right to your left. Let'sgo.
(24:33):
These crowds not not letting medown. They're small but they're
mighty. Before we conclude, Iwant to applaud the faculty and
staff who have worked tirelesslyto prepare the next generation
of leaders.
(24:57):
Want to applaud all the familyand friends Both in the audience
at home watching online or stuckat work
and of course, one final roundof applause to our graduates.
Congratulations on youraccomplishments
(25:28):
let's go I can't hear you Ican't hear you all right, you
guys, you guys did notdisappoint. So there's there's
more partying there
Jason Varga (25:46):
would be more partying indeed, which we'll get
to next but supernaturalalignment. I love that phrase
from Adama who crushed herpresident's award speech. And if
you want to hear her full speechat the 2023 stem winter
commencement, you can head overto our CPCs YouTube page. Also,
gotta love President COCcracking some jokes about
liberal arts being a cakewalkcompared to stem but he did go
(26:08):
on to say he was just kidding.Like he's always known to do and
telling his dad jokes. But hey,I'm a liberal arts major kind of
agree. Anyway, President COCtalking about the partying that
was taking place over at theStudent Success Center where all
the graduates would walk overfrom vote Hall, over to the
Student Success Center where thegraduates met up with their
loved ones for some selfies,some snacks and other
celebratory occasions includingEli catching up with a very
(26:30):
excited organic chemistry major.
Unknown (26:32):
Hello, my name is Eli, I'm here with Brianna volare.
She just finished up the stemgraduation. I want to ask you,
Briana, how are you feeling?What's going through your mind?
What's what's pre feeling?
Right now? I'm just reallyexcited that I'm like halfway
through my studies, because I amin the two plus one program.
(26:55):
Thank you so much. ProfessorSherlock, one of my favorite
professors. He's amazing. Hetaught me organic chemistry.
That was one of my favoriteclasses. It was super hard, but
I loved it. It was great. ButI'm really excited that I'm
like, halfway done. It was areally cool experience. And it
was, it was really nice. It'sgood. I'm very happy.
(27:16):
What would you say are some ofyour best experiences inside the
classroom outside the classroom?Were you involved in clubs or
extracurriculars?
So I was in student governmentassociation. I was one of the
presidents or vice presidents. Iwas also a part of the crew
club. And the I forget the nameof it, but there was another one
where we do volunteering andstuff. Maybe it was crew, but I
(27:38):
can't remember. But anyways,yeah, it was. It was fun. It was
good. I'm hoping to do it in thespring as well. I didn't have
much time to do in the fall,because I was busy with classes,
but hoping to get back into it.
Well, and then last but notleast, what would you say is
what are you most grateful forduring your time here? rcbc.
I'm really grateful for all thepeople I've met. I made a lot of
good friends and all the thingsI've learned all the teachers
(28:02):
were really awesome. And I mean,there are a few I was like, Oh,
this is a hard class. Thisstinks. But there are some like,
like Professor Sherlock orprofessor Meadows or they really
made it worth it and like funand it was really good and made
some good connections withpeople. So thank you so much.
Jason Varga (28:17):
Thank you as well. Eli's so much for hitting the
streets to speak with ourstudents. And also shout out to
Professor Sherlock, who soundedlike he had a profound impact on
Brianna's stem journey there andall smiles around and just love
hearing those connections.Anyway, that's going to do it
for our 2023 Winter stemcommencement coverage on the
program pod. And if you'reinterested in finding out about
(28:37):
what else rcbc has to offer inthe world of STEM, which is
science, technology,engineering, and mathematics,
you can head over to rcbc.eduMeanwhile, we'll be dropping the
2023 liberal arts WinterCommencement coverage on the
next episode of the program podand wrap up this inaugural event
at rcbc. So stay tuned and besure to subscribe to the program
pod wherever you get yourpodcast and of course, thanks
(28:59):
for listening.
President Cioce (28:59):
Stay curious and go go go change the world.
