Armed with an undergraduate degree from LeMoyne College and a law degree from St. John’s University, Marren began career number one as an associate at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP. Her star rose through senior vice president and general counsel roles at Shearson Lehman Hutton Inc. and The Equitable Companies Inc. (now AXA Financial). In 1990, she furthered her knowledge by completing the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. After serving as executive vice president, chief administrative and legal officer and director of Gruntal Financial, Marren retired from her full-time career in law and finance in 2001. She since has kept a toe in that water, however, serving as a litigation consultant for Transonic Systems, Inc. and in law firm client development training at Stackhouse Garber & Associates.

Marren also has a deep interest in education, which she first pursued through volunteering. From 1992 to 2005, she served in various capacities at LeMoyne College, including terms as vice chair and chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of Academic Affairs and Student Development. She was also a member of the Board of Trustees at New York’s Xavier High School, where she also participated as co-chair of the school’s Presidential Search Committee.

During that time, she began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at Passaic County Community College. She earned a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from University of Cambridge and a certificate in Teaching English from The New School.

“I really enjoyed teaching and was considering teaching full time, but that would require a master’s degree in ESL or a related discipline,” she says. “That led me to Ģ����Ƶ’s program in Applied Linguistics.”

“I chose Ģ����Ƶ because it was close to home and offered an in-person learning experience,” she continues. “I liked being on the campus, which is beautiful, and connecting with other students. I like writing, too, so I never minded the assignments.”

Although Marren expanded her education experience by joining Ģ����Ƶ as an adjunct linguistics professor and professor of first-year writing, she ultimately decided not to teach full-time. Instead, she leaned into new volunteer roles, serving as a trustee and vice chair of the board at Bloomfield College and completing a five-year term as board chair of Nativity Middle School in New York.

In 2025, Marren was appointed to the advisory board of Ģ����Ƶ’s College for Education and Engaged Learning.

“I am happy to reconnect with the University,” she says. “There is such a huge diversity of learning opportunities here, especially in education. I am looking forward to getting more involved with the Ben Samuels Children’s Center and the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health. It will be exciting to work with programs that have so direct an impact on children and their development.”

Marren is equally excited about meeting today’s Ģ����Ƶ students. “I hope to encourage them to take full advantage of all that is available here, even when it doesn’t relate directly to their major,” she says. “Exploring a variety of disciplines can be so rewarding. It will round out your education and expand your thinking.”

As a high school student, she wrote for a local newspaper in Sewickley, PA. There, she wrote features on zoning meetings and other local government meetings. “I knew the importance of being involved and paying attention to what happens locally,” she says. After high school, she received her bachelor’s in English language and literature from Pennsylvania State University, and eventually moved to New Jersey.��

After moving to New Jersey, Mundell became the associate director of University and Community Relations at Ģ����Ƶ. Taking advantage of the tuition benefit offered to employees, she worked full-time while earning her master’s in English. Her thesis, Burning Down the House: Reclaiming Homeplace in Gloria Naylor’s Linden Hills and Mama Day, examined the influence of geographic places and power structures on the development of individuals and communities.��

Her education at Ģ����Ƶ gave her the abilities to become a critical thinker and thoughtful communicator. “Humans understand the world in narratives,” she explains. “So that has helped me along the way, to be able to synthesize what I hear from other people and then turn that back to them to find solutions.”��

She used these skills to build a career in relationship building. After working in higher education, Mundell transitioned to the healthcare industry. Mundell advanced at RWJBarnabas Health and is now vice president of development for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

While growing a career as a development professional, Mundell held community leadership roles in Bloomfield Township. In 2017, she was appointed to the Township Council. The mayor at the time asked her if she would consider running to be the 1st Ward councilwoman. “I gave it some thought, talked to my husband, and it felt like a good thing to do,” she recollects. “My predecessor at the time stepped down from his seat early, so I was appointed to fill his vacancy.”��

When the former mayor decided to run for State Assembly, he asked Mundell if she would consider running for the post. “We had made all this progress together,” she says. “And I know for him, it was really important to leave it in good hands…somebody that would keep that momentum moving. And so he asked me to consider running [for mayor]. And again, I went back to my husband,” she says with a chuckle. “We had the conversation, talked about what that would mean for us and decided that, yes, it was something that I was interested in, because I think I was the best choice to continue to move things forward.”��

Mundell won the election this past November, but doesn’t see her gender as the main story. “I’m not here because I’m a woman, but that I am a woman could inspire someone else to try something that they didn’t feel like they fit in the space for,” she says. In her short time as mayor, she recruited more than 70 dedicated volunteers to serve on committees in town and created new committees to increase community involvement, demolished the town’s old DPW building (a 20-year eyesore), facilitated repairs to the roof of the adult library, creatively financed the renovations to the township’s much beloved children’s library without the township taking on new debt and launched senior programming for retired community members.����

When contemplating how her time as an English graduate student at Ģ����Ƶ has prepared her for roles in development and as mayor, she emphasizes the transferable skills learned. “Education prepares you for anything,” she reflects. “English majors will save the world – our minds are open to different things.”

