Community College Proven: RCSJ Alum Joins Fight Against COVID-19

Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ)alum and Swedesboro native, Cassandra Bundalian, will be the first to tell youthat success does not require a “brand name” education. It would be challengingto argue, as her journey which began at RCSJ has taken her all the way to theColorado Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 response team.

“The beautiful thing about education is that you get whatyou put in,” states Bundalian. “I got so much out of my education at acommunity college because its value isn’t in its name, but what you plan to dowith your time there.”

Bundalian will be the first to admit it took her a while torealize that education is all about effort: “As a high school student, I didn’tshine bright in my academics and it was worse when I first went to RCSJ at 18years old. I needed time to mature and figure out what I wanted to do and RCSJwas still there for me when I was ready for it five years later.”

When Bundalian returned to RCSJ in 2015 to enroll in theCollege’s Biology program, she did so with a renewed focus and a commitment totake advantage of every academic opportunity available. She applied herself toher studies, forged relationships with professors, actively participated inRCSJ’s STEM Club and Women in STEM mentorship program, and eagerly accepted acoveted internship at Cooper University Hospital’s stem cell research labs.

“My time at Rowan College of South Jersey was sofulfilling,” she states. “Opportunities are abundant at RCSJ and the resources thereallow you to force open doors you didn’t know were available. There were timesas a student that I felt lost in not only my ability to succeed academically,but also how to figure out what I wanted from my degree outside of just havingit. In those moments RCSJ and the people within those walls were able to guideme back on to the path I was supposed to be on.”

After earning her associate degree in Biology at RCSJ, thatpath lead Bundalian to Rowan University in a transfer process she described as”painless,” thanks to a unique partnership between the two institutions. Bundaliancontinued to apply herself – both as a full-time university student and afull-time veterinary technician – and in May 2020, amidst a worldwide pandemic,she graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s in Biology and a minor inChemistry.

One short but eventful month later, following a long-awaitedmove to Denver, C.O., Bundalian landed her dream job at the Colorado Departmentof Public Health and Environment, working as a molecular technologist in the laboratoryservices division as part of the State’s COVID-19 response team. Her rolethere, which she characterizes as “exciting” and “an incredible learningexperience” may have been inspired in part by the pandemic, but it was supportedby the confidence and skills she developed at RCSJ.

“My time at RCSJ in the Biology program set me up so well forcritical analysis,” Bundalian reflects. “I really believe the standards that Ikept as a student were forged in Scott Hall where I was properly challenged. Inaddition, RCSJ gave me the opportunity to explore what it was like to be in alaboratory setting at Cooper University Hospital. This internship opportunitywas incredible for an undergrad in community college and opened my eyes to howmuch I loved being in a lab environment.”

While pleased with the opportunity to play a role in the battleagainst COVID-19, Bundalian’s aspirations do not end there: “The love oflearning that I found in myself at RCSJ is the same fire that allows me toexcel in my job now, and drives me to seek entry into the Master of Scienceprogram at Colorado State University to go deeper into the field ofepidemiology and disease control.”

Visit RCSJ.edu/Enrollto learn more about the opportunities that are waiting for you.