Welcome to the program pod a national award
winning program on the rcbcPodcast Network, which takes a
deep dive into the programsoffered at rcbc. through
different perspectives ofstudents, faculty and employers.
Now, I brought in anotherpresidential award winner here
as we're going throughrehearsals. For the once again,
first time ever rcbc WinterCommencement forum, December 20.
(00:23):
All three ceremonies are goingto be taking place with liberal
arts, stem Health Sciences, andthis time award winner a
presidential award winner, AdamaJones, Adama. Hey, how you
doing? I'm good. How are you?Good. And what's ceremony you
Unknown (00:36):
can be speaking in front of I'm going to be
speaking for the stem stem.Okay. So how do you feel I've
gone through a very good, I'mvery honored to be speaking.
It's funny because the processfor speaking was hilarious. I
didn't think I was going tospeak I got the opportunity. And
I was like, I'm not going to doit. I just want to get my
diploma. I'm almost like, Youshould do it. And I'm like, No,
(00:58):
I'm okay. You know, I'm kind oflike, I just wanted to be low
key about it. And theneventually, it just fell into
place. And I'm the speaker now.Yeah, yeah. So
Jason Varga (01:07):
your story, you know, how did you get to hear
the you know, the want to be inpresidential war because you
have an exceptional story too,which is obviously one of the
reasons why you were chosen tobe one of the rcbc is
Presidential Award for a wintercommencement,
Unknown (01:19):
I went to a vocational school, I went to BCIT and which
is Bronson county Institute ofTechnology for those who don't
know, and I was in the fashionprogram, and I was in sophomore
year when COVID hit. So that wasa really tough year. When I was
in my sophomore year, I wascool. I was chilling because I
was at home, I could eat howevermuch I wanted to, I didn't have
(01:40):
to ask you the bathroom, likethere was just little pros to
it. And I could kind of do whatI wanted to after all my
schoolwork was done. But thensummer 2020 was a big, big like
hit for me because I was kind ofon my own personal growth
journey. And long story short,it really impacted my mental
health. And I just wasn't thesame person. So when I was in my
(02:04):
junior year, I was in APclasses. And I'm like, going
through my own internal turmoil.And it was just a really hard
time for me. And I was I almosthad I like, had senior itis in
junior year. And I already knewthat. And because I was hybrid,
so I was going in person. And Iwas also virtual. So it was
almost like there was no one atschool, really. So I just felt
(02:25):
like a senior, I was just like,I cannot imagine myself doing
another year of that. So it wasthe summer going into senior
year. And my mom was like, hey,like you should, you know, we
had our own personal reasons whyI might have dropped out of
school earlier, but she waslike, um, you know, you can get
if things don't work out the waythat we want them to for senior
(02:45):
year, you can just behomeschooled for your senior
year, or you can get your GED.And I was just like, I'm just
going to get it like I'm noteven going to wait for any
circumstance to happen. I justwant to get my GED. So just get
out the way she was like, Areyou sure because she didn't
expect me to take up on thatopportunity. And I was like,
yeah, like, I'm ready. I don'twant to do another year of this.
