A Second Chance to Make a Big First Step

Middlesex College 2024 alumna Radeyah Joe found her “why” by finding her wings at Middlesex College.

The Colonia, New Jersey, native and Colonia High School graduate enrolled at Middlesex College for the first time in 2012, but was unable to maintain her studies and joined the job force.

“I wanted to work and be out in the world,” Joe said.

When her mother, Enia, passed away in 2019, Joe considered going back and resuming work on a sociology degree.

“I always say she was my ‘why,’” Joe said. “I wanted to come back and make her proud and that’s what led me to going back to school.”

Joe re-enrolled at Middlesex in 2021, excited about the flexibility of the course load and the ability to take remote classes. She also happens to love the Edison campus, she said.

“The campus is beautiful, it has a certain ambiance to it,” Joe said. “I can’t really explain it, but I love how I feel when I am there. It feels homey.”

Joe, now 31, received her associate degree in sociology in May 2024 and is now taking classes at Kean University while working at a local restaurant. She also accepted an internship with Be the Change NJ, a community organization dedicated to improving lives of the less fortunate.

“We do food distributions for the homeless, and I have been working for the mobile health clinic where we go out and do basic health checks like blood pressure and blood sugar,” Joe said. “We give them care packages. It’s very rewarding.”

Joe is hoping to become a therapist or perform social work. She’s thankful to Middlesex College for giving her a chance to find out how to get moving on her path.

“Middlesex is a great place to start,” said Joe. “I am at Kean now, and it’s very big and there’s a lot going on, but I feel like there was more help offered at Middlesex. It’s a good stepping stone for people to go to a bigger university.”