Shiwa YangzomBergen Community College alumna, Shiwa Yangzom, ’24, earned top billing in the class of 2024 on the strength of a 4.0 GPA, her work as an academic coach and standing on the New Jersey All-State Academic Team. She will attend Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate researcher in their humanities laboratory. Yangzom plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology and economics.

While attending Bergen, Yangzom majored in general studies to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a double major in economics and psychology. “Bergen had a variety of courses at an affordable price, which was perfect for a student like me who was undecided and looking to immerse myself in different subject areas,” said Yangzom.

As an active student on Bergen’s campus, Yangzom was co-president of Judith K. Winn School of Honors Association and vice president of communications of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), and member of the Student Government Association. In the Cerullo Learning Assistance Center, she served as a peer tutor, academic coach, and Supplemental Instruction leader. Yangzom won the “Best Peer Writing Tutor” at Bergen in May 2023.

Yangzom was also accepted into the Rennes Sustainable Business Summer Bootcamp through the Rennes School of Business in France on scholarship from Bergen and the French Embassy.

“By getting involved on campus, I met professors, advisors, and peers who always support me, which truly enriched and enhanced my community college experience,” said Yangzom.

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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