ALJ Graduate Shares Life Experience with Students
Clark Public Schools
Matthew Gallo, 2017 class president and graduate of Arthur L. Johnson High School, visited his alma mater to share his experiences as a nursing major. Gallo, who graduated from Mount Saint Mary College with a BSN in nursing in 2021, visited Mrs. Bernadette Jacobi’s Premedical studies and Anatomy students. Gallo shared his experiences with his coursework, his clinicals and rotations as well as the rigor, sacrifices, and dedication it took to successfully complete his program. In addition, as a former student of the Premed program at ALJ, Gallo pointed out that he had first-hand experience in realizing the opportunity he had to build a solid foundation in basic medical studies prior to attending nursing school, which put him at a great advantage over others in his class. He has been working as an ER nurse at RWJ Rahway for the last two and a half years.
Through sharing his experience, Premed and Anatomy students were able to gain an invaluable, practical understanding of what is required in the field helping them to see how what they learn in the classroom extends to future careers.
Matt’s passion for his calling and his hard work have been recognized by his administrators at the hospital, and he was just promoted to “Clinical Coordinator” which gives him more responsibilities, while maintaining a patient base.
Mrs. Jacobi stated, “I am so excited to see how Matthew has grown as a medical professional, and so honored to have been a part of his journey. His experiences seem to have defined him, and his love of his career and the passion he has for caring for people goes above and beyond. He has an amazingly warm heart, which pulls people in and allows his patients to feel comfortable around him, which is such an important part of his character. My students connected with him instantly as he shared his stories.”
