As I reflect back on my first few years at Rutgers University-Camden, I am overcome by
– Cristian De Los Santos, Rutgers-Camden Class of 2023
immense gratitude for every experience that this campus has provided me.
Before I reflect on some of the experiences that I’ve had, I’d like to first introduce myself. My name is Cristian De Los Santos and I am in my final semester of my Bachelors of
Science in Accounting from the Rutgers University-Camden School of Business. For some
additional background on myself, I attended the Gloucester County Institute of Technology for
high school which provided me with the opportunity to take college and high school level
courses simultaneously. By the end of high school, I accumulated nearly 45 college-level credits
that Rutgers University-Camden gladly accepted towards my degree. While I was thrilled to be
able to enter Rutgers as a second-semester sophomore student at 18 years old, I was terrified
when considering how I’d fill my resume in with experiences and internships that employers are
looking for in their prospective employee’s resume. Now that there is some understanding of the
circumstances under which I entered college, I’d love to reflect on the experiences, resources,
and opportunities that this school has provided me to exceed every goal that I set for myself
when I first stepped foot on this campus.
The first of these resources would be the Career Center. Located in the Lower Level of
Campus Center, the Career Center may appear as hidden or tucked away, but I can assure anyone
who reads this that they are waiting to accept you with open arms. In the first few months of my
Rutgers experience, the Career Center helped me transform my resume to present me as an
ambitious, soon-to-be professional rather than someone who was less than six months removed
from high school. Not only did they provide resume assistance but I was counseled on campus
resources to take advantage of to bolster my resume. By the end of my first semester, I had set up
a schedule of periodic visits to the Career Center, Success Coach Office – a unique, and
often-overlooked campus resource automatically provided to first-year students – and my
one-on-one peer mentor through the School of Business who had been in my shoes just two years
prior. These resources helped me build my blueprint to succeed over the rest of my time on
campus, but that was only half of the battle. It was now my time to make an impact on the
campus.
I was sure that I wanted to get involved within my specific school, the School of
Business, but I also wanted to get involved campuswide to serve a larger portion of the campus
community. I accomplished this by serving as a Resident Assistant within our residence halls, the
Treasurer of the Rutgers University Camden Student Governing Association, and now as a
Rutgers University Camden Raptor Ambassador to represent our campus to prospective students
who may be considering starting an unforgettable journey on this campus. Through these
experiences, I have experienced nothing less than pure joy and happiness to begin the end of my
fulfilling college experience.
As I navigate my final semester, I have two pieces of advice for incoming students and
students who are still in the early stages of their college experience. The first would be to build a
plan. This may be a difficult task to do alone so be sure to leverage the resources that you have
access to. Secondly, don’t forget where you come from. Each student was once lost or unsure of
what the future held at a four-year university. With that, it is important for senior students to give
back to the community through service, mentoring, or any way that feels right. And one last
thing… Go Scarlet Raptors!