So I left in, I believe July. Isaid my goodbyes to some of the
(03:09):
faculty. And you know, it'sfunny, because in my transition,
a lot of people were, I can tellthey almost were a little
disappointed that I went tocommunity college because I had
a really high academic standing,you know, I was I was just
really good. And I had areputation for being good from
an you know, in high school. So,you know, when I would talk to
(03:31):
some people, they're like, Oh, Iexpected you to go to like
Harvard, or I expected you to goHoward or something like I
didn't expect you to go to ICBC.And I've been I mean, a part of
me was just like, like, I didn'treally think that the school was
what made me and I said that inmy speech. That doesn't really
matter. To me, it was more ofwhat I was getting out of the
(03:52):
school and what effort I wasputting into it. The beauty of
our community colleges is thatthere's not fluff in it. So
there's no shades, any largeuniversities or anything, but I
just I'm more of like astraightforward person. I'm just
there to kind of get the jobdone. And that could have been a
blessing and a curse in myearlier college career. Because
I think I was so focused ongetting the job done. I wasn't
(04:14):
really focused on buildingrelationships. Like I was just
like, go to class and go home, Iwasn't involved. And I give
myself grace because I was goingthrough a tough time in that
moment. I was kind of coming outof a hole at that point. So I
think isolation is what helpedme and I don't think a big like
I cannot see myself going to theuniversity like I just was not
in the mental state for that. Sogo back to July I leave BCIT and
(04:40):
I went to Barnes and Noble Ifound the GED studying materials
and at first I was like I don'tknow if I could do this. And
then me and my mom were sittingon the bench looking through the
books and she was like this Idon't want you can do this. Like
this is so easy. So we justdecided I decided to leave after
I saw that. And then I took mytest it took probably about like
(05:01):
a week for me to take all thetests because there's four parts
to the GED. And I aced it. And Iwas able to enroll literally,
like, I think I enrolled. Yeah,July and August. No, I think I
the whole process was likeAugust was me trying to enroll
and like, get my classestogether and stuff. So it was
like a big time crunch. But Igot through and the BD but rcbc
(05:24):
says open enrollment. So there'sno like, I mean, as long as I'm
sure as long as you have yourcredentials, as far as your high
school and stuff, you're fine.So, you know, they saw that I
had a GED, they were like, Okay,you're you're in you know, I
was, I didn't know that, thatthat was the way rcbc worked. So
that was beautiful. And, yeah,it's just I just started school
ever since. Yeah,
Jason Varga (05:44):
here doing Presidential Award. And, you
know, I kind of had a similarpath of sorts. I thought I was
gonna go away to someprestigious school, I had great
and great grades trying to goathletics, my dad was fighting
with my dad. Because he thoughton my part of myself out of
school, right, so I did have Idid have some, some bad
influences and such, but I stillgot my stuff together, and we're
still getting some great grades.And I busted my butt to get get
(06:07):
to that point. But he's like,I'm not sure if I trust us like,
but if you go to communitycollege, and you really figure
out what you want to do, he'slike, I'll pay for that. But you
go off to school, you're goingto pay for yourself, and kind of
want to gamble and I wasn't sureabout what I wanted to do. I
thought I really knew what Iwanted to do. But it wasn't I'm
grateful for the communitycollege because I came here at
that time was Bronx CountyCollege. But that really kind of
set my path because a lot oftimes people go to school, not
(06:29):
really knowing what they'redoing or something. So a lot of
fluff, they get out there. Andthey're like, they're not
prepared for it. Right. And thenthey they either fail out
withdrawal, whatever, and thencome back to the community
college, get themselves right,and really prepare themselves.
And I think, you know, that's abeautiful thing to think about
rcbc. And like you said, OpenEnrollment. We talked about the
GED, we're doing adult basiceducation graduation on top of
that part of the of all theseceremonies and stuff. But what I
(06:51):
was reading from your story,though, is that you're still
looks like you're sticking withfashion, which I found to be
pretty incredible. So I guessyou're really passionate about
fashion I am, what is it
Unknown (06:59):
about I'm in a space where I want to still be in the
in the arts, I still want to bein design. But I'm still
figuring out specifically what Iwant to start with, like what I
want to do, because I've latelylike in the past past few years,
I've adopted the mindset thatyou don't need to be a part of
one career. And so there arecertain people that inspire me
(07:20):
that they tap into multiplecareers, they might be into
music, but they also have afashion line. And you see a lot
of that today where you don'thave to be one thing, like you
can be multiple, you can bemultiple careers, and they don't
even have to do with each other.You know, so
Jason Varga (07:35):
I'm gonna not cut you off. But who are some of
these inspirations?
