At Terrace on the Park, Plaza Celebrates Graduates’ Achievements, Welcomes Them to the Alumni Association

By Seasons staff

On June 2, 2010, Plaza College hosted an elegant dinner and ceremony for the Class of 2010 at Terrace on the Park.

This evening, called the Graduate Recognition Ceremony, consisted of a delicious buffet dinner for graduates and their families, an Alumni Induction Ceremony, and an Awards Ceremony, which recognized students for their academic and extracurricular achievements. Dean Thomas Tolan was the emcee for the ceremony.

When the evening began, Director of Alumni Relations, Jonathan Howle, inducted the class of 2010 into the Alumni Association. Students recited the pledge and received their Alumni pins.

Approximately 50 students earned High Honors, while 50 more students then earned special awards.

The Plaza College Alumni Association also presented alumnae Veronica Arboleda with the first ever “Distinguished Alumni Award.” Ms. Arboleda was chosen for her instrumental role in building Plaza’s chapter of DECA (Delta Epsilon Chi Association) after she had graduated. This organization encourages students who have an interest in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.

Three graduates were also selected to deliver messages during the ceremony. Stacy Arce was the Keynote Speaker for the evening. Jacqueline Gonzalez and Margaret Pagan also offered inspirational messages. All three students’ speeches can be read in the section of this magazine called “The Writer’s Well.”

Due to the overwhelming number of successful graduates, the Awards Committee, led by Dean Marie Dolla and Assistant Dean Marisa Fordunski, created several new awards, which will be presented at future ceremonies. This year’s new awards included the Distinguished Alumni Award, the BBA Perseverance Award, the Collegiate Spirit Award, the Alumni Association Service Award, and the Humanitarian Award.

The highlight of the evening was a surprise tribute to Mrs. Carol Napolitano, the former Director of the Library and Learning Resources Center. Dean Dolla and Professor Howle led the tribute to her. At the end of the presentation, Mrs. Napolitano’s two daughters, Krista and Jill, surprised her with flowers.

All graduates, staff, faculty, and administration thank the Callahan family for their incredible generosity, which made the evening sublime.

The following is a list of all award recipients from the evening:

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE BY DISCIPLINE:

Bachelor of Business Administration--Management:
Md Rakibur Rahman

Accounting and Information Systems:
Tyng Hoi

Business Administration:
Vishal Thapa

Office Technologies:
Ferdousi Mahajan

Computer Business Support Specialist:
Jose Garcia

Medical Assisting:
Jacqueline Sanchez

ACADEMIC AWARDS:

Excellence in Liberal Arts
Amanda Roldan
Christopher Noria
Gloria Mejia
Katherine Sanchez
Nicole Knight
Viviana Perdomo

Excellence in Humanities (BBA)
Ramona Bell

Excellence in MA Clinical Skills
Stacy Arce
Eloy Aquino

Excellence in MA Administrative Skills
Edelmira Bravo

Excellence in Coding Skills
MA Program
Wanda Barrera
Katarzyna Cudnik
Racquel Cook

Writing Awards
Anny Costa
Cynthia Vinas
Edelmira Bravo
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Isaura Bello
Jalisa Brown
Magdalena Pierluissi
Simone English
Stacy Arce
Tyng Hoi
Yuliana Sandoval

Trustees’ Award for Excellence in Writing
Vishal Thapa

Outstanding Skills Performance Award
Stephanie Zouain

Outstanding Intern Award
Joseline Diaz
Angelica Vaz

Outstanding Medical Assisting Externship Award
Raymond Cruz, Jr.

Excellence in Presentation Techniques (BBA)
Nancy Maldonado

Excellence in Team Leadership Skills (BBA)
Jenny Collado Ventura

Citizenship Award

Shalina Akhter Isaura Bello Sabrina Green Candace Nixon Elizabeth Rodriguez Veronica Arboleda Katie Chan

Sabrina Guzman Margaret Pagan Amrita Seecheran Stacy Arce Suraya Chowdhury Daisy Hernandez Magdalena Pierluissi

Lataisha Surrency Christina Avila Raymond Cruz, Jr. Ferdousi Mahajan Christopher Noria Angelica Vaz Wanda Barrera

Joseline Diaz Irene Miciulis Razia Razark Amarily Batista Jacqueline Gonzalez Regina Negrin Sally Reyes

Perseverance Award
Mirtha Batista
Jorge Suancha
Shaquana Ward
Regina Negrin
Yvette Thomas
Segundo Sumido, Jr.

BBA Perserveance Award
Sabrina Green

Peer Tutor Award
Iulia Vlase
Magdalena Pierluissi
Md Rakibur Rahman

Consummate Professional Award
Charles Pena
Daisy Hernandez
Razia Razark
Rosario Yaralian

Humanitarian Award
Margaret Pagan

Collegiate Spirit Award
Stacy Arce

Distinguished Alumni Award
Veronica Arboleda

Leadership Award
Wanda Barrera
Razia Razark

Alumni Association Service Award
Elizabeth Rodriguez

Anna S. Callahan Award
Magdalena Pierluissi

Pastor Frank Rafter Scholarship
Candace Nixon

Summa Cum Laude (3.80 or higher)

Alvear, Paola (BBA)	3.82	Infante, Weindy	3.80
Aquino, Eloy	3.86	Knight, Nicole	3.95
Arce, Stacy	3.95	Maldonado, Nancy (BBA)	3.96
Begum, Jahanara	3.94	Mahajan, Ferdousi	3.97
Bravo, Edelmira	3.89	Pierluissi, Magdalena	3.97
Chan, Katie	3.98	Rahman, Md Rakibur (BBA)	3.98
Demetrius, Rosemarie	3.83	Razark, Razia	3.94
Diaz, Guisel	3.82	Rodriguez, Elizabeth	3.99
Diaz, Joseline	3.85	Rodriguez, Sugeily	3.83
El Kassar, Susan	3.80	Sanchez, Jacqueline	3.98
Feliciano, Joan	3.87	Thapa, Vishal	4.00
Garcia, Jose	4.00	Yaralian, Rosario	3.87
Ganchozo Moncayo, Maria	3.95	Zouain, Stephanie	3.95
Hoi, Tyng	3.94

Magna Cum Laude (3.70-3.79

Arcila, Maria	3.72	Molina, Karen	3.76
Barrera, Wanda	3.76	Perdomo, Viviana	3.76
Collado Ventura, Jenny (BBA)	3.71	Ruiz, Stephanie	3.79
Cudnik, Katarzyna	3.73	Sanchez, Katherine	3.73
Howell, Kizzy (BBA)	3.75	Shrestha, Sangita	3.72
Johnson, Nannie (BBA)	3.70	Thomas, Yvette	3.77
Louis-Jean, Evelyn	3.79	Towler, Lorraine	3.73
Martinez, Lester-Anne	3.78	Vinas, Cynthia	3.72

Cum Laude (3.60-3.69)

Bello, Isaura	3.64	Hernandez, Daisy	3.62
Batista, Mirtha	3.67	Hunter-Montilla, Marlen	3.69
Fernandez, Irene	3.63	Mejia, Gloria	3.61
Green, Sabrina (BBA)	3.60	Tejada, Wanda	3.61

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