The Ready2Succeed Campaign ensures that students – like Michelle, Carlos, Melissa, Stephlyn, and Bilal – are provided with the necessary scholarship support to achieve their educational and career goals.
Michelle Ramos
A.S. Engineering Science, 2020; Associate Manufacturing Engineer
The favorite part of Michelle Ramos’ day is interacting with operators on the manufacturing floor of the company where she serves as an Associate Manufacturing Engineer. Her company manufactures cutting-edge medical devices and technologies used for human implants and other life-changing innovations. Michelle credits PCCC as a key player in her educational and career journey. “I loved PCCC,” she says. “The PCCC STEM community embraced me and offered many hands-on opportunities. While at PCCC, I also participated in an internship at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.” Michelle, who graduated from PCCC in 2020, took her PCCC degree and enrolled at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. Her career goal is to design and create a wide range of prosthetic devices.
Carlos Nunez
A.S. Business Administration, 2022; Tax Consultant
Excited about his new career as a tax consultant with top accounting firm, Deloitte, Carlos Nunez feels a debt of gratitude to PCCC. “The professors here are excellent and gave me a strong foundation for my success.” Years earlier in Peru, Carlos planned a career teaching math, but left college to come to America. He enjoyed a prospering career in the hospitality industry that was upended by the Covid pandemic. Motivated to return to college, Carlos enrolled at PCCC and, with his knack for numbers, focused on accounting. He continued on to Rutgers University, earning a B.S. degree in accounting in July 2024. During senior year, Carlos was recruited by Deloitte for an internship that led to the full-time job offer. “Whenever I pass PCCC’s campus,” says the Paterson resident, “I think about how this all started for me here.”
Stephlyn Buchanan
A.S. Public Health, 2024; Baccalaureate Candidate
“While I did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education in my youth, I refused to let go of my dreams.” Stephlyn Buchanan worked for 13 years as a medical assistant before pausing to focus on family. With her youngest daughter off to college, Stephlyn enrolled at PCCC and fully embraced the college experience, joining clubs and getting involved in campus life. When Stephlyn received two scholarships, that was “a pivotal moment that symbolized recognition of my hard work and dedication.” Now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Health at Montclair State University, Stephlyn aims to one day work for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. “At PCCC,” she says, “the respect and dedication exhibited by all professors make a significant difference in one’s educational journey.”
Melissa Valverde
A.A.S. Nurse Education, 2024; Surgery Nurse
A surgery nurse at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, Melissa Valverde says her work is “very fulfilling, especially when I see patients happy, doing better, and having trust in me.” The former social worker was inspired to change careers when her brother was hospitalized, and she witnessed the empathy of the nurses who cared for him. As an adult student and mother of two, Melissa appreciated the strong support system at PCCC. “My advisors were super helpful when I needed direction or tutoring.” At last January’s pinning ceremony, Melissa received the Nurse Education Service Award, given for the “quantity and quality of contributions to the nursing program, the College, the community, and peers.” Now in a dual BSN/MSN degree program in nursing at William Paterson University, Melissa hopes to one day join PCCC’s nursing faculty. “I am very grateful to PCCC and want to come back to give back.”
Casey Bucceri
A.S. Human Services, 2019; Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Casey Bucceri is one in a million. Through unwavering determination and the power of a PCCC degree, he overcame his personal struggles with addiction, homelessness, and incarceration to become a respected leader in his field. According to Casey, “I would not be who I am today without PCCC. PCCC was there for me when I needed it and that changed the entire outcome of my life.” Today, Casey is a licensed clinical social worker who owns his own private practice and teaches at Kean University. While living in a halfway house in Paterson, he noticed a sign for PCCC. “I knew that to do anything, I would need an education.” Inspired by the support he received at PCCC, Casey excelled at his studies and earned an AS degree in Human Services. He went on to earn a BSW from Rutgers University and, in 2022, an MSW from Kean University. “I love being a therapist, guiding people and sharing their journey as they navigate life,” says Casey.
Bilal Gebril
A.S. Criminal Justice, 2024; Baccalaureate Candidate
Growing up in an unstable environment, Bilal Gebril felt lost as a teen. He came to PCCC seeking direction, but instead found transformation. Bilal thrived academically and honed his leadership and personal skills in PCCC’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society, where he served as chapter president and was voted Distinguished Chapter Officer and Student Leader of the Year. He was named to the 2024 NJ All-State Academic Team and to the elite All-USA Academic Team. Graduating with highest honors, over $8,000 in scholarships, and an array of awards, Bilal delivered the Student Leader address at Commencement 2024, expressing gratitude and citing his personal mantra, “How you do anything, is how you do everything.” Now continuing his education, Bilal aspires to a career in law with his eye on the U.S. Supreme Court. “I found my foothold at PCCC,” he says, “surrounded by an amazing community that believed in me.”