Josuel Barrios SEBS’29.
Rutgers University welcomed more than 15,233 first-year and transfer students this fall, among them Josuel Barrios, a first-year student at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), who was raised on Rutgers Pride.
“I grew up with a lot of Rutgers spirit, going to the football games and Rutgers Day,” said Barrios, whose mom, Marizeo Mina, is a 2006 Cook College graduate. “My favorite was visiting the Cook Farm and seeing all the pigs and animals.”
This fall, Barrios, 18, is following in his mom’s footsteps as an incoming SEBS student majoring in environmental business economics. He is grateful for the path his mom blazed for him as a first-generation college student and long-time university employee, working as a deputy lab manager with the Public Health Research Institute at Rutgers-Newark.
“I’ve learned a lot from her experiences,” he said. “Since she also works for Rutgers, I’ve had the opportunity to meet all her co-workers. It opened my eyes to this new world and different cultures.”
The Butler High School graduate, who competed at the international level with the business club DECA and co-led his school’s Social Justice Club, is excited to study the relationship between economic activity and the natural environment.
“My career goal is to end up in a corporate setting like JP Morgan with an understanding of policies and practices that affect the environment so I can better shape our community,” he said.
Barrios said his mom was thrilled when he announced his decision to attend Rutgers-New Brunswick and SEBS.
“She knew I was going to go to Rutgers, but she didn’t know I was going chose her school,” he said. “It was a big moment for her when we toured the school during Admitted Students Day. When she was back on campus, she told me all these fun stories about her time taking care of the horses at Cook Farm.”
When his family attended football games, Barrios looked forward to the possibility of one day sitting in the raucous Student Section of SHI Stadium. But this year he’ll be even closer to the game, taking the field as a baritone player with the Scarlet Marching Knights.
“I’m so excited to play with the marching band,” said Barrios, who traveled back and forth to campus during August for rehearsals and moved in nearly two weeks before classes to ramp up ahead of the first home game Aug. 28. “We are going to perform at MetLife Stadium this year. It’s been a dream of mine to do that.”
This article originally appeared on Rutgers Today.
