Lorenzo Graziano

Lorenzo Graziano of Totowa, N.J. is a senior Digital Filmmaking major with a 3.8 GPA.

At Ramapo, Lorenzo is an active member of the TV Club as Treasurer, creator of an episodic black and white short series on campus, and a head cinematographer for many student film projects. He has also been working for Ramapo’s Media Center since his sophomore year.

Outside of Ramapo, Lorenzo has worked on various senior project film sets at Drexel University and Itacha College as a sound recordist and camera assistant. 

“I’m proud of all the connections and contributions I have made to student projects and will continue to try and inspire students to work at the best of their abilities to create beautiful art.” After graduation, Lorenzo plans to continue pursuing a career as a cinematographer and achieve the vision of any film or music video project that comes his way.

​​Grace Velarde

​​Grace Velarde of Oakland, N.J. is a Contemporary Arts Contract major with a Computer Science minor. She has a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the Ramapo College Honors Program, Golden Key International Honour Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Alpha Lambda Delta.

At Ramapo, Grace has been active in several organizations and activities, including the Student Government Association as the Contemporary Arts School Senator, the Ramapo Admissions Student Ambassadors Program, and the Ramapo College Concert Band as an alto saxophone player.
Grace has also been involved in off–campus activities and organizations, including doing freelance work for Warner Music Group and working as a Web Design/Digital Marketing Intern with Career Transition Resources, LLC.

An accomplishment she is proud of is starting her own small business and art brand under the name Graceful Graphics in March 2020. She manages multiple social media accounts to showcase her art and music including her own website, Instagram, SoundCloud, Vimeo, TikTok, and Youtube. She is in the process of developing her portfolio, continuing to focus on growing her online presence.

Natalie Paredes

Natalie Paredes of East Rutherford, N.J. is a History and English & Literary Studies double major with a Museum and Exhibition Studies minor. She has a 3.7 GPA.

At Ramapo, Natalie has been active in several organizations and activities including the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and HGS Dean’s Student Advisory Council, in which she gives her perspective in order to improve the school for future students.

Natalie works at Kumon: After School Math and Reading Program where she teaches students ranging from preschool to twelfth grade. 

After graduation, she hopes to continue her education by obtaining her Masters in Art History and Archeology.

Megan Woods

Megan Woods of Haddon Township, N.J. is an English and Visual Arts double major with a minor in Graphic Communications. She has a 4.0 GPA, and is part of the Leadership Honors Society, Transfer Student Honors Society, Theatre Honors Society, and English Honors Society. 

At Ramapo, Megan has been active in several organizations and activities, including serving as the Vice President of Literature Club and the Visual Arts Society. She is also proud of her involvement in the arts on campus, including her performances in theater productions and choir concerts.

Megan has also been involved in off—campus activities and organizations, including window painting for local businesses around her town, and volunteering at Almost Home Animal Shelter.  

Upon graduating, Megan would like to pursue graduate school for English. She also hopes to one day publish novels and graphic novels.

Chiara Brady

Chiara Brady of Upper Saddle River, N.J. is a Communication Arts major with a concentration in Digital Filmmaking and Marketing minor. She is a member of Lambda Pi Eta and Tau Sigma Honor Societies, as well as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She has a 3.84 GPA.

Chiara has been active in several organizations and activities, including the Leaders In Service program, through which she participated in various works of community service.

Off campus, she is involved with the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies Green Teams. She is currently in the Bard College C2C Fellows Sustainability Leadership Training program.

Rob Lenza

Rob Lenza of Fair Haven, N.J. is a Literature/Education major, and is also completing his coursework for a Master’s in Special Education. He has a 3.75 GPA.

At Ramapo, is president of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, and has worked at the Center for Reading and Writing.

Rob works at Special Dragons, a martial arts studio for students with special needs, and the International Writing Center Association. “I am proud of the fact that I have prepared and presented research at the IWCA conference.”

“I’m thankful that my scholarship donor has faith in my abilities and is willing to invest in my future as a special education teacher.”