Unknown (07:38):
Um, well, some people that have inspired me is like
Rihanna, Kanye West, like thefact that they have tapped into
multiple Absolutely, industries,and they've kept in, they've,
like, capitalize off of that,you know, off their multiple
skills, they don't feel theneed, you can even say that with
Beyonce, like he has Ivy Park,you know what I'm saying? Like,
they're not only limited to onefield, you know, and I'm saying,
(08:01):
so, I'm going to space where,and it's funny, because, you
know, I'm also still in schoolfor my bachelor's in global
business at wrong, and I'm doingthe three plus one program. So,
you know, I, when I have thatmindset of like, you can kind
of, you know, you can you cancapitalize off of anything. You
(08:22):
know, there, I just received somany opportunities for me,
there's so many, like,industries that I can tap into.
So, yes, fashion has been apassion of mine for a long time.
I wouldn't say it's as strongfor me anymore. But I definitely
still want to be in the arts forsure. Yeah.
Jason Varga (08:39):
And like you said, go with a three plus one record
program and building off thatbusiness model. You need it. And
I think I never wanted to juststay one stream, right? When I
was telling a lot of mystudents, you know, because
again, coming from a radiobackground, I used to be just
like an audio guy, but I kepttelling him like, you need to be
video and you need to be doingsocial stuff because now jobs
people you know, they're doinginfluencers. A lot of companies
(09:03):
are hiring people just to dosocial media stuff, but you can
use your voice you can usevideo. You know, I was I was
joked around like, Jay of alltraits, right? But, but I'm also
gonna get bored real quick, too,right? So I need to feed my feed
my beast, but I have I have apassion for woodworking I have a
passion for doing voiceovercommercial work and stuff
because I don't know, maybeyou're on the same wavelength of
just a creative mindset. Butalso, you know, keep hunger for
(09:25):
more, right? And how to kind ofreally get out there in the
world, put yourself out there.But you know, Kanye, how he's
very impressive. And obviouslysome of the business models that
he's creating, not just musicand not easy stuff. So we can
talk a lot more, bring someother, you know, another
presidential award winner onhere as we're doing this
commencement coverage on thisedition of the program pod for
(09:46):
the podcast. So do you have anend goal, you know, you still
kind of feel in yourself outlike obviously, you said you're
still going to school and doingthe whole business model, where
you see yourself a couple yearsfrom now.
Unknown (09:57):
Um, I always just tell people, entrepreneurs To get
out, I just know that whatever Ido, I want to own it and be the
one ahead of it. Butessentially, that's it that I'm
interested in hospitality, like,the hospitality industry, I'm
interested in music, like, I'minterested in a lot of things.
(10:18):
And I'm almost before I couldn'tunderstand that, how people
couldn't know where they wantedto go. Because for so long, I
told myself, I'm doing fashion,like fashion, fast fashion. And
now I give those people moregrace, because I'm like, It's
okay to not know, even if you'rea grown adult, and you still
don't really know, like, it'sperfectly fine. It doesn't mean
that there's something wrongwith you, or you failed, like,
(10:40):
it's okay. You know, because weall have an inner child, we all
have new passions, we don't havea feel like you're dying, if
you're not exploring yourpassions. Anything that anything
that doesn't grow is dying. Soyou have to kind of like feed
those. Those passions, thosethat you get, even if it's
fleeting, even if you onlypursue something for a few
(11:02):
months, it's okay, because atleast you can look back years
from now and be happy that youfulfilled that, versus being
miserable, because you'veconditioned yourself to be
committed to something, you knowwhat I'm saying? Yeah,
Jason Varga (11:15):
well, and again, because we're off, we just spoke
with her, she said the samething, can't be afraid to fail.
