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CCM “I Started Right” Billboard Campaign
Turns Graduates Into By Mary Ann Kiczek
According to the Outdoor
Advertising Association of America (OAAA), in 2005, McDonalds, Cingular,
and Verizon were the three highest spending brands for outdoor What’s more, the “I
Started Right” billboard campaign has demonstrated high ad
His “day” job is at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Convent, NJ where he is an Assistant Professor in the Communications Department, a position he says allows him to learn as much as he teaches. “The students keep me up-to date with popular culture, the latest trends, and a different way of seeing the world. I also love that I can go to the college cafeteria and have a conversation with a psychology professor one day and speak with a bio-chemistry professor the next,” he commented. Dr. Agatino also works as a criminal defense attorney. “I love arguing a case that will ultimately help to clear someone who is not guilty. I guess that’s the actor in me,” he reasoned. Dr. Agatino spoke fondly of his experiences
at CCM, calling it “a place where
you are learning from top quality passionate
instructors.” He noted that many
of his family members and friends attended
CCM as well. When asked to recall his
greatest experience at CCM, Dr. Agatino
didn’t hesitate for a minute, “Meeting my
wife in Professor Al Hoffman’s journalism
class. We dated as students and have
been married for eight years.”
After graduating from CCM in 1999, Caicedo attended Rutgers University where he studied Biochemistry. Upon graduation, he was hired to work in a tissue engineering chemistry lab at the university. Shortly thereafter, Caicedo decided to pursue his PhD in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently completing the research for his dissertation. Caicedo’s research centers on computer simulations and in vitro experimental validation to further the understanding of how cells work together to form organs. It’s no surprise that Caicedo advises current CCM students to follow their dreams. “I always think of CCM as a place where you can work hard and make your dream come true,” he commented. In reflecting on his journey in the US, Caicedo said, “It is not the end point,
but the satisfaction and hardship of the
path. Being an immigrant in a highly
dynamic society leads to the awakening
of a leader. In a land of opportunity
where dreams are either given or pursued,
some individuals look for the
end, while others learn from the experience
to achieve that end.”
Dooling, a Senior Scientist at Novartis Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, credits CCM for her career at Novartis. “In my first year at CCM, I received a scholarship from Novartis, which at that time was Sandoz. The scholarship came with a summer internship at the company, and I’ve been here ever since,” said Dooling. She worked at Novartis summers while she attended college and at times worked during the school year in a coop program. Dooling began her career at Novartis in Drug Metabolism, moved to Bioanalytics, and then joined the Experimental Toxicology team, which evolved into Biomarker Development. Seeing a compound that she has worked on for years come to market is one of her greatest rewards, Dooling says. She worked on Gleevec®, a compound that was hailed as a miracle drug back in 2001 when it was first approved as a treatment for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a rare but often deadly form of leukemia. More recently, Dooling worked on an innovative drug for diabetes that is due to launch later this year. After obtaining her AAS degree from
CCM, Dooling earned a BS degree
from Fairleigh Dickinson University
and an MS degree from William
Paterson University.
Klein earned several degrees – two from CCM and one from Montclair State University – and has held a number of jobs. He worked at a group home for the developmentally disabled, a day treatment facility for the mentally ill, a bicycle messenger and as a car salesman before entering his current profession. Today he is a radiation therapy technologist and radiographic technologist at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Klein reports that the most rewarding aspect of his career is being there for patients going through radiation therapy. “In some cases I reassure them; other times I just listen and help them get through a difficult time,” he commented. Klein earned an AA degree in Humanities/Social Science in 1991. In 1998, he completed the CCM Xray and Radiology degree program and was a member of the first class to graduate from that program. When it came time to take his certification examination, he was well prepared. “What I learned in the CCM program was above and beyond what was necessary to pass the test,” he said. “The professors were amazing. If I have children, I will encourage them to consider CCM because the quality of education is so high,” he added. Klein’s advice to CCM students is succinct.
“Don’t limit yourself. Follow
your dreams and make the most of
your studies at CCM. You will find that
you’re more than qualified for whatever
you want to do in life.” |
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Back to Alumni
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Dr. Daniel Agatino
is truly a Renaissance
Man. In
addition to his AA
degree from CCM,
he holds a BA, an
MA in Communication,
a law
degree, and a
PhD. He teaches
at the College of Saint Elizabeth, works
as a defense attorney, hosts a TV show
on WMBC-TV, is a published author,
and loves to act. In fact, he calls acting
his passion. “You get to be a good guy,
a bad guy, really smart, really stupid,
really romantic…. I love that I’ve taught
performance classes, I’ve been an ‘extra’
in the movies, and now I’m focusing on
a documentary.”
When Carlos
Caicedo entered
CCM after moving
to the U.S.
from Columbia,
he worked hard
to learn the language
and customs
of his new
country. “In many
ways CCM became a cultural womb for
me,” he says. “I met people from many
cultural backgrounds and they were all
helpful. You might say I was formed in
the process.”
Kelly Dooling
often wondered
how the CCM
billboard personalities
were chosen.
One day she
received a phone
call and suddenly
she knew. The
first person Dooling
told was her mother. “I knew she
would be just as excited as I was,” she
commented.
Eric Klein was
filled with pride
when he learned
he would appear
on a CCM “I
Started Right”
billboard, but he
wasn’t prepared
for the reaction.
“Even people I
don’t know approach me to say they
saw me on the billboard,” he
remarked.