Meet more than a dozen Rutgers graduates who have left their mark on this institution and are poised to pursue their passions – from medicine to music – after graduation. These students are exemplars of this diverse and engaging academic community. We celebrate their achievements and look forward to the bright futures ahead.
Born in Peru, Carolyn Andia had been interested in the aerospace field since she boarded a jet as a child to fly to her new home and life in the United States. Initially denied admission to Rutgers' School of Engineering, she developed an academic plan to continue to pursue a spot in the program. She’ll graduate this month with her engineering degree and has accepted an offer from UTC Aerospace Systems.
When Katie Ciarelli attended college in Boston, she worked in one of the city’s most iconic pubs that inspired the hit TV show Cheers. She loved meeting people from all over the world; it didn’t matter where they were from, how old they were or what they did for a living. This is a skill that Ciarelli – who will graduate from the School of Social Work as a MSW Fellow in Aging – relies on as she interacts with elderly nursing home residents, many of whom suffer with dementia.
Miriam Gabriel, known to most as Mimi, joined the Rutgers dance department her sophomore year, just as chair Julia Ritter had begun cultivating relationships with Israeli dance companies and artists – a personal mandate to expand her students’ knowledge of international dance and expose them to dancers and choreographers working in different cultures. Gabriel graduates this month with a degree in dance and an apprenticeship with an up-and-coming Israeli dance company, en route to becoming a professional dancer.
Ask Chelsie Güner her hometown and she’ll hesitate, uncertain how to respond. She isn’t stumped. It’s just that the Paul Robeson Scholar from Rutgers' art history department has lived on so many continents, and heard so many languages, she cannot offer a one-word answer. Güner’s worldwide sojourns have given her a profound appreciation for art and foreign cultures, as well as a rudimentary ability to make herself understood in Japanese and French.
Sean Hanna was studying broadcast journalism at Rutgers when he passed away in April 2007 at age 20. His brother, Jessie Hanna, a fourth-year Robert Wood Johnson Medical School student, decided to honor his brother’s memory with the creation of the Sean Hanna Foundation. The foundation provides support for for children and their families who are going through treatment for hematologic/oncologic disease.
In 1969, Aline Holmes reported for duty at the U.S. Navy’s trauma center in Pensacola, Fla., to treat wounded sailors and Marines arriving from Vietnam. After the Navy, she developed a resume of accolades that have kept her in New Jersey’s health care spotlight for years. Her proudest personal milestone will come when she receives a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Rutgers College of Nursing.
Growing up, Quang Huynh learned to deal with his childhood experiences weaving hip hop themes into creative writing. It was his way of reconciling the conflict between the private school education he earned through scholarships, and the life he witnessed on the city streets. Huynh graduated this month from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and will soon begin his residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital - Columbia University Medical Center.
When Sherif Ibrahim was in middle school, he was bullied by neighborhood boys due to the fact, he believes, that he was Arab and Muslim. It was just after terrorists killed thousands on September 11, 2001 and more than a decade after his parents emigrated from Egypt. Today, Ibrahim will graduate from the School of Arts and Sciences, with a double major in English and political science, and begin a master’s degree program in African Studies at Stanford University this fall.
Tae Hee Kim enjoyed studying Shakespeare and literature in her native South Korea. But when she took her first course in public administration, she knew she'd found her true passion. This month, she will receive a Ph.D. in public administration from Rutgers' School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) and begin a tenure track position as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Hawaii at Manoa this fall.
Fraternal twins Matt and Scott Klimchak just concluded their four-year collegiate lacrosse careers, a chapter in Rutgers lacrosse history that coach Brian Brecht says has been strongly influenced by their skills, leadership and knowledge of the game. The twins’ love of sports was inspired by their older brothers, Bryan and Michael, who are also fraternal twins. Matt is a sports management major and psychology minor; Scott is a communications and labor studies double major.
Throughout childhood, Steve Milord was painfully self-conscious about his protruding teeth. As a teen, he dreamed of becoming an architect. But when his architecture teacher made fun of his teeth, he changed is mind. The son of working class Haitian immigrants, he got braces when he turned 19 and paid for them himself by working after-school jobs. He will graduate from Rutgers' School of Dental Medicine and plans to become an oral surgeon.
Merlin Moore and Max Skula were diagnosed as children with what was once called Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism characterized by social awkwardness that affects a person’s ability to communicate effectively with others, and is now on the autism spectrum. They try not to think too far ahead, looking instead at how much they have progressed. What helped both students feel less anxious and more connected to the university was the College Support Program for Students on the Autism Spectrum.
Christine Pappas knows a thing or two about reinvention. The 44-year-old divorced mother of two adult sons had an established real estate career when she decided it was time for a major change. She decided her second career would be in health care and will celebrate as a member of Rutgers School of Health Related Professions Occupational Therapy Assistant program’s inaugural graduating class having earned the class’s highest grade point average.
For most of her time at Rutgers, Anna Phung was torn apart by secrets. There was the secret of her sexuality and her failing grades. And her darkest secret of all: She had considered suicide because she didn’t know how to ask for help. Now Phung has her degree in hand, earned a 4.0 her last semester and has been accepted to graduate school. She left her mark on Rutgers by creating Q&A, a group especially for Asian students who identify as queer.
When she was accepted to veterinary school, former Rutgers soccer standout Leia Rispoli was torn between a career treating animals and one treating people. She deferred enrollment, she shadowed doctors, volunteered at hospitals and worked in a research laboratory. She graduates from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School this month and is preparing for her residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia and Cornell Residency Program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Not only has Nicole Simone followed her mother Shawn Simone by excelling as a nurse; both women were compelled to pursue advanced nursing careers. Fittingly, they will receive their master’s degrees from Rutgers School of Nursing together this month. Each will graduate with honors, Shawn as a family nurse practitioner, Nicole as an adult gerontologist nurse practitioner. On commencement day, they will be surrounded by family to participate in their special celebration.
Audiences know Rhoda Scott as an organist famous for rocking legendary venues, including as Count Basie’s Jazz Club and the Village Vanguard with soulful rendition of classics like “Summertime” and “In the Mood.” The 75-year-old last saw the inside of a classroom when she earned a master’s degree in music theory in 1967 from the Manhattan School of Music. She will receive another master of arts in jazz history and research, proving that the thirst for learning never goes out of style.
Scraps of food left on a cafeteria tray. Trash strewn alongside a city street. A wind-tossed plastic bag, hanging precariously on a tree limb. For Victoria Widener, it’s more than garbage. Rather, for the graduating Rutgers University–Camden senior, each instance presents an opportunity to create art addressing urgent environmental issues. She will put the finishing touches on her latest masterpiece as she graduates with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.