Right. And that's kind of, youknow, it's such a great
inspirational quote, and it'ssomething I kind of want to
have, you know, leave us outwith. And I said, she said, just
don't be afraid to fail,because, you know, throw a bunch
stuff at the wall, andeventually something will stick
but he said, You don't know ifyou don't try and I had an I had
(11:35):
something similar to it'sunfortunately COVID I, you know,
I owned a brewery on top ofthings. My passion was craft
beer, like, I have to say, whatdon't you do, right, to an audio
do and everything else. But Ihad a really passion for just as
more about the brewing of beerand creating it right, rather
than actually kind of tasting itand sharing with others. But
it's just I think that's theartsy stuff that's in me. But
(11:57):
then French have turned it intoa business. And now I had an
opportunity to kind of buy in,did not see a worldwide
pandemic, part of my riskassessment, unfortunately, that
ruined it and closed ourbusiness and stuff. But I'm glad
I went through the experience,even though I lost some of the
money because I went throughsaying What, no, I don't want to
say what if, because whathappens if that business had a
chance to buy in and I didn't,and it took off, then I would,
you know, kind of hate myself,it's okay to fail right now. And
(12:19):
my wife was appreciative of it,because she was super supportive
of it. But you had to get outthere, like you said, you go out
there and you try, it didn'twork out cool, move on to the
next, you got to have that youjust can't let it get to you.
And I think that's anotherreason why they you know, I can
see your vibe and feel your vibethere, it's while you're kind of
brought you in to be making youanother presidential award
winner and get ready to have tospeak in front of everybody
(12:40):
else. So before, you know, forsome parting words, for your
fellow classmates, I know youkind of touched on it, don't be
afraid to fail, you know, getinto some of your passions and
stuff, but just leave us like,what kind of inspirational
message to your fellowclassmates, anybody, mom,
whatever, what do you got,
Unknown (12:55):
um, I would pretty much say that in order to achieve
whatever you want, you have tobe in tune with yourself, you
like success is an internal isan internal work before anything
else. Because if you're not intune with yourself internally, I
won't say that whatever youattempt won't work out. But
it'll just make it harder. Andyou have to like really
(13:16):
understand why you're doing whatyou're doing what you're doing,
you have to know like, from yourcore, what you're really
inspired by, I'm someone who'svery much into spirituality. And
so I believe that we all have adivine purpose. And you really
have to be in tune with whatthat is for you. I, I consider
myself a spiritual person, I'mnot religious, but if you are,
(13:37):
be in tune with that deeply, Ireally believe that you have to
have your purpose. Like you haveto be operating from a place of
purpose in order to be so. So sodriven, you know, that that
troubling year of 2020 Likeliterally changed my life. And I
always say it's the worst yearof my life. But it also was the
(13:59):
best year because I wouldn't bethe woman I am today without
that year. And it made me somuch stronger and my
spirituality, because I feelthat's what helped keep me keep
me here, you know what I'msaying? And I feel that even if
you didn't go through anythingdramatic, you know, you still
need to be in tune with who youare in order to to achieve what
(14:22):
you want to you know, big
Jason Varga (14:23):
believer like you said divine purpose. I think you
know, 2020 happen for a reason.For whatever reason to happen.
Yeah, right. But it kind ofstarts creating some of the
paths you don't know what thatpath is. But you know, what
doesn't kill you makes youstronger type thing. Absolutely.
Did there. Alright, so damaagain, congratulations on one of
(14:44):
their presidential award winnerslooking forward to hearing your
speech and for the commencementstuff. So good luck with that
and thanks come on the show.
Unknown (14:50):
Thank you.
Jason Varga (14:51):
Thank you. I just loved Adamas attitude right
there and perspective on life bysaying get in tune with yourself
and how we all have a divinepurpose proving once again And
why she was a well deservedPresident's Award winner at rcbc
inaugural Winter Commencement.Now I'm going to take it back
down to our marketing internEli, who had a chance to catch
up with some students before thestem and adult basic education
(15:12):
commencement was about to takeplace.
