Student Spotlight

New Rutgers Program Transforms Premed Student Experience

Nine first-year Honors College students hailing from three admitting schools at Rutgers–New Brunswick were accepted into the inaugural class of the Rutgers Honors College–New Brunswick and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 4+4 Program with an Emphasis in Global Health. They are (L-R) Leah Cherukara (SAS/HC), Arianna Horgan (SEBS/HC), Clairisse Whang (SAS/HC), Samuel Fisher (SEBS/HC), Helen Gao (SAS/HC), Aparna Ragupathi (SAS/HC), Devin Busono (SEBS/HC), Kimberlee Sibilia (SOE/HC), and Deven Singh (SAS/HC).

MCAT is eliminated and students have conditional guarantee to medical school in 4+4 Program

Under a new program at Rutgers, first-year student Helen Gao is on a unique path to medical school, one that includes time to pursue a degree in fine arts. Devin Busono will have time to explore his passion for music production and learn Japanese as he prepares to become an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

Honors College senior, Nick Pellitta, named a Schwarzman Scholar

Nicholas Pellitta ('19, SAS/HC) at the Honors College. Photo credit: Nick Romanenko

Rutgers Announces First Schwarzman Scholars

 

Nick Pellitta, Haoyang Yu, Mussab Ali will study global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing
 

A recent Rutgers graduate and two seniors were named today as the university’s first Schwarzman Scholars, a prestigious global program designed to help students develop their leadership skills while pursuing a master’s degree in global affairs at one of the top universities in China.

Honors College Sophomore, Belle Huang: Gymnast & Judge

Belle Huang (HC Sophomore) as a Gymnast and Judge

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – In the home opener on Jan. 19, Belle Huang posted three scores of 9.800 or better for Rutgers gymnastics, including a career-high 9.925 on floor exercise. However, the sophomore was not done with gymnastics for the day following the college meet. She switched sides of the table from competing to judging the youth meet inside the Livingston Gym.
 

Pharmacy Student Contributes Expertise to Winning Project

Eleftheria - winning team
A pitch for a color-coded needle system earned Juliet Petillo ’22 and her teammates first-place honors in a social innovation competition sponsored by the Honors College at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Their entry, which the team named Eleftheria, bested more than 50 others to earn the top prize in the contest, which challenged Honors College students to develop a project proposal that would help to improve the lives of others. Petillo is a PharmD candidate at the School of Pharmacy.

HC Junior as a student entrepreneur, and a student of entrepreneurship

Sarah Pomeranz ('20, RBS/HC/DRC) and the Sulis team piloted their water purification system in India.
Sarah Pomeranz ('20, RBS/HC/DRC) is majoring in Leadership & Management with a concentration in entrepreneurship and a minor in social justice. Her academic interests and entrepreneurial drive led her to co-found Sulis, a start-up addressing clean water scarcity with their innovative water sterilization technology, alongside team members Anurag Modak ('20, SAS/HC), Ari Mendelow ('18, SOE), and Yuki Osumi ('20, SAS/HC).

Climate Change Is a Major Concern for Rutgers Senior

Rutgers senior Lauren Rodgers examines tiny shells found in sediment at the bottom of the Southern Ocean near Tasmania. Photo: Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University
“Climate change is one of the biggest issues right now,” said Rodgers, who is 22. “Organisms are dying off and going through mass extinctions. The climate is completely changing and you can see it all around us. It’s not something you can ignore. We are causing it and we can make changes to lessen the impact, but at this point we cannot prevent it. Many people in power don’t seem to have climate change on their agenda, which is really disappointing.”

HC Students Represent at the Smithsonian Earth Optimism Summit

Charlotte Singer
Rob Helsel & Charlotte Singer

Honors College students Rob Helsel ('19, SEBS/HC) and Charlotte Singer ('19, SAS/HC) were awarded scholarships to attend the Smithsonian Institution's inaugural Earth Optimism Summit this April in Washington, DC. Positioned as a master class in saving the planet, more than 150 speakers and 1,000 thought leaders, scientists, artists, environmentalists, and civic and business leaders from around the world, as well as students and young professionals, gathered over three days to share stories of what's working in conservation.