Bergen Community College Student Scholar Earns USA Today Feature
By Mel Fabrikant Monday, March 30, 2009, 04:14 PM EDT
Rafael Bento Juliano
Compassionate. Humble. Driven. These words describe Bergen Community College student Rafael Bento Juliano, of Hackensack, whose academic achievement, leadership initiatives and community outreach projects position him as one of New Jersey’s most accomplished students – and a recipient of a feature spot in the April 6 edition of USA Today as a national 2009 Coca Cola Gold Scholar award honoree.
For a student who first emigrated to the U.S. from Brazil only 12 years ago – without any knowledge of the English language – Juliano now serves as president of the College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK, the honor society of two-year colleges) and maintains a 4.0 grade point average. Juliano did not attend college upon arriving in the U.S. due to his need to earn a full-time salary.
Aside from academic achievement, Juliano remains a dedicated humanitarian and purveyor of community (and global) service projects. Among his endeavors, Juliano has participated in beach clean-ups along the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean, prepared meals for senior citizens, planned leisure activities for children with cancer and developed an English language-reading program for children in Brazil.
Bergen President Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan said Juliano inspires other students – and the College as a whole – with his work.
“Rafael embodies my loftiest expectations of a Bergen student,” he said. “Rafael is a leader who is committed to service and academics. His outreach initiatives serve as a model for other Bergen students, who he provides a great influence. He is deserving of every honor he receives.”
Recently, Juliano won three high-profile scholarship awards.
The first honor came from PTK, the Guistwhite Scholar Award. The prestigious acknowledgment, given to 20 U.S. PTK students, carries a $5,000 scholarship. Over 400 students applied for consideration.
Meanwhile, Bergen administrators recommended Juliano for the New Jersey New Century Scholar for 2009, which pitted him against similarly accomplished students from throughout the state. After writing an essay on his experiences, Juliano not only earned the award, but also ranked as the highest scoring candidate in the field. The award carries a $2,000 scholarship and a seat at the opening session of the American Association of Community Colleges Convention on April 4 in Phoenix, A.Z.
The final award, the 2009 Coca-Cola Gold Scholar, earned Juliano a $1,500 scholarship and placement in an article about the Gold Scholars in the April 6 edition of USA Today. Based on academic standing and an essay, only 50 students from the U.S. received the award.
“If it’s anything I’ve learned,” he said, “being recognized is just the product of the pursuit of a goal, a dream.”
At the root of Juliano’s recognition remains his high GPA and deep record of service.
His most significant endeavor, the English-language books for Brazil program is one molded after a similar PTK initiative for children in Africa. Juliano traveled to Brazil and worked with administrators at various elementary schools to construct an English-language-based curriculum and library. After developing the curriculum, Juliano supplied the schools with books; he collected and shipped them himself. He remains in contact with the schools and monitors their progress.
Having attended school in Brazil, Juliano knows the difficulty many low-income students face in trying to attend college without having knowledge of English.
"Various parts of the country are rural-based, where developing schools do not teach much English,” he said. “Students in those areas have a much smaller chance of getting into the Brazilian universities since a portion of the country’s standardized test focuses on the English language. Implementing this curriculum will give these young students a chance to get a better footing with the language.”
Juliano credits the success of his service projects and academic achievement to his wife, Vanessa, who helped guide him through his decision to attend college and pursue an associate’s degree at Bergen. Juliano said the support of the College and his professors kept him on a track for success.
“Bergen is very special to me,” he said. “Bergen was my school of choice and my chance to show people what I could do if I was given a chance. Bergen was there for me; the College gives you a chance to show who you are. Everything I achieve, it is my way of saying thank you to Bergen for allowing me to excel.”
Adding to his cache of accolades, Juliano recently appeared on President Ryan’s public affairs television show, On Campus, which airs on the College’s Torch TV, channel 26 of the Verizon FIOS cable television system. On the program, President Ryan discussed Juliano’s role as PTK president and his plans for the future, including his lofty transfer goals.
Juliano hopes to continue his education at an Ivy League institution – Yale or Brown University; afterward, he will attend law school.
Although he has not gained admission to the institutions yet, Juliano received the backing of a respected regional leader: President Ryan, who wrote recommendation letters to the universities on Juliano’s behalf.
“It is not every day that I write recommendation letters to Yale and Brown,” President Ryan said. “But I can think of no student more qualified to attend an Ivy League school than Rafael. The college that accepts him will be better off for having done so. He is a leader, someone who understands the value of service and will contribute to his college community – as he has done at Bergen.”
“Rafael is an inspiration, a real success story,” President Ryan said.
Bergen Community College is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 15,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack, and Bergen at the Meadowlands, located at 1280 Wall Street West, Lyndhurst. Information about the College is available at www.bergen.edu or by phoning the Welcome Center at (201) 447-7200.
