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Honors College Scholar: Biology Major Finds Her Path to Education, Close-knit Communities at Rutgers

Rutgers student Nadia Fedoryka will graduate from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Photo Courtesy of Nadia Fedoryka

When Nadia Fedoryka came to Rutgers four years ago, she wasn’t sure the direction she should take but knew she had time to figure it out.

She loved science but wanted to know what makes individuals tick. Understanding the economy, she thought, would help her in life and whatever career she chose.

So Fedoryka decided to take an interdisciplinary approach to life and school and see where it would take her.

Class of 2021 Senior Spotlight: Megan Wang

During her time at Rutgers, Megan Wang (’21, SEBS/HC) has taken a deep dive into her research in food science developing the knowledge she needs to understand what goes into our food (including our favorite snacks!), the chemistry and biology involved in stabilizing food, and the many facets of creating, managing, processing, developing, and overseeing food safety.

A Sense of Closeness, For Real

For Lauren Krasnoff ('22, MGSA/HC), the pandemic lockdown caused her to "rethink the place that my group portraits had during a time of social distancing. I also started to contemplate how quarantine had changed my relationships to my loves ones and the world." Her painting, No Diving, was born and, this summer, featured in the Newark Museum as part of its New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond.

Class of 2021 Senior Spotlight: Wamia Siddiqui

Wamia in front of the United States Capitol Building

Wamia Siddiqui (’21, SEBS/HC/DRC), a new graduate in the public health major, arrived at Rutgers after attending a very small high school, worried she would not find a community to connect with. That worry quickly moved out of view when Wamia started finding community in many places, with the Honors College/Douglass Residential College “Dougie fam” as one of her first Rutgers community connections.

The Honors College Changemaking Communities

Virtual Changemaking Communities - banner

In the summer of 2020, the Honors College created six virtual Changemaking Communities as part of the Virtual HC to provide an opportunity for students to engage with each other during the COVID-19 pandemic. These communities are now serving as an opportunity for engaging students this coming academic year as we return to campus.

HC Rising Sophomore Launched Mother's Touch to Address Maternal Health Disparities

Gloria Bachmann of the RWJMS Women's Health Institute, left, expectant mother Michelle Leighton, and Rutgers-New Brunswick Honors College student Zoe Reich (SAS ’24) review the Mother's Touch app, a student project led by Reich that launched in June. | Photo by Nick Romanenko

While working remotely as a first-year student and interning at the Women's Health Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School under Dr. Gloria Bachmann, Zoe Reich ('24, SAS/HC/DRC) learned about the maternal health statistics and racial disparities that exist in New Jersey, ranked 47th in the nation for maternal deaths. Moved by this information, she formed a team of 40 fellow female students from the Honors College and Douglass to design and create an app to help empower current and expectant mothers.

Even Under the Face Masks, There Were Excited Smiles at Rutgers' Move-In Day

Chancellor-Provost, Francine Conway, welcoming a new student to the Honors College

New students arrived to move in to the Honors College

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Alyssa Ehling had snacks, school supplies, bedding and everything else a first-year student could possibly need, all stuffed into a red cart out in front of Rutgers’ Honors College.

And, perhaps most importantly, she brought a box of high-grade face masks.

“I’m just excited,” said the first-year student from North Plainfield. “I was worried we would have to be remote for the whole year.”

And after a brief pause, Ehling began pushing the cart toward her new dorm room and the next chapter of her life.

Congratulations to the Featured Presenters of the Spring 2021 Forum Pitch Showcase!

This spring, our students once again demonstrated Curiosity,  Knowledge,  and Purpose as they collaborated in small interdisciplinary teams to create sustainable business and service concepts to address specific local challenges in communities near and far. Congratulations to all of the teams who presented before a panel of judges from business and academia and to our winners from this spring’s Forum Competition!

Mary Chayko Reappointed Faculty Fellow in Residence at Rutgers-New Brunswick Honors College for 2021-2022

Distinguished Teaching Professor of Communication and Information and Director of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies Mary Chayko has been reappointed Faculty Fellow in Residence at the Honors College-New Brunswick in 2021-2022 for a fifth consecutive year. She will teach and mentor honors students, supervise their research, and conduct her own research on the impact of social media and digita

HC Students Jeremy Lewan and Bianca Caproni Joined Others to Share Their Back-to-Campus Excitement.

Jeremy Lewan (left) and Bianca Caproni (middle) joined others to share their back-to-campus excitement.

Bloomberg Quicktake came to Rutgers–New Brunswick one day this fall to talk about college in the age of COVID with Antonio Calcado, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Rutgers; Mark Beal of the School of Communication and Information; and select students, including Jeremy Lewan and Bianca Caproni of the Honors Colleges. Hear how the university has prepared for the return-to-campus and how the mentality and experiences of college students have changed in the age of COVID.

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