Bergen Community College alumna Keondrya Pineda, ‘26, received the Bergen Community College Foundation’s Commencement 2026 send-off scholarship during the Commencement 2026 ceremony.
“After being at Bergen for two years while striving for the best for my education and meeting such wonderful people, I never would have thought I would receive anything like this scholarship,” said Pineda, of New Milford. “I feel honored to receive this scholarship, and I would like to thank Bergen for the best years of education I have received. It has been a privilege to be a student at Bergen.”
Pineda plans to use her scholarship toward her education, which she will continue at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology. Prior to attending Bergen, Pineda knew she wanted to pursue a career in psychology, but did not want to begin at a four-year college.
“Going to Bergen gave me a sense of direction while being able to keep moving forward in my goals,” she said.
While she was dedicated to her studies in psychology, Pineda loved taking classes across diverse academic interests. She enjoyed her History of Photography course taught by visual arts professor Tim Blunk. Pineda said he was a wonderful instructor. Pineda also credits communications professor Michael Echols for teaching her the importance of public speaking while sharing his personal experiences.
Pineda also attributes her success to connecting with people from all walks of life. “What I enjoyed the most at Bergen Community College was the people,” said Pineda. “The community is very diverse and it was nice to know everyone and their goals.”
Pineda advises current and prospective students to take a slow journey to truly experience life is the best thing to do. She feels that this gradual approach helped her during her college journey and believes that others would benefit from it as well. “To those who want to get out as quickly as possible, don’t do it because you’ll actually start to like the environment and wish you had slowed down,” she said.
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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