By Tina Sharesky
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – If you have ever been to the Registrar’s Office and heard an abundance of laughter coming from behind the counters, then there is one woman who is the most likely culprit. Stacie Luongo has the extraordinary ability to make anyone laugh at just about anything.
“A day without a smile is a day wasted. That is my mantra and it pretty much sums up my personality,” Luongo said in between chuckles.
Don’t let all of the laughter fool you, though, for Luongo is not all play and no work . While her name may not be one that is familiar to you, she has been a loyal employee at Camden County College for the last 10 years. Currently, she is the secretary for the Registrar’s Office, working mainly with the selective programs, processing paperwork and answering an endless barrage of questions from both heads of departments and students alike.
Life for Luongo is anything but relaxed, for not only is she the secretary of select programs but also a single mother of four children, a new grandmother, an active student and the president-elect of the secretaries union.
It is not just her sense of humor, however that makes Luongo an essential part of the Registrar’s Office, but her uncanny ability to adjust to new situations quickly.
Zaida Noque has been Luongo’s co-worker for a year and said, “What Stacie brings to the office is her ability to learn new systems very quickly, that and her kindness. If she sees that someone is getting overloaded with work, she will not hesitate to step in and help them.”
Luongo is also enrolled at Camden County College as a business administration major and while she enjoys the challenges her job provides, she dreams one day of becoming an attorney.
“I would like to be a criminal defense attorney. I think that too many people get sent to prison that are innocent and I would like to help change that,” she said. Though her dream is slow in the making, she never gives up, each semester taking as many classes as her schedule can stand while working full time and raising her family.
Luongo goes through each day providing laughter and order to the world around her, and even though she knows her future holds many changes, she has never been one to cower from a challenge.