BCC Alumna-Yale Graduate advises the students

For our September 2009 Honors Association event, we invited a Bergen Community College alumna, Tina Magrabi, who went on to earn her bachelor of arts degree at Yale University.
Due to the overwhelming reception from the audience, we feel that we owe it to the students at large to share Tina's story.  It is our hope that Tina's speech will inspire, motivate, and encourage you to chart your own path to success.

Good afternoon.  First, I would like to thank Paulina for asking me to speak here today.  I’m very honored to be here and I’m especially honored to be speaking after President Ryan. 

This afternoon, I’d like to share with you three main points: first, I’m going to tell you a few other success stories from Bergen to help get you inspired, then as I speak about my own experience transferring from Bergen to Yale, I’d like to persuade you that you can do the same and that nothing is impossible, and finally I’ll wrap up by asking you all a question or two before the floor gets turned over to you for your questions.

To begin, let’s highlight some great success stories.

First, I’ll tell you about Claudia Barrera.  Claudia came to New Jersey from Venezuela as a teenager.  She started in the American Language program at Bergen, worked almost every night of the week as a waitress and lived in a small basement apartment struggling to pay the rent.  She worked very diligently at Bergen…she worked so hard that she graduated as valedictorian in 2002, after which she transferred to Columbia University on a partial scholarship.  At Columbia, she became President of Student Government and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Economics.   

Another success story is Natalya Vinokurova, also an international student who came to the U.S. from Belarus.  She also had to learn English and work for her education from the ground up.  A little over ten years ago, she was the valedictorian of her class at Bergen and she transferred to Harvard University. Natalya excelled at Harvard in their business program, and the last I heard from her, she was working at Harvard in a management position.

And just this past fall, we have Raphael Juliano, whom many of you might know. A few weeks ago he started at Brown University in Rhode Island.  Six months ago, he was a student at Bergen just like you.  Now he’s studying philosophy and physics at one of our nation’s greatest universities.

So, here is the point I want to really emphasize.  All three of the Bergen alumni I just mentioned not only transferred to excellent schools, but they were successful there.  That’s because the Honors Program at Bergen prepares you to compete with your peers who have spent all 4 of their college years at an Ivy League school or other challenging university such as NYU or Rutgers.  Bergen is renowned both locally and nationally among community colleges, and it’s a well deserved reputation.

In fact, one of the most difficult classes I ever took during all 4 years of college was an honors course right here at Bergen.  It was a western civilization history class that required a 20-page term paper.  At the time, as a second semester freshmen at BCC, it was by far the longest paper I had ever written, and it was very daunting.  To make it harder, the professor had a reputation as one of the toughest instructors at the college and imposed very stringent requirements, making me sweat through several drafts before she accepted my paper.  It was frustrating and time consuming, but ultimately prepared me for equally rigorous courses that I would face once at Yale.  There was not one course at Yale that I did not feel prepared for and you should know that whatever university you transfer to, if you did well in the honors program, you’ll be more than ready for the next challenge.

The second point I would like to stress today is a really important one: 3 words: nothing is impossible.  If you had told me when I came to Bergen, which incidentally was 10 years ago this month in September of 1999, that I would have ended up transferring to Yale four semesters later, I would have simply laughed.  In high school, I was a fairly average student.  My SAT scores were very mediocre.  So the thought of being at Yale seemed ridiculous and impossible.  But that’s the beauty of going to Bergen, this college provides you with a clean slate and lets you build up a brand new academic record, so that high school grades and SAT scores become of secondary importance.

 

But I didn’t realize this at the time, and when application time rolled around I hesitantly applied to Yale, just thinking “why not?” but definitely not expecting to be accepted.  One day, after pretty much waiting by the mailbox for months, something finally came in the mail from Yale.  My father brought the envelope to me and gave me a nervous look, knowing it contained an answer of some sort.  From the looks of it, I was certain it was a rejection letter, because it was a thin, business-sized envelope, and when you’re accepted at a university, you usually receive a big heavy package filled with information.  So, I opened it without much hopefulness or enthusiasm…and read the first line that I’ll never forget: “We are pleased to inform you that your transfer admission to Yale University for the fall of 2001 is assured.”  I just looked at my father, and he could tell by my expression that I had gotten in.  He looked at me proudly and got tears in his eyes, because he had never gone to college himself so this was emotional for him, telling me honestly that he knew I would.  He had believed in me, just as many of my professors did, when I didn’t believe in myself.  So not only should you believe in yourself, you should surround yourself with motivating people, positive forces, with a support system that encourages you, push you to strive beyond what seems possible today.

To close, I’d like to leave you with a rhetorical question or two: Are you ready to work?  Are you ready to take ownership of your education and your future?  I think the answer is yes.  That’s why you’re here today, that’s why you’re exploring the Honors Program and hopefully getting very involved on campus.  It will take earnest effort and initiative on your part.  It will take high grades.  But grades are just the beginning.  Top tier schools look for community involvement, demonstrated leadership, and special talents that define you as an individual.  The key is to do these things not simply to check off a box on a list or enhance your resume, but to enjoy what you’re doing and find fulfillment in the journey, not just racing towards the destination, which can be very tempting to do.  So, my advice to you: find your passion, roll up your sleeves, be inspired by the Bergen alumni who have succeeded before you, and above all, reach beyond what seems possible because you might be pleasantly surprised opening up your acceptance letter from your dream school.  And I hope you are.  Thank you.