STORY & PHOTOS BY DHIREN SHAH
Essex County College’s West Essex Campus, located on Bloomfield Avenue in West Caldwell is a state of the art building with 21st century facility elements for the students and faculty / staff. A full house room of about 250 people were gathered for the Sept. 29 Grand Opening of the building in the presence of students, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, West Caldwell Mayor Joseph Tempesta Jr. and many county and state dignitaries.
Marion Bolden, Chairperson of Essex County College Board of Trustees, said, “The visual of the building is very stunning and underlining purpose is far greater. The infrastructure is the state of the art, allowing flexibility and adopting future advancements and educational technology, teaching method and students’ collaboration…Century old building initially designed for elementary students. The West Essex Project is an ongoing commitment to transform lives, learn and empower students to achieve their full potential. The future of Essex County College is bright.”
West Caldwell Mayor Joseph Tempesta Jr. thanked all who were involved, whether it was vendor, staff, contractors, sub-contractors. He further said, “You have a secret weapon in the world, Joe D. I get coffee 6:30 or 7:00 o’clock every morning, I would say three or four out of five Monday to Fridays, he is here at 7:00 o’clock making sure that contractors are doing their job. That’s true, Joe.”
Yadira Rosales, President of the College’s Student Government Association said that she came to Essex County College year and a half ago and was lost and finally learned the classroom numbers. When she sat down, it was with other students who came from a different background. She further said, “I also learned the value of community college. As I sat next to my classmates, they came from diverse backgrounds with unique stories. My lab partner was a mother of two and a full-time student. As well as myself, someone whose education was once interrupted, but the hope was never lost.”
Alumna Anabel Stracker, former student of Essex County College, said, “It is said that school is a temple. I came to the school in 2018 and I was nervous. I came with the intent to pursue a business major. But I soon realized that business is not for me. I decided to take advice from my faculty advisor Mrs. Torres to find out what my options are.
“Mrs. Torres was like a mother to me. She explained my options and guided me in the right direction. In 2020, when Covid started I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. Then I saw how much faculty and staff cared for their students. The professors made accommodations, some gave me copies of their notes, extended time on classroom assignments, and told me that if I don’t feel good, it is okay to leave class.
“Despite my situation, with the help and support of my faculty, I was able to continue school with chemo and radiation. It was not an easy task, but I was determined not to quit and finish what I started. Despite my health situation, I was nominated and inducted in the National Honor Society. I made Dean’s list three times and surprised myself that I graduated with honors.”
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said that this project was $50 million. The College building made up $30 million, while the parking lot and soccer field were $10 million each.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy first spoke about a nasty storm that was headed our way. He said, “I am begging people, if you don’t need to go out, don’t go out. We have 14 counties (in the path), including Essex as Joe knows. We will have 1 to 3 inches and some places 6 to 8 inches of rain yet to come. Our particular concern is Hudson County, Hoboken, and Weehawken.”
He further said, “We must invest in 21st Century New Jersey with an innovation economy. One of and the most important one on that list was to revitalize and invest in our community colleges, we have done just that… There is no better example than Essex County College.”
The new Essex County College West Campus has 51,700 feet of school building and 325 adjoining parking lot with a state-of-the-art soccer field, which is getting more popular sports amongst the youth.
