Nine months after graduation, Rowan College at Burlington County alum Rahaf Alsharif is still nurturing her roots to the college. She’s the latest alumni trustee on RCBC’s Board of Trustees, swearing in at its meeting on August 20.
Amid a life journey inundated with unimaginable adversities, Alsharif has faced them with firm resolution and courage. A native of Syria, Alsharif spent most days in the civil war-torn country in fear, not just for herself but for her family, which comprises her husband and five children. To create a better life, the family of seven migrated to the United States.
Of course, migration to a new country would present difficulties. Before pursuing her passion for helping people in need, Alsharif had to grasp the language and took English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at RCBC. A couple of years later, at Winter Commencement in 2023, she crossed the stage as a nursing graduate and even stepped up to the podium to present a speech as the cohort’s President’s Award winner.
Finally, her full circle moment came at last month’s meeting. She joined the board in front of her children, who filmed the ceremony for their father and Alsharif’s husband, who couldn’t make the meeting but watched back proudly later.
“It feels for a mother of five kids and a foreign citizen, a person who came from overseas, a huge thing to happen,” Alsharif said of her new position. “It’s an honor to be there with the other trustees.”
RCBC President Dr. Michael A. Cioce has been a staunch follower of Alsharif and her journey.
“Rahaf first shared her story with me after the Turkey-Syria earthquake in February 2023. She has remarkable courage, intelligence - both cerebral and emotional - zest for life, and compassion for people, which are keys to her success as a mother, student, and nurse,” President Cioce said. “I was thrilled to present her with the President’s Award at last December’s commencement and look forward to working with her as alumni trustee on the Rowan College at Burlington County Board of Trustees.”
As an alumni trustee, Alsharif does not possess voting abilities. Instead, she hopes to add valuable insight to the monthly meetings from a student’s perspective and learn more about the government and the inner workings of the college she attended.
Away from the meeting room, Alsharif will continue her work as a registered nurse at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, where she has found a hospital environment more challenging and faster-paced than the classroom. Nonetheless, she has been diligently facing her assignments on the medical-surgery floor.
“Rahaf exemplifies the college’s mission of transforming lives through education and reinforces the belief that the American dream is alive and well in Burlington County; in particular, Rowan College at Burlington County,” said RCBC Board Chair Dr. Anthony C. Wright. “Rahaf is an inspiring Baron whose impressive story continues to grow from war refugee, to an ESL student, an American citizen, exemplary nursing student, to a practicing nurse who now holds a position as alumni trustee on Rowan College at Burlington County Board of Trustees -- the institution that helped make her dreams of a healthcare career a reality.
“The entire Board congratulates and welcomes Rahaf’s participation to the Board,” Wright added.
Her advice for aspiring nurses at RCBC is to savor every opportunity. Take every clinical session seriously and grasp all the information from the nurses who teach you in the crucial moments when you are side-by-side with them.
“Each day, take it as the last day you will be in the hospital because it’s really important.”