Unknown (15:14):
Hello, my name is Eli, I'm here with the Andre the
Android guy asked you Well,first and foremost,
congratulations, I want to askyou before you know we have this
commencement ceremony How youfeeling?
I feel accomplished, honestly,you know, because I've been here
for a while now and stuff likethat too. And I'm being here
I've been experienced a lot ofstuff, you know, like meeting
(15:34):
new people and swings to life oncampus and everything you know,
it's not as much as like auniversity but I'm glad to be
here. Honestly, you know, mygang connected with professors,
certain clubs and stuff to likethe land next, I'm the minority
brave which is called um, youknow, certain things this school
has a lot to offer for peoplethat don't know what they're
(15:56):
doing to start with and stufflike so I recommend it to any
other ones too. For sure. What
would you say is your favoritelike extracurricular or club or
something that you've gotinvolved in outside the
classroom,
outside the classroom, I want toshout out to brave honestly. So
because I was here since thebeginning when it was used to be
called something else like trueessence. And then now is be like
seeing how it matures, onlygetting having new people come
(16:18):
in doing certain things likecampus tour, bringing speakers
in, and stuff like that. I likedthat so much barbershop talk,
you know, love it so much. Yeah.
And then to wrap it all up, whatwould you say is one thing that
you're most grateful for duringyour time here or CBC?
I'm most likely grateful for thepeople I met. So like my
friends, and my professors,honestly, I would not be there
without them. Honestly, too weakhere graduating?
(16:40):
What's your major?
Electrical EngineeringTechnology?
Also, yo, thank you so much forHello, my name is Eli. I'm here
with Frank med. Frank, nice tomeet you wholesale.
Congratulations as well, whatwould you say is one thing that
you're most grateful for theirtime here rcbc.
What I'm most grateful for isactually getting my degree,
because I know, it's not an easything to do, because it's
(17:02):
figuring out how my parentsdidn't go to college. And like,
they're really relying on me tolike, fulfill their promise. So
I'm really just a firstgeneration student, and I'm just
really happy to get my degree.
Gotcha, gotcha. Would you saythat, you know, being a first
gen really was one of the thingsthat motivates you the most
during your time at rcbc are theother motivating factors while
you're inside the classroom,like friendships or other
(17:24):
relationships that you're ableto create during your time here?
Well, what I'm most motivated ondoing is actually like learning
new things. Because we want towe want to try something new.
Any advice
or things that you've learned inyour time your rcbc Chuyen that
you would tell your fellowgraduates or people who are
going to graduate who are goingto be in your shoes sooner
(17:44):
rather than later.
First off is never give up.That's that's number one rule.
And second, do something thatyou're really good at,
like them appreciate orCongratulations once again,
Jason Varga (17:55):
never give up indeed, and great hearing from a
few students talking about thebrave program, which stands for
brother's Achieving Excellence,which is an institutional effort
to increase successful progressand graduation rates of rcbc
African American Black andLatino male students through
various ways includingbarbershop talks, campus tours
to four year schools,connections, and a whole bunch
(18:15):
more. So if you want some moreinformation about that brave
program you can visitrcbc.edu/brave Meanwhile, let's
take it to the 2023 stem wintercommencement and hear presidency
OSI welcoming the crowd offamily and friends in the vote
auditorium along with a snippetfrom President award winner,
Adama Joe and speech
President Cioce (18:33):
afternoon. All right, in full disclosure, this
is our first time ever doingthis. So we had to guess on
size. So we had like 90graduates this morning or
earlier today. There's clearlynot 90 of you so I'm going to
need you guys to be doubly loudOkay.
