Rutgers–New Brunswick junior Maddison Van Der Mark didn’t realize the public service work she had been doing most of her life – namely serving her country in active duty as a sergeant in the army, volunteering to teach boxing to at-risk youth and tutoring veterans in writing – weren’t just hobbies until she came to campus.
“When I found out, I was amazed that I was chosen and just really thankful,” said the Edison resident and Goldwater scholar who emigrated with his family from Pakistan as a 6-year-old and will be studying for his doctoral degree in biomedical informatics at Stanford University starting in August.
Rutgers University in Camden is proud to congratulate Teresa Osorio, a graduating senior majoring in biology, for her acceptance into the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The fellowship is one of the most lucrative and prestigious awards an undergraduate can receive; it covers three years of tuition to a Ph.D. program and includes a $37,000 annual stipend.
Before starting her sophomore year at Rutgers School of Nursing, Talia Rosen had never spoken with another Orthodox Jewish woman who identified as queer. Now preparing to receive her bachelor of science degree in nursing in May, the Teaneck native has spent the past two years building what she describes as a small, vibrant community of gay and Jewish students on the university’s New Brunswick campus.
“I thought there needs to be somebody who has seen the school and been through that system and knows the teachers and students,” said Divon Pender. “I thought, ‘I can be that person.’ I felt a calling to be part of the school district.”
After being involved with political campaigns on and off campus, Shakee Merritt is now working on launching the GENNEX Political Action Committee, “a PAC dedicated to educating, empowering, and energizing Generation Z to run, vote and partake in the democratic system one hundred percent.”