2023 Commencement

Prior to the Ceremony:

Disability Accommodations: If you or your guest require disability related accommodations or arrangements, please contact the Center for Accessibility and Inclusive Education by phone at 908-526-1200 x8534 or by email at caie@raritanval.edu.

Gown, Cap & Tassel: Available at the Bookstore from Monday, May 1 – Friday, May 12. Please call (908) 231-8808 or visit the Bookstore’s website for its hours of operation. https://www.bkstr.com/raritanvalleyccstore/store-hours

Honors: Honors regalia will be given out to graduates at the commencement ceremony. If you receive a medallion, stole or cord; these are yours to keep.  Since spring grades are not yet final, honors have been based on GPA and grades at the end of the fall 2022 semester.  Transcripts will reflect the appropriate honors once grades are final.

Tickets: Graduates will receive two tickets for guests who will have a seat in a general admission guest seating area. Tickets will be distributed at the Bookstore along with your cap and gown.  Additional guests may attend by bringing lawn chairs to a designated area. The entrance gate will open at 9:00 am. No pets or helium balloons are allowed on the Soccer Field. Drones are not permitted on campus.

VIDEOS to watch prior to the Ceremony:
     How to wear your cap and gown
     Graduation Day Procedures

The Ceremony:

When: Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 10:00am

Where: RVCC Soccer Field. Click here to see campus map. Graduates should park in Lots 1, 2, 8, and 9 while guests are directed to park in Lot 5.  Cars with passengers with physical disabilities will be allowed to drop off guests at the Arts building across the road from the Soccer Field before parking in Lot 5. The ceremony is a rain or shine event, so please plan accordingly.

Time: The ceremony will begin at 10:00 am. The ceremony will last approximately two hours.  Graduates should arrive by 8:30 am and report to the Gymnasium in the Physical Education Building.  Bring your cap, gown, tassel and hood. 

Graduates will be marching from the Gymnasium to the Soccer field and several times across the field itself. Please wear appropriate shoes.

Photography: A commercial photographer will take pictures of each graduate receiving his/her diploma. The college receives no money from any purchase, and you are under no obligation to purchase the pictures.

Live Streaming: The ceremony will be streamed over the internet and can be accessed by clicking here.

Reception: Following the ceremony, you and your guests are invited to a reception at the Basketball Courts next to the Soccer Field.

Celebrate: See below for various social media ways to celebrate how proud you are of earning your degree!  #RVCCGrad

After the Ceremony:

Video: After the Commencement is aired at 10am, you will be able to rewatch the event.

Diploma: Graduates will receive notifications from RVCC via their personal and school emails once their diploma has arrived on campus. Graduates will have the option to have their diploma mailed or picked up in person. Those instructions will be sent at a later time.

Transcripts: Graduates wishing to order their official transcript as proof of graduation should confirm that all grades and graduation information is posted by checking their unofficial academic transcript through Lion's Den prior to ordering their transcript.

Transcripts can be ordered through Parchment at Raritanval.edu/transcript. Please note: Official transcripts with degree notation and the graduation date for May 2023 graduates will not be available until May 20, 2023.  Degree notation and the graduation date for August 2023 graduates will not be available until August 26, 2023.

Still have Questions?

Email your inquiries to commencement@raritanval.edu

Past deadlines/cut off dates

The deadline to confirm your attendance for the 2023 RVCC Commencement Ceremony is Friday, April 28.  Click here to confirm your attendance to the 2023 RVCC May Commencement Ceremony

Name Pronunciation: If you have concerns about the pronunciation of your name please email Dean Patrice Marks at Academic.affairs@raritanval.edu with subject line “Name Pronunciation” and include in the body of the email your name and a phonetic spelling. Example: Raul Gonzalez: rah-OOL gon-SAH-les  The deadline to submit this request is Friday, May 5th, 2023.

When: Saturday, May 13 at 10 am. The ceremony will last approximately two hours. Gates will open at 9 am.

Where: Raritan Valley Community College Soccer Field, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg, NJ. Click here to see campus map. Guests will be directed to park in Lot 5. Cars with passengers with physical disabilities will be allowed to drop off guests at the Arts building across the road from the Soccer Field before parking in Lot 5. It is a rain or shine event so plan accordingly. No pets are allowed with the exception of service animals.

Tickets: Graduates will receive two tickets for guests who will have a seat in a general admission guest seating area. Additional guests may attend by bringing lawn chairs to a designated area. The entrance gate will open at 9:00 am. No pets or helium balloons are allowed on the Soccer Field. Drones are not permitted on campus.

Photography: Designated areas will be available for guests to take photographs. In addition, the College has commissioned a professional photographer, Island Photography, to take individual photos of graduates with their diplomas. Graduates are under no obligation to purchase the photographs.

