Features

A tale of Vietnamese independence and defiance of gender roles, the story of Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị is passed down from generation to generation in Vietnamese culture, as it was from Dr. Phong Nguyen’s father to him. Storytime included all the classics: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the Trưng sisters. Only when he compared stories with his classmates did he find that no one else had heard of the sibling heroines of Vietnam. “I soon realized that if I ever wanted to read a story about the Trưng sisters, I would have to write it myself,” Dr. Nguyen said.

My advisor at the Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Leadership Scholars Program recommended that I take Dr. Roxane Gay’s class as the perfect way to explore the intersection of my interests in media and feminism. The experience changed my perspective on consuming media, made me a more confident writer, and gave me the opportunity to learn from one of the best in the field of cultural criticism.

For the first time in 48 years, all three student theater groups at Rutgers-New Brunswick are being led by artistic directors of color.

It’s no coincidence, said the trio – Cabaret Theatre’s Uchenna Agbu, College Avenue Players’ Kyle Cao and Livingston Theater Company’s Kira Harris. Their diversity reflects a growing trend toward inclusion both at Rutgers and in the arts, media and society at large, they said.

From learning about artwork to studying Greek vocabulary to mentoring fellow students, a Rutgers–New Brunswick senior breaks down an exceptionally busy day.

As a little boy growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey, Jeremy Lewan was fascinated by rainstorms. Wearing his miniature galoshes and gripping his pint-sized umbrella, he would persuade his parents to take him outside while the wind whipped around them and the rain came down in sheets. Jeremy intently watched leaves float down the streams of runoff until they reached the storm grate and disappeared. His wonder deepened as he became enamored with extreme weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards.

Emma Broggi is leaving her mark on Rutgers, literally, after designing President Jonathan Holloway’s holiday card in 2022 and creating the artwork on a line of Mason Gross School of the Arts merchandise.

The senior, who will graduate in May, hopes to use her degrees in visual arts and psychology to become a therapist, working with children and using her art to help them open up.

For two weeks this spring, Kyra Bostic served as a delegate participating in talks to develop a landmark international agreement to protect the oceans, which play a crucial role in absorbing carbon emissions – a key driver of climate change.