Marsela Jorgolli e emeruar ne 2005 All USA Community College Academic First Team

[miki_al2001]

Para ca diteve duke hapur sitin zyrtar te College of du page www.cod.edu pash dicka qe me terhoqi vemendjen.Marsela Jorgolli is Academic All-American and Goldwater scholar.u impresionova vertete.merrte nje cmim qe asnjehere ky college se ka fituar.poashtu behej fituesja e Barry M.Goldwater Scholarship.kjo eshte nje gje e jashtezakonshme thone keto per ne si college.une nuk munda ta perketheje per efekt te kohes.nese dikush do ta bente do jete fantastike.keto lajme na nderojne vertete .


Jorgolli, of Villa Park, was recently named to the 2005 All USA Community College Academic First Team and is the recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.


C.O.D. Student is Academic All-American and Goldwater Scholar

By Robyn Johnson

Sometimes the end does justify the means.

In 2003, the Jorgolli family left behind their family, their friends, good jobs and the security that comes from living their entire lives in familiar surroundings. They packed their belongings and traveled across the Atlantic from Albania to Villa Park, Ill.

Vasilika and Gjorgiji Jorgolli based their decision to uproot their lives on the wants and needs of their eldest child, Marsela, who was interested in pursuing a career in physics and chemistry – academic disciplines not readily available for study in their part of the world.

The family’s sacrifices are paying off.

Marsela, a sophomore at College of DuPage, was recently named to the 2005 All USA Community College Academic Team and is the recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

The All USA College Academic Team is an honor provided by USA-Today, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Marsela is one of just 20 students to receive this honor out of 11.6 million community and junior college students enrolled nationwide. First Team members have their photos and accomplishments published in USA-Today and receive a cash award of $2,500.

In addition, Jorgolli recently became one of the recipients of this year’s Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Likened to the prestige of a Rhodes scholarship, the Goldwater Scholarship is the premier national honor for students pursuing careers in mathematics, science and engineering. Jorgolli was one of 320 students selected for the scholarship out of 1,091 college sophomores and juniors nationwide.

"It's difficult to express the enormity of the Goldwater Scholarship. This is a tremendous achievement for both Marsela and for College of DuPage,” said Alice Snelgrove, C.O.D. English professor, coordinator of the Honors program and Goldwater Scholarship representative. “Marsela was selected from a group of more than 1,000 students from some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country, so we are obviously thrilled to have one of our own affiliated with this honor."

Jorgolli is the first student at College of DuPage ever to receive the Goldwater award, and she joins the ranks of students from top institutions such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Smith College, Washington University, MIT, Duke University, Columbia University, New York University, Clemson, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and Georgetown University. (For a complete list of this year’s winner, visit: http://www.act.org/goldwater/sch-2005.html).

As a Goldwater Scholar, Jorgolli will receive an award of $7,500 for two years for college tuition, housing and expenses. “I feel happy note only for myself but also for my parents my parents who have supported me in every single moment of my life,” Jorgolli said. “These awards mean that my hard work has paid off, and my parents’ and brother’s sacrifice was worth it.”

During her two years at College of DuPage, Jorgolli has indeed worked hard. A few months after arriving in the U.S., she was selected to attend the inaugural meeting of the Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CWGA) at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Along with a prestigious gathering of astrophysicists, Jorgolli was the only community college representative, as well as the only freshman, selected to attend opening celebrations for the NASA University Research Center at UT. The NASA scholarship paid for her airfare and accommodations at the two-day conference.

In addition, the 20-year-old Honors Scholar has maintained a 3.9 grade point average at C.O.D. while taking a full schedule of challenging courses. She is this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest winner and was also recently named to the 2005 Phi Theta Kappa All-Illinois Academic Team. Last summer, she completed a biophysics research internship at the University of Connecticut. She is currently conducting particle research through an internship program at Fermilab in Batavia and will begin work this summer under a grant from the National Science Foundation to study high-energy particle astrophysics. Jorgolli also serves as the recruitment officer for Phi Theta Kappa and works at the college’s Tutoring Center.

Amid all of the numerous accolades, Jorgolli remains humble about her accomplishments, attributing much of her success to her family as well as her mentor, C.O.D. physics professor Tom Carter.

“Dr. Carter is an incredible teacher. He includes his students as part of the learning process, and he never makes us feel stupid if we don’t understand something in his (physics) class,” said Jorgolli, who noted that Carter has continued to fuel her ambition in the sciences over the past two years. “The education I’ve received at (C.O.D.) has prepared me to be very successful in this competitive field.”

Carter encouraged Jorgolli to apply for the NASA conference scholarship last year, and he continues to encourage Jorgolli and his other students to apply for science- related opportunities. According to Snelgrove, Carter’s strength as a teacher is supported by the fact that he continually looks for ways to broaden the education of his students in terms of internships and other types of educational experiences.

“Tom has been a mentor and a significant contributor to the success that Marsela and his other students have achieved by providing opportunities for them to go beyond the classroom in their learning,” said Snelgrove, who assisted Jorgolli with the Barry M. Goldwater application. “Marsela is very deserving of the (Goldwater) scholarship, as well as her other honors. She is grateful and understands and appreciates that it literally ‘takes a village’ of mentors here at the college to make this type of achievement possible.”

While the past two years at C.O.D. have certainly been rewarding for Jorgolli, the future seems even brighter.