Live Streaming: The ceremony will be streamed over the internet and can be accessed by clicking here.

Reception: Following the ceremony, graduates and their guests are invited to a reception at the Basketball Courts next to the Soccer Field.

Disability Accommodations: If you or your guest require disability related accommodations or arrangements, please contact the Center for Accessibility and Inclusive Education by phone at 908-526-1200 x8534 or by email at caie@raritanval.edu

Faculty Commencement Speaker

Carol Patterson

Carol Patterson is a Professor of Nursing who has been teaching at RVCC for the past 33 years. She will be retiring at the end of this academic year.

A Governor’s appointee to the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, she has served on the New Jersey Nursing Leadership Council and the New Jersey Nursing Action Coalition. Patterson has been active in the community, serving as a Board of Trustees member of the Community Visiting Nurse Association of Somerville and as its Board Chair and Vice Chair.  As a member of the New Jersey League for Nursing Board of Directors, Patterson has served as its President and has chaired several committees. She also is active as an honorary member of the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey.

Patterson has been the recipient of several honors from such organizations as the American Nurses Association, the New Jersey League for Nursing, the Community Visiting Nurse Association, and the New Jersey State Nurses Association.

She received her AAS/RN from Middlesex County College, a BSN from Jersey City State College, an MSN from Seton Hall University, and a postgraduate Certificate in Nursing Education from Rutgers University.

Student Commencement Speaker

Sarah Lopez

Sarah Lopez, a Visual Arts major graduating Summa Cum Laude, has excelled in academics and has been an active member of the College community. In addition to being named to the President's List, she is a recipient of the Chris Koep Memorial Scholarship, the Student Involvement Grant, and the Academic Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts and Service Learning.

Lopez has worked to promote creativity in the RVCC community. She co-founded the Zine Club, Spark’D, and has served as the club’s President for the past four semesters, producing full-color publications that feature artwork and writing by creative-minded students. Lopez also has been involved with numerous mural painting projects on and off campus, including a mural designed and painted independently for RVCC's Arts Building.

This fall, she plans to transfer to Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where she will continue to develop her skills in painting and graphic design.

Click here to view the Commencement Program

Honors listed in Commencement Program

Graduation-with-honors designations are based on the student’s grade point average (GPA) as follows.

• Summer 2022 and Fall 2022 Graduates – GPA at the end of the Graduation term.
• Spring 2023 and Summer 2023 Graduates – GPA at end of the Fall 2021 Semester

After all final degree audits are reviewed and degrees and certificates are formally posted to students’ RVCC student records the official academic honors will be awarded.

For questions about the names listed in the program email commencement@raritanval.edu

ACADEMIC AWARD RECIPIENTS
The following graduates of the class of 2022-2023 are being recognized for their outstanding academic achievement.

Accounting Information Systems
Muhammad Ashraf

Interface Design & Web Development
Paola Ayala Zelaya

Automotive Technology
Darien Barbiche-Long

Bookkeeping
Ruth Conwell

Business Administration - General Business Option
Maria Zamora Rodriguez

Business Administration - Marketing Option
Rachel Feinberg

Business Administration - Supply Chain Option
Fazila Qadir

Business Management - Supply Chain Option
Jason Findlay

Commercial Energy Management Technology
Matthew Roth

Communication Studies
Susan Oberschmidt

Computer  Networking  & Cybersecurity Certificate
Waldemar Witek

Computer Programming
Ryan Rutishauser

Computer Science
Rodrigo Lopez

CPA Education Requirement Certificate
Patrick Sammon

Criminal Justice
Emily Norgard

Digital Media/Film Studies
Elizabeth Caccavo

Engineering Science
Liam Boyle

English
Joseph Mcdevitt

English as a Second Language, Certificate of Completion
Jonatan Chavez

Environmental Studies
Amber Fine

Event Planning/Meeting Management Certificate
Alexis Grasso

Exercise Science
Marcelo Espinosa

Game Art
Skylar Solewater

Game Development
Mihail Vaporakis

Graphic and Interactive Design
Chloe Trevaskiss

Human Services/Pre-Social Work
Erika Gonzalez-Barragan

Information Systems & Technology
Adam Millman

Interior Architecture & Design
Jaye Fried

Liberal Arts
Andy Kazim

Mathematics
Maxwell Romano

Medical Assistant Certificate
Jamie Glassman

Music
Mackenzie Brown

Nursing - PNAD
Fergie Taylor-Gonzalez

Occupational Therapy Assistant
Kristina Khalifeh

Paralegal Studies
Jaime Betancourt

Paralegal Studies Certificate
Glenn Dorman

Pre-Medicine/Pre-Pharmacy
Delmy Cruz

Service Learning
Sarah Lopez

Social Sciences
Luke Cosentino

Visual Arts
Sarah Lopez