French Embassy Sponsors Summer Study Abroad

PARAMUS, N.J. – Six Bergen Community College students will study abroad in France during a two-week summer program as part of the Community Colleges in France Bootcamp initiative. Offered through the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, students receive high-quality experiential learning opportunities tailored for those attending community colleges.

Bergen students Victor Minetto, of Elmwood Park; Brianna Miller, of Newark; Daniel Gajee, of Hasbrouck Heights; Joseph Liberti, of Englewood Cliffs; Amelia Urena, of Newark; and Micaela Sterling, of New Milford received a $1,400 from the French Embassy and additional scholarship funds from the Bergen Community College Foundation to support their study abroad experiences. Each of the students will attend programs at different locations and dates.

“I wanted to learn how to be more aware of how to reduce the amount of pollution and waste we generate as humans,” Miller, a psychology student, said.

For three years, international student advisor and study abroad advisor Amparo Codding has helped groups of Bergen students secure the scholarships.

“I think it's a life changing experience because many of our students haven't had a chance to travel abroad,” she said. “The length of the program, the activities, the bootcamp projects, and the availability of scholarships makes it very attractive.”

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.

Photo Caption: (Top, left to right) Brianna Miller, Victor Minetto, and Joseph Liberti; (bottom, left to right) Amelia Urena and Micaela Sterling.