Bergen Community College

Fifteen years before enrolling at Bergen Community College as a fine and performing arts student in Fall 2018, Kathleen Meagher, ‘23, was a young child in the Child Development Center (CDC) in 2003. Meagher’s parents enrolled their daughter in the CDC so she could learn her alphabet, finger-paint, and meet key developmental milestones. After attending two years, Meagher eventually graduated from the CDC and entered kindergarten.

“My favorite memory from my time as a CDC student was how deeply rooted the program was in creative play,” said Meagher, of Paramus. “The daily use of storytelling and the thoughtful encouragement shown to shyer students like myself helped me to step into becoming who I am.”

On May 8, 2025, Meagher attended the CDC’s graduation ceremony, speaking to graduates and their families while reliving her own CDC graduation twenty years earlier in 2005.

Her favorite teachers were Sally Dionisio, now retired, and Jack Miller, who currently teaches pre-kindergarten at the CDC. Miller said that Meagher was an “exceptional child” from the moment he met her. “She was initially quiet but grew into her voice while remaining a very polite, well mannered young lady,” said Miller.

Meagher enjoyed her experience in the CDC so much that she returned to the CDC as a volunteer during her four years of high school. She dedicated her volunteer time to reading to children and implementing engaging activities. 

“Even after leaving the school, both the CDC and Bergen, Kathleen would keep in contact with all of us to let us know what she was doing and she is available to help,” said Miller. “As an extended member of the CDC family, she is always welcome back.”

Meagher returned to Bergen as a college student in Fall 2018. “I chose to enroll at Bergen Community College later on as the course schedule was amiable and fit well with my work responsibilities as I had worked to afford and pay my way through college,” said Meagher. “The flexibility in scheduling drew me in, but it was the support I received from my general education professors that truly made a difference and elevated the experience.”

 

Meagher graduated from Bergen in August 2023 with an associate’s degree in fine and performing arts with a concentration in acting. While at Bergen, she directed the Bergenstages production of The Actor’s Nightmare, and played Brooke Ashton in Noises Off, growing both her creativity and leadership skills.

“Bergen has contributed to my academic success by making education both affordable and accessible, without unnecessary complications,” said Meagher. “The opportunity to learn, develop, and grow within a community as diverse as Bergen, across both its student body and faculty alike, exemplifies everything that higher education should represent: an accessible, collaborative exchange of shared perspectives.”

In Spring 2025, Meagher graduated from Seton Hall University with her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. She is currently a sales strategist intern at Sanofi, where she looks forward to applying strategic brand marketing and analytical skills in the healthcare setting. She also plans to pursue a master’s degree in strategic foresight at the University of Houston.

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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