"The staff at the University was always amazing in helping me push through my online classes while I was working full time and raising my children," noted Carlye Lamarca, a Master of Public Service Leadership program student and a 2016 Bachelor of Science degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management graduate.

Our brief PLA Self-Assessment is designed to help you understand your options for earning credit through prior learning assessment (PLA), which is a process that enables you to earn credit for college-level knowledge you have acquired outside the traditional classroom that is equivalent to what would have been learned in a college course on the same subject.

A Defining Chapter

Carlye Lamarca, a Master's Program Student, Never Thought She Would Accomplish This Goal

When Carlye Lamarca became a mother at 16, she immediately did what came naturally. She put herself in front of an audience of other young mothers to convince them that their futures were also brimming with possibility.

"It was a defining chapter in my personal journey," said Lamarca, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management degree in 2016, and is now enrolled in the Master of Public Service Leadership (MPSL) program at the John S. Watson School of Public Service and Continuing Studies. "Soon after I had my daughter, I served as a guest speaker at a Princeton, N.J., venue on the subject of teen pregnancy. The whole experience was transformative for me."

While raising her daughter, she remained connected to nonprofit community programs that supported young mothers like herself. That experience would serve as a framework for what came next.

"My dream to earn a college degree was always at the forefront," she said. "I selected the University because online course delivery was more conducive to my lifestyle and didn't take me away from my growing family. I also knew that possessing a college degree would give me the access I needed to help more people in my community."

Lamarca was originally attracted to the field of homeland security and emergency management for personal reasons. In October 2012, the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history, Hurricane Sandy, decimated the coasts of New York and New Jersey. She said she spent days at her desk searching for ways to mollify the storm's impact on the state's residents, only to wind up feeling frustrated and powerless. She eventually found an outlet by serving on a New Jersey Department of Labor committee devoted to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

"For me it felt right and it was my first true foray into disaster response as it connected to public policy," she said.

Soon, she was taking close to 100 calls a day from residents and business owners in conjunction with the state's coordinated hurricane recovery and relief efforts.

Once she became immersed in her course work at the University, positive experiences kept her engaged. What she also discovered in the process was her own resilience. Lamarca learned she could indeed conquer midterm assignments, subdue super storms and chase after her children – all at the same time.

"The staff at the University were always amazing in helping me push through my online classes while I was working full time and raising my children," she said. "My dream to return to complete my college education became a reality. As a young mother I never imagined I would accomplish this goal. It also set a positive example for my daughter who just graduated from Rowan University. I really feel as though we did this together."

As a program specialist for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Lamarca is currently responsible for facilitation of the state's H-2B nonimmigrant program. The program allows U.S. employers or agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to temporarily hire foreign nationals to perform nonagricultural services in the U.S.

"Understanding the laws and subtleties of immigration and homeland security in the context of the current political climate has been key to my success in the position," she noted.

Recently earning her undergraduate degree has prompted her to advance to the graduate level. She anticipates that her MPSL courses in community and economic development will enable her to collaborate more fully with urban leaders in mitigating homelessness and promoting urban renewal.

"My eyes are more open now as to the ways I can better serve the public," she said. "The choice of my master's degree track at the University is self-explanatory – it's what I'm about. Aligning leaders in the community and getting nonprofits, faith-based institutions and members of the private sector on board; spurring businesses to help the urban community flourish; and making the youth in our cities feel as if they are safe, valued and have a voice, are all central to this mission. I'm particularly interested in helping to bring once-thriving urban centers back to their former glory."

Lamarca lends her success to the bedrock of support she says she's had along the way. From her husband, Michael, who has collaborated in her journey, to her colleagues at the New Jersey Department of Labor, who have inspired her to stay the course - especially Assistant Commissioner Dr. Patricia Moran - as well as Lamarca's 6-year-old son, Michael Joseph, and her 21-year-old daughter, Annastacia; as well as the foreign exchange students she welcomes into her home every year. She said that each one has provided her with valuable perspectives and motivation.

"I urge others to continue their education no matter what hand they've been dealt. If you want something badly enough, you just have to go ahead and do it," she said. "I’ve had the best experience so far and it continues to be both challenging and inspirational."

Learn more about the programs at the John S. Watson School of Public Service and Continuing Studies.

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