Charlie Leppert

Charlie Leppert of River Vale, N.J. is a Literature major with a concentration in Creative Writing. Before coming to Ramapo, he received his Associates Degree with Honors from Bergen Community College.At Ramapo, Charlie works at the Jane Addams Papers Project and remains active in the Creative Writing Program community.

Outside of school, Charlie helped develop an online resource for LGBT+ individuals living in Bergen County, and he currently works as a Library Assistant at the Rochelle Park Public Library.

Alexa Zavlek

Alexa Zavlek of Bloomingdale, N.J. is a Literature major with a 3.96 GPA.

She is a the Vice-President of the Literature honor society Sigma Tau Delta, where she has been involved in many events, including working on the society’s annual International Literature Convention..  “I am very proud of my involvement in the Literature major, and I enjoy working closely with my peers and professors.” Additionally, for over 10 years, she has been involved with the organization CASA Kids.

Post-graduation, Alexa looks forward to continuing her education by obtaining her Masters’ and Ph.D.  Eventually, she would like to work as a college professor and further her passion for the English language.

Jeffrey Hofmann

Jeffrey Hofmann of Franklin Lakes, N.J. is a senior Literature major with a History minor. He has a 4.0 GPA and has been on the Dean’s List each semester. “These are among my proudest achievements at Ramapo thus far.”

Beyond the classroom, he remains active in his study of literature. While attending the Readings at Ramapo events on campus, he is eager to learn from both professional authors and his fellow peers. In his final semester, Jeffrey is looking forward to further explore the extra-curricular literary opportunities on campus. “I am very passionate about both curation and literature, and hope to continue building a career that utilizes both of these passions.”

Jeffrey has a part-time job at the Ramsey Public Library, and in his free time, he enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his friends.

Stephen M. Rosado

“I come from a modest household and this award means so much to me because it shows that my hard work is paying off,” says Stephen M. Rosado of Edison, N.J. He is a Communication Arts major with a concentration in Digital Filmmaking and has a 3.0 GPA.

At Ramapo’s May 2017 Media Collision, Stephen won Best Editing for his documentary “Art Girls,” which highlights the experience of female artists. This semester, Stephen has been an integral part of the class-produced Web Series “Deep End” as writer, director, and post-production supervisor. He also works as a student photographer whose work is featured on the Ramapo website.

Post-graduation he plans to work as a video editor in New York City.

Hayley Bruning

Hayley Bruning of Hazlet, NJ is a Literature major with a Creative Writing concentration. She has a 3.8 GPA.

Hayley has been active in Literature Club and is the current president of Sigma Tau Delta, Ramapo’s Literature Honor Society. She has also worked on campus as a consultant at the Center for Reading and Writing and as a creative writing student aide.
Hayley plans on continuing her education and pursuing a graduate degree in English after she leaves Ramapo. “I’m honored to receive the Robert Christopher Scholarship and appreciate the literature faculty for recognizing me,” said Hayley.

Erin DuBee

Erin Kelly DuBee of Mahwah, NJ is a Communication Arts major with a concentration in Digital Filmmaking. She has a 3.8 GPA.  Erin is a member of the Golden Key, Alpha Lambda Delta, Lambda Pi Eta, Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Societies as well as the National Society for Collegiate Scholars.

At Ramapo, Erin is involved in Alpha Kappa Psi and Global Roadrunners, and has served as President of the International Business Club.

Shayna Reed

Shayna Reed of Washington Township, N.J. is a communications major with a concentration in digital filmmaking. She has a 3.9 grade point average.

At Ramapo, Shayna has been active in several organizations and activities, including the production and marketing of the two most recent Ramapo Web Series shows, The Fold and Buzzkill.

Shayna has also been involved in off-campus activities and organizations, including volunteering for the Pet Adoption League and completing the United Way mentor training program.

