Rider Sophomore Serves United Nations
Associationtion
Rider University sophomore Hector Rosa of Newark
is on a mission to change the world for the betterment of mankind.
As an intern at the United Nations Association (UNA), a branch of
the United Nations in New York City, he is already learning the fundamentals.
Working at the UNA’s Development
Department for the past eight months he has raised funds to help eliminate
land mines in various countries and has helped organize diplomacy
programs administered by the United Nations Association (UNA). Buoyed
by his experiences, last month he sent a proposal to UNA Ambassador
David Scheffer outlining ways in which Rider students might be involved
in the life of the UN.
For Rosa, a political science/global
multinational studies major, the need to give back to the world was
sparked during his days at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood
and later at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale. His leadership
skills and desire to help others blossomed when he served as a student
ambassador and later a liaison to international students at those
two highly diverse schools.
Rosa knows about facing the challenges
of daily struggle. Growing up in Newark, he has lived on his own since
the 11th grade. “I could have dropped out of school since I
faced a two-hour commute each way everyday but the faith that I had
to make it made me strong and more determined to help others, particularly
those from impoverished communities,” said Rosa, whose family
hails from Puerto Rico. “Since reaching out to struggling Third
World countries is the mission of the United Nations Association,
I knew that I could make a difference. I encourage others to do so
also.”
Although interested in the interdisciplinary
nature of political science, Rosa’s quest to deepen his understanding
of world issues prompted him to also major in global and multinational
studies. “Rider’s curriculum is designed to help students
think critically about global forces to change how they view the world,”
said Dr. Frank Rusciano, professor and chairperson of the political
science department. “We want to increase our students’
awareness of the social, political and cultural factors that influence
human behavior and values in an increasingly integrated world.”
Taking Dr. Roberta Fiske-Rusciano’s
course, “The Social Construction of Global Society,” Rosa
was further propelled into action with the writing of the letter to
Ambassador Scheffer. This semester the class will participate in two
videoconferences with the United Nations in March and April. Rosa
plans to organize a trip for the class to spend a day at the United
Nations and to possibly have UN representatives speak on campus. Dr.
Rusciano has encouraged Rosa along the way, integrating his efforts
into her class. “Hector is a very imaginative, innovative individual,”
said Rusciano, adjunct assistant professor in political science. “His
heart is in this.”
Rosa, who is bilingual in both English
and Spanish, is involved in several campus organizations. He is treasurer
of the Public Relations Society student chapter, a member of Alpha
Phi Omega, a community service fraternity; the Latin American Student
Organization (LASO) and the Political Science Society. He is also
in his second year of Russian language study.
Rosa thanks key people at Rider such
as Laraine Schwartz, Pat Lutz, Theresa Lesko in Academic Affairs
and Dr. Howard Schwartz, professor and chairperson of the communication
department, for making a difference in his life. Their recommendation
letters opened doors for him to serve at the UNA. He also thanks staff
members in EOP for their support. Rosa envisions a diplomatic international
relations school one day at Rider.
“People say you should get
through life on your own; I say that may be 10 percent true, but 90
percent of it is helping others along the way,” said Rosa, who
is also minoring in Russian. He seeks a diplomatic service career
at the UN. “We need to work together. That’s what building
a sense of community is all about.”
