Bergen Community College alumna Amirah Elayan, ‘20, studied literature and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. After graduating from Bergen, Elayan went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in comparative literature and creative writing along with her master’s degree in creative and professional writing from William Paterson University. She is currently a book marketer in the publishing industry.
During her time at Bergen, Elayan was part of the Judith K. Winn School of Honors and Phi Theta Kappa honors society, as well as being the vice president of the Honors Association during the 2019-2020 academic year.
“I felt truly at home at Bergen, and hope other students feel the same,” said Elayan, of Westwood. “The community was so alive, the people were kind, and the professors were brilliant.”
When asked why she chose Bergen, Elayan said, “I was honestly a lost young woman, who had no idea where to take my life, what to do with it.” She was passionate about literature, but had been told to be “practical” about college and a career. “I came to Bergen because I wanted to give college a try, I wanted to try on the scholarly hat, and I wanted to see if I was any good at it or if my high school teachers were right, that I didn’t belong in scholarship,” she said. “Turns out they were all wrong and I really found my stride and myself at Bergen.”
She credits Professor Alan Kaufman from the English department. She said, “Professor Kaufman encouraged me to work towards a literary degree, and push myself to see my capabilities, not only as a writer, but as a scholar.” She also credited Professors Melanie Walker and Robert Fusco, who gave Elayan the opportunity to work in the First in the World Grant program.
Along with finding a career in publishing, Elayan made great achievements from literature to leadership. In 2022, Elayan was selected as the Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize Winner. She also was awarded William Paterson University’s Student Government Association “Best Event of the Year” award for a panel she organized and hosted to discuss the struggles of Black women.
She is currently attending Inkluded Academy and taking an exclusive publishing course that helps young publishing professionals from diverse backgrounds who are transitioning into the house side of publishing.
Elayan said, “Life is like standing in an ocean, sometimes you’re going to fall while the waves beat you down, but you’re always going to find the strength to stand up again and bear it.”
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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