5-29-2025 1:32pm

RVCC Students Receive National Honors with President’s Volunteer Service Award

Donnella Tilery Editor

Robert Lamptey, Piscataway: Somerville Public Works Engineering Department and RVCC Resource Center and Food Pantry – Gold Award

RVCC Students Receive National Honors with President’s Volunteer Service Award

The Pray Family Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement at Raritan Valley Community College is highlighting 23 accomplished student leaders who are being honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the global nonprofit, Points of Light. These students, who are being celebrated for their extraordinary service to the community, have made a strong impact volunteering throughout the 2024-2025 academic year by tackling important social issues and building more vibrant communities.

To date, the students have contributed over 6,000 hours of total service, donating the economic equivalent of more than $150,000 within a year to local organizations, as well as campus engagement programs and initiatives.

The following RVCC students are being honored for their work with the listed community and campus organizations:

Alexis Bara, Flemington: Dedicated Modern Dentistry, Pink Breast Cancer Center, and RVCC Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies – Silver Award

Nahary Boraei, Flemington: Flemington Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad – Gold Award

Peyton Brownlie, Flemington: Hunterdon Central Wrestling Team, RVCC Admissions Open House and Little Scientist Night – Bronze Award

Manuela Bulgaro, Manville: Hillsborough Democratic Committee and Feeding Hands Food Bank – Bronze Award

Nina Angela Carvajal, Asbury: Woodlands Wildlife Refuge and Hunterdon County Courthouse – Silver Award

Hamza Catovic, Franklin Park: New Brunswick Islamic Center – Bronze Award

Tina Compagnino, Bridgewater: Pregnancy Aid and Information Center and Center for Great Expectations – Gold Award

Rheya Czajkowski, Bridgewater: RVCC Resource Center and Food Pantry – Bronze Award

Molly Duggan, Dunellen: Hudson Way Immersion School – Bronze Award

Cody Edmonds, Piscataway: New Market Volunteer Fire Company – Gold Award

Jackson Harris, Flemington: Martin Luther King Youth Center, Open Cupboard Food Pantry, Flemington Methodist Church, and RVCC Resource Center and Food Pantry – Bronze Award

Jodi Holder, Annandale: RVCC Children’s Campus – Gold Award

Robert Lamptey, Piscataway: Somerville Public Works Engineering Department and RVCC Resource Center and Food Pantry – Gold Award

Esmeralda Ochoa-Lopez, Flemington: RVCC Resource Center and Food Pantry – Bronze Award

Nathaniel Meicke, North Plainfield: RVCC Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Cat Watch – Bronze Award

Amodh Naik, Bridgewater: RVCC Computer Science Club – Bronze Award

Abegail Nunez Bano, Middlesex: Safe and Sound Somerset – Gold Award

Sari Pehnke, Hopewell: Sourland Conservancy, NJ Conservation Foundation, Ridgeview Conservancy, Raritan Headwaters, Stony Brook Watershed, Rutgers Hutchenson Memorial Forest, Friends of Princeton Open Space – Gold Award

Emily Rambo, Hillsborough: Manville First Aid and Rescue Squad – Gold Award

Lucia Robertiello, Scotch Plains: National Crisis Text Line, RVCC Nota Bene and Student Ambassador Artistic Research Project – Gold Award

Lila Seroy, Whitehouse Station: Visions and Pathways – Gold Award

Nicholas Hendrik B. Tadena, Raritan: RVCC Children’s Campus, Planetarium and Admissions – Gold Award

Jessica Tucciarone, Basking Ridge: RVCC Resource Center and Food Pantry – Silver Award

Depending on the amount of service hours completed, individuals can receive the Bronze, Silver, or Gold award. Bronze is 100+ hours, Silver is 175+ hours, and Gold is 250+ hours. Honorees receive a personalized certificate from Points of Light supported by AmeriCorps.

About Points of Light

Points of Light is the world's largest global nonprofit organization dedicated to volunteer service that inspires, equips, and mobilizes people to take action to change the world. Through affiliates across 39 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, they engage more than 3.7 million volunteers in 16.7 million hours of service each year.

About RVCC

Ranked by WalletHub.com, Intelligent.com, and CollegeEvaluator.com as the #1 community college in New Jersey, Raritan Valley Community College has been serving as an academic and cultural center for Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for over 50 years. The College has been nationally recognized for its service to the community and environmental stewardship. It is home to a Planetarium, Science Education Institute, and 3M Observatory; a Theatre offering professional performances for all ages; and an Honors College for high achieving students.

The College offers approximately 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training and professional development courses. RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.