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Bergen Community College alumna Bernadette Duran, ‘20, is a High School Band Director who teaches music to grades 9-12 at Bogota Junior/Senior High School.
“My career focuses on developing community and musicianship for the next generation,” said Duran, of Bergenfield. As a High School Band Director, she is responsible for teaching concert band, marching band, and jazz band to students. Prior to her current role, she taught 4th grade elementary band in Hackensack at two grammar schools.
When reflecting on her journey to her current music teaching career, Duran realized that attending Bergen made a difference in her trajectory.
“I decided to attend Bergen Community College because I felt lost in my major,” said Duran who had originally thought she should major in chemistry. “I felt defeated not going to a 4-year university only to realize that attending Bergen was one of the greatest decisions I ever made.”
Duran soon realized that the community at Bergen positively impacted her. “Bergen gave me the opportunity and the grace to explore myself,” she said.
Feeling conflicted about studying chemistry, Duran knew in her heart that she wanted to enter the music field. After she met Bergen music professors Andrew Krikun, Ed.D., and Daniel Sheehan, Duran studied music. Krikun, Sheehan, and other Bergen professors served as mentors for Duran to help guide her.
“I was able to receive a great foundation at Bergen,” she said. “The community, the support, and the professors made my time in college a valuable time.”
Duran served as the president of the Student Government Association from 2019-2020. She felt that this experience helped her gain confidence, understand what needed to be done in meetings, and helped her with student communication between the faculty and the community. Through these foundational leadership experiences, Duran understands and believes in the importance of networking and making connections with others. “Ask for help and make connections,” she said. “You never know who will help you in the future.”
After Duran graduated from Bergen with an associate in fine arts with a concentration in music, she transferred to William Paterson University to further her studies in music. In December 2023, Duran earned her Bachelor of Arts in music education with a concentration in classical saxophone.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 24,000 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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