Hudson County Community College Graduates Chosen to Participate in Prestigious Rutgers Honors Living-Learning Community

August 13, 2020, Jersey City, NJ – Recent Hudson County Community College (HCCC) graduates Yoshira Domenech and Mario Perales have been accepted into the Rutgers University Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) program. Rutgers HLLC is nationally recognized as a model for honors education programs.

“We are very proud of Yoshira and Mario, as they have earned the honor of participating in this groundbreaking honors program,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “The Rutgers HLLC program will provide them with the information and opportunities to become our future’s best leaders.”

Yoshira Domenech relocated to Weehawken from Charlotte, North Carolina. Ms. Domenech is the second member of her family to attend HCCC; a cousin is a Culinary Arts graduate. “My Aunt’s advice to study at HCCC was the best advice ever,” she says. While Ms. Domenech began her HCCC studies as a Criminal Justice major, she opted to pursue an Associate in Fine Arts degree after an assessment indicated that she has genuine talent rooted in the arts and in art direction. A Dean’s List honoree, Ms. Domenech’s art work – primarily acrylic on canvas paintings – has been featured in the College’s biannual student exhibitions. She states that the Cultures & Values class she took at HCCC has informed her passion for social justice issues. Ms. Domenech earned her HCCC degree in December 2019. She is looking forward to being a Rutgers HLLC scholar, and plans to use her art to bring awareness to issues confronting the community.

Mario Perales is a California native and competitive swimmer who worked as a lifeguard after graduating high school in 2013. He decided to pursue his college goals after moving to Jersey City three years ago, and began his studies at HCCC in Fall 2018. Although he was a History major, he developed a keen interest in writing and journalism, and was a contributor to Rhapsody, the HCCC Honors Newsletter. A member of the HCCC Class of 2020, Mr. Perales has been named to the HCCC Dean’s List, and will likely major in Political Science at Rutgers.

The HLLC program was founded in 2015 as a signature initiative of the Rutgers University-Newark strategic plan to connect opportunity and excellence, and to cultivate talent that may be overlooked. HLLC offers a pathway that honors the wide array of talents, skills and knowledge that students in urban America have to offer as they journey to effecting social change and transforming the world. HLLC is committed to providing its students with the resources and opportunities necessary to be thought leaders within their fields, positive collaborators within their communities, and change agents in the world. To achieve this, students progress through their studies as a cohort, sharing core learning experiences under the guidance of a specially selected team of faculty and trained mentors. Students immerse themselves in an innovative curriculum centered on themes of “Local Citizenship in a Global World.”