Middlesex College Celebrates the Accomplishments of the Class of 2025

Middlesex College leadership, faculty, staff, and distinguished guests joined graduating students and their families at Jersey Mike’s Arena on the Rutgers University campus in Piscataway to commemorate the College’s 58th Commencement.

The individuals who comprise the Class of 2025 are diverse in age, background, accomplishments, and future plans. The cohort of 1,583 students range in age from 17 years old (with 55 graduating with an associate degree before receiving a high school diploma) to 75 years young. Ten are military veterans. Thirty-three are student-athletes and, for the first time in five years, an athlete from every sports team graduated. For some, commencement is truly a family affair. Multiple family groupings are graduating together today, including parent-and-child and two or more siblings and six sets of twins.

With degrees in hand, many of this year’s graduates will start careers right away in a wide variety of fields, such as corrections, dental hygiene, engineering, gaming and animation, graphic design, hospitality, information technology, law enforcement, nursing, radiography, and social work, as well as many others.

Class of 2025 Salutatorian Dhruv Sethi, graduating with a degree in computer science, says he is excited for his next step forward.

“In one of Steve Jobs’s commencement speeches to Stanford, he said you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only do that looking back,” said Sethi. “I draw an analogy to that and Middlesex College. If you give 100 percent to an opportunity, if you get rejected or accepted, it all happens for a reason. I think I’ll look back and see Middlesex College as one of my dots that led me to a brighter future.”

Sethi has been offered a full scholarship to Rider University, but is still waiting on the final decision from a few Ivy League schools.

Others are continuing their education at one of the many four-year institutions in the state, including Rutgers, Montclair State, Kean, NJIT, The College of New Jersey, Seton Hall and William Paterson.

The understanding that graduation is rarely an individual accomplishment was a recurring notion throughout the ceremony, beginning with College President Mark McCormick’s address to the Class of 2025.

“As we are all aware, nothing of any consequence comes solely from our own individual efforts.  And that is especially true of something as monumental as earning a college degree. When any of us achieves something of greatness, it is almost always because others around us have supported us, encouraged us, and lifted us up.  You have undoubtedly benefitted from the guidance, encouragement, and cheerleading of others,” said President McCormick.

The concept of communal success was also a theme of Class Valedictorian Alexandra Badaway’s address.

“We didn’t get here because it was easy—we got here because we didn’t give up. Even when we wanted to, we leaned on each other and our village. We were fueled by our purpose and our why,” she said to the graduating class.

Badaway plans to use her education to become a changemaker in law, public policy, or higher education and advocate for justice-impacted communities. She had these parting words for her fellow graduates:

“Keep showing up. Keep speaking up. And when the world underestimates you—advocate for yourself louder. Because you are your own best advocate,” said Badaway. “We are dreamers. We are builders. We are caregivers, immigrants, workers, and warriors. But together, we became a family.”

The ceremony also featured remarks by 2025 Alumna of the Year Angela Cruz, who serves as the global campaign enablement lead for sales excellence at Accenture.

A member of the Class of 1986 and a former Perth Amboy resident, Cruz studied electrical engineering at Middlesex College, was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and president of the Hispanic American Club.

In her remarks to the Class of 2025, Cruz reminded graduates that the experiences they had at Middlesex College shape who they will become.

“Like many of you, I was the first in my family to pursue higher education in the U.S. I worked hard, learned fast, and embraced every opportunity this school had to offer. Middlesex College was more than just a place to earn a degree—it was where I found my voice, my confidence, and a community that supported me in ways I could never have imagined,” said Cruz, who earned an engineering role at AT&T while attending Middlesex College. Cruz has held leadership positions in employee resource groups at every company she has been employed with, which she attributes to her experience as president of the Hispanic American Club at Middlesex College.

“The world needs your perspective, your experiences, and your authenticity. Don’t shrink who you are to fit in. Instead, bring your full self to every room you enter,” said Cruz. “Wherever life takes you next—whether it’s a new job, a new city, or a new challenge—remember that you don’t have to navigate it alone. Community is not just about where you are; it’s about who you surround yourself with. Find your people, support each other, and grow together.”

Middlesex College Chair Praful Raja, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, congratulated the graduates for reaching this milestone day. Acknowledging the diverse audience, he told the graduates to continue to lead with compassion and lift one another up in their future endeavors.

“Before I left my home in India, at the age of 28, my father told me something that I have never forgotten,” said Raja. “’The value of your life is measured by the number of people that you are able to help.’ When I see you all today, it is clear that you are already doing this. Please continue your journey ahead with compassion and confidence in your education.”

A week earlier, the College honored Chambers Award winners. The award, named for the College’s founding president, Frank Chambers, recognizes those graduates who have achieved the highest grade-point average. The 2025 award recipients are: Samantha M. Ayers (Fords), Alexandra Zinab Badaway (North Brunswick), Alexis Paige Cannon (Parlin), Eliss Gabriel De Guzman (Middlesex), Gabrielle Derewsky (South Plainfield), Emily Anne Fox (South River), Srija Kolluri (Kendall Park), Ryleigh Anastasia Mihalics (Woodbridge), Melanie Elisa Miranda (North Brunswick), Salsabeel Obaid (Piscataway), Marlayna O’Brien (Edison), Yug R. Patel (Edison), Eva Polyakova (North Brunswick), Evelin Ponce (New Brunswick), Molly R. Rivera (Middlesex), Naome Jada Samuel-Williams (Scotch Plains), Dhruv Sethi (Edison), Aishveer Singh (Dayton), and Andrew S. Whittington (Metuchen).

On an environmental note, the graduates wore eco-friendly caps and gowns made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, a tradition that began in 2022. Named GreenWeaver and manufactured by Oak Hall, the fabric is made from spun molten plastic pellets, with each gown requiring an average of 25 bottles. Approximately 20,000 bottles were saved from landfills and the oceans by this year’s ceremony.

For more information, visit our Commencement page.