From Long Commutes to Life-Changing Purpose: How Brookdale Helped Shape Caleb’s Path to Mental Health Counseling

For Brookdale alum Caleb Best, the journey toward becoming a future licensed clinical mental health counselor didn’t begin in a graduate classroom, it began with a train ride before sunrise.

Today, Caleb is a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at James Madison University (JMU), where he also works at the JMU Counseling Center as part of the Outreach Department. But his path to supporting others started years earlier at Brookdale Community College, where affordability, encouragement, and community helped transform uncertainty into purpose.

Choosing Brookdale and Finding Direction

Caleb first chose Brookdale for a practical reason: it made sense financially.

“My older brother went to Brookdale and came out with much less debt,” he said. “That was a big factor for my family.”

But a campus tour quickly reshaped his expectations.

“I thought it would feel like just a community college,” he admitted. “Instead, everyone cared deeply about creating a real college experience. I walked away knowing this was where I wanted to be.”

Initially majoring in kinesiology, Caleb soon discovered that his true interests lay elsewhere, thanks in part to a powerful lesson from English Professor Kathleen Kennedy.

“She sparked a deeper passion for learning and encouraged me to pursue something that I love,” he said. “I started thinking about psychology again and realized I didn’t want to choose a career just because it might make money. Switching majors was the best decision I ever made.”

Determination in Motion

Caleb’s Brookdale experience was defined by commitment.

Living in Long Branch without a car, he woke up as early as 4:30 a.m. to take a train to Red Bank, then a bus to campus, repeating the journey home each evening.

Rather than seeing the commute as a burden, he turned it into motivation.

“I would plan my whole day around being on campus,” he said. “Brookdale showed me that wherever you go, it’s about what you put into it.”

That work ethic would later ease his transition to George Mason University for his bachelor’s degree and ultimately to graduate school at JMU.

“When I got to those schools, the adjustment didn’t feel as hard as people described,” he said. “Brookdale prepared me for the intensity.”

A Calling Rooted in Experience

Caleb’s interest in mental health began in high school, shaped by personal challenges during his parents’ divorce.

“I remember thinking I could have benefited from having someone to talk to,” he said. “If I can help someone carry that weight, even for an hour, that’s all I can hope for.”

At Brookdale, he deepened that passion through independent research, often spending hours in the library studying mental health topics even before taking psychology courses.

“That library was a haven for me,” he said.

He also joined Psi Beta, the psychology honor society, where he connected with peers who shared his interests.

“It was the first time I could really talk with others who wanted to work in the field,” he said.

From Student to Counselor-in-Training

Now working directly with clients during his practicum at the JMU Counseling Center, Caleb says the most rewarding moments come from simply being present.

“You see someone walking in carrying weight,” he explained. “For that hour, you hold it with them.”

His goal is clear: to become a licensed clinical mental health counselor in Virgina or potentially return to New Jersey to serve communities like the one that shaped him.

A Lasting Impact

When asked to describe Brookdale’s impact in one sentence, Caleb didn’t hesitate.

“It made me the person I am today.”

Even now, his graduate school peers know how often he speaks about Brookdale.

“In my graduate cohort they jokingly call me ‘Caleb Brookdale’ because I talk about the college so much,” he said with a laugh. “They joke that it’s the only school I claim. But it’s true, my work ethic and the path I’m on today started there.”

Looking ahead, Caleb hopes one day to return to campus, not as a student, but as a speaker to encourage future students to follow their passions.

“Brookdale is still the best school I’ve ever been to.”