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Camp Encourages Future High School Entrepreneurs

Carrie Tchaplygin has always had a knack for business. The 16-year-old is on track to earn an associate degree in business administration before she even graduates from Lacey Township High School.

So, she was honored to be selected as one of 13 high school students from across New Jersey to participate in ������Ƶ University’s Summer Entrepreneurship and Business Academy (SEBA) last summer from July 16-22, 2023.

And while she was thrilled to learn about several different aspects of business — such as hospitality and tourism, accounting, management, computer analytics and marketing — what’s the first thing she did when she arrived?

“I purposely moved my bed to my window so I could see the beach when I woke up,” she said with a laugh, referring to the view from Kesselman Hall in Atlantic City, where the students lived during the program.

SEBA is a unique summer camp focusing on entrepreneurship that hopes to give rising high school juniors and seniors a better understanding of business, an experience of what college is like, and maybe a direction of what they want to do after high school, said Tara Marsh, the SEBA coordinator.

Each day, ������Ƶ professors presented lectures on topics such as business ethics, marketing, and how to tell your story succinctly, along with talks from local entrepreneurs about the positives and pitfalls of starting your own business.

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Annual Career Fairs Full of New Additions and Familiar Faces

If there were an accurate hashtag for the 2023 Fall Career & Internship Fair, it would be Alumni Relations’ favorite: #OspreysEverywhere.

In addition to having more than 700 preregistered students and over 100 recruiters attend, the fair was full of alumni ready to recruit  students on the other side of the table.

Alumni from ACT Engineers, Renault Winery and TTI Environmental all said they met eager students ready to join the workforce, which only made it all the more fulfilling for them to come back to campus.

“It’s been really interesting to be on this side and to see where I was just a few years ago. This is an amazing opportunity to have right in front of you as a student.” Rachel Thornton ’21 said.

Thornton graduated from the Environmental Science (ENVL) program and is now a staff environmental technician with ACT, which is currently looking for more students within the ENVL program.

When alumni weren’t working the tables, they were volunteering for the new “Alumni Zone,” an initiative spearheaded by Megan Hart, associate director of Alumni Engagement, as a part of their collaboration with Career Education and Development (CED).

“This is a student prep station where they can practice their elevator pitch, get their CVs or resumes looked at and help get the jitters out,” Hart said. “This is a way for them to calm down and relax before they hit the tables. It can be overwhelming, so we want them to feel confident and ready to go.”

Alumni Relations and the CED plan to continue their collaboration through long-term projects such as a new alumni business directory, expanding – a platform for alumni who want to stay connected – and hosting alumni employer panels for current students.

The Spring Career and Internship Fair, held in March 2024, surpassed its goal of serving over 600 students and housing over 100 employers in the Sports Center.

Frank Napp ’23, a recruiter for Live! Casino and Hotel, said his job search included attending the Career Fair and looking online when he first graduated from ������Ƶ’s Business program. He eventually found Live’s Management Development program, where he was able to explore different departments to find one that worked best for him. Now, he gets to be on the other side of the table.

“We’re looking for a graduating senior in any area of interest — whether that’s marketing, finance or HR — who will go through the rotation that I’m currently going through,” Napp said. “I hope to recruit another ������Ƶ student like me.”

He may have found one. Melanie Olivia, a Hospitality major who plans to graduate in May, is currently looking for a full-time position. She said Live! was one of the organizations she was interested in pursuing.

According to Netesha Peterson, assistant director of Career Education & Development, preparing students for their futures beyond ������Ƶ starts long before the Career Fair. She does so while maintaining a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging lens, such as helping transgender students navigate conversations about identity in the workplace and running practice interviews with autistic students.

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$460K N.J. Grant to Expand Student Mental Health Resources

In August 2023, a new state grant of more than $460,000 allowed ������Ƶ to expand its mental health resources.

A new Student Wellness Room, a new Community Outreach Coordinator and additional funds to provide mental health first-aid training are some of the uses of the $461,682 coming from the Mental Health in Higher Education: Community Provider Partnership and Professional Development Grant from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

“Receiving this grant enhances our mental health services and provides additional support for our students’ health, well-being and sense of belonging, which are important indicators in student success,” said Dr. Zupenda Davis, ������Ƶ’s assistant vice president for Student Health and Wellness.

Nearly $220,000 will go toward the costs for design and construction of a new Student Wellness Room. Davis said the room — the location of which was still to be determined — will serve many functions, including giving students a more private place for virtual clinical sessions and to “be in their own bubble.”

“This is also helpful for students who may be neurodivergent, which includes various conditions, such as, autism, ADHD, social anxiety and sensory processing disorders,” she said. “This gives them that privacy or opportunity to take a break, especially if they are in an environment where it’s too noisy or creates anxiety.”

More than $100,000 was earmarked for consultant and training services, including a partnership with the Mental Health Association of Atlantic County to provide mental health first-aid training and QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) training for suicide prevention. 

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New Engelberg Scholars Feature First-Generation Students

Last year’s ������Ƶ students selected for the Engelberg Leadership Scholarship Program (ELSP) all understood the sacrifices others had made for them to get a higher education.

All four were first-generation students — meaning they are the first in their families to go to a college or university in the United States.

“Pursuing a college education is about more than just my own future, it’s a tribute to the sacrifices my parents have made for me,” Dayanara Villanueva said. “Their hard work and dedication deserve to be met with my commitment to learning and growth.”

