Graduates of Healthcare Programs Receive Career Certificates
Fifteen graduates of the Passaic County Community College Healthcare Programs were awarded Career Certificates this summer in a ceremony held July 17 at the PCCC Passaic Academic Center, PCCC’s Home for Healthcare Learning. The graduating class included 12 students from the Medical Assistant (MA) Program and three from the Dialysis Technician (DT) program, though not all could be present at the ceremony. “We are very proud of them all,” said Ms. Rosemarie Rocchio, director of Healthcare Programs.
Before an audience of friends and family, the grads received their certificates at a traditional candle lighting ceremony which included a welcome by Patricia Medeiros, the Passaic campus director of enrollment services, an address by Frances Mal Figueroa, the associate dean of Nursing, and a reading of the Medical Assisting Creed and the Dialysis Technician Creed by the graduating students.
Special Recognition: (Left) Cullette Ferguson received the Rising Star Award for her leadership, compassion, and professional integrity; Fatiha Choudhury was given the Academic Achievement Award for attaining the highest GPA in the healthcare graduating class.
In a special awards presentation, Fatiha Choudhury received the Academic Achievement Award for having the highest GPA in the MA graduating class, and Cullette Ferguson was given The Rising Star Award, presented to the graduating student who displays the aspiration to render greater service (leadership), dedication to the care and well -being of people (compassion), and commitment to the ethics of the medical assistant profession (professional integrity).
The MA graduates are: Ashley Aguilar, Jesmin Aktar, Ashley Almonte, Nicole Arevalo, Naryelis Cabada, Afshana Choudhury, Fatiha Choudhury, Adrianna Cruz, Cullette Ferguson, Casandra Herrera, Isabella Mendez-Saico, and Lenny Salas. The DT graduates are Sebastian Cano Guzman, Noura Rouggani, and Gael Tlatelpa.
Each year, a highlight of the program completion ceremony is “A Look Back,” a touching, funny, and meaningful video created by Dr. Paola Pawlak, an MA instructor and clinical coordinator, showing the students over the course of their program studies as they studied, socialized, worked hard, and made memories of their PCCC time together. Refreshments and congratulations followed the ceremony.
Most of the MA graduates have already passed the clinical certification test and earned the official title Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA). Plus, three of the grads also became Certified Phlebotomy Technicians (CPT).
Ms. Rocchio noted that at least six of the graduates have already landed jobs in their fields. Though that is typical of PCCC healthcare graduates, who impress employers with their strong skills and tend to get hired quickly, the Class of 2024 seemed to have a special edge.
“I heard the most accolades from our clinical sites about this group of students,” said Ms. Rocchio, referring to the professional medical facilities where the students fulfill their clinical internship requirement for the certificate program. She added, “This group did so well that some of the sites said they would stop taking students from other programs and only take ours if we send more.” Congratulations to the graduates, faculty, and staff of the Healthcare Programs. We are PCCC Proud of you all.
by Linda Telesco
PCCC Marketing and Communications
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