Kean Graduate Pours Passion for Inclusivity into New Thrift Shop

Kean alumna Natalia Vazquez-Bodkin ‘11 is redefining what inclusivity can look like through Academy St. Thrift, a community-centered shop she opened in Glen Ridge in May 2025. 

An eclectic “career closet” for people in academia and beyond, the store is designed to feel inclusive to individuals of all genders, backgrounds and abilities.  

“Thrift stores are a non-traditional place, a conjuring of oddities,” said Vazquez-Bodkin, who opened the boutique with her husband, Henry Bodkin. “As a neurodivergent person, that's who I am and who my village is.”  

That sense of belonging was first nurtured at Kean. When she first arrived at the University, she was homeless, but with support from Kean’s Exceptional Educational Opportunities (EEO) program, now known as the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program, she graduated with a B.A. in English. She later earned master’s degree in global education from Arizona State University before returning to Kean as an adjunct professor.  

Vazquez-Bodkin credits a lot of her success to a Kean professor who helped her secure a work-study position at Kean’s Writing Center and helped connect her with the financial aid she needed to secure housing. 

“Before that, I was failing because I was so tired,” said Vazquez-Bodkin. “My professor pulled me aside to ask why, and she provided such a safe space. I realized immediately that I would need to pay it forward by filling that role for someone else, and that has been my mission ever since.” 

Growing up in Hackensack, Vazquez-Bodkin remembers being embarrassed to buy used clothing. 

“At Academy St. Thrift, we’re encouraging everyone to unlearn the stigma of second-hand and to instead think about sustainability, recycling and upcycling as solutions to over-consumption,” she said. 

Vazquez-Bodkin, who considers clothing collectible art, launched the shop with apparel and books from her own closets. She and her husband also travel the East Coast to find merchandise, including vintage and modern clothing, shoes, jewelry and kitchenware. 

Previously, Vazquez-Bodkin served as associate director of DEI at Hudson County Community College (HCCC), winning a $500,000 grant for the school and receiving the 2023 Heart and Hope Award from the National Summit for Educational Equity.  

Christopher Conzen, Ed.D., executive director of the Secaucus Center and Early College Program at HCCC, praised Vazquez-Bodkin for her empathy, which he said has made her a tireless advocate for students of all backgrounds and a community member with the ability to “look through the eyes of others.” 

“This is what makes her successful in her new venture of Academy St. Thrift,” Conzen said. “To one person, each of these items was something to discard, but Natalia sees their potential and how they can find new life with another individual with a different perspective.” 

In 2024, Vazquez-Bodkin moved into the classroom at Kean, where she helped students develop advanced research and academic writing skills.  

She left academia in the spring of 2025 to focus her time on the store, and on helping to promote inclusivity in Glen Ridge for the benefit of her 12-year-old daughter, who is Afro-Latina.