If serving as a councilman in his native Guttenberg could be a full-time job, then Javier Inclan would be living in a perfect world. The 29-year-old Inclan, who was elected into office last year, loves serving his community and has done so since he was a teenager, either as a recreation coordinator or as one of the most respected baseball umpires and basketball officials in Hudson County. However, budgetary constraints in a miniscule municipality like Guttenberg doesn’t call for its elected officials to receive a full-time salary. Inclan has to go out and make a real living elsewhere. For the last seven years, Inclan did that by working in commercial property management, finding sufficient office space for businesses throughout the area. But that really wasn’t Inclan’s cup of tea. “I’ve always loved dealing with kids and students,” Inclan said. “I always wanted to get back into that field somehow.” The opportunity arose recently when Inclan applied for the position of community outreach coordinator for Monroe College in New Rochelle, N.Y. “A friend of mine who works there said that the school was looking for someone who could expand their recruitment of students into New Jersey,” Inclan said. “They also said that a bilingual person would be perfect for the job.” That’s certain, considering Monroe College, with 4,500 students at both its Bronx and New Rochelle campuses, has the second highest population of Hispanic students enrolled, only trailing the University of Miami. “It’s a predominately minority enrollment,” Inclan said. “Mostly African-American and Latino students.” But it was a perfect opportunity for Inclan to get back into a field where he’s the most comfortable – dealing with young adults. “I’ve always been interested in working in education,” said Inclan, who is a graduate of North Bergen High School and William Paterson University with a degree in history. “I’m very excited to be working with students again. Professionally, everything was just right with this move.” Since he took over the position last month, Inclan has been attending high school fairs throughout the area, talking about the strong points of Monroe College. He has also started a community outreach program at Westchester County and has already begun international recruiting, visiting prospective students in Puerto Rico last week. “It’s been wonderful,” Inclan said. “It’s a family-owned college. They’ve pretty much given me the ball and letting me run with it. I have flexibility to have more of a hands-on involvement in student recruiting.” Inclan has been trying to sell the local high school students the virtues of the school, which offers both two and four-year programs for students who wish to major in business and technology. “We do not offer any liberal arts majors,” Inclan said. “Monroe is strictly for students who want to get into the business or technology field. It is the least expensive private school in the country and we have a solid ratio of computers per student. Computers are worked into every major, in order to prepare students to earn a degree in order to get a job. Almost 95 percent of our students are placed in a job upon graduation.” Monroe’s two-year program has proven to be a stepping stone for its athletes, who hope to transfer to NCAA Division I programs. Michael Nurse, a native of Teaneck, who was the starting point guard at Iowa State last year, is a Monroe graduate. And St. Peter’s College just signed guard Nate Brown, a Monroe graduate who will play for the Peacocks next season. Inclan believes that his personal background will help to gain the prospective students’ respect. “Being from Hudson County, I think I understand how tough it is,” Inclan said. “I didn’t come from the poorest of families, but I’ve seen a lot of tough times through the years. I think I can relate to the students more because of my background.” Although Inclan has started full-time employment in Westchester County that has taken him away from his roots somewhat, with an hour-long commute daily, he’s not about to turn his back on Guttenberg, considering that he’s now seen as a rising star in the local political forum. “It has been a juggle on my time, with the new job and being a member of the council,” Inclan said. “It takes a lot of hours, but I think I’m going to be able to handle it.” Inclan still coordinates the township’s recreation department. He won’t give up being with the kids for any reason. “That’s more of my style, working with kids,” Inclan said. “That’s why this position was right up my alley. I’m going to be able to incorporate a lot of things I’ve done in the past into this job, while not hurting what I do in Guttenberg. I’d love to have the chance to umpire or referee more, but I’m keeping busy.”
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