For current students, Mundell advises to explore and seize opportunities for growth. “Take advantage of all of it. You’ll never have another time in your life where you will explore and learn things at the pace you want,” she urges. Her career trajectory evolved because of her willingness to try new things. “Take every opportunity that presents itself,” she says. “I worked at Ģ����Ƶ and had the opportunity to further my education, so I took that. I was approached for the town council, I said yes. I was approached to run for mayor, I said yes.”

Since graduating, Mundell has stayed connected to Ģ����Ƶ as a guest speaker, neighbor and recently, as a member of the President’s Advisory Board for the Bloomfield College integration. She enjoys speaking to students about how an education from Ģ����Ƶ prepares a student for anything. “I have a graduate degree in English, but I don’t teach, I work in health care. You can study literature, you can study liberal arts, and you could become a mayor.”��

She encourages students of any background or major to think about careers in public service and get involved in their local communities. Mundell suggests reaching out to local elected officials to build relationships and attending town meetings and events. By being present, students can get inspired to see how they might contribute, and how they can create their own story.����

“I’ve always believed that you have the power to make change where you live.”��

Photo ©Happy Photography

“I was absolutely devastated. I kicked myself for weeks,” says D’Angelo, who felt she had so much in common with the character Marideth, including her strong dislike of shoelaces.

While she didn’t get the part, D’Angelo played a much bigger role in the landmark production, which made history by virtue of autistic actors playing autistic characters onstage. The show also employed many autistic people, including D’Angelo, backstage. “We’ve got autistic people everywhere,” she says, smiling. She first joined the show as music assistant but right before it opened on Broadway, she was promoted to assistant music director. In addition, D’Angelo counts among her credits, script consultant and member of the Access Team.

It was D’Angelo’s initial virtual audition, during which she sang her own version of “I Speak Six Languages” from the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, that led to her Broadway music role. She rewrote the lyrics to “I Play Six Instruments,” and was able to show off her musical talent by playing only six of the more than 20 musical instruments she plays. “They were able to see my acting and my singing but also my playing,” she says.

“Though I would still love to play Marideth one day, I love that I wound up being able to assist in the creation of the show, because there surely will be future productions but the show is only written once,” D’Angelo says. “Besides, now many of my quirks and massive sensory issues with food [‘a hater of pickles’] have made it into Marideth’s character, so she fits me even better.”

A passionate advocate for autistic people, D’Angelo is especially proud of the advocacy and educational roles included in the script, as well as making the show accessible to everyone. From sound levels and toned-down lighting to cool-down spaces and sensory bags with fidget toys, sunglasses and headphones, the access team tried to cover every detail to make the show accessible and sensory-friendly for audience members. While much media coverage has focused on that and the feel-good aspects of the autistic actors/characters, D’Angelo’s and other advocates’ goals were to represent and inform. As the script consultant, she helped to shape the show’s language.

“This is a piece of advocacy. We take a very strong stance against these tropes in our show,” she says. “It’s my favorite part of the show that we’re able to address something that we know in the disability community to be called ‘inspiration porn,’ which is media that basically uses disabled people to make non-disabled people feel better about themselves or it centers non-disabled people in disabled stories.”

D’Angelo says she hopes people are inspired by the subject and not the autistic actors. “Saying, ‘These people are so inspiring for putting themselves out there on stage’…you wouldn’t say that about a��neurotypical actor,” she notes. Instead, her hope is that people will leave the show with a desire to learn more about autism or be equipped to have conversations about autism and with autistic people.

“The whole neurodiversity movement is about celebrating these differences and not hiding them in the way that is still the narrative around autism, and our show is a really great example of not hiding; we put it all out there,” she says. “We’ve had an incredible response from autistic people who have seen it, from parents of autistic kids who’ve seen it and from people who came in not knowing anything about autism.”

The How to Dance in Ohio music team (L to R): Composer Jacob Yandura, Assistant Music Director Nicole D’Angelo, Music Assistant Jason Belanger and Associate Music Director Patrick Fanning. (Photo by Music Director Lily Ling)

That D’Angelo landed in a Broadway production did not come as a surprise to her professors at Ģ����Ƶ’s John J. Cali School of Music, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education.

“Nicole is the kind of musician who raises the level of any ensemble because of a highly developed musical awareness and the ability to adapt to any musical situation or environment,” says the Cali School’s Director of University Bands Thomas McCauley. “Nicole, even as an undergraduate student, was a highly motivated, multi-faceted musician. Nicole is, of course, a wonderful pianist but also played fantastic clarinet and bass clarinet in our Ģ����Ƶ Wind Symphony.”

