2023 - 2024 Fellows
Athena Thai is a rising junior in the School of Arts and Sciences with a double major in Psychology and Cognitive Science. At Rutgers, she gained an interest for academic research through becoming an undergraduate research assistant at The Hamilton Lab, examining the relationship between adolescent suicidality, social media, and sleep. Her passion lies in the field of mental health, and she is currently a volunteer Crisis Counselor for the Crisis Text Line, in which she helps texters identify helpful coping strategies to overcome their struggles. Through the Gardner Fellowship, Athena hopes to learn more about how research can inform public policy, and how legislative reform can improve the mental health of adolescents. Athena aspires to continue onto graduate school and pursue a career in clinical psychology. In her free time, Athena enjoys listening to music, finding new shows to watch, and spending time with her family and friends.
Jasmine Tbaba is a junior in the Honors College majoring in Political Science and minoring in Philosophy in the School of Arts and Sciences. On campus, she serves as an Honors College Lead Ambassador, is a Data & Media Intern for the Young Elected Leaders Project at the Eagleton Political Institute, and is President of the Rutgers Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity. Jasmine’s primary academic interests are youth political participation and the intersection of law and finance. These interests have guided much of her prior research experience as well as her career and academic pursuits. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Jasmine plans to attend law school where she intends to concentrate in business and financial law. In her free time, Jasmine enjoys going to the gym, traveling, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Christopher Slipiec is a student at the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Political Science with a minor in Psychology. His interest in civic engagement began when he joined the Darien Civic Engagement Project, where he helped facilitate workshops at New Brunswick High School. Through his participation in IDIA-RU, Chris developed a passion for teaching debate by organizing Model United Nations Conferences, inviting high school students from across the country. Through his coursework, Chris discovered an interest in researching pressing constitutional and criminal justice issues. After Rutgers, Chris plans on attending law school and hopes to become a prosecutor. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, listening to music, and playing volleyball.
Robert “Charlie” Scott is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors program majoring in German Literature and Philosophy. He studied abroad at Freie Universität-Berlin over the summer and fall semesters of 2022 and is currently serving as the secretary of Rutgers’ chapter of The National German Honor Society, Delta Phi Alpha. Interested in the philosophy of technology, literary theory, and phenomenology, Charlie has penned essays in undergraduate journals such as Middlesex College’s Free Thought: Journal of The Humanities Honors Society, Arete: The Undergraduate Philosophy Journal of Rutgers University, and DEAD Center Alumni on war, flowers, Walter Benjamin, and Friedrich Kittler. In April of 2023, he presented at the 12th Annual Undergraduate Conference in German Studies on the application of Martin Heidegger’s “Die Frage nach der Technik” to contemporary readings of Chinese science fiction. Outside of his studies, Charlie enjoys film photography, playing board games, cooking, and camping. He also holds the honor of being the top global listener on Spotify of indie-folk band Saintseneca for the year 2020. He plans on going to graduate school following his time at Rutgers and hopes to teach.
Ryan R. Rajpal is a junior studying Philosophy, Political Science, and Psychology. Intrigued by people and the human condition, Ryan dedicated himself to the Social Perception Lab founded by Dr. Lee Jussim, where they are currently studying cyber-social contagion. He is also a member of IDIA-RU, an organization centered around education for middle and high school students, focusing on domestic and international affairs through unconventional instructional methods. He is a member of the organization’s executive board as Director of Digital Content. Outside of life at Rutgers, Ryan enjoys adventuring vicariously by watching shows on Netflix while safely in bed. In his free time, he likes to create abstract concepts (intricate multimedia mood boards) for his own creative works and, one day, when he has the time and money, hopes to release some sort of creative project. Until then, he is focused on attending law school after working in the non-profit sphere.
Logan Pineda is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in Political Science and Spanish with a minor in Criminology. On campus, Logan serves as Vice-President of the Latinx Pre-Law Society, the first pre-law society dedicated to Latino students on all three Rutgers campuses. In addition, Logan works as an RU Ready Intern at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, where he works on civic engagement curriculum for high school students. He previously worked as a legal secretary at an immigration law office where he translated legal documents and in-person consultations from English to Spanish and vice versa. This summer he plans on interning at a law office and conducting research at Rutgers. His goal is to attend law school and find a career that merges foreign policy with law. In his free time, Logan enjoys ranting about the Sixers on Twitter, “hitting the gym”, and cooking.
