Advisory Board

Jilly Matje (HC '23) is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Music and certificate in Recording Arts. She is the Community Liaison for the Newell Apartments, but can also be seen performing in the Marching Scarlet Knights and Pep Band at football, basketball, and volleyball games and playing solo at coffeehouses and charity events. In her free time, Jilly enjoys recording music, participating in intramurals, drawing, and trying new things!

Emma McMillan (HC '24) is a freshman double majoring in English and Visual Arts, with a concentration in Photography. After graduating from Rutgers University she hopes to pursue a career in journalism, photography, or screenwriting. When she’s not serving on the Student Advisory Board, you can find her taking photos for the Daily Targum, or being involved in the Mason Gross Student Government Association. In her spare time, Emma enjoys reading and writing, playing soccer, and singing whilst playing ukulele.

Taqiya Ehsan (HC '23) is a sophomore majoring in Computer Engineering with a minor in Computer Science, hoping to pursue a career in Machine Learning & AI or Software Development. Besides serving as a General Board Member of the Honors College Student Advisory Board, she also works as a Learning Assistant for the Honors College Mission Course: Forum and mentors first-year female engineers in the Society of Women Engineers’ Leaders & Learners Program. When she’s not studying, Taqiya enjoys listening to music, working out, and watching Jake Gyllenhaal movies.

Maria Zhang (HC '23) is a sophomore majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing and Gender and Media. Aside from being in the Student Advisory Board, Maria participates in monthly rants over books as the Vice President of RutgersREAD book club and serves as a Barbara Voorhees Mentor for the Douglass Residential College. Maria is passionate about education and hopes to eventually become a college professor. During quarantine, she has been testing out new recipes, making art, reading, and hiking in the mountains.

Emily Zhivotovski (HC '24) is a freshman majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a possible minor in Medical Ethics and Health Policy. After graduation from Rutgers University, she hopes to pursue a field in healthcare and aspires to be an attentive physician. When she’s not serving on the Student Advisory Board you can find her working as a First Gen HC Fellow or conducting research as an intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s radiology department, studying optimal imaging surveillance of tumors. Emily also enjoys volunteering her time at hospitals and food banks as a way to give back to her local community. In her free time she enjoys long netflix binges, hiking or jogging with her dog, and drinking copious amounts of coffee while listening to new music.

Kithmy Wickramasinghe (HC '24) is a freshman majoring in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with a minor in computer science. When she’s not working with the Student Advisory Board, Kithmy is a contributing writer for The Examiner and the Daily Targum and is a member of North American Disease Intervention (NADI). In the future, Kithmy hopes to pursue medicine and become a physician. In her free time, Kithmy enjoys playing acoustic guitar, reading memoirs, and finding new music.

Bianca Caproni (HC '24) is a freshman interested in psychology, linguistics, and Spanish. Besides being involved in the Student Advisory Board, Bianca is a Gen HC fellow and a member of the Organization of Luso-Americans at Rutgers. She is also a summer camp counselor and a babysitter, who loves working with kids and individuals with special needs. In her spare time, Bianca likes to read, listen to Harry Styles, bake treats for her family, and watch movies.

Pavan Pranesh (HC '23) is a sophomore majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in Economics. Aside from being a part of the Student Advisory Board, Pavan is a member of Rutgers Globmed, an SASHP peer tutor, and works in an undergraduate lab conducting research on diabetes and systemic glucose homeostasis. He aspires to go to medical school and specialize in psychiatry. When he’s not swamped with work, Pavan likes to play soccer, watch sports and anime, and hang out with friends.

Astha Lakhankar (HC '24) is a freshman majoring in Statistics with a minor in Economics and Political Science. Besides serving on the Student Advisory Board, she works for WRSU (the official Rutgers University radio station) and interns at her local Chamber of Commerce. Depending on the day, she aspires to either have a career in government consulting/actuarial work or to move to a remote village in Ireland and open up a cafe/bakery. In her free time, Astha enjoys listening to showtunes (and adding to her 12-hour playlist), taking walks in the park (or alternatively, pacing her room), and reading poetry.

Eve Jenski (HC '23) is a sophomore double majoring in Sociology and Linguistics. In addition to serving on the Student Advisory Board, they are the Head Delegate of the Rutgers Model UN Travel Team. They also serve as a Price Family Fellow, a fellowship to support and advocate for foster youth in higher education. In the future, they would like to continue this work, hopefully in higher education administration. Outside of school, Adam loves learning about different languages and cultures. In their spare time, they enjoy drawing and animation.