Cali School Coordinator of Music Education Marissa Silverman says she was lucky to have D’Angelo not just as a student but also in a chamber ensemble. “As a teacher, I have never met anyone who has such a love for her learning and is equally passionate about music and the betterment of others,” says Silverman. “On many occasions, I discussed Nicole’s interests in reaching special needs students, particularly those with autism. At that point in time, Nicole wanted to someday open up a music school for special needs students. This admirable, caring and socially responsible goal paved the way for Nicole’s work on How to Dance in Ohio. Full circle, indeed.”

Ģ����Ƶ was the only university to which D’Angelo applied. Her parents are alumni, among Ģ����Ƶ’s first computer science graduates in the 1980s, and it was also the only university with a bass clarinet concentration. It was her instrument of choice then because she doubted her piano-playing abilities but after auditioning, she was encouraged to focus on piano.

“I really wanted to do music therapy so I could work with autistic people like myself,” D’Angelo says, adding she had to decide whether to “use music education therapeutically or use music therapy educationally. I decided what I really wanted to do was teach music and have therapeutic effects in that way, so I switched to music education and piano because I realized I was good enough.”

After graduating from Ģ����Ƶ in 2017, D’Angelo taught piano, teaching more than 50 students per week at one point. She also auditioned to join symphonies but soon realized that wasn’t her calling.

She recalled her love for musical theater while at Ģ����Ƶ but “I didn’t even consider that could be a career path,” thinking “this is way too fun to be a job,” she says. D’Angelo decided to pursue acting and voice lessons instead. She joined EPIC Players, a Brooklyn-based “neuro- inclusive theater company,” and has worked in various capacities in more than 150 theater productions, primarily as a music director or pit musician. She won several starring roles, including Audrey in the off-off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors and Tilly in a virtual production of She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms.

Nicole D’Angelo as Audrey in the EPIC Players’ Little Shop of Horrors. (Photo by Ric Sechrest)

“That was about five or six years ago, and I have not looked back since,” D’Angelo says. “I did a whole bunch of work with them [EPIC Players]. I also got to hone my advocacy skills.”

In addition, in 2021, D’Angelo launched an Etsy shop for handmade Broadway costumes for teddy bears three years ago. She’s made and sold mini-Hamilton bears, Elizabeth Schuyler Bear (“Eliza Schuybear”) and Baby Jenna Bear inspired by Sara Bareilles’ Waitress.

As for her autism, D’Angelo says she self-diagnosed after reading Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison. Everything, from her sensory issues to her disdain for shoelaces and shoes, suddenly made sense. She says she tried to get an autism diagnosis from doctors and therapists but was dismissed as “too social,” having “too many friends” or “too smart or gifted” to be autistic.

“I never really made it through the formal diagnosis process because nobody took me seriously,” she says. “Autism causes sensory issues. I’ve always had problems with loud noises. I’ve had problems with fabrics. Everything just clicked when I read about that, and so I knew that was it.”

D’Angelo says her mother recently reminded her that she would recoil during ultrasound appointments. “Even in utero, I didn’t like to be touched,” she says laughing.

Her advocacy work was born from that experience. “It sparked for me an interest in putting myself out there and being like, no, this is also what autism can look like. You have an idea of what it can be but also this is what it can be, and what I know to be true is valid.”

A former blogger, D’Angelo is very involved in social media advocacy. “I’m putting my ideas out there, so people can see them.”

D’Angelo says she’ll continue to advocate and educate. “The thing that has been pervasive and that I’m still continuing to have to educate people about is that for us, it’s such an integral part of our identity,” she says. “So much of the narrative around autism makes it seem as if autism is inherently a bad thing. It’s just a thing. It’s a thing, and it’s challenging, but I wouldn’t see the world the same way if I wasn’t autistic.

“There’s no place where autism ends and Nicole begins.”

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez.

Note: How to Dance in Ohio has announced its closing on February 11.

Pinckney – better known on social media as “Billy the Batboy” – has been featured in for his book and popular channel that features interviews and tips from the pros he has gotten to know, beginning as a batboy with the New Jersey Jackals, a minor league team that played for years in his hometown of Little Falls at Yogi Berra Stadium on Ģ����Ƶ’s campus before their move to Paterson in 2023.

In many ways, Pinckney symbolizes the spirit of determination, resilience and success that defines Ģ����Ƶ graduates. The University is a game-changer, graduating students at a higher rate than the national average and creating transformational opportunities that make a difference in the lives of others.

Pinckney used his access to players to compile within the pages of his book, .

“The goal was to help young players navigate their careers as they face adversity, how to deal with pressure, how to separate baseball and life, and really enjoy their playing career,” Pinckney says. “That was really the main thing to inspire these young players. I dealt with some pressure while playing when I was younger. A lot of parents out there put pressure on their kids. Luckily I didn’t have that but I did face pressure from some coaches that I had and realized the game wasn’t as fun as it used to be.”