Amulya Natchukuri is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Mathematics and Economics. Prior to her junior year, she worked at RBC Capital Markets as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst where she focused on deals involving large public healthcare systems in the United States. Her interest in economic research and public policy started with her acceptance into the University of Chicago’s Expanding Diversity in Economics program. Here, she had the opportunity to engage with Nobel Laureates and other leading scholars in the field of economics to learn about the research methods and economic models used to analyze social issues that are at the forefront of policy discussions. On campus, she is involved as a Resident Assistant for the Leadership Living-Learning Community, represents Rutgers at the National Federal Reserve Challenge Competition, and serves on the executive board of the Rutgers Economics Society. Outside of academics, she enjoys traveling, plays the Sitar in a South-Asian band, and loves spending time with her dog.
Stephanie Miranda Bonilla is a junior in the Honors School of Arts and Science Honor program and Douglass College. She is majoring in Political Science and is a first-generation student passionate about human rights and social issues. On campus, she can be spotted in all sorts of extracurriculars. She was first involved within F.A.C.E where she later became an Assistant Creative Director and is now Creative Director. She also has been involved in various roles within Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc. from Vice President, Heristorian, Treasurer, Sisterhood Bonding Chair, Secretary, Co-Public Relations Chair, and Social Media Chair. Her sisterhood dedicates itself to educating, elevating, and empowering women. In addition, to hosting programs with political, educational, cultural, and social awareness. She is very passionate about teaching her community and helping to serve. As well she has revived an important organization, L.A.W.O (Latin American Womxn Organization), as President in her sophomore year. The organization dedicates itself to providing a safe space for Latine Women on campus. It strives to maintain to the essence of Latine Women's cultural roots. She is currently now Co-President. Besides her involvement on campus, she loves gardening and has many plants. As well as loves to sew, and bring her designs to life.
Joyce Lee is an Honors College junior in the School of Arts and Sciences with a double major in Sociology and Public Policy. She transitioned from a background in the biomedical sciences, previously having studied transgenerational epigenetics with the Gu Lab in the Rutgers Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She is currently a First-Year Interest Group Seminar (FIGS) Peer Instructor for Exploring Sociology. She competes nationally as a presenter for Rutgers Enactus, a social entrepreneurship organization supporting start-up projects that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She is a Policy Advisor for Agoraponic Farms, a start-up aimed towards providing fresh, free produce to food insecure college students. She is also an editor for the Eagleton Undergraduate Political Journal. She hopes to pursue a masters in an interdisciplinary body of research examining genetic sociology or other areas of medical sociology after her undergraduate career, and eventually hopes to become a professor of Sociology. Her research interests include social mobility, health sociology, medical sociology, public health policy, intersectionality, counterculture, and urban vitality. In her free time, she enjoys practicing Taekwondo with the Rutgers Taekwondo Team, making music with friends, and trying fun crafts.
Evan Keeton (he/him) is a junior in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Rutgers Honors College. Formerly a dance major, Evan is currently majoring in Math and minoring in Japanese, with the potential to pivot to Asian Studies. Outside of academics, much of his time is devoted to dance, and he spent most of the last year performing with Mason Gross, Haru (the Kpop dance cover club), and the Rutgers Chinese Dance Troupe (for whom he is also president). Within academics, he is equally fascinated with the humanities and the mathematical sciences, and is particularly interested in where they overlap. For instance, what would happen if we were to axiomatize the rigid vocabulary of ballet through mathematical thinking?
When not busy writing other papers and problem-sets, Evan contemplates such questions, and hopes to study them more formally in graduate school. Outside of Rutgers, he has interned at the Seoul Arts Center, studied Mandarin, and spent four years teaching at his high school dance studio. When he's not committed academically or artistically, Evan enjoys hiking, cooking with friends, reading queer SF/F and translated literature, and watching Chinese Dramas. In the future, he looks forward to drinking bubble tea in every country around the world.
Rebecca Jolius is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors College. She plans on majoring in Political Science and History and minoring in Spanish. Rebecca is currently working with the Institute of Global Racial Justice to help create the Institute’s first Racial Justice Summit. Previously, she was a Changemaking Mentor in the Honors College as well as an Assistant at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, fostering relationships and coordinating events in both communities. During the upcoming school year, she will be a Resident Assistant in the Honors College, hoping to create safe spaces and provide comfort and resources for freshmen navigating the community. Rebecca plans on researching racial politics for her various research projects and eventual thesis, and through the Gardner Fellowship, develop those interests from a blend of social media, current politics, and representation into a more cohesive idea. Next summer, she wants to try something new with a banking internship, and potentially turn that into a career. In her free time, Rebecca loves to watch new shows, documentaries on Youtube, and new restaurants in New Brunswick.
