Oxford Man Among Those to be Honored at 2012 Immigrant Day Ceremony

The president of Naugatuck Valley Community College will be the keynote speaker during the 15th annual 2012 Immigrant Day Ceremony next week.

Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., the Waterbury college president and an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, is expected to address the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition event on Monday, April 23. The ceremony will be at 1 p.m. in the Old Judiciary Room, third floor, at the State Capitol in Hartford.

De Filippis has been president of NVCC since 2008, when she came over to Connecticut from Hostos Community College in New York, according to a City University of New York press release. She had previously served as a senior vice president and provost, the release stated.

Many Naugatuck Valley residents attend NVCC, and the community college that has seen a .

The De Filippis announcement came in a press release from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, who also announced Tuesday that she will also be joining in the event.

Immigrant Day honors immigrants from Connecticut and celebrates their long-lasting contributions to their communities and professions, according to a press release from Merrill’s office.

This year’s ceremony will honor 16 immigrants originally from 14 different countries who live in Connecticut; one of the honorees, Dr. Hadar Lubin, is from Israel and lives in Oxford, Conn. A complete list of honorees can be found below.

The Master of ceremonies for the event will be Laurie Perez of FOX 61 TV News in Hartford, a political reporter and host of “The Real Story,” a weekly news analysis program; Perez is the daughter of immigrants from Guam.

In a news release, Merrill said: “It is such an honor to pay tribute to hard working citizens who contribute so much to our communities who in some cases overcame very difficult circumstances to come to America, just like my family did 100 years ago. Our strength as a Democracy comes from our diversity and the fact that anyone – from anywhere in the world – can succeed in this country if you work hard enough. Each of those honored on Immigrant Day have not only done well for themselves and their families, but they have also had a lasting impact in their community.  Our entire state has benefitted from their talent and tireless efforts.”

The above information came from a press release from Secretary of State Denise Merrill's Office.