Features

Last spring, the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and long histories of violence and discrimination spurred national protests and activism. Like the rest of the country, the Honors College at Rutgers–New Brunswick and its students, staff, and faculty deeply felt the impact of these events. The renewal of the Black Lives Matter movement brought to the surface the many ways inequality persists in our society and what we as the Honors College can do to foster a deeper culture of belonging for all.

Mugdha Parulekar (‘20 SAS/HC/DRC) knew she wanted to study genetics since high school. At her high school lab, she would study human cells, but when she got to Rutgers, she was drawn to a lab at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology with a focus on plant genetics. There, as part of the genetics major, she did research editing chloroplasts to produce commercially viable crops.

Grace Alt (’21, SAS/HC/DRC) credits some of her greatest experiences at Rutgers and in the Honors College to an environment that encouraged curiosity, exploration, and connection. From pursuing a double major in French and political science and taking on leadership roles to support fellow students, to reaching beyond the Honors College to expand her community, this environment has propelled her.

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.

Ankita Kodali began Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick as a shy student who sat in the back of the room and listened quietly when she joined a campus organization.

By the second half of her sophomore year, she had served in one or two leadership positions in small student groups and accepted the role of president for the Rutgers Business School Innovation Committee (RBSIC), which works closely with the Office of Career Management. By the end of her senior year, she would be president of two other student groups.