RCBC Student Keeps Focus After Disaster Strikes At Home

A few weeks after D’Jana Wyllis arrived in New Jersey from her home in the Commonwealth of Dominica, disaster struck. A hurricane devastated island of lush mountainous rainforests with many rare plants, animal and bird species she called home.

Wyllis couldn’t immediately communicate with her family, and it was several days before she received a text message from her mother. It was a difficult way to begin her career as a student at Rowan College at Burlington County, but Wyllis persisted.

Wyllis has become more comfortable in her academic work and the college community where she serves as a club officer of both the Math Club and Phi Theta Kappa honor society, according to a profile about Wyllis provided by the college.

She also participates in Rowan College at Burlington County’s Undergraduate Research program, working with a small team of students that is performing chemical analysis of over-the-counter cannabidiol (CBD) products to determine whether they provide health benefits, and if so, how potent.

In January, she was selected as a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s prestigious Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. She is one of less than 600 students to reach this level out of nearly 1,500 applicants from 369 schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Recipients are rewarded with a $40,000 per year scholarship.

“I was just trying to do what I have to do to get an education,” Wyllis said. “There have been so many opportunities that have come along, and I am so happy that hard work pays off.”

Wyllis is on track to graduate in May with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Physics and has achieved straight A’s during her time at the college. After graduation, she plans to transfer to a four-year college to study Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals.