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Bergen Community College alumna Vivian Nunez, ‘26, set her career goals on becoming a lawyer. Knowing how expensive law school can be, she made the decision to attend Bergen at the end of her senior year of high school to minimize the financial burden on her parents. In 2025, Nunez graduated Fair Lawn High School in the top 10% of her class. She was awarded a NJ STARS scholarship through the NJ STARS program to study at Bergen. The NJ STARS program is a state program that provides free tuition to New Jersey’s highest achieving students at their home county college.
“As soon as I attended NJ STARS orientation, I knew I made the right choice,” said Nunez. “The support I was provided with from financial aid and academic advising to campus involvement, made me feel welcomed from day one.”
She credited NJ STARS coordinator Julia Gibson for much of her success at Bergen. “Julia Gibson has always gone above and beyond in uplifting students, whether through group efforts in the THRIVE organization or through individual check-ins,” said Nunez. “She is always informing us of new opportunities and encouraging us to identify our passions, make our plans for success, and reach for the stars. I would not have been able to thrive at Bergen without her guidance and support.”
Nunez, a first-generation college student, entered Bergen with college credits from AP classes and a 6-credit dual enrollment program with Fairleigh Dickinson University through Fair Lawn High School. The dual enrollment program focused on childhood education, which allowed Nunez to create and instruct pre-school lesson plans.
By beginning her studies at Bergen with two 3-credit courses in Summer 2025 and one 1-credit course in Winter 2026, Nunez was set on track to graduate Bergen in record-time in Spring 2026. She maintained a full-time course load in both Fall 2025 and Spring 2026.
During her time at Bergen, Nunez was an active student on campus. She was a member of the College’s two-year honor society, Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the Student Government Association (SGA), and the THRIVE program. She served as a NJ STARS ambassador, vice president of the Legal Studies Club, and a peer writing tutor at Bergen’s Cerullo Learning Assistance Center.
As a NJ STARS ambassador, she gave presentations about her experiences to prospective high school students at orientation events and visits to local high schools. As vice president of the Legal Studies Club, she connected with legal professionals to plan club events and helped club members build their public speaking skills. In the Thrive program, Nunez planned out cultural events, formed a Read Across America initiative at Rising Stars Academy, and contributed to the creation of a community garden at Eva’s Village.
She volunteered with Phi Theta Kappa at MEVO Farms and met students who were passionate about service. In the Student Government Association, she served as the College Affairs Committee Chair within the SGA Senate. She hosted professional development workshops to connect students with existing career resources on campus.
“I enjoyed the people I met, whether that be through classes or through student life involvement,” she said. “Everyone has a story to tell, and the profound diversity at Bergen made every day worth it.” Nunez also credits Honors Department secretary Salimah Ali, Professor Mecheline Farhat, Student Life Director Greg Fenkart and her SGA advisors for their support and encouragement.
Nunez’s involvement in PTK and SGA earned her an invitation to attend the New Jersey Council of County Colleges Student Leadership Summit. Inspired to be involved in her community, Nunez also volunteered at Bergen County’s Grand Iftar event. She received Certificates of Commendation from the Bergen County Clerk, the Bergen County Board of Commissioners, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.
“When coming from community college, many students are afraid to put themselves out there in the professional world, but I wanted to be able to show our students that it does not matter what school they attend because what matters is their passion, drive, and perspective,” said Nunez. “Anyone can thrive, no matter where they come from.”
In June 2026, Nunez attended the Susan N. Wilson NEW Leadership New Jersey Summer Institute, a five-day residential program at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. During the leadership institute, she met with women leaders in politics, learned about the process of policymaking behind the scenes, and created policy recommendations. For her policy project, Nunez presented goals for Boards of Education to tackle childhood illiteracy. To support her project, she utilized research from current early childhood education curricula and analysis of educational and cultural focus on literacy and humanities education.
Nunez holds an associate of arts degree in psychology from Bergen. She will attend Rutgers University – Newark in Fall 2026. Nunez will major in psychology with a minor in social justice as part of the Rutgers Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC). The HLLC includes a full residential scholarship.
She has continued to serve as a NJ STARS ambassador, a researcher for the 3SP program, and an active tutor in the Cerullo Learning Assistance Center at Bergen.
Nunez offered words of wisdom to Bergen students and graduates. “Take a chance on your abilities, because no one will before you do,” 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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