Kate Jackson is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in History and minoring in Critical Intelligence Studies. Kate’s primary academic interests involve understanding how history continually affects our present with specific interest in the developing views and treatment of the environment. Kate has previously worked with the Network Contagion Research Institute to investigate online extremist movement’s impacts on real world events, which fostered her interest in what action can be taken to mitigate dangerous campaigns. Additionally, this past summer Kate has pursued her interest in the environment at the Environmental Investigations Agency, where she researched crimes across the world against endangered animals and environments. At Rutgers, Kate has enjoyed working as a Writing Tutor at Plangere Writing Center and serving as a mentor for incoming students in the Honors Program, which have allowed her to engage with her peers to make meaningful connections. In the coming year, Kate is excited to work as Research Assistant for the Scarlet and Black Initiative through the Aresty Research Center. In her free time, Kate enjoys running, reading, and watching Derry Girls.
Casey Fortson is a first-generation junior at Rutgers Honors College majoring in public health and minoring in political science. He has previously served as a research assistant for the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. While working there, he assisted on various high impact community health related projects in the greater New Jersey area. He also is a current Delta Scholar, a program that seeks to examine social issues that plague the Delta region. In addition to that, Casey has worked with the honorable 15th district Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson since the age of 16. Casey has worked on a summer project about high school aged individuals who suffer from adverse childhood syndrome (ACES). Most notably, over the four years, Casey has gained an irreplaceable mentor in Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson. During his time at Rutgers he has developed keen academic interests in pursuing law school, global health inequities, and representation in filmmaking. When not studying for the LSAT, Casey enjoys watching the NBA/horror films, eating sushi with friends, thrifting and writing scripts for TV shows.
Sara Eschleman is an Honors College junior majoring in English and minoring in Business Administration. On campus, Sara works as the opinions editor for The Daily Targum, Rutgers’ independent student newspaper, giving her the opportunity to express the views and perspectives of the Targum’s 155th editorial on topics relevant to the student body through weekly editorials. Serving as the opinions editor has inspired Sara to discuss and investigate important subjects, including gun violence, sexual violence, misogyny, racism, government legislation, LGBTQ+ rights, and events affecting the Rutgers student community. Research opportunities through the Gardner Fellowship will help her dive deeper into global issues that mean the most to her. In addition to this, Sara also has an interest in business and has participated in Rutgers Consulting Analyst Program in which she assisted a VPN company with their marketing strategy. Sara will also be interning at BASF, the world’s largest chemical producer, through their Professional Development Program, specifically focusing on market segmentation for their Commercial and Sales team. Post-graduation, Sara hopes to combine her passion for writing with her experience in the business world to either work for a publishing company or newsroom and possibly pursue a law degree. In her free time, Sara enjoys giving campus tours as an Honors College Ambassador, practicing olympic weightlifting with the Rutgers Weightlifting Club, reading cheesy romance novels and blasting music on long car rides with her friends.
Ayesha Ali is a junior in the School of Arts of Sciences Honors Program and Douglass Residential College, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and International and Global Studies. Ayesha has worked as a Learning Assistant at Rutgers University for the course Modern Urdu Literature and Pop Culture where she worked alongside the course professor to engage students with South Asian culture, language, and more. She has also worked with Rutgers University’s Pre-College Initiatives and College Success Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement where she interacted with middle school students for a college preparation workshop. The program is designed to motivate students to graduate high school successfully, prepare for college admissions, and attend the college or university of their choice. As a first-generation Pakistani-American, working with low-income, first-generation students represents the work Ayesha hopes to continue after graduating. Ayesha is currently a part of the Rutgers Summer Service Internship program where she is interning at PEN American Artists at Risk Connection Program. As an intern, Ayesha has gained an understanding of the global artistic freedom environment, including the threats artists face for their work. Working at an organization that protects artistic freedom on a global scale has strengthened Ayesha’s desire to work in the human rights field. In the fall, she will be a part of Douglass College’s Global Village Learning Communities working alongside other students passionate about racial equality and social justice. In her free time, Ayesha loves to drink coffee, read books, talk about all things pop culture, and travel.
Aseel Abukwaik is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and Douglass Residential College majoring in History and Political Science. Aseel’s academic interests lie in advocacy, conflict resolution, and foreign policy, specifically in the Middle East. On campus, she serves as Secretary for the Rutgers Democrats, the university’s largest partisan student organization. She solidified her interest in the Middle East when she went to Washington, D.C., and lobbied for issues she believed in, such as violations of international human rights and why Congress should be more vocal about it. In her time since, she spent her spring semester in Washington, DC, with the Washington Internship Institute, interning for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, where she published a few articles in their magazine. She also interned for the Middlesex County Democratic Organization (MCDO), where she had the opportunity to work on and with political campaigns, organize volunteers, and interface with the public. Aseel is passionate about achieving equality and diversity in our country and influencing US Foreign Policy. After she graduates from Rutgers, Aseel hopes to attend law school, where she plans to focus on international human rights law.