As Billy the Batboy, Pinckney has amassed more than 49,000 TikTok followers, 18,000 Instagram followers and nearly 5,000 YouTube followers. He has used these platforms and opportunities with professional baseball players and gained experience in the sports media world.

In November, he traveled to Dubai to create content for an all-star showcase for Baseball United, the first professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia. During his 10 years with the Jackals, he moved from the dugout to the press box, conducted pregame reports, created content for the video board, promoted the Jackals through social media and assisted the manager in finding players. He received a championship ring for his contributions when the team won the league title in 2019.

He accomplished all this while also strategizing a college course load to graduate a semester early – aligning with baseball’s offseason – to be ready for his next chapter in baseball and any job offers ahead of spring training.

“I definitely made sacrifices, but when you know that something is going to benefit you later on in life, and you know it’s what you’re meant to do, it made my decisions easier and made the sacrifices easier to manage as well,” Pinckney says.

Classes in sports psychology with Exercise Science and Physical Education professors Rob Gilbert and John McCarthy encouraged Pinckney to curate his interviews into the book. “Billy is a self-starter,” Gilbert says. “I say that every once in a while I see a student, and I say, ‘Wow, I wish I could buy stock in this person’s future,’ and Billy’s one of those students.”

“It’s a rewarding process, definitely an incredible process as well,” Pinckney says. “I went into this knowing that I have an opportunity to help inspire younger players and it was also an opportunity for me to learn a lot about how to improve myself. I really took this seriously and enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, it’s time-consuming and could be a tedious process when you’re trying to transcribe things and see what fits … but it was definitely rewarding.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren and , a Sports Communications major also graduating at Winter Commencement. Macolino originally reported on Pinckney for . Photos by Mike Peters.

“I was just one class shy of graduation back in 2003. Circumstances didn’t allow me to finish, but I always wanted to complete my degree,” says Piwowarski, who grew up in North Arlington, New Jersey. “Twenty years later, I was in a place in my life where my desire to fulfill this goal rose to the surface again, so I wrote an email to inquire about what I needed to do to earn my degree.”

The timing of Piwowarski’s email was serendipitous. The College had recently developed a degree completion program intended for former students to return to campus to finish their degrees. The enrollment process included individualized advising sessions for each student, who were then provided with an outline of remaining courses by semester that would lead to graduation.

In Piwowarski’s case, her degree completion plan called for one capstone course as part of a custom interdisciplinary contract major that would earn her a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts and Persuasive Communication upon completion. Through her advising session, arrangements were made for Piwowarski to register for Shakespeare ENG 364 taught by Professor Fiona Harris-Ramsby.

“This course was perfect for me. Theater has always been my passion, and I have been a writer since I was a kid. We read four plays during the course of the class and had to analyze them against contemporary issues of today. Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure stood out to me, and I chose it for my capstone project,” she says.

Imparted through a PowerPoint, Piwowarski says her capstone highlighted the relationships between language, power and sexual coercion by fusing the storyline of the play with the modern-day language of men in power such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Clinton, Larry Nassar, Donald Trump and Louis C.K. in the form of sound bites, visuals and music.

“I presented my capstone in the Kaplan Art Gallery in the College Library on December 6th surrounded by my family, fellow students, and faculty and staff from the Humanities department. It has been a surreal experience. A number of my classmates volunteered to serve as actors, and helped me to recreate scenes from the Shakespearean play cast against a contemporary backdrop. Raymon Sarza played Angelo, Felix Kalu played Claudio, Kaitlin Dooley played Isabella, and I played the Duke. These scenes served as the framework for my capstone,” she says.

In her single and final academic semester as an adult student, Piwowarski developed enduring relationships on campus. Of note is her continuing association with Professor Harris-Ramsby who is working closely with Piwowarski to publish her capstone project.

“It has been an amazing experience – and it all started from that one email,” she says. “None of it would have been possible without the guidance and support I received from very caring Bloomfield College administrators and faculty, and I have made wonderful new friends.”

In an email to the Bloomfield College educators who helped her return to college, Piwowarski said: “I am extremely grateful for what each of you have done for this moment to finally be a reality. It may have been 20 years in the making, but to finally accomplish my degree after all this time, has been the most rewarding experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending than this, especially with all of you by my side.”

What’s more, Piwowarski says that Professor Harris-Rambsy guided her to consider furthering her studies at a professional acting and directing school. “I applied to the in Manhattan and just learned that I’ve been accepted. Their year-long program for professional actors and directors culminates in putting on a performance Off Broadway. I am living the dream I always wanted and never thought I was capable of until now. I can’t believe this has all happened. It’s been wonderful.”

Piwowarski, now 20 years after first attending Bloomfield College under a full soccer scholarship, will walk in the Bloomfield College of Ģ����Ƶ commencement in May 2024.

