Curious about how to sustain life on Mars? How to rehabilitate injured wildlife? Or how to maintain a 4.0 GPA through each of your college years? Just ask Rowan College at Burlington County 3+1 Biology student Rebekah Feinberg. 

Feinberg, who’s slated to earn RCBC’s President’s Award at the 51st annual commencement ceremony, has accomplished a great deal over the past two years at RCBC. She earned the college’s prestigious Vincent J. Sollimo scholarship for chemistry after participating in a research project in which she focused on sanitation efforts on Mars. She’s clocked in over 300 community service hours at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. And she even spoke with the college’s President Dr. Michael A. Cioce and faculty members at a recent Facebook Town Hall. 

“Since attending RCBC, I have attempted to heavily immerse myself in the college’s community as well as my own community,” Feinberg shared. “I have been an RCBC Service-Learning Scholar for the past two years. By being a Service-Learning Scholar, I perform volunteer work for RCBC, such as with the food pantry and blood drives. Due to this program, I have also obtained community service hours at Woodford Cedar Run. In addition to these co-curricular activities, I have managed to continue working at my local retirement community, Medford Leas. At Medford Leas, I provide food service to the residents and make memorable relationships with the elders of my community.”

Perhaps what’s most impressive about Feinberg, however, isn’t what she’s achieved up to this point, but instead what she aims to accomplish in the future. 

“Once I have completed undergraduate, I hope to be accepted into Cooper Medical School and ultimately become a cardiovascular surgeon to save lives,” Feinberg said. “Throughout my entire educational and career goals, I plan to continue to practice self discipline and motivation, as well as focusing on helping my community.”

As for the message she would share with fellow graduates, Feinberg says she would emphasize the importance of self-discipline and self-motivation, as evident by our current circumstances of living through a pandemic. 

“Despite the extreme change in learning and isolation from our communities, my classmates and I have completed our associate degrees,” Feinberg said. “The past year, students had to motivate themselves to log into class, get assignments done and study. Our fierce determination to obtain our degrees and pursue our own educational journeys should be celebrated and acknowledged. I wish to do this for my fellow graduates. The cap and gown does not signify our graduation; our determination, motivation and hard work is what embodies our graduation and exemplifies our accomplishments.”