Ana Cruz, current doctorate student at the University of Pennsylvania, as she celebrated her 2017 graduation from Rowan College of South Jersey with her father.
There is a multitude of underserved students searching for ways to make the world a better place. Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) is proud to provide opportunities for those students to achieve their magnanimous goals. One of the pathways for students to succeed is through the Cumberland Bridge 2 Rowan (CB2R) program.
CB2R is a grant program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its intention is to increase the baccalaureate completion of underrepresented and/or low-income biomedical students. This program provides RCSJ students with the chance to seamlessly and successfully transfer to Rowan University after they have earned their associate degrees.
The students who participate in CB2R gain the knowledge and skills to become doctors, nurses, scientists, and more.
“This program is designed to help students go into biomedical research, which includes looking for cures to diseases,” said Dr. Mark Randa, assistant professor of biology, RCSJ. “The general benefit of CB2R is they get to spend an enormous amount of time getting intensive training, both in their academic journeys and in their research.”
“Through the program, students have gained scientific, professional, and research skills,” said Dr. Alison Krufka, associate dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University. “They have also developed interpersonal relationships with peers, mentors, and faculty who have supported their success as scientists.”
“So many of our students have wonderful success stories,” she added. “Students have conducted innovative research projects and have presented their research regionally and nationally. They have excelled as students and developed into responsible scientists.”
Randa noted that, since its inception in 2017, CB2R has been instrumental in propelling RCSJ students forward.
“Three students were accepted into medical school and a fourth is applying,” he said. “Ten students are enrolled in Ph.D. or master’s programs. Six students are employed in the health care field. The program has done quite well placing these students in very competitive programs so they can excel on their next journey.”
Ana Cruz is one of the students enrolled in a PhD program. The 2017 graduate is currently attending the University of Pennsylvania—an Ivy League school—and is pursuing her doctorate in bacteriology research. On top of that, she recently submitted a manuscript to the Journal of Bacteriology that was accepted for publication.
Cruz spoke about the advantages of participating in the CB2R program, and how it dedicates its time preparing students to become successful in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
“Scientific literature in itself is really hard to interpret,” said Cruz, who upon attaining her associate, earned a bachelor’s at Rowan University and her master’s at the University of Wisconsin. “Whoever took advantage of the time they set up for us in the lab really did benefit from it. We put in 20 to 40 hours a week of just lab work, and I think it just taught us so much.”
“It’s really awesome to have a community college student from our campus go to Rowan, from Rowan jump to the Big 10—a huge research institution, excel there and then go to a top five university in the world,” said Randa.
“There’s just not one benefit,” said Cruz, a first-generation student. “It’s just a big community, a big family. I feel really good and thankful for the program because it set me up to have these experiences in the future that I had no idea I would ever experience.”
One of the most enticing benefits CB2R offers to students is that they essentially get paid to be in the program.
“During the summer, they do a 10-week intensive—about 20 to 25 hours a week. They’re being trained to be a research scientist, and we pay them for that training through the grant,” Randa said. “When they do their work on their research project, that’s a paid research opportunity.”
“They’re paid as part-time employees of the college,” he continued. “When we meet during the semester to work on their CVs, resumes, and personal statements, that’s paid research training where we are dedicating time to them for their professional development. It’s a competitive program. You have to apply to get into it and we’re very selective in who we take.”
The paid training aspect of the program is important to CB2R students like Cruz and Christian DeLeon. Cruz explained that her parents are immigrants who didn’t come from a privileged background. She also revealed that when she was choosing which schools to attend to pursue her master’s and doctorate degrees, one of the deciding factors in her thought process was which university was going to pay her the most.
Christian DeLeon, Rowan College of South Jersey Biological Sciences major, shares stories about his academic journey at RCSJ’s Rowan Medicine Clinical Facility ribbon-cutting ceremony while Dr. Fred Keating, president of the college, looks on.
DeLeon, who captained the Dukes soccer team while majoring in biological sciences, disclosed that his parents didn’t finish high school, which motivated him to obtain his high school diploma and a college degree.
The sophomore, who is the inaugural recipient of the David Slack Medical Pathway to Medicine Scholarship, also views CB2R as a tool to use to become an impactful member of society.
“One of the main reasons I decided to do biological sciences with a focus on pre-med is because I want to help people,” said DeLeon, president of the Cumberland campus’s STEM Club and a member of the Men of Color Alliance (MOCA). “I would like to help my community that I’ve come from. I’m Vineland through and through.”
“It’s a known fact that Cumberland County is one of the lowest counties in terms of having qualified practicing doctors for our area,” he continued. “We’re in an area that is in high need of more practicing doctors so I definitely would help my community out.”
“Rural counties have a very hard time building these types of skilled positions,” Randa added. “We don’t have enough doctors. We don’t have enough research scientists. We don’t have enough biologists in the area. This program is designed to fill a need of the community of the underserved.”
Randa also recognizes the value of creating cultural heterogeneity in the program.
“We just feel that the best team—whether it’s their health care team or research team—is a team that’s diverse,” he said. “A diverse workforce is what will help this community best. If we have a minority-driven community, we should match that in the services that we supply.”
He also noted that more than 90 percent of students graduate from CB2R, and more than 80 percent have graduated from Rowan after transferring to the university.
DeLeon and Cruz shared some thoughts about students who are considering participating in CB2R.
“I would definitely tell them to go for it,” DeLeon said. “It’s honestly a great opportunity. I would advise anybody to do it if they could.”
“I feel like a lot of people fear getting into the program because they are afraid to ask questions,” Cruz said. “So, I’d say please lose the fear of asking questions. What we’re doing here—we’re going to teach the world.”
For more information about Rowan College of South Jersey and Rowan University’s Cumberland Bridge to Rowan program, visit RCSJ.edu/AcademicSupport/Cumberland/Bridge-to-Rowan
