As interim dean of NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design, Gabrielle Esperdy found ways to apply design thinking to the challenges of leading an academic college of more than 1,000 students.

Now, as she starts her first month as dean, she realizes that her background prepared her well for administration. Also, the support of President Teik C. Lim and Provost John Pelesko spurred her to be an active interim dean and ultimately apply for the job.

After a national search, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) found the best person to lead its Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) right on campus. Interim Dean Gabrielle Esperdy, a noted architectural historian, has been appointed dean, effective July 1.

Esperdy will be steering the execution of HCAD’s strategic plan in close partnership with other colleges as they strive toward NJIT’s goal of becoming a nexus of innovation.

Tejasi Thool, a Hasbrouck, New Jersey native, looks forward to her next step in her career after completing her digital design studies at New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design. 

Her next move will be to get a master’s in medical illustration. “It’s like medical diagrams, and sometimes you see them on Instagram or TikTok, an animation of a surgery that doctors do,” said Thool. “I love being an artist, and my parents always wanted me to go into the medical field.”

Preaching patience, courage and resilience, MGM Construction Co. President and CEO Marjorie Perry urged the Class of 2024 at New Jersey Institute of Technology to become lifelong learners as they apply their imagination to real-world challenges.

Perry, an NJIT alumna who serves on its Foundation Board of Directors, called on the undergraduates earning bachelor’s degrees to be “agents of change in our communities” and build a future “that we can all be proud of.”

Following graduation from New Jersey Institute of Technology, Hilsson Angeles will start working at general contracting firm Burns & McDonnell as a construction coordinator.

What helped him get there was a tremendous work ethic, which he inherited from his parents, and an interest in both architecture and engineering. Indeed, he’s earning a dual bachelor’s in architecture and construction management technology.

Speaker after speaker reinforced what Kevin Belfield, dean of the College of Science and Liberal Arts at New Jersey Institute of Technology, said about the university’s Math Success Initiative: “It takes a village to put a program like this together.”

The speakers were at a campus ceremony celebrating the first students to experience MSI and graduate from NJIT: Okyere Boateng, Brian Herrera-Calle, Catherine Ochoa and Steff Pitti.

When Martina Hanna ’24 started her studies at NJIT, she was a civil engineering major. But when the pandemic hit, she took a different route, one that was meant to be. 

“I was just too scared to do it because I didn't have a portfolio,” Hanna explained the process of switching her major to interior design. “But during COVID I had so much free time that I actually developed one and really looked into it more. I got in, they let me change my majors. I was like, ‘amazing!’”

As she looks back to those days, she notes how the classes weren’t feeding her creative side.

The Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) hosted its Design Showcase, the college’s flagship fundraising and networking event, which provides a chance for members of the Hillier College community to connect personally and professionally. This year’s event took place in the Jewel Box of One Gateway Center in downtown Newark.

NJIT’s annual celebration of its top student researchers kicked off at the 2024 Dana Knox Student Research Showcase, which once again highlighted a stunning array of innovation and discovery from every corner of the STEM disciplines.

Now in its 19th year, the showcase competition featured 68 diverse research projects presented by students from NJIT’s six colleges at the university Campus Center.

Isabella Gil ’24 always tries to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. After leaving her native Venezuela, she came to the United States and looked for different ways to integrate into her new community. Getting to NJIT required a lot of effort, but now that she is here, she feels proud of her achievements and all that’s ahead of her. 

Architecture has always interested her as a profession, as well as graphic design, interior design and fashion design.