Margot Noyelle (’21, SAS/HC), a cell biology and neuroscience major with a minor in chemistry, prides herself on living in the moment and immersing herself in a diverse array of college experiences. Reflecting on her time at Rutgers with a smile, she cherishes her experiences making friends at the Honors College, being a Marching Scarlet Knight, teaching a FIGS, and sticking by the formative advice of her inspiring Mentor in Residence.
To thrive and make the most of her time at Rutgers, Margot has relied on her support system of friends and family, along with the relationships she has built here with co-workers and students. “I came into Rutgers as an engineering major, but I realized that it wasn’t a field I was interested in or a career I wanted to pursue long-term. I met with my first-year Mentor in Residence, Bharati Dev, and she took the time to sit down with me to look at majors in the School of Arts and Sciences and even find research labs to work in. She advised me to really explore college. Last year, I became a Mentor in Residence and this year, I’m a Changemaking Community Facilitator.”
Margot’s support system led her to take on these mentorship roles at the Honors College and when she entered the medical school application process, she leaned on her Honors College friends, including one who practiced interviewing with her.
“It’s okay to lean on people when you need advice...At the Honors College, you have a community that’s there to support you and celebrate your success.”
With Margot’s warm and calm demeanor, she has mentored and worked with many students across different communities at Rutgers as a Learning Assistant for the Honors College mission course (the Forum) and a First-Year Interest Group Seminar (FIGS) Peer Instructor. Her parting advice to all underclassmen is:
“Take any and all opportunities that seem interesting to you."
"I taught a FIGS my junior year and it was a last-minute decision for me to apply, but it ended up being one of my favorite college experiences. I loved being able to design a class, teach my students, and offer them guidance even after my class was over.”
Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, Margot has many fond personal memories of being at the Honors College. She describes an exciting, spontaneous, and laughter-filled snow day with friends as a first-year: “My friends and I did all of our work during the day and then at around midnight, we took some garbage bags they had at the HC and we used them to sled down the hill by the building. We all had early morning classes the next day, but it was a lot of fun and a very spur of the moment activity.”
Margot had the opportunity to play the clarinet as a part of the Marching Scarlet Knights and reminisced on the endless fun she had during her time living with the friends she made. “My friends in the marching band taught me how to relax. We lived together sophomore year and every time there was a new holiday, we put up decorations and just never took them down. We had a Christmas tree, Halloween lights, and posters from Coach Vivian Stringer’s 1000th win for the Rutgers’ Women’s Basketball Team. It was an over-decorated apartment, but it made for a cozy and comfortable space where we had frequent game nights and movie marathons.
I learned how to really appreciate and enjoy the time I had in college from these friends.”
Although being a graduating senior in 2021 has not been easy, Margot is someone who embraces the future and all its wonderful possibilities. She is looking forward to heading out into the world and seeing what it has in store for her: “I’m headed to medical school in the fall, so I’m super excited for that! I’ll be moving to New York. Once it’s safe to travel, I’d love to visit my family in France because I have not seen them in four years.”
IMAGE CAPTION: These images are from when Margot travelled to Amman, Jordan with two other RU students in the fall of 2019 to present her research on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) for the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at The International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR) Conference. Her Senior Honors Thesis is also related to HIE.