“Very early, my siblings and I were scattered to different foster homes,” he says. “My life became a little more stable when I was adopted, but I had a lot of adjusting to do.”

Despite his unstable upbringing, Logan excelled in school, taking honors classes in middle school and by junior year of high school, he was on the advanced placement track and thinking about what to do next.

“I had no idea how to navigate the higher education process,” he says. “My adoptive parents had not gone to college and didn’t know how to help, and the cost of tuition was intimidating.”

As his classmates prepared for the next phase of their journey to adulthood, Logan’s path unraveled again. His adoptive parents divorced, and Logan returned to the custody of the state. He spent his senior year of high school as a resident of Anchor House, a youth crisis and homeless shelter facility.

Now, the idea of going to college seemed like an impossible dream. “I was always good with computers,” he says, “and I researched enough to know that I wanted to study information technology. I also learned that Ģ����Ƶ has a great IT program. I filled out the forms, but I had no way to pay for the application fee.”

“I met kind and generous people at Anchor House,” Logan continues. “One of the staff members there offered to pay the $65 I needed to apply to Ģ����Ƶ, and a couple weeks later, I received my acceptance letter.”

Logan had never been to the campus – or to any college campus – before his first semester at Ģ����Ƶ. In fact, he had never been to northern Jersey. “My case worker and foster mom helped me move in,” he recalls. “After they left, I sat in my dorm the whole day wondering what to do next. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I had faith that I would figure it out, one step at a time.”

Logan enjoyed campus life as much as he could, while powering through to complete his undergraduate work in three years. “I had to go hard because I knew I didn’t have the same luxury as others. If I failed, there was no second chance.” Remembering his days of winter break classes and summer courses, he shares, “I made very close friends during those sessions, when most students were gone for breaks and we were still working away.”

In 2016, Logan’s hard-won accomplishments were recognized with the Douglas McCune Memorial Award, presented annually by Anchor House to a teen who demonstrates humility, hard work, academic achievement, and a concern for others.

Logan went on to complete a master’s degree in cybersecurity at the University of Delaware, and now enjoys a highly successful IT career. “I am at a transition point in my life,” he notes. “IT got me to where I’m at, but now it’s all about giving back to those who need it the most.”

Logan remains grateful to those who helped him along his journey and wants to do the same for others. Last year, he biked 60 miles a day for a week in the Anchor House Ride for Runaways fundraiser. This year, he is preparing to launch the Logan Lewis Foundation to provide resources for at-risk foster youth. “School work is not the hard part for at-risk youth; the bigger challenge is navigating higher education without direction, and without an advocate,” he explains.

Ģ����Ƶ’s Red Hawk Fellows program, a support program for students who grew up in foster care, experienced homelessness or who lack adult guidance, is among the models for his new initiative. “I would not have graduated without the program,” he says.

Although distance keeps him from visiting campus often, Logan is still in touch with his Ģ����Ƶ friends. He also hopes to find opportunities to give back to his alma mater. “Ģ����Ƶ was a sanctuary for me,” he says. “Everything was where it needed to be. If it weren’t for the education and career experience I received at Ģ����Ƶ, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

That wasn’t how her Bloomfield College story began, however. “In high school I thought about becoming a teacher or a pediatrician, but I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my academic abilities,” she says. “I needed to take remedial classes that first year at Bloomfield. I had to work hard to prove to myself that I could succeed in college. I got good grades – even in science, which I didn’t think I could pass!”

“In my second year I took an introductory psychology course,” Porte’e continues. “We covered statistics and research methods as well as the clinical aspects of the field. The professors were tough, and I loved how I was stretching and growing.”

Once Porte’e decided on psychology as her major, she began to come out of her shell in other ways as well.

“I had never been away from home before,” she says. “After class I would go right back to my room, and I was going home every weekend. Everyone at Bloomfield – my professors, administrators and classmates – encouraged me to get out and get involved.”

Porte’e joined the Psychology Club and Psi Chi, the honor society for psychology majors. She also took as many internships as possible. “I got experience in a wide variety of settings, from a nearby nursing home to Covenant House in Newark,” she recalls. “I began to understand that a degree in psychology could take your career in many different directions.”

By her senior year, Porte’e was serving as president of the Psychology Club, accepting awards for her hard work, and preparing for graduate school. “I had great mentors at Bloomfield,” she says. “Support was always available, whether that meant career counseling or tutoring to get ready to take the GRE exam.”

After completing her graduate work in psychological counseling at Monmouth University, Porte’e embarked on a career that illustrates the breadth of opportunities available in her profession. Her early roles include psychiatric screener at Kimball Medical Center and clinical therapist at Meridian Health and VisionQuest National. As a qualified mental health professional for MEDIKO PC, she worked with inmates suffering from psychiatric and substance abuse issues.

