Behind the Baron

MOUNT LAUREL – Joseph Vercillo embarked on a remarkable journey of profound personal transformation through Rowan College at Burlington County 20 years after his last educational experience. 

Vercillo, originally from Canada, started from scratch after spending years drifting from various jobs without a firm career path. With the encouragement of his wife, he decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, attending fire school and joining volunteer fire departments while working toward a career in firefighting.

MOUNT LAUREL – Growing up in Western Nigeria, Taiwo Adekunle dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. However, this wasn’t an option in her home country, which considered fashion more practical and a skilled trade than a prestigious pursuit.

She studied more conventional academic topics—sociology and anthropology—before her family abruptly moved to the United States. The move wiped out three years of education, and any pursuit of higher education would have to start over in a country and culture completely different from her home.

A few semesters into her Paramedic Science education at Rowan College at Burlington County, Jessica Bennett, 25, faced an unimaginable situation. After experiencing debilitating symptoms resulting from a lump in her neck, doctors told her that the lump, a mass on her salivary gland and not a swollen lymph node as she believed, possessed atypical cells - ones that were most likely cancerous. Immediately, uncertainty loomed over the rest of her college career. But thanks to her dedicated spirit, Bennett knew that continuing her studies was what she wanted to do.

Stephen Hodsdon, an Air Force Veteran, spent nearly 40 years as a paramedic before finding a retirement job as a lab skills instructor with Rowan College at Burlington County, where he shares his passion and experience with future EMTs. 

His skill for teaching was so evident that his co-workers encouraged him to earn his associate degree at RCBC so that he could qualify to be an adjunct instructor in the college’s Paramedic Science program. So, in his 70s, he went back to school, graduating last May. 

Hodsdon, 72, recently reflected on his journey.

Hackers beware! Rowan College at Burlington County’s cybersecurity team continues to garner impressive accolades after a top-six national finish last year, this time earning second place in a cybersecurity competition in Tampa, Florida.

Jacinda Chaney is many things: a longtime Burlington County resident, a first-generation college graduate, and the newest assistant director of student accounts at Rowan College at Burlington County, to name a few. But as of April, she’s one thing more: a certified Emerging Leader. 

Somewhat peculiarly, Rowan College at Burlington County alum Jason Pennypacker, 20, can attribute the start of his marketing career to the imprudent actions of his teenage self. 

Now, she’s a 16-time award-winning producer and a three-time Interactive Emmy recipient with a decade-long career spanning multiple industries, but at the time of her high school graduation, Shaquana Deas was lost.

Another day, another big moment for Rowan College at Burlington County staff. In February, the National League for Nursing accepted RCBC’s Director of Nursing, Dr. Shannon Williams, into its 2024 LEAD Program, a highly selective, cutting-edge experience for current or prospective nursing leaders in education.