Gozde Ucar, an immigrant from Turkey, enrolled at Rowan College at Burlington County when her husband was accepted to Princeton University. Gozde enrolled to learn English and chose RCBC because the college offers a fashion program. 

Over the next three years, Ucar learned fluent English and excelled in all of her classes, receiving an academic award when she graduated in 2013. She was particularly fond of learning all about textiles and was a natural when it came to fashion trending. After Gozde and her husband graduated, they decided to stay permanently in NJ and eventually became US citizens. 

Gozde decided to continue her education but this time in Psychology at The College of New Jersey. It was just a few weeks into the semester when RCBC Fashion Program Coordinator Lisa Steinberg received an email from her. Gozde sorely missed her fashion courses and was unhappy with her new major. Lisa recalls asking Gozde why she did not apply to the Fashion Institute of Technology and Gozde replied thinking she was not talented enough for the top program in the U.S. 

After a long talk and plenty of encouragement, they searched for a suitable program at FIT. Not long after the meeting, Ucar applied and was accepted. When Gozde caught up with Lisa, she said the RCBC Fashion program really prepared her for the rigorous courses at FIT. After graduating, she landed a job at Ann Inc. and had been promoted to Associate Source Manager for Loft/Loft Outlet Knits.     

This past fall 2019 semester, Ucar returned to RCBC to mentor a few merchandising students about the supply and sourcing side of the fashion industry. She has also returned numerous times to share her experience and knowledge of navigating from a small community college to FIT. When Gozde talks about her career in fashion, you feel her passion, but when you mention RCBC, her eyes light up! 

“Oh, that’s my home; that is the school I will remember first. If it weren’t for RCBC, I would not be working in the field of my childhood dreams. I would never have gotten to FIT without RCBC!”