In 2015, Porte’e transitioned to education, joining the Union County TEAMS Charter School as a high school career and leadership counselor and rising to the role of director of student services and curriculum. She became a fierce advocate for mental wellness and saw the need to help students find their voice. She wanted to do more than her current role would allow.

“I am certified in New Jersey as a school counselor,” she notes. “So many parents were reaching out to me for resources and other assistance. I wanted to serve but no longer wanted to be limited to a single mental health agency or school district. I wanted to use my expertise to fulfill my passion for helping youth and families around the world.”

She left her school-based job to create A Dope Girl Vision, a program to empower young women through self-discovery, networking and – of course – mentorship. In 2021 she launched School Counselor on Wheels, LLC and the signature “Blossoming Within” program, with the goal of helping thousands of girls around the world feel good about themselves. In addition, Porte’e provides expressive writing classes for middle- and high school students through Project Write Now.

Last year she published������to bring her message of self-love and self-acceptance to an even wider audience. “It takes you through a self-help journaling process,” she explains. “I want to help people through a healing journey and show them how to walk in their own unique purpose.”

Since the book was released, Porte’e has traveled nationally and internationally, presenting to hundreds of audiences through panel discussions, retreats, workshops, podcasts and radio programs. In 2023 Porte’e completed the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program and received the New Educator of the Year Educator Excellence Award from the State of Black Learning. She is a member of the National Alliance of Black School Educators and next month she will lead a mastermind program and host “Affirming Black Women’s Well Being”, self-love and well-being for girls and women of color at Brookdale Community College.

Mentorship, and Bloomfield College, remain priorities in Porte’e’s life. She gave generously of her time last year to help the alumni association recruit volunteer mentors and speakers to inspire the next generation of students. She is quick to note that you don’t have to make a huge commitment of time to have a big impact. “Even a few minutes of conversation can make an enormous difference in how a student sees their��future,” she says. “You might be surprised at what you can learn and take away from the experience as well.”

“Bloomfield College saved my life when I was ready to give up,” she adds. “The people at Bloomfield gave me a community away from home and mentored me so that I am now able to mentor others. It is exciting to show students what life can look like when you open yourself up to mentoring and networking.”

The Milken Educator Award acknowledges the heroes in our K-12 classrooms. Candidates are not aware that they have been nominated and are under review. Those selected are surprised with an announcement made at an all-school event. The honor comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000.

Because of the program’s secrecy, Trost didn’t understand why her principal was so adamant that she attend the October school assembly.��

“It didn’t make sense,” she recalls. “I was on maternity leave and wondered what could be so important, but the invitation was pretty firm. I figured I had better show up and thought it would be a nice opportunity to see my co-workers. It turned out to be the surprise of a lifetime!”

Trost’s accomplishments in and outside the classroom were honored that day, from her effective use of project-based learning, music, and physical activities to keep her fourth-grade inclusion class on track to her mentorship of new teachers. The assembly that cheered her on included the school’s student body, faculty and administrators, as well as prior Milken awardees.��

“I loved meeting the previous Milken recipients,” she says. “They were generous with their encouragement and guidance. It is an amazing feeling to know that there are people you don’t even know yet who care about your success.”

It is little wonder that Trost’s abilities and potential caught the attention of the Milken Family Foundation and the award committee. Since completing her undergraduate work at Rowan University, Trost has been on a fast track to leadership, stepping into the lead teacher role in her second year in the profession. When she began thinking about the next steps on her career path, she looked to her school’s administrators for guidance. “My principal recommended Ģ����Ƶ’s master’s program in educational leadership,” she says, “and I trusted her advice. I liked that the program was fully online.”

“I really appreciated the structure of the program,” Trost continues. “It was rigorous but flexible. The cohort approach created a support system, making it a more social experience than I had expected. We still have group chats to share ideas and opportunities.”

The graduate level coursework prepared Trost to translate her classroom creativity – which included innovations such as a pretend campfire circle to nurture her student’s storytelling abilities – into larger initiatives.

“I learned so much about the educational landscape as a whole,” she explains. “It was a lens that I didn’t have before. We explored equity in schools, leadership schools, and what goes on behind the scenes in a school or district, from logistical aspects to legal ramifications and state mandates. I learned about the experiences of teachers in other communities and grade levels.”

Now, when Trost sees an opportunity or wants to develop a new idea, she is better able to move forward. “I have the tools to make more of an impact,” she says.

Trost will be on leave for a bit longer, but she is looking forward getting back to her students and to the initiatives she was working on at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. “I was updating curriculum documents and advancing new initiatives for teaching math, science and literacy,” she says. “My focus was on aligning what we teach to new philosophies being embraced by the district and integrating the updated material into the classrooms. When I return, I will be helping fellow teachers develop their practice. We will be working together to reach for a new vision for the education we provide.”

