German Alum Makes Most Of RCBC Degree

Although a college education is free in Germany, Marie Totzke left her homeland to pursue an American education at Rowan College at Burlington County, according to the college. With the degree she earned from the college, she returned to her homeland and now works for Deloitte Germany.

Totzke, 26, told college officials that although an education is free in Germany, “you don’t have those same kind of interactions or opportunities as you do in an American university.”

She got her chance to work and stay in the United States in 2012 when the au pair agency she worked for matched her with a family in Columbus, New Jersey. In 2014, she decided to pursue an education full-time at Rowan College at Burlington County, changed her visa to an F-1 student visa and moved in with friends she had made while working as an au pair.

At Rowan College at Burlington County, she served as president of the college’s student International Club, Vice President of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and a senator with the Student Government Association.

“RCBC let me fulfill my dream of a college career, helped me find my passions and strengthened my voice as a first generation college graduate. Whenever I doubted how much further I could go, RCBC paved the way,” she said.

After graduating in 2016 with an associate in business administration and accounting, she transferred to RCBC’s premier partner, Rowan University, on a merit-based scholarship to study accounting.

She now plans to further her accounting career by taking the CPA exam in the United States and possibly in Germany, as well.

“RCBC provided opportunities for me to get out of my comfort zone and helped me build leadership skills that I still get to use every day,” Totzke said. “Even when I transferred to Rowan University, I knew I could always come home to campus and count on support. I thank RCBC for so many things and couldn’t be happier to have gotten my education at such a special school.”

The attached image of Marie Totzke was provided by Rowan College at Burlington County.