Brooklyn Native Adjusts To South Jersey Life At RCBC

Moving from Brooklyn, NY, to Mount Holly, NJ, was a culture shock for Andwele Pizzaro. He enrolled at Rowan College at Burlington County so he could get a quality education close to his new home.

After getting a driver’s license, Pizzaro was able to get a new car using the savings from his college education and the money earned from a part-time job, according to college officials.

In the city, much of his education was focused on the arts. When he came to Rowan College at Burlington County, he saw the college’s transformation from the Pemberton Campus to the modernized Mount Laurel Campus and decided to make a change himself.

He is now majoring in biology and pursuing a bachelor’s degree through the college’s 3+1 program, which allows students to earn a four-year degree from Rowan University and save around $75,000.

Students complete three years at Rowan College at Burlington County and finish their required credits in their senior year with Rowan University.

“I had focused on art throughout high school, but growing up, I was very interested in nature, living things, processes - I also really enjoy ecology,” Andwele told college officials. “So when I saw that biology was part of the 3+1 program, I thought, ‘Why not?’ 3+1 is the best way to earn a college education.”

Andwele started his senior year as a Rowan University student on Rowan College at Burlington County’s Mount Laurel Campus this semester.