As part of our traditional commencement report, we feature faculty and staff who have earned their degrees from William Paterson University and also include family of faculty and staff who graduate. Below are graduates who participated in the University’s 186th commencement on May 19.

Jennifer Anderson, the daughter of Deborah Anderson, a technical assistant in the office of payroll, hopes her master of business administration degree (MBA) will help her in her new job as a contract and pricing analyst at Stryker Orthopedics, a medical device equipment manufacturer. Working and going to school fulltime, as she did, was a challenge, but her mom was supportive. “She always gave me an extra boost of confidence,” Jennifer says. “She encouraged me to stay focused and confident.” She believes that the MBA, which she sees as “elective self-enrichment” will be professionally helpful. “I’ll be able to bring more to the table with this degree.”

Returning schoolbooks to the Cheng Library at the end of this semester left Keyana Darby, who worked part time in the office of financial aid since 2003, and earned a master of business administration degree (MBA), “feeling good. Darby, who now works fulltime in the office as an assistant director, typically went to class right from work. “The opportunity was there,” she says. “It made it a whole lot easier to do it while working on campus.” She believes that a master’s degree is increasingly “necessary for any job along with on-the-job experience. For now, since she went straight from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s, she’s content to just work, and will leave finding a way to balance work and school behind her for now.

Don Engold, assistant head grounds man, has helped to beautify the campus for commencements for more than thirty years. This year, however, commencement took on special meaning as he watched his daughter, Donna, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, and a minor in women’s studies. “Donna’s story is a miracle,” Don says of his daughter who was named after him. “She was born ten weeks early and was a two-pound premie. We didn’t know if she was going to survive. But she’s an avid reader and teaches Sunday school.” Donna was vice president of the Feminist Collective for the past year and was a member of the English Club. Donna wants to be a writer, and work as an advocate for women’s rights. Donna’s mother, Susan Heyboer Engold, is a 1981 graduate of the University.

Although she lost her mother, Monika Fabiano, just two months before commencement, Amanda Fabiano attended the ceremonies. Monika, who was an inspiration to her daughter, had worked in the office of field experiences for seven years. “My mom was a big help,” Amanda says. “She helped to get me into school and helped me with homework. She was always supportive of everything I did.” Amanda, who played soccer from the time she was six years old until her senior year in college, could always count on her mother to attend her games. “Mom came to every game she could with my grandfather (who played soccer as a young man).” She plans to use her bachelor’s degree in English and certification in preschool education to get a job as a teacher.

Douglas Lomonico, son of Sergeant Neil Lomonico, University Police, feels well prepared for law school. He has just completed his first semester at Stetson Law School in Gulfport, Florida, (he graduated in January 2009), and credits Michael Principe, professor of political science, and director of the pre-law program at William Paterson, with the inspiration to become a lawyer. “I had originally planned on being a police officer,” he says. “But Professor Principe showed me that it was possible for me to be a lawyer. He helped me to see what it was like and showed me what to expect, and was helpful in the transition to law school.” Douglas says his father gives him a different perspective of the law, that of a police officer. “It’s a different angle,” he says. “And it’s always interesting.” Lomonico was a lifeguard while on campus and belonged to the history honors club (?) and the pre-law club while on campus.

Rosa Williams-Hopkins, an administrative assistant in the Center for Continuing and Professional Education, and her daughter, Whitney Lluen, who just received a degree in English, were both students at the same time, and even took a field biology class together, where they did a project together and supported each other. Lluen attended the University through Paterson Teachers for Tomorrow (PT4T), a full scholarship program for students who wish to explore teaching as a profession, and become certified teaching professionals who are dedicated to reforming the Paterson school district. Whitney plans on attending graduate school in the fall and pursue certification as a teacher.

Damita Ross, a principal clerk typist in the office of graduate services, made many sacrifices on the path to a degree in sociology with a criminal justice concentration. A non-traditional student and a single parent of a ten-year-old son, she has worked fulltime on campus for more than eleven years, and in the last few years also dealt with four deaths in the family. “I did a little bit at a time,” she says. “I took six to nine credits each semester.” Charley Flint, a professor of sociology, acted as a mentor to her. “She’s been very helpful to me,” Ross says. “She opened some doors for me, and offered advice, to show me a better way.” Ross would like to “pursue a law degree and be an advocate for women who end up in prison for drug abuse. There’s no support system for these women.” James and Laurie Nyulassy, married since 2004, also pursued a graduate degree together, and together earned a master of business administration degrees (MBA) in August 2008. James is an assistant director in telecommunications technology, and Laurie is an assistant director in telecommunications administration. “You’re never done learning,” Laurie says. “Getting the degree was a good opportunity for us for us.” Francis Cai, the MBA director and a professor of economics, finance, and global business, was inspirational for them. “The best part of the program was that Dr. Cai cared so much about the students. He’s a great asset to the program and made sure that we made the right decisions for us. He helped us with our paperwork and couldn’t do enough for us,” James says. “He’s like that with everyone,” Laurie adds. “The faculty taught us to draw on the experience, and we would apply that to the real world.” Dedicated to the university, the couple really care about helping students. “James and I care about the students here,” Laurie says. “ That’s our reason for being here. The students motivated us. Seeing their seriousness made me want to better myself. The degree helps us to give back to the students what’s been given to us.” “Pursuing a master’s degree in bilingual/ESL education presented many challenges to Sonia Musa, who has worked as a project manager for the University’s Small Business Development Center since 1997. “The most difficult one was managing my time between working two jobs, attending school part time, and finding time to study among all my obligations,” she says. Even so, she completed her degree in just two years. Kathleen Wehmann, a cousin of Laurie Nyulassy, earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a concentration in K-12 health and exercise physiology. She was on the softball team for all four years, and received the Student Athlete Excellence Award and was named to the All-NJAC Academic Team, both in her senior year. Initially, she came to the University to check it out as a possible school, and immediately liked what she saw. “I took a tour of the campus, and talked to the softball coach,” she says. “Everyone was so helpful.” She is currently looking for a job as a physical education teacher and wants to attend graduate school in the near future.