When Vincent Costanza first came to Middlesex College as a high school graduate, he didn’t have the best outlook on his future prospects.

“I stumbled my way into Middlesex College, but it was very much a blessing in disguise,” he recalled.

Costanza earned 59 credits at Middlesex College, just one credit shy of getting his associate degree. But rather than taking a health class to get that last credit, Costanza opted to transfer to Rutgers University sooner rather than later, eager to get a head start toward a bachelor’s degree.

After graduating from Rutgers, Costanza joined AmeriCorps, known as the Peace Corps for America, which landed him at a Trenton elementary school where he developed an afterschool program for second graders.

“That second grade classroom had a dynamic teacher who inspired me to get more involved in teaching,” he noted with a smile.

Constanza and that “dynamic teacher” went on to marry and have a daughter.

In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Costanza holds a master’s in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from The College of New Jersey and a doctorate in Educational Theory, Policy, and Administration from Rutgers.

Since 2021, he has been the principal of Campbell Elementary School in Metuchen, just a short distance from Middlesex College, where his educational journey began.

Costanza says his educational success is a testament to the importance of nurturing confidence in young minds, a life-long lesson that he learned at Middlesex College.

“Middlesex College was a life-changer for me in so many regards. As a first-generation college student, and as somebody who struggled a lot in school, not because I was a stupid kid, but because I didn’t have the confidence,” Costanza explained.

“My experiences at Middlesex College ended up empowering me in a very practical way, but also in a very ambitious, change-the-world way. I felt that if I could come from where I came from and feel as empowered as I felt, I could do anything.”