RCGC Recognizes 2018 High School Collegiate Scholars

On Thursday, May 3, Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCGC) faculty and staff welcomed approximately 110 high school students, along with their family and friends, to the College’s High School Collegiate Scholars ceremony. The ceremony highlighted the growing number of dedicated young men and women who have demonstrated academic excellence as students at RCGC while concurrently enrolled in high school.

At the conclusion of the spring 2018 semester, 399 students met the criteria to participate in the ceremony – having concurrently enrolled at RCGC while in high school, earned 12 or more credits and maintained a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Students from public, private and home schools across eight New Jersey counties were recognized: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Middlesex, Ocean and Salem.

Special recognition was given to 11 students who will be walking in two graduation ceremonies this semester – once for their high school diploma and again for their RCGC associate degree. In addition to these 11 outstanding scholars, 99 high school students will greet summer break with 30 or more RCGC credits under their belt, 203 with 15 – 29 credits and 97 with 12 – 14 credits. All of the students in attendance sat in rapt attention for the evening’s guest speaker, who has become somewhat of a legend at RCGC – Natalie Quindlen.

Quindlen was one of RCGC’s original High School Collegiate Scholars. When she received her high school diploma from the Gloucester County Institute of Technology she had already accumulated 77 college credits at RCGC. Immediately after her graduations, at 18-years old, she transferred to Philadelphia’s University of the Sciences to begin their six-year, Doctor of Occupational Therapy program as a junior – saving an estimated two and a half years of time and $75,000 in tuition.

“RCGC is a school of opportunity. As such, I encourage you not to take this opportunity for granted,” said Quindlen, as she addressed the students following in her footsteps. “At USciences, I’m surrounded by students from the tristate area, along with many others from all over the country, but I have yet to come across any other student who had the tremendous opportunities that I had through the High School Options program with RCGC. I commend you all for taking on the challenge of completing college courses while you’re in high school and I encourage you to continue to make the most of this opportunity.”

The 21-year old Quindlen, only four years after her high school graduation, stands poised to graduate USciences at the top of her class with a clinical doctorate degree in the field of Occupational Therapy one short week after Thursday evening’s ceremony. In this span of time, she has published two research papers and has a third in process, presented her research on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome to the National Occupational Therapy Conference, has been accepted into four college honor societies, preformed full-time clinical rotations in Neonatology, Neurology and Physical Medicine and is currently completing her final doctoral research project in Oncology. She credits her wealth of academic success to the solid foundation she received at RCGC.

“Not only did my experience here save me time on my academic journey, but it also saved me a ton of money since I was able to earn these credits at a discounted tuition rate,” Quindlen explained, “and equally as significant, the academic foundation I gained from my RCGC college courses helped launch my academic success in what has been a very challenging doctoral program.”

The future is clearly bright for Quindlen, who will begin teaching part-time as an adjunct professor next semester at USciences and has also been hired by Moss Rehabilitative Hospital as a therapist working with patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries, amputations and spinal cord injuries. She plans to ultimately pursue a path in pediatric therapy and will continue to explore Ph.D. programs in Neuroscience or Rehabilitative Science and, potentially, medical school.

“These are exciting times and I am truly grateful for the opportunities the High School Options Program, along with RCGC’s supportive faculty and staff, have afforded me,” she concluded. “As an academic leader in your school community, I encourage you to continue on your collegiate journey with as much determination and pride as I have!”

With the rising cost of higher education an issue across the nation, Thursday’s group of ambitious young men and women are following the trail Quindlen has blazed toward a less traditional and much more affordable approach to higher education. RCGC stands ready to receive them; fully committed to continuing to develop innovative and budget-minded avenues that make earning a college degree more accessible and affordable for students of the county, the state and beyond.

RCGC’s High School Options Program enables high school students age 15 and older to take general education courses at a 65 percent discount that can be applied to an associate degree program or easily transferred to other institutions of higher education. For more information on the program, please visit RCGC.edu/DesignYourFuture.

Rowan College at Gloucester County’s 250-acre campus is located on Tanyard Road in Deptford, just off Exit 56 of Route 55.

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