(19:02):
Perfect, I think we're gonnahave fun this time of year. You
know, everything is kind ofcrazy. And there's there's a lot
of different emotions for a lotof different reasons. You know,
this room is filled with prideof past accomplishments,
optimism for future success. AndI'm humbled to be among
inspirational graduates. They'reproud and supportive friends and
families and those of us who areprivileged to work with all of
(19:24):
them. I guess STEM is hardright? That's why there's so few
graduates right? I think that'sthat's the trickier liberal
arts. It was like packed, it'sgonna be packed because
cakewalk. The ceremonycelebrates graduates from
programs in the science,technology, engineering and
mathematics division, today'shistoric. This is the first time
ever that rcbc has hosted aDecember commencement to
(19:45):
celebrate the success of ourstudents who completed their
academic journeys in eitherAugust or December. It's also
the first time that we areincluding students who earn
their high school equivalencythrough our adult basic
education program. Welcome youraccount. postman is worthy of
celebration. Next up, we'regoing to hear from an extremely
(20:05):
impressive, Baron. Any greatsuccess usually requires someone
taking a risk and betting onthemselves. Many graduates have
rolled the dice worked hard, andare here today as proof of that
success. Our speaker Adama Jonesbet on herself big time. She was
a successful high schoolstudent, but she decided it was
(20:26):
time to move ahead. After thepandemic hit, she courageously
decided to end her high schoolcareer to take the GED test and
enroll in our CBC with a monthof ending her junior year of
high school. Those graduatecelebrating earning their GED
today will tell you that thattask is challenging. Her venture
(20:46):
paid off. She's graduating todaywith a 4.0 in the fashion design
program, while pursuing a threeplus one degree in business
administration. While here atrcbc, she began her professional
career with interior design andfashion design. She has
presented her designs inprofessional shows and will be
part of Atlantic City Fashionweek in February. It's good for
(21:09):
the casinos that she's too youngto gamble, because she had wiped
them out. That's it go on. Trythe veal. I'll be here all week.
Please welcome president's awardwinner, Adama Jones.
Unknown (21:35):
Hello, everyone. Thank you presidency Yossi for that
beautiful introduction. I am soproud and honored to be speaking
before so many beautiful, highachievers in front of me. What
does it mean to be a highachiever anyway? Being a high
achiever means exercising ahealthy mix of courage,
(21:56):
confidence willpower, reachingbeyond the stars and something I
like to call supernaturalalignment. reaching beyond the
stars is wanting things thatyou've never seen nor
experienced. Whether that beingyour family, your town, your
country or the world. Couragemeans going after your biggest
dreams regardless of theinsecurities you may face.
(22:20):
Confidence means ignoring thenaysayers, your past trials and
tribulations and striding withyour strings on your back.
Willpower looks like not lettingyour immediate circumstances
stand your way and taking theextra mile even when it's
painful. Lastly, my favorite issupernatural alignment. It means
(22:41):
pursuing as if you alreadyaccomplished being one with your
vision. There are so manyamazing individuals that I went
to school with every day. And asmuch as we blend into the crowd
on campus, I've discovered thatthere were talented, skillful
and insightful individualssurrounding me all along.
Getting your degree is a hugeaccomplishment because it took
(23:01):
dedication, you had all theoptions of giving up. And some
of you may have left the pathfor a little while. But you're
here, which means you'vesucceeded. I'm sure you've had
to practice courage, confidence,willpower, visualization, and
self trust along all of yourpaths. From the cap on your head
to the gown of your body. Itlooks like your efforts paid
off. You are all high achievers.This degree is the fruit of your
(23:25):
labor. And hopefully it is aworthwhile chapter and your
highest purpose in life. Take asmuch time as you need to reflect
on yourself through thisjourney. What have you learned?
How did you grow as a person?Who did you meet along the way?
What have you overcome? As yougo through these thoughts,
(23:47):
you'll realize that you're a lotgreater than you probably give
yourself credit for. Today, wecelebrate our accomplishments.
But don't keep your pride onlyfor today. Carry this pride with
you into the future and nevertake yourself for granted.
Congratulations, class of 2023and thank you for having me.
President Cioce (24:11):
Congratulations to the members of the Class of
2023. One final thing, graduatesmay now move your tassels from
your right to your left. Let'sgo.
