Bergen Community College

TRENTON, N.J. – Bergen Community College students Chennelle Brown and Zhyldyz Makhmutova have received the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) Richard and Ann Wellbrock Chair Scholarship. The NJCCC, the statewide advocacy organization for New Jersey’s 18 community colleges, offers the scholarship for students attending the college of the council’s sitting chair. By virtue of Bergen Board of Trustees member Sheetal Ranjan, Ph.D., serving as NJCCC chair since last November, the pair of high-achieving Bergen students each received $317 through the scholarship named for former NJCCC chair Richard Wellbrock.

“Community college students encounter the most significant barriers to earning a college degree among all students enrolled in higher education,” NJCCC Chair Ranjan said. “Financial aid, including scholarships, state-supported initiatives and county investments, remain critical to ensuring access and success for prospective New Jersey college students.”

Brown, of Bergenfield, has quickly become an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, seeking to make an impact with her peers through leadership positions and service-learning opportunities. While studying nursing, Brown works on campus as part of the Turning Point program for adults with developmental disabilities and the Cerullo Learning Assistance Center.

Makhmutova, of Garfield, emigrated to the United States from Kyrgyzstan in pursuit of expanded opportunities for higher education. Now in her second year at Bergen, Makhmutova has made the dean’s list while also working as a part-time nanny. She expects to graduate in 2025 with a computer science degree and transfer to a four-year university.

Governed by the presidents and trustees of the state’s 18 community colleges and enshrined in state law, the NJCCC supports the more than 230,000 students New Jersey community colleges serve by fostering collaboration and developing solutions that expand access to college, promote equity and student success and create a skilled workforce to drive economic growth. The organization’s chair, Bergen’s Ranjan, has served as a member of the executive committee since 2019. Ranjan has also served as a national leader as the northeast regional director on the Association of Community College Trustees board of directors.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

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