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Alumni News

Category: Alumni Profiles

Nicole D’Angelo as Ex-Girlfriend in Once at the Hangar Theatre. (Photo by Fatima Sowe)

Nicole D’Angelo ’17: Breaking Barriers on Broadway

How a mistake landed an autistic actor-musician and Montclair graduate the roles of a lifetime

Billy Pinckney

Billy Pinckney ’24: A Game-Changing Legacy in Sports Communications

Montclair State University’s ‘Billy the Batboy’ turns years of interviews into a valuable resource for aspiring athletes

Amy Piwowarski

Amy Piwowarski ’24

An adult student finishes what she started with dramatic flair.

Shatiera Porte’e ’06: Once Mentored, Now a Mentor

Shatiera Porte’e ’06 is forever grateful to the faculty, staff and fellow students at Bloomfield College who helped her find the confidence to pursue her dreams. Today, the education consultant and author of “I Forgive Myself for Forgetting Myself” mentors others, encouraging them to follow their own paths to success.

Zackary Logan ’18 Found His Path to Success at Montclair

In his senior year in high school, Zackary Logan ’18 had few options. He was living in a youth shelter, trying to find a way forward with little guidance and few resources. College seemed impossible until a gift of $65 to pay his Montclair application fee changed everything.

Aurelio Soto ’23

TRIO Student Support Services Program Sets the Path for Success

Taylor Trost ’23 MA Selected for Prestigious Milken Educator Award

Taylor Trost ’23 MA, a 2023 Milken Educator Award recipient, is making her mark at Grace Norton Rogers Elementary School. Her ingenuity and dedication are helping to transform education in New Jersey’s East Windsor Regional School District.

Cassandra Bien-Aime ’07

From her early college days, Cassandra Bien-Aime ’07 sought to understand the root causes of racial inequity in our society. Now the founder of her own non-profit organization and health chair of 11 cities for the NAACP, she works to address those inequities daily.

Frank Galindo ’20 MBA Believes in the Power of Education

Through outreach and relationship building, Frank Galindo ’20 MBA, assistant vice president of Public Relations and Stakeholder Engagement at Lincoln Tech, builds awareness about the value high-quality technical education brings to students, and to the employers who hire them.

Domonique Walker ’09 is Encouraging Children to Raise their Voices

After finding her voice in the 11th grade, Newark Public Schools Choir Director Domonique Walker ’09 had to catch up with peers whose vocal training began in childhood. But when she discovered her love for education, she knew she was in the right place at exactly the right time.