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Britney Marrugo, Communication Studies

If you asked Britney Marrugo what she planned to pursue at ������Ƶ in 2020, it’s safe to say that her answer has changed since then.  

Marrugo, an student from Jersey City, graduated from the five-week Summer Academy undecided about her major, but soon found herself drawn to .  

Then, she became an Admissions Ambassador and was tasked with supporting their social media and marketing. Exercising her creativity in different projects greatly interested her, and Marrugo changed majors to .  

As Marrugo completed her coursework and internship with Admissions and branched out into different student organizations on campus, she became infatuated with the university environment. As president of , she was able to host programs that centered on culture, diversity, equity and inclusion year-round and educational programming for Hispanic Heritage Month.  

Attending the Deeper SPACES Retreat reaffirmed her interest in her next decision: pursuing a career in higher education.

“At the Deeper SPACES retreat we were having different dialogues about our experiences on campus, like being a first-generation college student and what that looks like for us. I remember talking about my experience as a Latina woman and seeing how different my experience as a student was compared to others,” Marrugo shared.

“I was like, ‘You know what, I want to do this: I want to go into higher ed and work with students like us.’ I want to work with first-generation students and students from marginalized communities and be a resource for them. I want to encourage them to attend retreats like these and to cultivate these spaces of belonging for them.”  

And cultivate she does – Marrugo has been the Multicultural Center’s Equity & Social Justice intern for her senior year, where she has led and facilitated the “Fred Flicks Series,” a collaboration between the center and the Africana Studies program that encourages students to critically analyze stereotypes and representation in media and film.  

The internship has provided her with opportunities, including attending the Association of Latino Professionals for America Convention in Houston; becoming a NAPSA fellow and conducting research on trends in higher education and having exploratory interviews with Student Affairs professionals to learn more about career paths. She credits the center’s director, Jovin Fernandez, for encouraging her to find these stepping stones into her future career.  

“On top of all of that, I get face-to-face interactions with students every single day, and I get to talk to them about their day and offer them advice and resources. This has been, by far, the best experience. I'm grateful it happened during my senior year because I feel like I can leave ������Ƶ feeling fully prepared to go to graduate school,” Marrugo said.  

Being a part of what she calls “The COVID Class” left an indelible impression on her, which explains the importance she places on having student support and guidance on campus.  

“The one thing I knew coming in was that I needed guidance. But as a college student, you think, ‘I don’t want to bother these offices,’ or ‘I don’t want to go to Financial Aid and ask about my FAFSA.’ There’s a lot of hesitation, and I know that it was something that I had a difficult time with,” Marrugo said. 

“But the minute that I went into these offices and these spaces on campus like, ‘Hey, I need help! I don't really know what I'm doing,’ I was welcomed with open arms. I had to learn how to ask for help. Now, I tell incoming students and even my mentees, ‘Go! Go ask for help and find that community.’”  

Marrugo is looking forward to many things in her bright future, including long walks with her grandmothers back in Colombia for the summer, where the majority of her family remains. Once she fills up on cheese bread and malta soda (“It reminds me of being little and walking through town with a little umbrella”), she’ll start her graduate program at Rutgers University.  

������Ƶ, however, will always be her home.  

“I think that the community here at ������Ƶ has really prepared me to, not to be corny, spread my wings and fly like the Osprey that I am,” Marrugo said with a chuckle. “I'm going to miss everything, but seeing it grow gives me something to look forward to because I know I'll be back in one way or another. I am going to miss it because it's my home, but because it's home, I know I can always come back.”