Anthony Bertollo
PARAMUS, N.J. – For the first time in Bergen Community College history, a student-athlete has secured Region XIX’s top honor recognizing academic and athletic excellence. Class of 2022 graduate – and former cross-country and track and field star -Anthony Bertollo, of Hawthorne, earned the Robert Zifchak Male Scholar-Athlete award on the strength of his 4.0 GPA and numerous honors in athletic competition. The College recognized Bertollo’s achievement at the January 10 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Reflecting on the award, Bertollo said “I was excited – really honored,” before thanking his coaches, professors, the athletics department and Cerullo Learning Assistance Center for assisting him at the College.
“The inclusiveness and the camaraderie were through the roof,” he said.
The Zifchak award recognizes student-athletes who excel inside the classroom, on the playing field and by serving their communities. On Bergen’s cross-country team, Bertollo placed seventh in the region, qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament and made the national association’s all-academic first team.
Bertollo now attends the Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he studies digital filmmaking and aspires to become a videographer or cinematographer. He expects to graduate in 2024.
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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