Omega Upsilon Chapter at William Paterson University Inducts 58 Adult Learners

29 May

Omega Upsilon Chapter at William Paterson University Inducts 58 Adult Learners

On May 6, 2025, William Paterson University inducted 58 new members into its Omega Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, under the leadership of Chapter Councilor Johanna Prado. This year’s inductee class carries an average GPA of 3.7 and an average age of 38, bringing the chapter’s total membership to 216 since it was chartered in 2022.

William Paterson continues to stand out nationally for its support of adult learners — students who are over the age of 24 when they begin pursuing a bachelor’s degree. As of the induction ceremony, more than one third of the University’s Class of 2025 bachelor’s degree earners are adult learners, with over 3,200 adult learners enrolled at WP overall.

The evening’s keynote address came from two-time WP alumna Henrietta Schleif Pesce, who spoke about how her mother’s own missed opportunity for an education shaped her lifelong belief in the power of a college degree.

As Pesce put it, “my mother often said that she wished she had an education.”

Pesce and her husband, William J. Pesce, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, have long supported WP’s students, including through the Pesce Family Mentoring Institute they established to connect students with professional mentors in their intended fields.

WP President Richard J. Helldobler also addressed the new inductees, recognizing the added weight adult learners carry compared to traditional-age students, many balancing parenthood and full or part-time work while completing their degrees. Kara Rabbitt, Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives and Adult & Professional Studies, echoed that sentiment, crediting the inductees’ families and friends for the strength that helped carry them to this milestone.

Newly elected Omega Upsilon Chapter President Israel Vargas-Reyes closed the ceremony by sharing his own path, from joining the Pesce Family Mentoring Institute in pursuit of a career in professional recruitment to starting a new role as a recruiter for the State of New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families the very day before the ceremony. He pointed to the mentoring and networking support he received on campus as a driving force behind that opportunity.