Although her hands are quite full at the moment, Trost hopes that in the future she will be able to get more involved with Ģ����Ƶ alumni activities. “I think it is important to give back to the programs that helped you progress,” she points out. “I would like to support the next generation of education professionals, perhaps through a principalship mentoring program.”

In the meantime, she keeps up with Ģ����Ƶ news through the alumni emails she receives. “I learned recently about the new Certificate in General Education Studies program for students who have intellectual disabilities,” she notes. “It makes me proud to know that I graduated from a school that is actively pursuing inclusiveness in education.”

“Through TRIO, I was introduced to so many opportunities that helped me to grow,” says Soto. “I remember I was nervous and didn’t know anyone on campus, but I quickly got into my comfort zone. My TRIO coach was really helpful. TRIO helped me improve my writing skills, develop my resume and connected me with internships as early as my first year.”

The federally funded TRIO academic program united Soto early on with a selective Latino Fellowship Program. He received a summer stipend and attended with students from other universities. “I gained confidence and improved my communication skills through the program’s activities,” he says. As part of the experience, Soto visited the UPS corporate office, Bloomberg, Princeton University, the College of New Jersey and Rider University, where he participated in skill-building workshops intended to develop the student attendees as leaders.

Then the pandemic began during Soto’s sophomore year, and his campus experience became remote. But, when the College was once again open for in-person classes, Soto worked on his artistic craft on campus taking photos for the College’s Cyrus H. Holley Professor of Applied Ethics speaking series. It was at this time that he also began an internship with , an organization founded by Bloomfield College Instructor of Media Communications Jason Torreano, that serves motivated South African township youth in finishing high school and moving onto university studies.

“Working with Professor Torreano was always a great experience,” says Soto. “He allowed me to create and have my own ideas. He became a great friend and mentor, and helped me develop my skills further.” Soto was very excited when his role in Inkululeko was featured on in Buffalo, New York. The story highlighted his collaboration with Inkululeko through COVID-19 to offer remote tutoring options for learners.

During his senior year, Soto joined his mentor as part of an international team working to create an innovative virtual study abroad program between Bloomfield College and the town of Makhanda in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.��There, Soto conducted interviews and shot video using a 360-degree camera at more than a dozen locations. The final product leveraged virtual reality, mobile technology, an Oculus and similar devices to create 360-degree video tours that were later woven into existing Bloomfield College coursework, taking a traditional virtual study abroad program to the next level.��His trip was facilitated through faculty development funding and the College’s Changing Lives Internship program.

“In those two weeks I spent in Makhanda, I gained further skills in leadership, communications and working as a team,” says Soto. “I learned about the culture of South Africa, acquired more knowledge from my professor and his colleagues from overseas, gained experience managing a team of a dozen tutors from around the United States, and helped to build an online tutoring library. I was even invited to teach a lesson on the history of animation to a class of high school students who were very engaged.”

Soto says that the distinctive learning experiences he enjoyed while at Bloomfield helped him land a position at Princeton University upon graduation, working in its Africa World Initiative, a hub for Africa-related research, programming and international scholarly networks. In the position, Soto manages social media, edits the organization’s website, designs event posters and edits videos.

“Since I was familiar with Princeton University from my earlier internship, I looked on their job site, saw the position and applied,” he says. “I was offered a position as program assistant in their new unit that engages with African studies internationally and enables partnerships that don’t yet exist,” says Soto, who was born in Peru, grew up in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, and currently lives in South Brunswick, only 15 minutes from Princeton.��

“My South Africa trip as a student at Bloomfield set the course for my life immediately after graduation,” says Soto. “If I were to advise current students, I would encourage them to join programs and seek opportunities because the experiences they will gain will help them grow and add job skills to their resumes to help them stand out. That’s what my entire experience at Bloomfield has been from the first day I stepped on campus. I was immediately inspired by the people there, and I am so grateful.”

For Bien-Aime, dreams of attending college started early. Having skipped the fifth grade, she went on to a pre-medical track program in seventh grade. Most of the studies focused on “SMART” (Science, Math and Related Topics) and culminated in her taking the MCAT in 11th grade. At the time, she planned on becoming a trauma surgeon. The pre-medical program covered the Hippocratic oath and Bien-Aime felt committed to helping those in need. What didn’t sit right with her, however, was that those without insurance would not be able to access the same level of care. She realized she had a deep yearning to help people in a larger capacity.

Attending Bloomfield College was a natural choice for her. Her brother was a student there, it was close to home, and the small, close-knit community was similar to that of her high school. On campus, Bien-Aime immediately sought to make connections and explore her passions, joining a campus dance organization called Versatile Entertainment. “Dance was always an important part of my life. It taught me to remain focused, whether in school or in any art form.” It was there she met Maurice Lyle, current president of the Bloomfield College Alumni Association, and then president of Versatile Entertainment. Her network and community continued to grow.

