MOUNT LAUREL – Aislynn Fait is a shining example of overcoming adversity. Although she faced many obstacles in her educational career, she is graduating this May with a 3.8 GPA and endless possibilities.

Fait struggled with her education before entering college. Due to family health and financial troubles, she was homeschooled until 17. Her schooling often departed from traditional curriculum courses, leaving gaps in her knowledge. Fait said she entered college with a 5th—or 6th-grade education level in certain subjects.

“I didn’t have access to the resources I needed for my education. There were a lot of things I was never taught about until college. I also struggled with social interaction because I wasn’t around other kids while being homeschooled. I wouldn’t change any of it, though, because it made me stronger,” she said.

In the fall of 2021, Fait took the leap from homeschooling by joining Rowan College at Burlington County to pursue a Liberal Arts degree, later adding Sciences to the mix. When starting college, Fait was unsure what she wanted to do yet was intrigued by the new opportunities opening up. She would go on to not only complete her coursework but also work multiple jobs on campus and pilot many community projects.

“After starting college, I realized I love education, learning new things, challenging myself with new topics, helping others and working for my community. I just love to be able to do impactful things,” Fait said.

Fait got her first-ever job at RCBC shortly after her arrival, working as a student ambassador for the Food Pantry and the Experiential Learning Program. While working at the Food Pantry, Fait accepted increasing responsibility for organizing the pantry until she became a team leader. Fait immensely enjoyed the opportunity to give back to her community. As a student ambassador for the Experiential Learning Program, she headed many service projects, including a blood drive and a dog toy-making event for an animal shelter. 

Her path of giving back did not end there. In fall 2023, Fait became the representative for RCBC in the Camp 2030 Program, through which young leaders from throughout the world gathered in New York to develop solutions to global problems. Through her work in the program, her team devised a plan against food waste by proposing that grocery stores give their old food to food waste facilities instead of throwing it away. Thanks to her insightful thinking, her team won first place.

For her last two semesters at RCBC, Fait became a student worker for the Career Services Department. 

“I’ve enjoyed helping students find career opportunities,” she said. “I’ve always focused on helping people, but I think this way, I can give back to people who started just like me and maybe didn’t know exactly what they were doing. It feels very full-circle giving back in this way at the end of my time at RCBC.”

Due to her endless community work and school-wide impact projects, Fait will represent the college’s Liberal Arts Division as its student speaker at commencement at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15. Visit rcbc.edu/commencement for more information.

After graduating with an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Fait plans to take her time finding a new career path and college. Much like when she started college, her opportunities are wide open. Although she doesn’t know her next move, helping people is her main objective.

“Everything I’ve done at RCBC shows I want to engage with people and the world around me. Coming from a place where I didn’t have much education and socialization, I want to center my life around people, learning and becoming,” she said.