For Rowan College at Burlington County student Omolayo Akinwole, transferring from Landmark University in Nigeria after earning her bachelor’s to a university in the United States became more than an academic endeavour; it has evolved into an unexpected journey of reinvention.

Beginning in 2020, Rowan College at Burlington County student Sherria Hannah faced challenges that few could have imagined. First, she lost her mother. A week later, she had a stroke, from which she fortunately recovered. The next year, in 2021, she developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the body’s nervous system, taking from her the ability to walk for nine months.

When Rowan College at Burlington County student Yvonne Tai goes up on stage to retrieve her diploma at winter commencement, it won’t be the last time she’ll be up there. Because at spring 2026 commencement, she’s coming back, and not just for the completion of one more degree or two, but for three degrees. Once her time at RCBC is complete, Tai will have earned four associate degrees in two years.​

In summer 2024, twelve RCBC students became student models. In 2025, six more Barons joined, appearing in campus marketing materials.

​Each student also took the time to sit down and tell their story. Where they came from, their life at RCBC, and where they’re going after, they divulged it all. Read on to learn more about each student in this Q&A format.

Samarah Schwaeble

What was your first impression of RCBC?