Students eager to study the liberal arts and sciences
They come from cities, suburbs, and small towns. They're diverse in their interests, background, and goals. But these first-year students were drawn to Rutgers for many of the same reasons. They're thrilled to have arrived on campus and eager to explore Arts and Sciences.
Read their stories and learn why they chose Rutgers and what their expectations are for the first year.
Name: Mike DiBlasio
Hometown: Brick
High School: Brick Township High School
Why I chose Rutgers: Every single time I came here to check it out, I loved it more and more.
First Year Expectations: I'm looking forward to seeing all the new faces. Just knowing there are so many connections, being so close to the city, and an equal distance from home.
Name: Damilola Ilesanmi
Hometown: Piscataway
High School: Piscataway High School
Why I chose Rutgers: Being in Piscataway, my whole high school career was surrounded by Rutgers. It always seemed like the perfect place for me.
First Year Expectations: I'm a very talkative person who loves communicating with people. Rutgers is a wonderful place to experience different cultures. I want to meet people from different backgrounds and grow as an individual.
Name: Sunny Lingala
Hometown: North Brunswick
High School: North Brunswick High School
Why I chose Rutgers: When I visited Rutgers, I really liked the atmosphere. It was alive!
First Year Expectations: I want to broaden my possibilities. I am taking going to take a bunch of social science courses and see where it goes.
Name: Komal Desai
Hometown: Parsippany
High School: Parsippany High School
Why I chose Rutgers: Rutgers has a lot of diversity. There are many different cultures here and I love that.
First Year Expectations: Rutgers is a great place to explore different fields and discover your passion. That is what I intend to do.
Name: Sarah Roleke
Hometown: Toms River
High School: Toms River High School South.
Why I chose Rutgers: I came here because of the tremendous opportunities. I’m interested in medical science and research and I like how close it is to Robert Wood Johnson and St. Peter’s hospitals.
First Year Expectations: My high school had a lot of spirit, and I wanted to come to a university that had spirit.
Name: Deep Patel
Hometown: South Plainfield
High School: South Plainfield High School
Why I chose Rutgers: A lot of my relatives went to Rutgers and they had great experiences.
First Year Expectations: I’m looking forward to the diversity of activities that are available. I did Model U.N. in high school and I’m planning to join at Rutgers.
Name: Maureen Doss
Hometown: Franklin Lakes
High School: Indian Hills High School
Why I chose Rutgers: I have many relatives who have gone here, so ever since I was young I’ve been attracted to the Rutgers community. I’ve loved the beauty of the campuses.
First Year Expectations: I’m just really excited to be part of this wonderful community and to become involved in campus activities. I like to help out volunteering in hospitals and churches.
Name: Chancey Smith
Hometown: Lindenwold
High School: Lindenwold High School
Why I chose Rutgers: I've always been interested in science and healthcare, and I know Rutgers has excellent chemistry and biology programs.
First Year Expectations: I was on campus for a summer program that was excellent. But I really can't wait to see how the campus comes to life and the number of students increase as the semester begins. I'm looking forward to the different sporting events and other activities.
Name: KellyAnnie Mercado
Hometown: New Brunswick
High School: New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School
Why I chose Rutgers: I was involved with Rutgers during my high school years through an academic program in which I was worked with a professor. So Rutgers was very familiar to me and I wanted to continue my journey here.
First Year Expectations:
I want to work hard and get more research experience. I also want to become involved with all the great activities and events on campus.
Name: Anthony Posyton
Hometown: Little Falls
High School: Passaic Valley High School
Why I chose Rutgers: The size came with so many opportunities that I couldn't find in smaller schools.
First Year Expectations:
The options are limitless. I am going to see where life takes me.
Name: Justinna Dixon
Hometown: Hackensack
High School: Hackensack High School.
Why I chose Rutgers: It's close to home and there's so many options.
First Year Expectations: With the diversity that's here, I feel I can meet people different from me but also people who are like me. I can have a community, but still be open to branching out.
Name: Jordon Jones
Hometown: Elmwood Park
High School: Paramus Catholic High School
Why I chose Rutgers: It's an amazing school.
First Year Expectations: It's a major transition between high school and college in terms of the academic demands, so I plan to work very hard to consistently strive for excellence. I also want to meet a lot of different people and enjoy the diversity of the university community.
Name: Austin Yuen
Hometown: Marlboro
High School: Marlboro High School
Why I chose Rutgers: They have a really nice campus here. I like the arts and sciences and I want to major in computer science.
First Year Expectations: I want to go with the flow and take in as much as I can.
