How He Does Anything Is How He Does Everything
“How you do anything, is how you do everything,” declared Bilal Gebril. Delivering the Student Leader Address at Passaic County Community College’s 52nd Commencement ceremony. Bilal began his remarkable speech with those words, what he called a mantra “that has been my guiding light from the dark corners of self-doubt to the bright light on this stage today.”
Drawing parallels in his speech, ”Dream big, but make your bed in the morning.”…” Find cures for diseases, but also thank your waiter,” Bilal asserted the wisdom that true fulfillment lies in being attentive not only to the grand plans for the future but also to the details that dignify daily life.
“When I first came to PCCC, I didn’t think I would ever be in the position I am in today,” Bilal said in an interview. “I found my foothold at PCCC, being surrounded by an amazing community that believed in me.”
Growing up in a single-parent family and coping with the stigma of mental health and personal trauma issues, Bilal admitted that he had become nihilistic and often did not see the value of striving for more. “I was lost,” he said.
Bilal delivers the Student Leader Address at PCCC’s 52nd Commencement Ceremony on May 23, 2024
Yet at PCCC’s 2024 graduation ceremony, Bilal received his Associate in Science degree in Criminal Justice with Highest Honors and graduated with a distinguished record of awards and achievements, including membership to the NJ All-State Academic Team, and the elite All-USA Academic Team, a highly competitive honor recognizing only 20 students nationwide for their academic excellence and leadership
He is a recipient of The Coca-Cola New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship (awarded to only 50 students across the USA, the top community college students from each state), and he received the prestigious Professor Robert A. Shea Memorial Graduate Achievement Award, a scholarship presented every year to three graduating PCCC students.
Bilal receives the Professor Robert A. Shea Memorial Graduate Achievement Award presented by Dr. Fred Safarowic with Dr. Jennifer Gasparino at the 2024 Graduate Awards Ceremony
Bilal attributes the amazing change in his life and perspective to his two years at PCCC and specifically to his participation in the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, where he honed his academic, leadership, and personal skills. “PTK has catapulted my success and transformed me into the person I want to be.”
Despite the dark cloud that hung over him previously, Bilal exhibited flashes of promise that proved his potential. He was a good student in high school and demonstrated both leadership ability and a commitment to social concerns. Attracted to the legal field, Bilal became president of the school’s mock trial team where he loved playing the defense attorney role. He also served as vice president of the Key Club, the high school equivalent to the Kiwanis, a global organization dedicated to improving the world through social and community service. “I took pride in serving my community,” he explained.
When the Covid pandemic created uncertainty about the future, Bilal decided that community college would be a smart choice after high school, being both affordable and committed to a “students first” philosophy. “I didn’t have direction in my life at the time and thought community college would help.”
Surprisingly, Bilal started PCCC as a computer science major. “I wanted to explore beyond my comfort zone, but after just one programming class, I met my advisor, and we both agreed that the Humanities would be a better fit for me.” Another experience also affirmed that decision. “I had Professor (Petar) Drakulich for an Ethics class in my first semester,” said Bilal. “It was amazing and, he is one of the people who directly motivated me to stay with social sciences.”
Most of all, Bilal credits Professor Jennfer Gasparino, the PTK advisor and her co-advisor Andy Perales for the life lessons he learned and for “seeing in me what I didn’t see in myself and pushing me to do what I didn’t think I could do.”
Serving as president of Alpha Eta Chi, the PCCC chapter of PTK, was “a very challenging, but eye-opening experience that gave me a new perspective,” said Bilal who is internationally recognized as a PTK Distinguished Chapter Officer and as Student Leader of the Year.-
He participated in the Student Government Association, was the lead student speaker at Academic Council, and worked at PCCC as a supplemental instructor for composition classes with English professor Kelly Bender.
“Because of all these people being part of my life, I found a sense of direction that I didn’t have before,” said Bilal. “I molded myself into the person I want to be.”
Bilal plans to continue his undergraduate education in a bachelor’s degree program next Fall and eventually to enter law school with a goal to help reform the criminal justice system. “I knew people in my life, most from low-income areas, for whom the justice system did not seem fair,” explained Bilal. “I want to help change that.”
With his imposing presence, eloquence, and drive to improve society, one can imagine Bilal as a future justice on the United States Supreme Court. “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. It’s definitely a goal in my mind.” No doubt, how Bilal did everything at PCCC is how he will do anything beyond.
Back to News