Last summer, twelve Rowan College at Burlington County students signed up to become student models for the college. Over a few weeks, they participated in several photoshoots both in the studio and around the campus and became the face of the college and its brand. You’ll see their faces all over campus, on benches, posters, banners, and flyers, and they even pop up on the promotional video on the college website’s homepage.
Each student is a proud Baron, eager to represent the school they know so well. And they all have a fantastic story to tell.
Eli Booth
Recent graduate Eli Booth is a recognizable face on the Rowan College at Burlington County campus. You would often catch the former Entertainment Technology major running around the buildings, whether attending classes, participating in extracurriculars, working at his on-campus job for the Audio/Visual department, or filming fun videos for the college’s website and Instagram.
“I dip my toes into everything, pretty much,” Booth explained. “I get involved in as much as possible to really get the most from my time here.”
Attending RCBC was always been his number one choice because it offered him the opportunity to do so much. The flexibility of the classes, which he takes both in-person and online, helps when there are conflicts in his busy schedule, which he appreciated.
Booth participated in the Brothers Achieving Excellence (BRAVE) program, first taking part in the program’s Summer Institute, a sort of orientation for first-year male students of color coming into college. After that, he made strong connections with other ‘Brothers’ of the program.
“It comes naturally,” Booth said. “You would think with programs like that, it’s forced upon you to make those connections. But if I think back, it all came naturally. Those connections I made, those things I learned, it didn’t feel forced… the whole time, we were enjoying ourselves and really making the best out of it.”
Although deeply entrenched in the day-to-day of RCBC life, the day he felt most in tune with his status as a Baron was becoming THE Baron himself: RCBC’s mascot, Barry!
“That was quite the day, I’ll say that,” Booth joked.
At RCBC, he got to participate in various video shoots and commercials, and a pathway to his future became clearer day by day.
“I feel as if RCBC gave me that full picture while allowing me to enjoy the journey along the way.”
Carly Gels
Spring 2025 graduate and 3+1 student Carly Gels found her way at Rowan College at Burlington County after initially struggling to decide which direction she wanted to go in. After researching and growing an interest in NASA’s astro-botany program, she chose liberal arts and sciences with an option in biology. RCBC faculty has been a savior in getting her settled in the field. She receives guidance through the course-heavy curriculum and labs that emphasize hands-on application.
"There’s some teachers here that I’m beyond thankful for… If I am so lost, I don’t know anything about what you’re telling me, they will break it down even further just to make sure that I know every key component of what I need.”
She chose RCBC after seeing a side-by-side comparison of the price of one semester at a four-year institution. The decision, for her, was easy.
“I can get my courses and my degrees done for much less pay than at a different school,” Gels said. “ And it’s not like the teachers are any less smart or capable of doing anything. So I feel like I’m getting a great deal in the sense of amazing teachers at an amazing price.”
Gels is actively involved in several extracurriculars. She is the International Club’s marketing officer, one of the Film Club’s co-presidents, and the Math Club’s event coordinator. She also works on campus as a Peer Mentor. Say hi to her when you first walk in at the welcome desk.
“When you come in, you literally see our front desk. It’s the first thing you see,” Gels said. “We check students in for services. We make sure that if students have questions, we answer them. We make sure they know where they’re going. When we do open houses, we do tours, we do events besides open houses. We do all sorts of things on campus. We literally are, in the sense, doing everything all at once.”
It may be hectic, but just like her job emphasizes, she has her peers around her to help her through it.
“I started my job as a peer mentor, and I was training, and I was doing these classes, and there was one time where I was just like, ‘This is all too much...’ And I was just getting too in my head, and my coworkers noticed that, and they were like, ‘Take a breath. You come first. I can cover you. You need to go take a walk or do that.’ No one’s rushing me to do anything. Throughout my job, I’ve realized this (RCBC) is my school.”
