Living in Camden is not as big a deal as people think. Some people think they will get robbed or shot if they walk down the street by themselves. I am not saying that bad things don’t happen, because things happen in Camden all the time, but I think every city has crime problems.

When people hear the word “Camden” they get surprised or even ask, “How you feel living in Camden?” From my experience, I can say that Camden is not how people make it seem. There are people who do good things for a living and others who make bad decisions and spend their life making bad choices. I take the shuttle from Camden to Glassboro everyday, and one day I heard some students talking about how they were scared to cross the street from the Camden campus to Barnes & Nobles because they did not feel safe. It was surprising to hear that, because the store is across street from the building and I couldn’t believe this was the first thing that came to their minds.

I understand that they probably have heard about the bad side of Camden. But, at that moment, I thought about how sometimes society just believes what others say without knowing the details. I think every city around the United States has its crime issues. But, that’s the way the world is and we cannot change that.

Not a lot of students know this, but Rowan’s campus in Camden also includes an Educational Opportunity Fund/Maximizing Academic Potential Program (EOF/MAPP), which I participate in. We also have a club named “RUCASA” where we host activities, trips and other events simply to give students a chance to be a part of a club.

As the secretary of the club, I can say we all work together as a team to create events that give new students the ability to interact with other students.

Rowan’s Camden campus is a very diverse campus. It’s also not as big as the Glassboro campus, which in my opinion is good because everything is in one place. I honestly feel confident there and cannot complain about a situation that has ever put my life in danger or that made me feel unsafe.

Camden is not clean of drugs or crime, but I can say that it is not a place of darkness. Camden has people who work hard for a better life, people who have decent jobs. Students who goes to school every day for a better future, because even if there is poverty and drugs they want to become successful. Camden is not a nightmare like others make it seem. We have good and bad people, but no city is full of perfect human beings.

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