Ten Warren Students Graduate in RVCC Commencement

Ten Warren sudents were among the 640 candidates for graduation at Raritan Valley Community College's 42nd annual spring commencement, May 14, at the college’s Branchburg Campus.

The students, and their fields of study were Lauren Core (AAS—Nursing), Catherine Mobus (AA—Liberal Arts), Samuel Palacio Ruvacaba (AA—Liberal Arts), Jeri Patasnik (AA—Liberal Arts), Jelena Petrovic (AA—Liberal Arts), Jordan Pinzolo (AA—Liberal Arts), Alzira Reis (AA—Liberal Arts), Jason Salegna (AA—Criminal Justice), Danielle Savino (certificate—Events Planning), and Donna Unke (AS—Science and Mathematics).

Dr. Shihab Kuran, President and CEO of Petra Solar, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree during the ceremony.

Lynne Kowski of Washington (Warren County), RVCC Associate Professor of Mathematics, delivered the faculty address. Kowski has been teaching at RVCC for the past 18 years. She
previously worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for Lockheed Electronics, Inc.; as a Substrate Engineer for Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc.; and as a Production Engineer for ITT Avionics, Inc.

The evening featured RVCC student commencement speaker Maria Palar of Somerset. Palar, mother of a 14-year-old daughter, is a Galileo Scholar at RVCC and has been active with the
Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. She served as RVCC’s Chapter President and as Middle States Regional President of Phi Theta Kappa. Palar recently received the Distinguished Regional Officer Award at the honor society’s International Convention in Seattle. Palar also has been selected to receive a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. She is one of only 60 students nationally to receive the award, which is intended to cover a significant share of the student’s educational expenses for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor’s degree.