60th Anniversary: Joe Dymnioski ’07 & Jessica Cortese ’08

Jessica Cortese settled into her seat in Professor Elena Rakova’s Freshman Math 2 class in the spring of 2006. Jessica had added the course late, and so she missed the first class.

Joe Dymnioski walked over and said, ‘You’re sitting in my seat.’”

Jessica sighed; she was struck by his impudence.

“This is going to be a long semester,” she thought.

Joe, however, was smitten; it was love at first sight.

“Later that day, I told my friend Neil that I just met the woman I was going to marry,” he said.

Indeed. Joe was able to overcome that first impression. They studied together and fell in love. They married in 2012. Their son Rowan was born in 2019 and daughter Robin in 2023.

Joe, who transferred to Kean University, is an account director in medical communications, handling marketing and advertising.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and Middlesex gave me a strong foundation,” he said.

Jessica, who transferred to the College of New Jersey to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, worked at the Middlesex College Foundation for several years before joining the Plainsboro Recreation Department 10 years ago. She writes the town newsletter, plans and coordinates recreation events, assists with summer camp, and helps with programs for senior citizens.

She was the College’s Alumna of the Year in 2016.

“Middlesex had a huge impact on my further education and career,” she said. “I have to do a lot of writing in my job, and it made me a stronger writer.”