{"id":227654,"date":"2026-03-31T14:50:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=227654"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:51:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:51:49","slug":"small-campus-big-spirit-how-i-balance-classes-at-bloomfield-and-montclair-cheer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2026\/03\/31\/small-campus-big-spirit-how-i-balance-classes-at-bloomfield-and-montclair-cheer\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Campus, Big Spirit: How I Balance Classes at Bloomfield and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Cheer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Informatics<\/a> major Bryce Antoine \u201928 is building real-world tech skills \u2013 coding, system design and ethical technology \u2013 in small Bloomfield College of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ<\/a> classrooms where everyone knows his name. He also competes on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Coed Cheer Team, a cheerleading powerhouse just a shuttle ride away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven though Bloomfield is a small school, we provide so many major opportunities,\u201d Antoine says. \u201cEveryone is connected. It\u2019s almost like you know everybody from every major, every department, every office you walk into.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since Bloomfield College officially became Bloomfield College of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, students like Antoine have gained expanded academic options, more student life activities and access to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s resources while still keeping their home base on a smaller campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Two
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Coed Cheer Team members show off stunts on the quad on a spring afternoon ahead of their trip to Florida in April to the national championships. (Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Antoine says Bloomfield matches his personality and day-to-day life. \u201cÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ is a big school, and I\u2019m low-key,\u201d he says. Because of that, he appreciates how Bloomfield\u2019s size lets him build close relationships with his professors, and those connections helped him rethink his academic path.<\/span><\/p>\n

Supportive faculty have been central to Antoine\u2019s experience, especially as he moved away from his family\u2019s long tradition in medicine. He originally started at Bloomfield as a Nursing major. \u201cMy father was a doctor, my grandmother\u2019s a doctor, my grandfather is a doctor,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut even they told me to look more at a computer field because they know me. They thought it was better for me to do something I\u2019m really good at instead of just following tradition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bryce
Bryce Antoine juggles classes, an Admissions job and student leadership at Bloomfield \u2013 then heads over to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to practice with the Coed Cheer Team. (Photo by John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Big-school cheer, small-school community<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some of Antoine\u2019s most visible moments happen a short drive away at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ campus. He takes his classes at Bloomfield and heads to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to cheer on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Coed Cheer Team<\/a>, one of the top Division III programs in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Antoine, Bloomfield’s home base and shared resources with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ let him enjoy the best of both worlds: a small, supportive college community and big\u2011school spirit. \u201cI don\u2019t have to choose,\u201d he says. \u201cI get both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ready to start your college journey?<\/strong> Explore Bloomfield College of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bloomfield Accepted Students<\/strong>: Save your spot for Bloomfield Accepted Students Day on April 25<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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