“These students embody service”—Gary Heiman
They’re Rutgers seniors who developed their own distinctive ways of contributing to the greater good.
One helped revive a beloved student space in the Hill Center. Two others launched an undergraduate research conference dedicated to the humanities. Another never missed an opportunity to mentor fellow students. Another still specialized in outreach to first generation students.
The five students have received the 2025 School of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Service Award.
Gary Heiman“These students embody service as a core part of who they are,” said Gary Heiman, a professor of genetics in SAS who chairs the award committee. “They graduate Rutgers leaving a lasting mark on their communities.”
Heiman came up with the idea for the award several years ago after noticing that students were doing impressive acts of service that were benefitting Rutgers and the world beyond. Yet they were going unrecognized. The students, though academically successful, were not necessarily on tracks that required research projects, which left them ineligible for major academic SAS awards like the Henry Rutgers Scholar Award.
“I would meet these students who were doing amazingly impactful service,” Heiman said. “I felt like we needed a way to recognize and honor them.”
Heiman presented the idea to members of the SAS Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) who responded enthusiastically and then developed the policies and procedures.
"We were excited to create an opportunity to honor the meaningful contributions our students make through service, whether to the Rutgers community or to communities beyond the university.," said a joint statement by Susan Lawrence and Sharon Bzostek, the Vice Dean and Senior Associate Dean, respectively, for Undergraduate Education.
Candidates have to be nominated by Rutgers faculty or staff, and the nominations must demonstrate impactful service at Rutgers or in the greater community. The winners receive a scholarship award.
Heiman said the standards are high.
“It has to be impactful,” he said. “It has to help people.”
Previous recipients have trained service dogs, staffed crisis text lines, and served at a non-profit supporting families in crisis.
The 2025 Recipients of the SAS Outstanding Service Award
Maksims Kurjanovics Kravcenko
Maksims Kurjanovics KravcenkoHometown: Monroe, NC
Major: Computer Science
Service: Maksims Kurjanovics Kravcenko is a first-generation college student who has dedicated himself to helping other first-gen Rutgers students. He served on the Career Exploration and Success (CES) First-Generation Student Advisory Board, advocating for the needs of over 3,500 STEM students. He has served as a panelist and speaker for numerous CES workshops, openly sharing his experiences navigating imposter syndrome, seeking internships, and building confidence as a first-generation student in STEM.
“I was raised to leave a place in a better state than I found it in, especially when it's a place I love dearly,” Kravcenko said. “The joy of building something lasting drew me to service at Rutgers. Watching student-led initiatives grow, and knowing I helped shape that impact felt deeply fulfilling.”
Siddharth Ghosh Roy
Siddharth Ghosh Roy Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ
Major: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Data Science with a minor in chemistry.
Service: Siddharth Ghosh Roy is a natural mentor who was welcoming, knowledgeable, humble and kind in all of his many interactions with the Rutgers community. As a Student Ambassador for the Division of Life Sciences (DSL), he brought those qualities to numerous events and activities, including the SAS Major/Minor Fair and the Rutgers Open House. He also mentored incoming students as well as his undergraduate peers and even taught biochemical techniques to PhD students.
“On a sunny fall day, I signed up for a shift at a tabling event that coincidentally no one else had signed up for, and there I met the DSL Ambassador,” Ghosh Roy said. “From that I learned to say yes to every opportunity, because you just might find an opportunity that pans out in ways you'd never imagine.”
Robert Charles Scott
Robert Charles ScottHometown: Highland Park, NJ
Major: German and Philosophy
Service: Robert Charles Scott’s devotion to the humanities has had a major impact on cultural and intellectual life at Rutgers and beyond. His activities include serving as Editor-in-Chief of Arete, The Rutgers Undergraduate Philosophy Journal and as co-president of the German Honors Society, Delta Phi Alpha. He co-organized the "dis/appearance" undergraduate research conference out of the German department, an event of high intellectual caliber that drew students from Rutgers as well as Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Pittsburgh.
“The dis/appearance conference was not only a brilliant demonstration of what our generation has to offer, but a radiant affirmation of the humanities amidst a period of real crisis,” Scott said. “I’m eternally grateful to all of our presenters and can only hope that other undergraduates will carry the torch in the years to come.”
Rushd Syed
Rushd SyedHometown: Edison, NJ
Major: Computer Science and Philosophy.
Service: In the Rutgers computer science community, Rushd Syed became that person everyone knows, trusts, and admires. He played a vital role in the resurgence of the student center, now called the Coding & Social Lounge. He served as co-executive director of HackRU, president of the Undergraduate Student Alliance of Computer Scientists, and head learning assistant for the Introduction to Computer Science course. Syed instituted many new events and programs that have become part of the computer science student experience while also helping with traditional departmental events.
“I was uncertain about coming to Rutgers and being separated from the comfort of my hometown friends,” Syed says. “But the Rutgers computer science community took me in. I was lucky to stumble into the gift of community, and there's little more enjoyable than being able to grow this gift with the amazing people around me.”
Emily Trujillo
Emily TrujilloHometown: Hillsborough, NJ
Major: Philosophy and German
Service: Emily Trujillo’s service to the Rutgers community has been far-reaching, covering everything from social justice to global education to cultural and intellectual life. As a leader in the Institute for Domestic and International Affairs, she was a principal organizer of the Rutgers Model United Nations Conference. She could also be found at Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick, serving meals to the needy. And as co-president of the German Honor Society Delta Phi Alpha, she co-organized the "dis/appearance” undergraduate research conference in humanities that was acclaimed for its intellectual content and drew students from Rutgers as well as Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Pittsburgh.
“The conference was not only timely and brilliant, but a great joy to organize, because it offered me the opportunity to create the forum for undergraduate humanities research for which I had been searching for a long time,” she said.
