Two Rowan College at Burlington County students were accepted into the Premedical Urban Leaders Summer Enrichment program, which introduces medical professions to undergraduates who are traditionally underrepresented in the field, as well as those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.
Caylor-Ann Rose-Green, of Edgewater Park, and Jaqmeille Marsh-Hazelton, of Willingboro, were two of only 39 college students accepted into phase one of the six-week summer PULSE program. They will participate in academic, clinical, research and service-learning opportunities with a focus on urban health needs. Rose-Green and Marsh-Hazelton will also have the opportunity to develop close relationships with medical school faculty, staff, and students who can provide individual mentoring on career choices and application procedures.
“The Rowan College at Burlington County difference is our Rowan connection, which gives our students access to many incredible programs like PULSE,” said Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton. “The PULSE program will introduce these two exemplary RCBC students to the medical profession through a leading South Jersey institution, the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. The Rowan connection truly opens up a world of opportunities for our students.”
Rose-Green, 19, is currently pursuing a degree in biological sciences and is planning on transferring to Rowan University to study biology with a focus on biotechnology in the fall. She hopes to enter a career in stem cell research. During her time at RCBC, she has participated in Student Government Association, the Educational Opportunity Fund and the college’s unique undergraduate research program, where she studied the DNA and mercury levels within fish.
“My future is only possible because of my Rowan College at Burlington County education,” said Rose-Green. “I know the PULSE program will play an important role in shaping my career in stem cell research and I am looking forward to gaining more hands-on knowledge in the field of healthcare.”
Marsh-Hazelton, also 19-years-old, is a biology major attending RCBC on a scholarship from NJ STARS, a program for high school students in the top 15 percent of their class. As a certified nursing assistant who works part-time at an assisted living facility, Marsh-Hazelton has had a lot of exposure to the healthcare field and hopes to become a neonatologist one day.
“The PULSE program will be an important stepping stone for me into the medical field,” she said. “When I found out that I got into the program, I didn’t realize how much of a big deal this was, but I’m really excited.”
Marsh-Hazelton is planning to transfer to New York University in the fall of 2017 and hopes to establish her medical career in an urban area.
There is no charge for students who want participate in the PULSE program and students who complete the program will earn a monetary stipend. The PULSE program offers three phases to serve students at all stages of undergraduate education. The curriculum includes a combination of course work, seminars, study skills workshops, and exposure to clinical settings. The six-week program culminates in a symposium where participating students formally present posters highlighting their summer work or research projects to faculty, family and friends. This year’s program runs from June 6 through July 15.
