A farewell to the Class of 2015

Joe Fuoco working on a media project about English majors.

By Vera Boateng

Most Kean Seniors are anxious to jump right into their cap and gowns and out to their respective study areas after graduation, but graduating college for a lot of students was not always around the corner. They had to work hard to get there.

“I didn’t start college right away and now after my 10 year journey in school, I am finally ready to graduate and become the English teacher I have always wanted to be,” said Joe Fuoco, English major at Kean.

With finals approaching and classes coming to an end, it is almost time for students to pack up and indulge in the 3-month summer hiatus from school. It is an exciting time for all Kean students, especially our May 2015 graduates.

Fuoco will be among the estimated 2,400 graduating seniors to receive their undergraduate degrees on May 21 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Fuoco remembered a time where he thought he was not going to finish school and wanted to give up altogether. His motivation stemmed from the professors who shared their stories with him about their struggles in life and how they were able to overcome them.

It all clicked when one professor said to him that it is never too late to go to college.

Another senior at Kean was overwhelmed about which major to declare, and had struggles in her own life with her confidence in finding a specific area of interest. This student is Alicia Ross, a Psychology major at Kean.

“When I first started out at Kean I didn’t know what I wanted to do and had many people throwing options and suggestions at me,” said Ross. “I was so lost.”

It wasn’t until Ross branched out and went to an event that it would change how she would spend her time at Kean.

“When I went to an event at Kean called “Ladies Night”, a woman’s awareness event, the people running the event were so passionate about the women in other countries, it made me feel confident that I could work with the organization, to do something about it too,” explained Ross.

Ross is now involved in a philanthropy interest group for Mu Sigma Upsilon called “The Girl Effect.” This group’s focus is to raise funds for the women living in third world countries, so that they are able to go to school and live a positive lifestyle.

Ross is excited to hold more bake sales to raise money and will become a counselor for adolescents and young adults, specifically those who have not always had the confidence and motivation to move forward in life.

Diane Calle graduated from Kean University with a bachelor’s in Public Administration in the Spring of 2014 and will be the first person in her family to continue on to receive a masters degree.

“After you work so hard and give everything you’ve got, you feel so much better about everything,” said Diana Calle a graduate of Public Administration at Kean.

Calle’s future goals include earning a PhD in Public Administration after she finishes her master’s program.

“I remembered while being an undergrad I worked so hard in everything and I gotreally involved by joining the sorority Mu Sigma Upsilon,” said Calle. “I really missed college after I graduated so I decided to go back to get a masters degree.”

She is currently the secretary of Graduate and Part Time Student council, at Kean and the secretary for a non-profit organization, the Hispanic/Latino alumni council.

“The advice that I would give anyone in college would be to get involved,” Calle said. “There are so many leadership opportunities at Kean to take advantage of and they really help out in the long run.”

Students should arrive at 7 a.m. with their cap and gown to prepare for the processional lineup, which will begin at 8:30 am. The ceremony also starts at 8:30 a.m.

There have not been any new announcements about the commencement speaker. This information is unknown at this time.

For more information about The 2015 Commencement Ceremony, visit:
www.kean.edu/commencement

Congratulations to the Kean Graduating Class of 2015!

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