WEST WINDSOR – At age 62, Norm Glover was the 2012 student speaker for Mercer County Community College’s Commencement ceremonies, sharing the dais with then-Newark Mayor Cory Booker. He’s back on campus now, this time as a counselor advising students on their healthcare options under the federal Affordable Care Act.

But then again, it’s like he never left.

“I’m still taking classes,” said Glover, who received his degree in Business Management. “I’m taking one class a semester. I’m in the Culinary program. I figure no matter what, you always have to eat.”

Glover, of East Windsor, is a Vietnam veteran who earned a Purple Heart for wounds received during combat. He dropped out of high school in eleventh grade to join the Army, where he earned his GED. Glover was inspired to earn his associate degree when his job was eliminated during the most recent economic recession.

In his new career, Glover is a certified application counselor for the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), coming to the West Windsor Student Center on Friday mornings to provide one-on-one sessions with students looking to explore their healthcare options. He said the new mandate requiring health insurance is complicated and confusing for many individuals, and his goal is to simplify the process.

As part of his job, Glover reviews the options that include the Marketplace Health Plans, as well as NJ FamilyCare programs.

“We’re here to sign people up, and to give them a hand,” Glover said. “The law says you have to have health insurance – but it doesn’t say how or where you have to buy it.”

Glover, who started taking classes at Mercer in 2003, said his familiarity with the campus and many of the students, faculty, and staff has made the job easier in some ways, but also has its drawbacks.

“I’ve gone here so long, and so many people know me, it’s nice,” Glover said. “But at the same time, they don’t realize I’m actually here for something else.”

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