(24:33):
These crowds not not letting medown. They're small but they're
mighty. Before we conclude, Iwant to applaud the faculty and
staff who have worked tirelesslyto prepare the next generation
of leaders.
(24:57):
Want to applaud all the familyand friends Both in the audience
at home watching online or stuckat work
and of course, one final roundof applause to our graduates.
Congratulations on youraccomplishments
(25:28):
let's go I can't hear you Ican't hear you all right, you
guys, you guys did notdisappoint. So there's there's
more partying there
Jason Varga (25:46):
would be more partying indeed, which we'll get
to next but supernaturalalignment. I love that phrase
from Adama who crushed herpresident's award speech. And if
you want to hear her full speechat the 2023 stem winter
commencement, you can head overto our CPCs YouTube page. Also,
gotta love President COCcracking some jokes about
liberal arts being a cakewalkcompared to stem but he did go
(26:08):
on to say he was just kidding.Like he's always known to do and
telling his dad jokes. But hey,I'm a liberal arts major kind of
agree. Anyway, President COCtalking about the partying that
was taking place over at theStudent Success Center where all
the graduates would walk overfrom vote Hall, over to the
Student Success Center where thegraduates met up with their
loved ones for some selfies,some snacks and other
celebratory occasions includingEli catching up with a very
(26:30):
excited organic chemistry major.
Unknown (26:32):
Hello, my name is Eli, I'm here with Brianna volare.
She just finished up the stemgraduation. I want to ask you,
Briana, how are you feeling?What's going through your mind?
What's what's pre feeling?
Right now? I'm just reallyexcited that I'm like halfway
through my studies, because I amin the two plus one program.
(26:55):
Thank you so much. ProfessorSherlock, one of my favorite
professors. He's amazing. Hetaught me organic chemistry.
That was one of my favoriteclasses. It was super hard, but
I loved it. It was great. ButI'm really excited that I'm
like, halfway done. It was areally cool experience. And it
was, it was really nice. It'sgood. I'm very happy.
(27:16):
What would you say are some ofyour best experiences inside the
classroom outside the classroom?Were you involved in clubs or
extracurriculars?
So I was in student governmentassociation. I was one of the
presidents or vice presidents. Iwas also a part of the crew
club. And the I forget the nameof it, but there was another one
where we do volunteering andstuff. Maybe it was crew, but I
(27:38):
can't remember. But anyways,yeah, it was. It was fun. It was
good. I'm hoping to do it in thespring as well. I didn't have
much time to do in the fall,because I was busy with classes,
but hoping to get back into it.
Well, and then last but notleast, what would you say is
what are you most grateful forduring your time here? rcbc.
I'm really grateful for all thepeople I've met. I made a lot of
good friends and all the thingsI've learned all the teachers
(28:02):
were really awesome. And I mean,there are a few I was like, Oh,
this is a hard class. Thisstinks. But there are some like,
like Professor Sherlock orprofessor Meadows or they really
made it worth it and like funand it was really good and made
some good connections withpeople. So thank you so much.
Jason Varga (28:17):
Thank you as well. Eli's so much for hitting the
streets to speak with ourstudents. And also shout out to
Professor Sherlock, who soundedlike he had a profound impact on
Brianna's stem journey there andall smiles around and just love
hearing those connections.Anyway, that's going to do it
for our 2023 Winter stemcommencement coverage on the
program pod. And if you'reinterested in finding out about
(28:37):
what else rcbc has to offer inthe world of STEM, which is
science, technology,engineering, and mathematics,
you can head over to rcbc.eduMeanwhile, we'll be dropping the
2023 liberal arts WinterCommencement coverage on the
next episode of the program podand wrap up this inaugural event
at rcbc. So stay tuned and besure to subscribe to the program
pod wherever you get yourpodcast and of course, thanks
(28:59):
for listening.
President Cioce (28:59):
Stay curious and go go go change the world.
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