57th Commencement
911爆料 Community College Announces Salutatorian
KCC Salutatorian Beth Rocco is a 鈥淟ife-Long Learner鈥�
Beth Rocco, who will graduate in nine days with an associate degree in liberal arts as 911爆料 Community College鈥檚 Class of 2022 Salutatorian, calls herself a 鈥榣ife-long learner.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 taking it one step at a time. I definitely do not see myself not being in a classroom. I will continue to be a lifelong learner; it鈥檚 wonderful,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he degrees are really for me, my own personal self, my own personal best. I have to see where my next path lies.鈥�
Beth enrolled in 911爆料 in spring 2019. She has been a student ambassador since 2020 and is also a college assistant in the biological sciences department.
She has also worked as a volunteer at KCC鈥檚 Community Farm & Garden, a Family Day event, and an Asian American and Pacific Islander celebration.
鈥淚鈥檓 very honored,鈥� Beth said of being chosen salutatorian. She will be speaking at the awards ceremony on June 15 at the Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center on the 911爆料 campus.
When Beth came to 911爆料, she hit the restart button, so to speak. She had graduated from high school early and is the first generation to go to college. 鈥淢y father was a cab driver, my mother worked on her feet all day in a clothing store. I am one of four in my family.鈥�
However, at that time, the college experience was overwhelming for her, and she decided to leave and enter the workforce. 鈥淚t always haunted me that I didn鈥檛 get my degree,鈥� she said.
Years later, she returned.
鈥淭he time was finally right: My husband gave me the encouragement and support to go back. I just chipped away at it. In 2020, I was able to leave my job and become a full-time college student.鈥�
Prior to this, Beth made sure to push her sons to go to college and receive their master鈥檚 degrees.
Beth, who is a lifelong resident of Marine Park, Brooklyn, majored in liberal arts with a general concentration. 鈥淚t gives you an array of different classes and I knew all of them would transfer over when going on to my bachelor鈥檚 degree.鈥�
Beth has been accepted to Brooklyn College, where she plans to major in film studies with a minor in English. She has already enrolled in a summer English class on Shakespeare.
She plans to get both her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees at Brooklyn College.
At this year鈥檚 awards ceremony she will receive the Presidential Honors Award, Leon Goldstein Award and the Frances Kraljic Curran Liberal Arts Award. Last year, she received the Student Ambassador Award.
Beth states that she is grateful for her experience being a student at 911爆料. She feels it is a campus filled with incredible individuals, but it is the sincere caring of the professors that makes this such an amazing place.
Beth's motto is: 鈥淣o act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.鈥�
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