Academically, Bien-Aime was searching for a major that would allow her to serve others. After taking Sociology 101, she was hooked. Seeing people of color overrepresented in the criminal justice system, she wanted to understand why. Shortly after completing the class, she declared a major in Sociology and Criminal Justice. Exploring her passion, she performed a great deal of community service including working with at-risk youth, mentoring and volunteering at the food bank. It became clear this was the path for her.

Bien-Aime was gaining momentum toward graduation when disaster struck. In her senior year, a car accident left her unable to see out of one eye. Forced to wear an eye patch, she struggled to complete her schoolwork and ended up failing a class. Summoning her inner strength, she recalls saying, “You’re either going to do this for yourself, or you’re going to soak and sit it in.” This was a turning point. During the spring semester, she attended classes six days a week to graduate on schedule.

On top of her academic worries, medical bills piling up made it difficult to pay her tuition.��“At Bloomfield, I learned how to be an advocate for myself and speak up for what I need. In life, you can’t expect someone to stand up for you, but once you do, you will receive the support you need.” She connected with the Financial Aid Department, which was able to provide the assistance she needed to finish out the year.

As Commencement drew near, Bien-Aime was both proud and relieved after all she had overcome to reach this goal. She looked forward to walking at the ceremony but recalls that she couldn’t afford the cap and gown. Stressed, she resigned to not walking at graduation, until at the last minute someone covered the expense for her. She was able to receive her diploma along with her classmates. “This is something we do today with the Bloomfield College Alumni Association – fund caps and gowns for students in need,” she notes proudly.

Since graduating, Bien-Aime has had a busy career giving back to the community. Initially a mental health social worker for the Department of Corrections, she served in halfway houses for both men and women. She recalls one client with whom she still keeps in touch. “She’s doing great now and even got her kids back. We worked hard to get her out of a depressive state. I’m proud of how far she has come.” Among her accomplishments, Bien-Aime also put in place an art program so the residents would have an outlet to express themselves. “It was a rewarding position,” she notes.

In her next professional role, Bien-Aime was the supervisor for juvenile justice in a high school serving at-risk youth in Newark. The school provided a job-readiness program that included dress for success and resume building. It also provided health and living resources, including an on-site daycare, to help the students focus on their education.

Seeking out new ways to serve, in 2016, Bien-Aime founded her own nonprofit organization, called Dancing Off the Endo, Inc. (DOTE), which uses dance as a catalyst to provide education and support for women living with endometriosis. She was diagnosed herself in her late twenties and recalls, “The pain was so bad, I had to be on and off morphine for three years. Over time, I changed my diet, worked out more, and it has gotten better. Mobility helps.”

She explains the organization’s role: “We come out and dance together and provide resources. I teach exercises that will minimize the pain.” The group holds events in dance studios throughout New Jersey and has traveled to California, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia to raise awareness and provide support. Some events are fundraisers and some are purely educational, she notes.

In recognition of her incredible work, in 2018, the Endometriosis Foundation of America honored Bien-Aime as the Endo Activist of the Year. She was the guest speaker at the Foundation’s first-ever march in New York City. “It was a great honor,” she recalls, but also remarked that she and her family were the only Black family in attendance. She talks about the issue in an article on the Foundation’s website, “People from my community don’t really know about endometriosis.” A big part of her work through DOTE seeks to address this.

In February 2023, she partnered with the Middlesex Region Black Nurses’ Association and was invited to speak as a panelist at the Robert Wood Johnson Wellness Center in Hamilton, NJ. Currently, Bien-Aime serves as health chair for 11 cities with the NAACP, including Bloomfield,��the Oranges, Livingston, Belleville, Nutley, Maplewood, Millburn and Short Hills. There, she states, “We work to figure out health disparities in Black and Brown communities. We do a lot of educational sessions for the community featuring different health and fitness professionals.”

Bien-Aime recently attended the Veteran’s Day Parade promoting NAACP health events.��Another initiative she is proud of took place in May 2023, when the NAACP Health Committee partnered with the Women’s Committee and Membership Committee to host a Menstrual Equity event. Together, they collected more than 3,000 menstrual products to donate to local high schools. “This was important for me, because I don’t think we should be paying for these items,” she noted, adding, “I personally was able to donate chemical-free products. We never know how these chemicals might be contributing to different conditions.”

Preparing the next generation of leaders, Bien-Aime states proudly she was able to bring a current Bloomfield student and a recent graduate with her to the NAACP State Conference this year. She hopes to inspire and empower them to become future advocates for their community.

Looking back on her journey, she remembers where she came from.��“Bloomfield taught me that community is important to be successful and thrive.” She also learned that, “At Bloomfield, you saw that small communities can do large things.”

There is no doubt that Bien-Aime will continue to achieve great work in the community and as a member of the BCAA leadership team.