Villanueva was one of four sophomores selected as the fifth program cohort, which began in 2019 when Al and Gail Engelberg first donated $1 million to ������Ƶ. Ziaul Hoque, Betsaida Viljoint and Sadia Mihi were the other three students selected for the program. They will have all costs — tuition, books, fees, housing and meals— paid for during their remaining time at ������Ƶ.

To qualify for the ELSP program, students must be rising sophomores at ������Ƶ and either live in Atlantic City or have graduated from Atlantic City High School.

Highlighting Atlantic City’s diversity is one of the cornerstones of the program and that year’s cohort was no different as Villanueva was from Mexico and Viljoint’s family moved to the United States from Haiti when she was 2. The families of Hoque and Mihi both emigrated to this country from Bangladesh.

 

First to Soar Event Celebrates First-Generation Day

There are three things that students should be focused on during their higher education journey – themselves, their circle and the finish line waiting for them once they earn their degree – according to Michael Spence, first-generation college graduate and keynote speaker at the First to Soar Celebration that was held Nov. 7, 2023.

“For all of us in here, we're going down the path that no one in our family has ever gone down, and sometimes, it's probably one of the hardest things to go through,” Spence told the audience of first-generation students at ������Ƶ.

“See, it's easy to walk in someone else's footprints, but how about walking footprints that were never laid out for you? How do I make this journey that I got sent out to do and that I wanted people before me to do? I’m here to tell you that that pressure could either burst pipes or turn into diamonds, but it’s all about what you’re made of. I’m here to tell you that this journey here is not here to burst your pipes but to help make you a diamond.”

Ian Bouie, director of Academic Achievement Programs, introduced Spence, saying that they met at Montclair State University and that Spence’s ability to capture an audience was what drove him to invite the motivational speaker to the second annual celebration. In addition to Spence, students got a chance to enjoy dinner by Chartwells, meet executive board members of student organization First Ospreys and watch a video of their peers discussing their experience of being first-generation students at ������Ƶ.

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Education Expo Helps Address State Teacher Shortage

Karly Pratt had a “full-circle moment” as the ������Ƶ senior walked around the Education Career Expo held last March.

“My high school principal is here, and it was really strange walking in and seeing someone who I could potentially be interviewing with in the future,” said the Psychology major with a concentration in Elementary Education.

The Woodstown native was one of about 100 students who attended the second annual event that brought many of ������Ƶ’s student-teacher partner schools to campus. The expo not only served as a way for students to meet a potential future employer, but it also allowed school districts to get an initial impression of future job candidates.

“The expo was initiated last year (2023) in response to the teacher shortage occurring across the state,” said Jennifer Houser, ������Ƶ’s undergraduate fieldwork coordinator in the School of Education. “The aim is to support our partners in their endeavor to recruit the next generation of educators, while simultaneously providing our student-teachers with an opportunity to build their professional network.”

Houser said the event grew dramatically as about 20 school districts participated, ranging from Red Bank Regional in Monmouth County to Middle Township in Cape May County and Black Horse Pike Regional in Camden County. 

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Africana Studies Students Present at National Conference

In March 2024, students and faculty in the Africana Studies program attended the 48th annual National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) Conference in California, where they presented and were also honored.

Two of the three top awards at the conference went to ������Ƶ faculty.

Donnetrice Allison, professor of Communication Studies and Africana Studies at ������Ƶ, received the Ida B. Wells & Cheikh Anta Diop Award.

Surprised and honored to be recognized, Allison said, "It shows that my work to promote the field of Africana Studies is not just limited to ������Ƶ, but it has a national reach."

Patricia Reid-Merritt, Distinguished Professor of Social Work and Africana Studies, received the Paul Robeson & Zora Neale Hurston Celebrated Elder Award.

For students, Krisandra Bagaloo, Rachel Dunlap, Lillian Nickens and Keisha Richards, the NCBS Conference was more than just an academic event. It was a transformative experience that allowed them to broaden their perspectives both personally and academically. 

The students' presentation was titled "Africana Studies Student Retention." In it, they discussed the importance of the strong bonds Africana Studies majors have with one another and the faculty and how those bonds help them stay motivated to complete their degrees. 

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Fair Hopes to Dispel Myths About Studying Abroad

Louis Santiago-Conde loves to travel but never thought he could afford to study abroad.

But the first-year student’s world view has totally changed after attending the Education Abroad Fair held last January in the Multicultural Center.

“I learned that financial aid can help, and that definitely made me more excited,” said the Esports Management major, who wants to go to England, where gaming 'is one of the biggest things.'”

“I was just walking by, but once they started talking to me, I got interested right away,” said the Camden native. “It was a very positive and awesome experience.”

The idea that studying abroad is too expensive is one of the myths that then-senior Nikki Troehler wanted to dispel. She worked in the Office of Global Engagement and was traveling to Greece this summer to finish her Liberal Studies degree with minors in Global Studies and Historical Studies.

“I didn’t know that studying abroad was a thing coming from a first-generation background,” said the Mays Landing native, who has traveled back and forth several times to Greece with her Yaya, or grandmother. “Aside from my personal experiences, I didn’t think this was accessible. I thought it was too expensive. I thought it would delay graduation.

“And all of those myths can be busted.”

Breaking down barriers for students to study abroad is one of the primary missions of Patricia Sagasti Suppes, ������Ƶ’s new Director of Global Engagement. She knows studying abroad can bring huge benefits to students, including important skills such as flexibility and adaptability.