Today’s Project 100 memory comes from Karla Morales.  She was born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico.  She moved to New Jersey when she was four years old and was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey.  Due to their need to work, her parents did not attend college.  Her mother graduated from high school, and her father graduated from middle school.  They moved to the United States so that she and her brothers would have greater educational opportunities.  Her father worked as a mechanic, and her mother worked in customer service for Marriott.  She went to public schools and graduated from Teaneck High School in 2013.  Four years later, she graduated from Rowan University with majors in history and social studies education. She then entered the Master’s program in Counseling in Educational Settings, aided by a graduate coordinator position for Residence Life.  After she completing the first year of the graduate program, she accepted a teaching position at Kingsway High School teaching social studies.  She continued the Master’s program part-time and finished it in May of 2020 in the earliest days of the pandemic.  She completed five very challenging years teaching at Kingsway.  They would have been challenging no matter what, but the experience of pursuing the Masters and then adjusting to teaching during the pandemic ensured that she will always remember these years.  In the Fall of 2023, she left Kingsway and took a position with the National Park Service, working as a Park Ranger in Historical Interpretation at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. 

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When I was considering going to college, I went to a college fair at my high school.  I had never heard of Rowan University at the time, but the person who represented the University was very warm and inviting.  He told me about the history of the University and its longtime role in training teachers.  I decided to apply to Rowan, and I later chose Rowan over several other New Jersey colleges largely because of that one individual I met at the college fair.  It was, in fact, hard for me to convince my parents to support my decision to go to Rowan because it was farther away than colleges like William Paterson and Montclair.  However, after an emotional discussion, they supported me.  As a first generation, Hispanic female, they worried about me quite a bit and called me every day.

I remember my first ever meeting with Dr. Carrigan during orientation.  I remember being impressed by how much time he spent with me going over my schedule and what I could do at Rowan.  He seemed so friendly and excited about my being there.  That was a great beginning, which continued in my first classes, when I had courses with both him and Dr. Morschauser.  I learned so much in those classes that I still use in my teaching.  Dr. Christy Thornton was a wonderful faculty member who made me feel so validated as a descendent of indigenous people in Mexico.  She taught a class on colonial Latin America, which was careful to give voice to the native peoples as well as the Spanish.  I also really enjoyed Dr. Adrian Brettle’s course on “The United States in the 19^th Century World.”  Not only was he personally very kind, but he helped me see the United States in a new way.

After a faculty member at Rowan recommended that I pursue an internship, I had a very interesting experience.  I found online a position with the Latino Heritage Internship Program.  The main goal of the program was to increase Hispanic attendance at the National Parks.  I was excited about the opportunity, though I only had two days to apply after I found it.  Still, I was accepted, and I was part of the very first cohort in this program.  All of us in the program participated in virtual training and orientation, but we worked at different parks.  I applied to work at Minute Man National Park in Massachusetts.  My knowledge of United States history from my courses at Rowan helped me gain the position. I had a great experience there, learning about all types of colonial history, including firing a musket.  My position was Interpretation Intern, and one of my main tasks was to examine the materials that existed already, to modify them, and to translate the result into Spanish.  I gave tours in both English and Spanish and participated in many activities in the park.

The first job that I had on campus was at the Campus Recreation Center.  I liked working with the pubic and remember Dr. Carrigan and Dr. Heinzen coming in to play basketball.  I was also really involved in student affairs while I was at Rowan.  I wanted to make Rowan welcoming to students.  I worked as an ambassador that gave me much public speaking experience that would help me later on.  I also became a Resident Assistant (RA) in my third year, and I loved working with my first-year students.  I loved the job so much that I not only did that in my senior year, but I took the graduate RA position as well.

One of the things that I loved about Rowan was how many people took on a real mentorship role.  Whether they were faculty members or administrators, I had so many people that I could reach out to for help and advice.  I think this is so valuable at any college, but it is especially important to first generation students like myself.   My parents eventually came around on Rowan as well, and they ended up being grateful for the support that I received there.

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This is part of the Department of History’s “Project 100,” the collection and sharing of one hundred memories by Glassboro State College and Rowan University alumni and staff in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Glassboro Normal School, later Glassboro State College, and now Rowan University.  Thanks to Laurie Lahey for helping proofread and edit the final versions.  Email carrigan@rowan.edu with questions or corrections.  You can find the Link to all of the Project 100 entries on the Web:  https://chss.rowan.edu/departments/history/alumni_highlights/project_100/