HCCC student awarded scholarships; McNair senior wins Poetry Out Loud | Journal Entries

Abderahim Salhi, a student at Hudson County Community College, has received two of the nation's top scholarships recognizing outstanding academic achievement among college students.

Salhi is one of 20 students to be named to the All-USA Academic Team and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. The All-USA program is widely recognized as the most prestigious academic honor for students attending associate degree-granting institutions.

Salhi has also been named a 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar and will receive an additional $2,250 scholarship. New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership activities, and how well they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

The signing of the official agreement between Hudson County Community College and Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) for the "Archway to Ramapo College" program took place on Wednesday, March 6. The agreement allows for the seamless transition from HCCC to RCNJ of students who earn an associate degree and wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in any of nearly 60 majors at RCNJ.

Students who are enrolled at HCCC and a part of the program will be assigned an RCNJ advisor who will be on-site at HCCC, and will assist with decisions on course equivalents, the availability of financial assistance/scholarships, and more. Under the agreement, RCNJ will waive application fees for students in the program.

U.S. Air Force Airman Damian Lopez recently graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Lopez is the son of Doris and Danny Lopez of Jersey City and is a 2015 graduate of James J. Ferris High School in Jersey City.

Joseph Sexton, a senior at Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School, won the title of 2019 Poetry Out Loud New Jersey State Championship at the state finals held in the Grunin Center at Ocean County Community College on March 12. He will represent the state of New Jersey at the National Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington, D.C. from April 29 to May 2.

Joseph will serve as a youth poetry ambassador for the state for a year, reciting at various events throughout the state. In the State competition, Joseph recited three poems in three rounds, "Sonnet 43" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Universe as Primal Scream" by Tracy K. Smith, and "The Day Lady Died" by Frank O'Hara. Joseph progressed to his State-level victory after winning the McNair championship in December, and then qualifying in one of the top two spots at the Region 6 competition in February against a field of competitors from Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties.

"Historical Highlights: Jersey City Police Department," a new book by Deputy Chief Ret. Arthur W. Pease, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. The book focuses on the specific history of Jersey City Police Department.

Starting with the earliest facts and articles, the book provides an easy to follow timeline about the department and its members, from information about the first minorities and first female officer of the department to stories about how policemen risked their lives in order to save others.

Pease spent 43 years as a member of the Jersey City Police Department. He has been promoted throughout his career, from police officer to police deputy chief and later appointed Deputy Director. Pease spent eight years in the Air Force, has a Bachelor of Arts degree from New Jersey City University, and a Teachers Certification. He also graduated from the Certified Public Management Program at Rutgers University. He is the first African American to become Inspector and Deputy Chief within the Jersey City Department.

The following Jersey City residents were name to the New York Institute of Technology's Presidential Honors List: Mohammed Eladl, Ioannis Ioakimidis, Junseok Oh, and Ryan Roman. To qualify, candidates must be full-time students enrolled in a degree program with a GPA of 3.7 or higher.

Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network, supported locally by Healthcare Quality Strategies, Inc. (HQSI), is continuing its partnership with CarePoint Health to offer free diabetes education as part of Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC).

A free workshop is scheduled at Hoboken University Medical Center on 308 Willow Avenue, Hoboken on Mondays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and May 6, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants will receive complimentary snacks, literature and giveaways. The workshop is open to the public and all attendees must register by the second session. Anyone interested in registering can call Maureen Williams at (201) 858-5219.

The EDC program is a national initiative of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The program offers free self-management workshops that are open to people with Medicare who have diabetes, their family members and caregivers. The free workshops take place once a week for six weeks and are designed to educate individuals about diabetes and help them learn how to manage it through various tools and techniques. Participants learn about diabetes and its risks, preventing complications, healthy eating, exercise, how to deal with stress and depression, managing medications and more.

Porta Jersey City's Executive Chef, Claude Lewis, a Jersey City native, recently took home the title of FoodNetwork's Chopped champion. Porta Jersey City opened in 2014 and is located in a former pharmacy located off of Newark Avenue's pedestrian walkway.

M&T Bank announced on March 13 that it has awarded $985,000 in funding to four New Jersey organizations as part of the bank's ongoing commitment to affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization throughout its footprint.

The NRTC provides business entities a tax credit for investments made to nonprofit entities carrying out comprehensive revitalization plans in low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The four New Jersey-based non-profit recipients of the NRTC investment this fiscal year include: Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC) with $300,000, New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC) with $300,000, Saint Joseph's Carpenter Society (SJCS) with $200,000, and Interfaith Neighbors with $185,000.