Katya Cunha took the stage at Commencement 2025 amid a wave of major honors — NJIT’s Presidential Award, selection as Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts' gonfalon carrier and the sole national recipient of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Undergraduate Award, a distinction that may now help launch her career as a forensic chemist.
Alessandro Negri’s road to business came through volleyball.
When he arrived at New Jersey Institute of Technology in January 2022, he planned to major in biology. But two teammates on the volleyball team, Joseph Kennedy and Martin de Chavarria, shared their textbooks on finance and economics and Negri was intrigued.
Taylor Pape presents an interesting mix: honors scholar, year-round researcher, soccer defender, intern and budding educator.
Even her major and minor at New Jersey Institute of Technology — biology and computer science — represents an intriguing hybrid.
A passion for business grew for Pablo Perez Ramos at New Jersey Institute of Technology and spurred him to now pursue a master’s in finance at the University of Florida.
His choice of graduate school also reveals his love for tennis, as UF won a national team championship in 2021 when 13th ranked pro Ben Shelton played there. You see, Perez Ramos, who tallied an impressive 73-21 record in singles matches as a Highlander, will continue to compete as a Gator.
Seeing her father struggle through rehabilitation exercises after a stroke made Marina Samuel '25 think, why can’t therapy be more personalized, effective and efficient for the patient?
So, with a central focus on patients, she pursued a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology and after graduation in May, will seek a Ph.D. in the same discipline at NJIT. Her research as an undergraduate fueled this pursuit.
New Jersey Institute of Technology is introducing a new service for students seeking jobs, internships and cooperative education experiences: a self-serve kiosk that takes professional headshots.
The kiosk, known as Popcam, enables students to take multiple images in less than a minute before picking their favorite. Then they can customize the background and get the final image online.
Growing up in Union City, Shanell Encalada ’26 spoke Spanish at home with her parents, helping them out by translating important documents. She points out that her bilingualism has enhanced her resume and allowed her to gain friendships in the various jobs she’s had. Encalada, a fintech major at the Martin Tuchman School of Management, recently helped establish NJIT’s chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA).
As a sophomore at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Krishi Shah has already accomplished a lot.
Last summer, the computer science major helped engineer software as an intern at PULLATracker while conducting research at the NJIT’s Undergraduate Research and Innovation Program. She also began an apprenticeship at Cornell Tech that’s focused on artificial intelligence.
Industrial engineering student Bianca Hernandez wrapped up her internship at AriZona Beverage Co., putting forth all the skills and knowledge she has acquired at NJIT.
“Since being there, it's been a really great experience,” said Hernandez, who minors in safety engineering. “Everyone was very welcoming, and this may seem very rare in terms of internships, but the people that I work with daily, they view me more as a coworker rather than an intern.
As Fimimolaoluwa Are prepares to start working at Honeywell after earning a bachelor’s in chemical engineering, she feels grateful for all the support and experiences she had at New Jersey Institute of Technology.
“Chemical engineer I” is her title at Honeywell, where she’ll undergo a year of training before joining the company’s Field Operating Service team. Reflecting on how she got there, she credits mentors, internships, networking and the embrace of a welcoming community.
