Isaac The Unstoppable: Veteran Embarks on New Mission to Earn His Degree at RCSJ

Deptford Twp. – RowanCollege of South Jersey (RCSJ) student, Isaac Rivera, is many things — father,husband, veteran, mentor, full-time scholar — but the one thing the Vinelandresident is not is a defeatist. “I don’t let anything stop me,” he states,without hesitation. “I’m not a person who creates excuses.”

Rivera enlisted inthe U.S. Army at 17 years old. Like many, he watched the horror of September11, 2001 unfold from his high school classroom in Delaware. As the Twin Towerswere struck, he was consumed not only with fear for his country but also forhis older brother and sister working in New York. Both siblings escapedunscathed – his sister making it out of the city on the last subway train — butthe experience left Isaac with an unshakeable desire to protect and to servehis county.

He took well tomilitary life, but his intended career was cut short by an explosion thatresulted in multiple surgeries, physical disability, and an honorable dischargefrom service. In the years that followed, Rivera would move to Arizona andlater to New Jersey, start a family, work closely with the U.S. Department ofVeteran’s Affairs (VA) on his rehabilitation, and hold a series of positions inthe telecommunications field. For a time, he was satisfied with his civiliancareer.

“When I startedoff working in telecommunications, I found myself competing against individualswho had a degree and I found myself winning. Ithought, I don’t really need a college degree if I’m making really good money,”he admits. “Now things have shifted in the country; you really do need adegree. You can’t just say you’re smart and you know how to do things. Thereare so many people out there looking for work.”

Career uncertaintyprovided the goal, but it was a second brush with death that became an unlikelysource of direction. Following a motor vehicle accident, the VA hospitalrecommended that Rivera receive a CT scan; the scan revealed a brain tumor, andthe resulting surgery saved his life. When Rivera found out he qualified fortuition assistance through the VA’s Veteran’s Readiness and Employment program,he set his sights on entering the medical field — eager to have the samelife-changing effect on others.

Rivera consideredseveral schools prior to enrolling, but it was RCSJ’s premier partnership withRowan University that sealed the deal. “When I realized that Rowan (University)was coming in, I thought this is really different,” he explains. “This is goingto open up many opportunities.” He enrolled at RCSJ as a BiologicalScience/Health Science major, with plans to transfer to Rowan University afterearning his associate degree.

Over the followingsemesters, Rivera fought for his education through surgeries and viralmeningitis — at times completing coursework from his hospital bed. He found RCSJ’s Wellness Center and VeteransServices office to be a vital source of support. They connected him with tutors, encouraged himto reach out to professors when health issues interfered with academicdeadlines, provided advice on the best classes to take, and connected with Riverain a way that only a fellow veteran could.

“Isaac Rivera is one of the most determined and persistentstudent-veterans that I’ve worked with,” reflects LaToya Gibbons, a recruiter at RCSJ whospecializes in veterans’ services. “I’m amazed by his resiliency and hisacademic success as he balances being a father and an involved student, and howproactive he is when it comes to taking advantage of the holistic MilitaryServices we offer to our students. We make it a point to assist studentsthroughout their entire enrollment process, orientation to campus, andconnecting to tutoring, mental health, and other services the College offers.”

“I see the finishline because of all of these resources — everything that’s been available to me— all of these people who have taken the time to talk to me. To listen to me,”said Rivera. “And a lot of that came from me taking the initiative. Saying, youknow what — I need to talk to somebody.”

His biggest sourceof support is his wife, Mariaelena Rivera, who works full-time for the City ofVineland in addition to helping raise their three, young children. Navigating Nael’s virtual kindergarten schedule and Ellamarie’s virtualpreschool schedule while caring for seven-month-old Isaac Junior is a lot tohandle in addition to the demands of their individual lives and the anxietiesof a global pandemic, but the couple tackles it with teamwork.

“It’s definitelypossible to have a family and to go to school,” Rivera insists. “You candefinitely do it. You just have to work together. That’s something I try toteach my kids. I say: ‘We’re a team. We’re not just a family, we’re a team.'”

As Rivera progressescloser to his ultimate goal of becoming a radiologist in a VA hospital, he hasmade it his personal mission to encourage fellow veterans to explore the educationalopportunities available to them. “I always urge veterans to move forward,” he says.”Pick a school you want to go to, go sit down with the advisor and figure outwhat you want to do. Because there are options out there for you.”

The same proactivementality that has driven Rivera throughout his life and motivated him toenroll at RCSJ, has also contributed to a degreeof academic success that surprised even himself as he transitioned to virtualeducation along with the rest of the country’s students.

“My veteran services officer asked me to emailhim a transcript,” he recounts. “When I looked at it, I was like . . . oh, my god!It brought tears to my eyes when I saw my GPA was at a 3.55. I couldn’t believeit.”

Rivera’s focus anddogged pursuit of success — in the face of obstacles that some might deeminsurmountable – is a visible source of pride for the former soldier and futureradiologist. “It kind of makes me feel like I’m back in the military, in asense,” he explains. “It gives me a sense of pride and allows me to feel likeI’m a soldier again – I’m on a battlefield, I’m overcoming obstacles. And, inthe end, I’m going to be able to have a respectable position in a field that’simportant.”

To learn moreabout educational resources and support for veterans at RCSJ, visit RCSJ.edu/Veterans.