Kenny Moncayo

Kenny Moncayo of North Bergen, NJ is a Literature major with a concentration in Creative Writing. Kenny carries a Philosophy minor. He is a member of the Literature Club. After he graduates, Kenny plans to pursue a master’s degree in Literature. “It is a privilege to receive the Robert Christopher Scholarship,” he said. “This award has energized me further in accomplishing my goals in the field of Literature.” Kenny has a 3.88 grade point average.

I am honored to be a recipient of the Robert Christopher Scholarship. It is a marvelous award in helping me realize my ambitions in Literature.

Corey Sorkin

Corey Sorkin is a junior Communication Arts major with a concentration in Digital Filmmaking. He is from East Brunswick, NJ and has earned a 3.62 grade point average. Corey’s documentary, “Type 1” details Type 1 diabetes and how it has impacted his life, and also shows how one can lead a normal and meaningful life despite a lifelong illness. After he graduates he hopes to work as a news producer for a network: booking and scheduling segments, stage-managing, line producing, and technical directing. He is currently interning at Fox News.com LIVE, a web show discussing business, politics and technology.

Brendan Flanagan

“Many of us know Brendan Flanagan as a student leader even if we have not had him in class,” says Literature Professor Monika Giacoppe. “He is a leader in Sigma Tau Delta (the Literature honor society) and in the Literature Club,” continues Dr. Giacoppe. Brendan is a senior majoring in International Studies as well as Literature, and has earned a 3.82 grade point average. He is from West Keansburg, NJ.

Caroline Church

Caroline Church of Park Ridge, NJ is a Literature major who is pursuing teacher certification in Elementary Education. “I have always viewed education through the eyes of an archaeologist despite the fact that I am a Literature major,” she says. “My education has always been about discovery, about excavating the world, fossil by fossil, to piece together a skeleton of understanding, an understanding of the world, its people and its cultures. Literature has provided tools with which to dig.” Caroline, who has a 3.85 grade point average, devotes time to working with children and to philanthropic causes. She has worked as a camp counselor, a tennis camp instructor, a math tutor and a babysitter. In addition, she has participated in walks to raise awareness for people with multiple sclerosis,Alzheimer’s and those who are hungry.

Nicole Cua

Nicole Cua is a senior from Glen Rock, NJ. She is majoring in Communication Arts with a concentration in Digital Filmmaking. She has earned a 3.76 grade point average. “I am currently interning at the American Cancer Society and will be there until I graduate in May,” she says. “I work in the fund raising department assisting with planning the GWB Challenge and Golf Outing.” On campus Nicole is a member of the Golden Key honor society. “I am planning to continue with my documentary film making after graduation,“ she says, “And I plan to go to graduate school in two years.”

This scholarship has been a great honor, and has helped prepare me for my future in making documentary films by assisting with funding my education and inspiring me to keep pushing my academic goals and dreams.

Jay Everett

Jay Everett is literature major with a 3.90 grade point average. He is a junior from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The faculty reports that Jay’s “understanding of how to read and write in the area of literature is matched by his insight and demonstrated intellectual acuity. We do well to acknowledge his work in the major.”

Receiving the Robert Christopher Memorial Scholarship encourages me to continuing pursuing excellence in study at an institution people believe in.The generosity of my benefactor continues the good work of the scholarship’s namesake and proves to me that a dedication to higher education is alive and well in the United States.

Sarah Hildebrand

“Sarah Hildebrand is a student with rare gifts including a facility with language,” reports Literature Professor Patricia Ard. Sarah is a senior majoring in Spanish Language Studies. She is also pursuing a minor in Latino/a and Latin American Studies and a certificate in Business Essentials. She has earned a 4.00 grade point average. “Her great powers of insight into literary texts stem from an expansive curiosity that has led her to study a variety of literary genres and periods,” says Professor Ard. Sarah is from Wantage, NJ.

Dr. Robert Christopher was a well- respected member of the Ramapo literature department. My benefactor’s generosity has made a tremendous difference in my life. It is so encouraging to receive the support provided by this scholarship.