COCA-COLA SCHOLAR | Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Eta Gamma Alumni Chapter

Suffolk County Community College will celebrate its Class of 2023 – more than 3,000 graduates- — at two Thursday, May 18, 2023 ceremonies. Students will gather in the Suffolk Credit Union Arena on the College’s Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood with friends and family watching as the graduates are honored by the College community.

ABOUT COMMENCEMENT

Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Thursday, May 18, 2023 in the Suffolk Credit Union Arena on the College’s Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood. The ceremonies will be streamed live at: http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/live-stream.jsp

Suffolk County Community College Graduation by the Numbers

January 2023 graduates – 872 (810 associates degrees, 62 one-year certificates)
May 2023 graduates – 1,982 (1905 associates degrees, 77 one-year certificates)
August 2023 graduates (applied to graduate) – 195 (195 associates degrees)
Class of 2023 total: 3,049
Approximately 500 graduates are expected to walk at each ceremony.

Graduate totals will continue to increase up to May 18. January and August graduates are eligible to participate in the May 18 ceremony.

10 a.m. Ceremony Student Speakers

Kaycee Gracia (Ammerman Campus)

Kaycee is a Liberal Arts / Geology major from Sayville, has a 4.0 GPA and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Kaycee serves as President of the Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Zeta Nu Chapter, where she directed two major campaigns: to combat “fast fashion” and create an Autism Sensory Room on the Ammerman Campus. She was also an orientation leader and is the recipient of eleven scholarships, most notably the Get There from Here Scholarship, Sartorius STEM Scholarship, and NSF-STEM Scholarship. She also actively volunteers with the Rotaract Community Service Club and campus food pantry. Kaycee was also awarded a SUNY Chancellors Award and is on the New York State Academic team.

Emily S. Lucana (Michael J. Grant Campus)

Emily is a first generation Peruvian-American and is a Business Administration major from Huntington. She previously graduated from Miami Arts Charter School in 2021. Emily has a 3.7 GPA and on the Dean’s List. Emily serves as president of the Student Government Association (SGA), president of the Business and Accounting Club, vice president of the Honors Club, is a Peer Mentor and SGA Representative of the Campus Activities Board.

Emily is a SUNY Chancellor’s Award recipient, Hispanic Scholar Fund finalist, Honors Foundation Scholar, and a Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar. She also leads an art business, won the Student Performer Talent Show Contest. Emily has a career interest in art and entertainment management and wants to earn a master’s degree. While Emily has not decided on a transfer institution, she has been awarded a SOLII Scholarship for Five Towns College and was admitted to Pace and Adelphi Universities

Brandon Roach (Eastern Campus Campus)

Brandon Roach a graduate of William Floyd High School, holds the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts, and is a member of the Suffolk Police Explorers program where he serves as the Captain of the 7th Precinct. It is in this program that Brandon realized that he had a love for law enforcement, and that love has led him to pursue a future in Criminal Justice. Brandon is graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice and plans to pursue a career with the NYPD. Brandon was elected president of the Eastern Campus Student Government Association where he advocated for initiatives that helped enhance the student experience.

2 p.m. Ceremony Student Speakers

Ana G Fuentes (Ammerman Campus)

Ana came to the United states from El Salvador when she was 18 years old in search of a better future. A liberal arts major, from East Patchogue, she plans on pursuing a career in education. Ana is the recipient of many scholarships, including the Get There from Here Scholarship and she is a semi-finalist for the highly competitive undergraduate Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. Ana has a 4.0 GPA and has earned Dean’s List recognition for the past two years. She is an inspirational speaker at high schools, will be a guest speaker for Suffolk’s English as a Second Language Convocation, and volunteers at an immigration clinic in Brentwood. She is also a member of the PTK Honor Society and Suffolk’s Honors Program.

David Mariyasin (Michael J. Grant Campus)
David is a communications major from Brentwood and has a 3.2 GPA. He was a founding member and served as secretary of the Global Connections Club as well as director of social media for the Student Government Association, a representative of SUNY Student Assembly, peer mentor, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. David volunteered in the food pantry as well as the food drive and blood drive events. He has been accepted at Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College and is interested in a computer science career.

Nichole Ruggiano (Eastern Campus)
Nichole is an Interior Design major from Ronkonkoma and has a 4.0 GPA and has earned Dean’s List recognition. Nichole has earned a Certificate of Achievement from Kravet, Design of Distinction; Brighter Tomorrows Inc. Certificate of Recognition, and a Boys and Girls Club Certificate of Recognition. Nichole is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honors Society. She has volunteered her time with the Boys and Girls Club of Bellport and contributed to redesigning their teen lounge. She also volunteered to redesign rooms in a women’s domestic violence shelter. Nichole is an active participant in her community and volunteers to help others anyway she can.

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Monday, June 5, 2023 – 39th Annual Suffolk Community College Foundation Golf Classic

Nine Suffolk County Community College students are being honored for their academic achievements by three prestigious organizations that recognize academic achievement, excellence and leadership. Several of the students have earned multiple awards.

Seven students will be awarded The State University of New York’s (SUNY) highest honor, The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence; six are Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All State recipients, and four are Coca-Cola scholars.

