Kean Senior Caps Lifetime of Accomplishments with Honors Degree

Trudy Carpignano has collected many titles during her life, including real estate agent, administrative assistant, dancer, wife, mother and grandmother. Today, the Union senior citizen proudly added another: Kean University graduate. 

She celebrated with family and her Kean Class of 2025 classmates as she graduated, summa cum laude, during Kean Commencement at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 13. 

“I’m proud of it after working so hard. Whatever you choose to put work into, when you see good results, it makes you happy,” said Carpignano, who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies. “I enjoy working with young adults, I feel they have so much to offer. I told the kids in school whatever you do always go that extra mile, because it pays off in the long run.” 

The mother of three and grandmother of five was also recently inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society. Kean Associate Professor Wenli Yuan, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Communiation, Media and Journalism (CMJ), said Carpignano “epitomizes lifelong learning.” 

“It is never too late to learn something new and take on new adventures,” Yuan said. 

Carpignano earned her associate degree from Union County College in 1998, while also caring for her family, working and volunteering in her community. In 2017, with encouragement from her husband, Jerry, and family, she enrolled at Kean. 

“My youngest daughter said, ‘why don’t you take one course a semester?’ I took a marketing course, and I loved it,” she recalled. “I said, why didn’t I do this sooner?” 

Carpignano’s classes included media theory and business and professional communication. Most classmates were decades younger than she and in one class, many were international students from Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU). 

“During class discussions and ice breaker activities, Trudy shared a lot of knowledge and experiences in the United States that WKU students were not familiar with, such as holiday traditions, community activities and work in corporate America,” Yuan said. “Her warm presence made WKU students feel comfortable and welcomed.” 

Carpignano said she doesn’t think about age: “I just go with the flow and enjoy everyone.”  

Asked to name her favorite class, Carpignano said she liked them all. “I liked learning all the new innovative concepts that pertain to everyday life, like social psychology. I love that.” 

The new graduate also studied dance throughout her life, including at the June Taylor School of Dance in New York City, and performed in benefits and telethons, including one with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. As a child dancing with the Harry Carey Entertainment Troup, of Elizabeth, she performed for U.S. troops waiting to ship out for the Korean War and for wounded soldiers at veteran’s hospitals.  

Carpignano praised Kean’s commitment to service and civic engagement, as well as her “excellent” Kean professors and advisor, retired former CMJ chair Jack Sargent, Ph.D.  

With her degree, Carpignano said she plans to seek a new part-time job, possibly in government work. She has not ruled out returning to Kean for further education. 

“I have thought about getting a master’s because I would like to teach in college,” she said. “Education is a learning process. I like to make a difference in someone’s life.”