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Bergen Community College student Tiffany Mercado is studying nursing to become a nurse.
Mercado, of Bogota, is a student in the NJ STARS program, which allows her to have a tuition-free college experience. “NJ STARS has given me the chance to partake in my education without feeling the pressures of having to pay stressful amounts of fees,” she said.
Mercado said Bergen’s nursing program was incredibly insightful and educational, which made her enroll. “Due to the thoughtfulness and consideration of the professors at Bergen Community College, I have been able to focus on my work with the feeling that it is okay to make mistakes and learn, as that is a beneficial mindset to make my way into adulthood,” she said.
Aside from her studies, Mercado is part of Pasalubong – Bergen’s Filipino Club – a major highlight of her Bergen journey. With Pasalubong, Mercado was given the gift to connect with other Filipinos, build beautiful relationships, and get to know her culture.
“As my parents immigrated from the Philippines to America in the 90s, I feel as if their sense of Filipino culture slowly slipped away in order to survive and fit in with the American lifestyle,” she said. “I have built a foundation in the club for myself and now hold a powerful spot in my Filipino identity and culture,” said Mercado.
Mercado expects to graduate in 2026.
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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