“Receiving these awards has made me want to reach for even higher ones,” said Jorgolli, who plans to earn her doctorate in High Particle Physics or General Relativity. “These (honors) make me even more determined to follow the path I have chosen. Coming from a small town in Albania, it feels unbelievable for me to be recognized for my work by leaders in the U.S. and from around the world. It’s incredible.”

[miki_al2001]

MARSELA JORGOLLI Speech at President’s Salute to Academic Excellence May 13, 2005 Like many of us, ever since I was a little child, I dreamed about going to a prestigious university, so that I could get the best education possible. In fact, the sole reason that my family and I moved to the United States was to offer me the possibility of studying at a leading, first-class university. However that is not exactly what happened… After a two-day journey from my native country, Albania, I arrived in the “promised land” in August ’03. What was I to expect? Would my dreams come true? Would I be able to fulfill my educational aspirations? My initial optimism quickly waned. Since the application deadlines for all four-year universities had passed, my choices were limited to staying home and working, or attending a community college. Because I was not acquainted with the American academic system, I considered a community college “two more years of high school to give failing students another chance.” I wanted to cry. Nevertheless, I chose C.O.D., a decision that would eventually be surprisingly wonderful. Every time I face a challenge, I remember Sir Winston Churchill’s words, “Never, never, never quit!” This concept makes me more determined to go forward without a thought of withdrawing. I had to strive acclimate to the new and unknown culture I encountered when I moved here. I learned to drive in two weeks, even though I had never been behind the wheel of a car, so that I could get to school. I had to immediately start speaking in English, even though I had only studied it from books back home. And yet, I excelled in my studies. I began to meet people who offered their help whenever I needed it. I made new friends and had inspiring teachers. New doors opened and opportunities grew. Indeed, I am driven by an appetite for learning – a need to discover something new and make it mine. My chief aim in life is to order and systematize knowledge. And I have acquired a great deal of diverse knowledge at C.O.D. during these past two years. I am grateful to all of my professors for this. But I am most grateful to C.O.D. for giving me the chance to learn the lesson of my life. Here I learned that you don’t need to start at a prestigious four-year school to become successful. As long as you know how to grab the opportunities offered to you and make the most out of them, you will succeed. And, as I hope we have all discovered by now, C.O.D. has offered us many, tremendous opportunities for success. I was a C.O.D. student attending NASA conferences, summer school for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, and doing cutting-edge research at the University of Connecticut and Fermilab alongside students from some of the best four-year universities in the country. And I admit it, at first I felt embarrassed to say that I was attending a community college when others mentioned their schools: Caltech, MIT, Yale and so on. But I learned to be proud of being a C.O.D. student. Even though it took some time and at first I felt a little excluded, I taught myself that wherever I went, I belonged there.
My experiences at C.O.D. have made me stronger and more confident. I understand that as a woman in a field that has been traditionally dominated by men, I will have to overcome many obstacles. I hope to help break down these barriers to pave the way for other women in the sciences and to contribute to the world’s knowledge by always widening my own. My passion for science, which includes a deep thirst for learning and research, is the inspiration behind my desire to obtain a graduate degree in physics. After finishing my graduate studies, I plan to pursue a career in science. My goal is to obtain a research position in industry or government and also work part time in academia, giving myself time to write and publish. This will require much work, but I am a firm believer that if I do my best, I can achieve my goals. I have reserved the end of my speech to express some special thanks. In fact, I hope that all of you will be able to find the opportunity to thank those who have helped along your success here at C.O.D. For instance, we should all extend thanks to the administration, who consistently stand in support of programs that promote academic excellence. --A very special ‘thank you’ for Dr. Chand, whose support and advice I always counted on. --Thank you, Dr. Nielsen, for everything you made possible for my family and me. I will never forget our long conversation and the lessons I got from it as we drove to Springfield. --Bonnie, words can’t express my gratitude to you. You are a wonderful person whose friendship I hope will accompany me for the rest of my life. The faculty are especially deserving of our expressions of gratitude. Take some time to identify those who have made a change in your life and let them know how meaningful they have been to you. --For me, I will be eternally grateful to Dr. Carter. Thank you for being an incredible teacher and, above all, a tremendous mentor. Your continuous advice and support have fueled my accomplishments for the past two years. --Also many, many thanks to Prof. Snelgrove. You were there anytime I needed you with a smile to give me strength to go forward. And last, but not least, I invite all of you to say “thank you” to your parents. They support us in every second of our lives. Their shoulders are always there for us to cry on. They sacrifice their own good for ours. And allow me to express my thanks to my parents in my mother tongue: "FALEMINDERIT BABI, FALEMINDERIT MAMI PER CDO GJE QE KENI BERE PER MUA." And, finally, to my fellow students, as you move on to the next stage of your education – Remember: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER QUIT!!!

[BRADYKININ]

Shume e gjate per tu lexuar por bravo i qofte! Me behet qefi kur degjoj about anyone who succeeds.....

[miki_al2001]

nese doni me teper informacion vetem hapni faqen zyrtare te college of du page dhe ajo eshte e para ne faqe do ta lexoni.sic thash edhe njehere pas saj jane studente te yales,haward ,uic.nje arritje te tille asnjehere ne egzistencen e ti nuk e ka fituar ky universitet.
www.cod.edu

[s0ni]

Gezohem nga c'ka arritur, suksese te metejshme Marseles.

[MiLaNiStE]

me verte te bohet qefi kur nigjon kshuu per shqiptar. nji shqiptar ktu ne kanada ka dal i dytii per frengjisht emrin nuk ja maj men. po seriozisht osht gjo sh e mir