Raritan Valley Community College awards degrees, certificates to more than 1,200 graduates

BRANCHBURG TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) — Raritan Valley Community College awarded associate degrees and certificates to more than 1,200 graduates during its commencement ceremony held Saturday, May 17, on the college’s soccer field at the Branchburg campus.

The event featured student commencement speaker Vaanya Salwan of Bridgewater and faculty speaker Dr. John Sichel, professor of music.

Salwan, a General Science/Pre-Health Professional major graduating summa cum laude, is also completing her high school education this spring through the Academy for Health and Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and has participated in the Pre-Med Club, while also volunteering at local hospitals, hosting public health events and mentoring younger students. She has been consistently named to the Dean’s List and plans to attend Rutgers University Honors College on a pre-medical track, aspiring to become a physician.

Sichel, a resident of Mountainside, is marking his 16th year as a full-time faculty member at RVCC after previously teaching as an adjunct for 10 years. He served as co-chair of the Arts & Design Department from 2017 to 2023 and conducted the RVCC Chorale from 2009 to 2023. He teaches music theory, musicianship, composition and music history.

Sichel holds degrees from Princeton University, Columbia University and the Yale School of Music, where he studied under noted composers Jacob Druckman, Martin Bresnick and Nicholas Maw. His compositions have been performed across the U.S. and internationally. Recent works include Paradoxides, a song cycle on poems by Don McKay, a Piano Saxophone Quintet recorded for Ravello Records, and a Sonata for Viola and Piano, which premiered at RVCC. In addition to music, his interests include birding, astronomy and fiction writing.

Also recognized during the ceremony was Safa Rizwan of Princeton, a member of the Honors College and a first-generation college student graduating cum laude with degrees in biological sciences and social sciences. Rizwan served as vice president of leadership for Phi Theta Kappa, where she led academic and community initiatives. She participated in the Sanofi Corporate Mentor & Scholarship Program and volunteered as an EMT with the North Brunswick Fire and Rescue Squad. On campus, she served as president of the Activities Board, an orientation leader and an Open House volunteer. She plans to transfer to Rutgers University to study cell biology and neuroscience, with the goal of becoming a physician.

For more information about Raritan Valley Community College, visit www.raritanval.edu.