‘Celebrating the Student Journey’
The Celebration of Donor Impact recognized the importance of donor support and its life-changing impact on Rutgers–Newark students.
Janae Chavez Oyola recalls being an insecure little girl who was afraid to leave her room.
Attending Rutgers University changed her life. It’s where she grew into a strong young woman who aspires to become a healthcare professional. Chavez Oyola, a member of the Rutgers–Newark Honors College and a BOLD Scholar, a national women’s leadership program for third- and fourth-year students, was one of three scholarship students who thanked donors for changing their lives at a special Celebration of Donor Impact reception at Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall.
“Realizing that there was support for students like me with dreams and aspirations to acquire the skills and knowledge to build our own lives was life-changing,” said Chavez Oyola of West Orange, who will graduate in May. “For me, receiving these scholarships symbolized that Rutgers saw potential in and supported me to obtain a higher education to become a woman prepared to confront the challenges of the world.”
Chancellor Recognizes Resiliency
Rutgers–Newark Chancellor Tonya Smith-Jackson asked the audience to help her “celebrate the student journey,” as she welcomed more than 150 donors, students, friends, faculty, and staff to the celebration in Newark. “Understanding the journey our students make from entry to the university to crossing the stage can be full of great success but also major barriers to be overcome on any given day,” she said. “From finding those last dollars to pay off tuition for the semester to dealing with housing, childcare, and food insecurity, our students are passionate about persevering to achieve and showing the utmost resilience.”
While the university’s primary goals are tied directly to student success, her remarks focus on “the individual student,” the chancellor said.
“From the day a student applies to Rutgers–Newark to the point they graduate with a world-class degree, our goal is to make sure the entire experience maximizes the value of the journey,” Smith-Jackson said. “We want our students to finish their degrees transformed and empowered to make a difference in the world.”
The Rutgers University Foundation recently created the Rutgers–Newark Student Achievement and Resilience or “STAR” Fund, which will be formally launched at the start of homecoming on October 23-24, the chancellor said. “Aligned in purpose with the university-wide Scarlet Promise Fund, STAR advances the same overarching objective—making sure students overcome barriers to graduation.”
Donor Impact
Since 2023, donors have given about $34 million to Rutgers–Newark funds aimed at supporting students, said Beth Brody, senior associate vice president of development for Rutgers–Newark, and the Rutgers University Foundation. Of that, $26 million was designated for scholarships.
Esron Holder, a member of the Honors Living Learning Community (HLLC) who received five sources of funding including the HLLC Residential and Cooperman College scholarships, thanked donors for their commitment to helping students realize their dreams.
“As a donor to Rutgers–Newark, your work does not go unnoticed,” said Holder, who will graduate in May. “Students like me are living proof of the amazing work that you have done and continue to do for this university and its students.”
Instead of working to pay his tuition, he was able to study abroad in Barbados, Ghana, and India, intern with Congresswoman LaMonica McIver in Washington D.C. as part of the CPRA/Braven Capitol Hill Fellowship program, and become president of the Rutgers–Newark Black Professional Network. He said he is excited about his future, as he has been accepted into the Gateway to Future leadership MBA program at Rutgers Business School.
In the business school, we use the term ROI, which stands for return on investment. When you commit your time and money into something, you may want to get a return on your investment, and I can say today that I, and so many others, are your ROI.
Graduating Student Esron Holder
Joseph Scamardella, a third-year student from Brick, New Jersey, who received the Louis Hering Esquire Scholarship, recalled how, as a child, he was often called a troublemaker. The baseball player says Rutgers–Newark has helped him find a career path in sports media. “On the field, in the classroom, or in the Raidervision broadcast chair, knowing that my identity as a Scarlet Raider is backed by people like those of you before me, is what reassures me that my decision to transfer to the Brick City’s finest university was the correct choice,” he said.
Scamardella, a media relations representative for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights basketball team in Piscataway and a commentator for Rutgers–Newark athletics, thanked donors for their support, which helps students like him succeed in life. “You are the heartbeat to our success that provides us with the opportunities to chase our professional, athletic, and academic endeavors.”
Support Students
With the official launch of the Rutgers–Newark Student Achievement and Resilience (STAR) Fund a few months away, we encourage anyone who wishes to support our students along their journey to contribute to the Rutgers–Newark Student Emergency Fund.
