Renee Angello of Wayne is an incredibly motivated and creative student in PCTI’s School of Communication Arts/Advertising Art and Design Program. She ranks in the top 3% of her class and holds an outstanding 4.3 GPA! Renee will graduate with 18 potential college credits.

Renee chose to study Advertising Art and Design at PCTI due to her lifelong passion for art. Her artwork has been featured in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards at the Montclair Art Museum, The Congressional Art Competition, the William Paterson Art Exhibition, and a Solo Art Exhibition at the Wayne Public Library!

At PCTI, Renee is extremely involved in athletics and extracurricular activities. She is the captain of the Varsity Tennis Team and has been named Athlete of the Month twice! Renee has participated in SkillsUSA and New Jersey Girls State and was selected for Circle of Success and the Principal’s Honor Roll. Renee is also a member of the National Honor Society, Rho Kappa Honor Society, and World Language Honor Society.

Renee is extremely involved in other outside activities as well. She has participated in the All Wayne Orchestra and is a graduate of the Japanese Weekend School of New Jersey, which she attended for ten years. During her junior year at PCTI, Renee student-taught Japanese 1 with Ms. Sato. In her spare time, Renee enjoys music and has a passion for singing and playing the guitar, violin, and ukulele. She also stays active with figure skating, playing tennis, and doing yoga.

Recently, Renee’s extraordinary skills were recognized by a children's author to illustrate an upcoming book. In addition, her passion for giving back to others is demonstrated through her work as an assistant teacher at Potteryworks and also completing internships at the Montclair Art Museum where she taught art to children.

Renee is also very involved with philanthropy and community service. She volunteers with Jersey Cares, the Special Olympics, and TI@ti. Notably, Renee has worked with children through the International Volunteer Headquarters in Costa Rica.

After graduating from PCTI, Renee will attend the Rhode Island School of Design where she plans on studying industrial or graphic design. She is eager to create innovative solutions by designing products or graphics at her dream school, which holds a top ranking for art across the nation. She is looking forward to being surrounded by other artists who share her creative drive.

Renee is grateful for the opportunities at PCTI that have given her the ability to connect with peers who have different interests and future aspirations. Renee offers wise advice, saying that “Do what you love and do it with passion. As long as you are happy, keep going and don’t look back!”

Congratulations to this extraordinary young lady who has continued to make PCTI very proud! We know you will excel in your future studies!

Dewan Chowdhury of Paterson is a hardworking and focused student in the Academy of Information Technology’s Computer Science Program. He has attained an incredible 4.5 GPA, ranks in the top 1% of his class, and is number 3 in the class of 2020! He is also positioned to graduate from high school with 30 potential college credits.

Dewan chose to study computer science after teaching himself how to program in middle school. Initially inspired to create computer games, Dewan quickly realized the countless applications of computer science. From his studies, he has grown increasingly confident about solving problems and achieving goals via hard work and dedication.

At PCTI, Dewan is a member of the Boys’ Tennis Team, FBLA, and Book Club. He is also an inductee into the Rho Kappa Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society. In addition to serving as a class representative, Dewan participated in SkillsUSA and was selected as an American Legion Jersey Boys State Delegate. Notably, he was acknowledged as 1 of 106 Horatio Alger National Scholars from across the country! Through this prestigious scholarship, Dewan will receive $25,000 in pursuit of his bachelor’s degree and access to a wide range of services presented by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.

Outside of school, Dewan participates in various data-driven research projects and competitions hosted on Kaggle. Dewan’s most recent project was a response from a call-to-action by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to use predictive machine-learning models to forecast the spread of COVID-19 and determine the factors for transmission in the United States. To further pursue his passion for mathematics, Dewan aims to compete in the Putnam Mathematics competition for undergraduates. Additionally, Dewan does freelance programming and web development projects, volunteers at the Preakness Healthcare Center and is a student SES tutor.In his spare time, Dewan enjoys reading and is an avid supporter of the New York Jets and Brooklyn Nets.

After graduating from PCTI, Dewan plans on continuing his interest in mathematics by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics and then a Ph.D. in Mathematical Biology or Computational Biology. He is currently committed to Rutgers University in New Brunswick but is hopeful to be accepted from the waitlist at the University of Pennsylvania or Cornell University. Ultimately, Dewan is eager to pursue a career in academia and comments that “I hope to harness my passion for mathematics and bring a quantitative approach to help solve modern medical problems.”

Dewan praises PCTI and notes that “There are so many great people from diverse backgrounds with their own passions that not only inspire my own dreams but offer new perspectives on various subjects and ideas,” said Dewan. He offers advice to others and says, “I encourage all students to believe in themselves. Dream big, discover your passion and use it to solve problems. Hard work and dedication can take anyone much further, no matter where they start.”

Congratulations to this remarkable and diligent student for his phenomenal accomplishments! We know you will make PCTI extremely proud in your future endeavors!