Student Spotlight

Honors College Student Maximillian Lieberman ('23, RBS/HC) Among Those Featured

New Brunswick NJ: Rutgers Move-In Day brings out students, parents and Mayor James Cahill on August 28 at 9 a.m. at 5 Seminary Pl. (Photo: Alexander Lewis / Staff photo)

RUTGERS - A record number of 45,200 students applied for admission to one or more of Rutgers’ campuses statewide. 

Rutgers University opens its doors this semester to the Class of 2023, an accomplished group of students who are already working to make the world a better place and are poised to begin making their mark at Rutgers.

From Prestigious Film Festivals to Hands-On Experiences

Student standing on street in Telluride with film festival banner behind
UnionDocs sign beneath a bridge with the river behind
Three students standing beneath a Cannes sign
For Charles de Agustin ('20, MGSA/SAS/HC), this summer was a series of intensive and inspirational experiences in film, from Cannes and Telluride to the Flaherty Film Seminar and a film programming internship at UnionDocs center for documentary art in Brooklyn. Read about how these experiences impacted his personal and professional growth.

HC Students publish children's book

Jessica Birk & Lauren Krasnoff with their book “When Ellie Sang a G”

Jessica Birk, a Rutgers Business School sophomore, and Lauren Krasnoff, a Mason Gross School of Arts sophomore, are fighting back against funding cuts to music and art education programs through their children’s book, “When Ellie Sang a G.” 

The importance of art education has steadily been decreasing in schools, according to the National Educational Music Company. In the face of growing budget cuts, music and art programs are often the first to go.

Aneesha Doshi: Why I Give

Aneesha holding a picture she drew with a child
Aneesha (Right) with her fellow students during an Alternative Breaks trip
Aneesha Doshi, a third-year Honors College student and biomedical engineering major, has always had a passion for giving. She encourages Honors College students to embrace a giving mindset and to use their talents and skills to make a difference in the lives of others. Learn more about how service has played a monumental role in Aneesha’s life.

Aasha Shaik featured in "Celebrate Equality: The Future of Women's Rights"

Aasha Shaik

Aasha Shaik ('20, SAS/HC/DRC) was featured throughout this International Women's Day special as a UN Women's Beijing +25 Youth Task Force member to speak on gender equality. So proud of the work she's doing.

Original airdate was Sunday, March 8, 2020 on WABC-TV and elsewhere through ABC affiliates across the country.


View and listen to Aasha in video series featured on abc7ny.com

Research: A Journey from Service to Purpose

Shaheer (left) with friends in a mountaintop hammock.
Shaheer (nearest) looking at data on computer screen with his colleague.
A view of Bar Harbor from a mountain top looking over toward the water.

During my summer at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine last year, I conducted computational genetics research, focused, on finding genetic targets of evolution within wild mice populations. My work was very much enshrined in basic science, which includes researching the fundamentals of science, as opposed to studying applicable solutions to specific diseases, for example. These fundamentals remain important as they represent the foundation on which clinical applications are created. 

HC Senior rethinks her major and the impact she could have on the world

Samantha Chen

Samantha Chen says her major in biological sciences is great preparation for a calling that combines her strength in science with her passion for social justice. “I came in thinking I would be premed,” Chen says. “But I had to rethink the impact I could have on the world.”

Samantha Chen seemed destined for medical school.

Strong in science and passionate about helping others, the Morris County native attended a STEM-focused magnet high school, earned dozens of AP credits, and chose biological sciences as her major at Rutgers.