Two Rowan College at Burlington County Barons have been named to Front Runner New Jersey’s 30 Under 40 Top Young Latino Leaders of South Jersey for 2024. Financial aid coordinator Stephanie Benito-Vasquez and student leader David Salgado are part of a cohort of trailblazers that comprises business owners, nonprofit leaders, and philanthropists from all seven southern New Jersey counties.
As RCBC employees, Benito-Vasquez and Salgado’s recognition stems from their advocacy for students on campus.
Benito-Vasquez has been helping students navigate the complexities of paying for college for a year, joining RCBC’s Enrollment Management and Student Success (EMSS) division in October 2023. A first-generation college student, she understands how a lack of precedent and guidance financially for college can affect student success.
“From high school, I was always trying to figure out what to do next, especially when you don’t come from a supportive place where they’re providing you with all these resources,” Benito-Vasquez said. “So as I was in college in undergrad, I was trying to be the one, to be the resource for other people… every day, I hope I can help someone. The biggest thing is being able to answer a question that someone didn’t know the answer to.”
Outside of her work at RCBC, Benito-Vasquez volunteers her time mentoring students from the Latino community, particularly those in the top 10% of their high schools who are first-generation and low-income, who she says encounter pronounced struggles when entering higher education.
“Sometimes, my community doesn’t always allow ourselves to look that far ahead. It is very much just a, ‘Let’s get to tomorrow. Let’s get to next week.’ Being able to sit down and have these conversations with them, being able to review their college applications, their scholarship essays, their FAFSA, and all of that, has been really amazing.”
David Salgado, a computer science major at RCBC, is a peer mentor at the college’s Welcome Center. A leader of campus tours, he is one of the first people prospective Barons may see when they visit the campus. His positive demeanor and infectious laugh have established him as a popular and influential personality among the student body.
A Mexico City native, Salgado came to the United States in 2020 to stay with his uncle and attend classes online at RCBC. Since moving out of his uncle’s home, obtaining a job at RCBC this year has given him financial support while allowing him to lend a hand to fellow students as a peer mentor.
“The main thing, honestly, is helping people,” Salgado said. “We’re trained to tackle a problem. Need to plan your courses? Advising. Need to register for your courses? Registration. But if they need help outside of the framework, then we have to find a way to solve this problem. It’s pushing ourselves to give those students extra help.”
A fluent Spanish speaker, Salgado also assists with translating for students.
“I’ve encountered a lot of people who only speak Spanish,” Salgado said. “They often ask me, ‘Hey, can you be in this session with me to translate?’ And, honestly, every time I do that, something that gets my attention is that they’re super grateful. At the end, they’re like, ‘Oh, thank you so much.’ I realized it’s very important to have people who speak your language, especially here on this campus because there’s so much diversity, other backgrounds.”
Although embarking on different career journeys, Benito-Vasquez and Salgado’s advice for students to ensure prosperity runs parallel.
“I think, more than anything, it really comes back down to not being afraid of asking the small questions, right?” Benito-Vasquez said. “Regardless if you’re coming to RCBC for a nursing degree, if you’re here for 3+1, the main thing you need to understand is, what are the resources? To any student that wants to be successful, it’s figuring out what’s in your toolbox.”
“I will say, strive for knowledge,” Salgado said. “Be curious about anything. There’s never a wrong question to us. I feel like that way of thinking opens doors. Finding out new stuff is gonna give you paths to choose, and those paths can really go far.”
Read more about Benito-Vasquez, Salgado, and other young Latino leaders selected by Front Runner New Jersey.