We are extremely proud of these exceptional students and their achievements,” said Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Edward Bonahue. “These are students who are engaged in their home and college communities; they innovate, dream, and achieve. They try their best and have proven that their best is extraordinary,” he said.

About the Awards

The student recipients of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence are recognized for their integration of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives including leadership, campus involvement, community service, arts (creative or performing), athletics, and/or career achievement.

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.

The Coca-Cola Academic Team recognizes high achieving college students who demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual rigor combined with leadership and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society.

The 2023 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholars are awarded $1,500 scholarships and Silver Scholar a $1,250 scholarship. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion. Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service.

Award Recipients

Chancellors Award

Adrianna Oliva is an American Sign Language major from Stony Brook, has a 4.0 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Adrianna serves as vice president of the ASL Club, is an Honors Scholar, and Orientation Leader at the College. She is also heavily involved with the College’s theatre program and has worked as a stage hand and an assistant sound designer for several campus productions that earned her a Certificate of Merit and the Junior Mint Award presented by the theatre arts faculty.

Chancellors Award

Emily Lucana is a Business Administration major from Huntington, has a 3.8 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition. Emily serves as vice president of the Honors Club, president of the Student Government Association, president of the Business and Accounting Club, Peer Mentor and SGA Representative at the Campus Activities Board. This Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar has already started her own art business, and is the recipient of the prestigious Honors Foundation Scholarship, which is the highest scholarship given by Suffolk County Community College’s Honors Program.

PTK All -State, Coca-Cola Silver Scholar, Chancellors Award

Ma Rodezsa (Dezsa) Santillan, a Liberal Arts major from Southold, has a 3.9 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. As one of only two Eastern Campus students nominated to the PTK All-USA Academic Team, Dezsa serves as president of the Campus Activities Board, where she has led events such as the Halloween Festival, FIFA Tournament, Oktoberfest and Bingo Day. Dezsa is also a Peer Mentor and an Orientation Leader, and is a regular blood donor at the Red Cross blood drives on campus.

Chancellors Award

Megan Ramirez, an Addiction Studies major from Bayshore, has a 4.0 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Megan serves as president of the Addiction Studies Club, vice president of Alpha Sigma Lambda and is a Get There from Here Scholar. Megan is a regular volunteer at Brighter Tomorrows Inc., and ECLI/VIBES, speaking at events to raise awareness about domestic violence, distributing holiday toys, and organizing their clothing pantry. She has also appeared in Suffolk County’s Narcan Training Video as well as the College’s own photo shoots and commercials.

PTK All-State, Coca-Cola Gold Scholar, Chancellors Award

Nicholas Maloney, a Liberal Arts Psychology major from Lake Ronkonkoma, has a 4.0 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Nicholas serves as vice president of service for PTK’s Alpha Zeta Nu Chapter and is a member of the Honors College. He is a recipient of the Get There from Here Scholarship, volunteers weekly in the campus food pantry, and also performs stand-up comedy while not on campus. His many contributions to the College have earned him one of only two nominations for the Ammerman Campus PTK All-USA Academic Team.

PTK All-State, Coca-Cola Gold Scholar, Chancellors Award

Christine Castillo, a Health Information Technology major from Brentwood, has a 3.8 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Christine is the president and co-founder of the Global Connections Club, which promotes and celebrates student cultural diversity. She is also a Peer Mentor, senator in the Student Government and is a recipient of several prestigious scholarships, including the NSF-STEM Scholarship, Vanessa Todd Scholarship, and Get There from Here Scholarship. Christine also regularly volunteers as her church’s secretary and at Pronto of Long Island, helping LI’s needy population.

PTK All-State, Coca-Cola Gold Scholar, Chancellors Award

Kaycee Gracia, a Liberal Arts: Geology major from Sayville, has a 4.0 GPA and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Kaycee serves as President of PTK’s Alpha Zeta Nu Chapter, where she directed two major campaigns: to combat “fast fashion” and create an Autism Sensory Room on the Ammerman Campus. She is also an Orientation Leader and is the recipient of nine scholarships, most notably the Get There from Here Scholarship, Sartorius STEM Scholarship, and NSF-STEM Scholarship. She also actively volunteers with the Rotaract Community Service Club and campus food pantry.

PTK All-State

Meredith Rosa, a Business Marketing major from Central Islip and has a 3.8 grade point average. She has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. Meredith serves as president of the Dance Club, Executive Board, Peer Mentor and was one of the nominees for PTK All-USA, All-State Academic Team.

PTK All-State

Thursday Abad, a Liberal Arts major from Wading River, has a 3.7 grade point average and has earned Dean’s List recognition every semester for the last two years. This future art museum curator is one of only two Eastern Campus students nominated to the PTK All-USA Academic Team for the 2022-2023 academic year. Thursday also serves as secretary of PTK, is a peer mentor, and has one of her essays published in the Eastern Campus student Newspaper, Lighthouse News.

Source: Suffolk County Community College

Find Suffolk County Community College Alumni Association online:

Click here to make an online gift to support SCCC students and programs

Suffolk Credit Union supports scholarships you can too!

Monday, June 5, 2023 – 39th Annual Suffolk Community College Foundation Golf Classic

Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Eta Gamma Alumni Chapter

Suffolk County Community College

Tag Archives: COCA-COLA SCHOLAR

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