Newton n Advice abounded at the Sussex County Community College commencement Thursday, May 17. “For each situation you find yourself in, make it better,” advised Robert Vandenbergh, chair of the Board of Trustees, as he encouraged the graduates to take what they have learned at school and apply it to their daily lives. Freeholder Director Susan Zellman quoted actor Danny Kaye, saying life is a canvas for you to throw a lot of paint on. Faculty Speaker Dr. Dina Conde recalled her first graduation, from a two-year community college just like SCCC, with pride and joy. She told the graduates they had “earned the right to be respected for your commitment to further your education.” Her moral was to build on the skills they learned at SCCC, making them “a better student, as well as a better person.” The two student speakers were Dianna Damstra and Matthew DeHaas, also with morals to their stories. Damstra told her class she wasn’t “supposed to be here.” Her father died when she was just 16 leaving her mother with three children. Her mother told her she couldn’t afford to send her to college. “So I never allowed my mind to believe that college would be a possibility for me,” explained Damstra. She joked that at 37 years old “I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up,” citing determination, hard work and the support of her loved ones as reasons for her success. DeHaas spoke of the future, but asked his peers to “focus on the here and now”, and to remember to have fun along the way. He congratulated everyone for having the motivation and determination to get to graduation day, and reminded them these same traits can take them into the future. “If you want it, go get it,” he said. The keynote speaker was Dr. Barbara O’Neil of Cook College, Rutgers University. She is Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management and has taught more than 1,100 classes and spoken to more than 24,000 adult learners in Sussex County. With her financial background, it was no surprise the wisdom that O’Neill had to pass on to the graduates was financially based. She commended the students for overcoming the usual obstacles- finding money for tuition and fees, exams, term papers- as well as stressful challenges in one’s life, such as divorce, death of a loved one or loss of a job. O’Neill went on to give financial advice for the future of the students. She talked about investing in retirement, starting small, taking advantage of programs like 401K. She also advised the graduates to “follow their passions- It might be a cliché, but it’s true;” and to believe in themselves, set new goals, to give back to the community, and to be lifelong learners.. From Summer 2006 to Spring 2007, 501 students graduated from SCCC. Vandenbergh, commented on the growth of the college over the last 25 years. This year saw the largest enrollment and the largest graduating class. “Our growth has been incredible, our success wonderful,” he said.