RCBC Student Becomes Naturalized Citizen During Special Ceremony

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Wilson Baez knew his ambitions would someday outgrow his native Dominican Republic. Before coming to the United States and enrolling at Rowan College at Burlington County, Baez was working full time and attending school at night.

“At one point, I tried to picture my future in the Dominican Republic after finishing school, and I wasn’t really happy with it,” Baez said in a release issued by the college. “I am an ambitious type of person and regardless of how hard I worked, I knew there were limits in the Dominican Republic.”

Even though he knew little English, Baez courageously left his old life behind to finish his studies in America. After researching colleges, he chose to pursue a degree in Computing and Informatics through Rowan College at Burlington County’s 3+1 pathway.

“With the way that technology is evolving, I thought it would be a great idea to learn how to secure a company’s system instead of just managing it,” Baez said. “I was happy to find that RCBC offers an amazing Cybersecurity program and that they would also give me the chance to apply for the 3+1 program, which allows me to get a full bachelor’s degree on the same campus.”

Last week, Baez cemented his devotion to America when he was among the more than 150 people from 51 countries to become an American citizen during a special naturalization ceremony at the college.

In his free time, Baez enjoys playing video games with friends, watching Japanese anime (which inspired him to try to learn the language) and hiking/rock climbing on the weekends.

His primary interest, however, is to become a cybersecurity expert and work remotely, so he can travel the world as much as possible. Baez has already visited Washington, D.C., Virginia, New York and California.

“In 2017, I spent about a month in San Francisco taking an intensive course on computer programming languages for a nonprofit university called 42. It was an amazing experience,” Baez said.

Baez initially chose Rowan College at Burlington County because of its program, but after being enrolled for one year now, he sees that there is so much more the school offers.

“The quality of education, lab equipment and personnel are the best I‘ve ever seen,” Baez said.