Find your path to success with a diverse range of more than 120 degree, certificate, and continuing education programs.
Bergen Community College alumnus Michael Agostino, ‘25, studied fashion and apparel design to become a technical designer and pattern maker.
Agostino, of Hasbrouck Heights, joined Bergen’s fashion program because of its affordability and close proximity to his home. “I signed up because I wanted to learn the art of pattern making and draping,” he said.
“Previously, I sewed from patterns and wanted to know what it took to create my own garments from scratch – from the pattern making, to the draping and perfecting the fit on a person,” said Agostino. “I feel that I really honed my skills here and took my time to learn from professors who worked in the industry, and I was able to grow immensely during my time at Bergen.”
In May 2025, Agostino was a showcase designer at the annual Create Tomorrow: Bergen Institute for the Creative Arts Gala. The styles that he designed, created and showcased at the Gala were part of his senior capstone project. Agostino was also featured in the senior capstone video played at the Gala, as a farewell to the program’s graduating students.
Agostino commended his peers and fellow designers for their work at the Gala. “I feel like a lot of their work is an extension of who they are as people,” he said. “Being able to create something that is yours and have it be walked down the runway is extremely important, and it shows a lot of hard work they have put into this program.”
“Bergen is what you make of it,” Agostino advised new and current Bergen students.
In his spare time, Agostino was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and a tutor to other fashion students. “I made the most of my time here by going above and beyond what was taught in classes,” said Agostino. “I stayed late, asked questions, applied myself and wanted to be the best.”
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.
# # #