Alexander Castillo graduated from Northampton Community College (NCC) in 2017 with a degree in criminal justice. However, he found himself disillusioned with the criminal justice system and rethinking his wish to pursue a career in it.
“I wanted to serve my community, but I felt the system didn’t provide leeway for outstanding circumstances,” he says.
He decided to move to New York City, where he spent part of his childhood, to attend Queens College of the City University of New York as a double major in psychology and neuroscience. After earning a master’s degree in behavioral neuroscience in 2023, he was ready to take his next steps. Little did he know, he’d find his way back to NCC as a student more than five years after graduating.
When Castillo graduated from Pocono Mountain West High School in 2015, he took six months off to consider his next steps. He enrolled at NCC’s Pocono campus in 2016.
“The Pocono campus was close to my house and affordable,” he says. “I received a scholarship that really benefited me in my educational goals. It helped with tuition and book costs. It also gave me more opportunities to focus on my education because I didn’t need to work as many hours and had more time to study.”
Castillo soon found that the Pocono campus was a good fit.
“It was a wonderful experience that inspired me to keep learning,” he says. “It was a close-knit community that fostered growth.”
Castillo especially credits Vertel Martin, professor of criminal justice, who taught most of the criminal justice courses he took.
“She was a great teacher,” he recalls. “She always wanted the best for her students.”
After much consideration, Castillo realized his interests leaned more toward the medical field with an emphasis on psychology, and he decided to pursue that course of study.
“I realized there were other ways I could be of value to the community,” he says. “I volunteer as a clinical partner at Lehigh Valley Health Network and spend part of my summers as a camp counselor.”
Castillo participated in a research program while he attended Queens College, studying genetic variances as they affect metabolic dysfunction in mice. He finds that research satisfies his curiosity about various subjects in his field.
“Research allows you to find answers to questions you didn’t even know about,” he notes.
With a goal of becoming a neurologist or a psychiatrist, Castillo plans to apply to medical school. Realizing he needed some additional courses to help him prepare for the Medical College Admission Test, he decided to leave New York and come back to NCC to complete them. He returned to NCC because of the community, support, and lower costs.
“I’m glad to be back in my community and pursuing my dreams in Pennsylvania,” says Castillo. “This is where my educational journey started.”
He looks forward to medical school, but in the meantime, “it’s good to be back home at NCC.”
