For Immediate Release
April 16, 2024

Suffolk County Community College’s Joseph Gonzalez Named New York State’s 2024 New Century Transfer Scholar and Recipient of the Prestigious David R. Pierce Scholarship

Joseph Gonzalez, a resident of West Babylon, was named New York State’s 2024 New Century Transfer Scholar and is a recipient of the prestigious 2024 Pierce Scholarship. View high res-photo at https://photos.app.goo.gl/BDc1ExcnX5sz5rNQ7

Suffolk County Community College’s Joseph Gonzalez has been named New York State’s 2024 New Century Transfer Scholar. Over 2,200 students from more than 1,300 college campuses nationwide were nominated. Only one New Century Transfer Scholar is selected from each state. He will receive a $2,250 scholarship.

New Century Transfer Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. This program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, with additional support provided by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa.

Mr. Gonzalez is also the recipient of the prestigious David R. Pierce Scholarship. This scholarship is presented to the scholar selected each year from the All-USA Academic Team to represent and speak on behalf of the scholars at American Association of Community College's Annual Convention. As the 2024 Pierce Scholar, Mr. Gonzalez will receive a $5,000 scholarship to be disbursed for the fall 2024 term.

Mr. Gonzalez, a Liberal Arts-History major from West Babylon, NY, excels with a 4.0 GPA and consecutive Dean's List recognition for the last two years. He holds key leadership positions at the college, including PTK Chapter President, President of Student Veterans of America, Honors Club President, and History Club Vice President. Mr. Gonzalez is a Get There From Here scholar, an EOP Tutor and a member of the prestigious 2024 All-USA Academic Team. He plans to attend Columbia University and study history.

“At Suffolk County Community College, we uphold a commitment to excellence, fostering an academically challenging environment for our students," stated Dr. Edward Bonahue, President of Suffolk County Community College. "Mr. Gonzalez's remarkable achievements warrant the recognition he is receiving. In fact, the entire college community is looking forward to hearing about all he will do in the bright future that lies ahead of him.”

About Suffolk County Community College

Suffolk County Community College is the largest community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, enrolling approximately 21,000 students at its three campuses in Selden, Brentwood and Riverhead. Suffolk offers the Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), and Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, as well as a variety of certificate programs. Offering affordable college tuition, a highly respected Honors program, workforce training programs, extensive extracurricular activities, championship athletic teams, and numerous transfer programs, Suffolk is a first-choice college for Long Island students. Visit us online at sunysuffolk.edu.

 About The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. Supporting more than 1,400 exceptional college students each year, it awards $3.55 million in scholarships annually through three nationally recognized programs. Learn more at coca-colascholarsfoundation.org.

About Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.

About the Pierce Scholarship

David Pierce served as president of AACC from 1991-2000 and as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Board of Directors for 11 years, serving as Vice-Chair from 2001-2003. He provided extraordinary leadership to both organizations and was respected by his peers.  In 1991, Phi Theta Kappa introduced the inaugural All-USA Academic Team at AACC during the Society's Presidents Breakfast. Dr. Pierce, then president of AACC, requested that Phi Theta Kappa continue to recognize the All-USA Team each year at AACC.  Upon his death in early 2014, Maureen Pierce and his family requested a scholarship be awarded to a two-year college student in his memory. It is fitting that the David R. Pierce Scholarship be presented to the scholar selected each year from the All-USA Academic Team to represent and speak on behalf of the scholars at AACC's Annual Convention.