Welcome to our series to give you a glimpse into Rowan University, our campus culture, and the lives of our students, while we’re practicing social distancing to protect society from the spread of COVID-19. Today’s story is from 4+1 biological sciences education major Mia Fondaro, a junior who also has minors in environmental science and psychology. Mia is isolating from her home in Pequannock, NJ (Morris County).
There’s not one person whose life hasn’t been changed by the COVID-19 virus. Personally, my life got turned upside down. I have a very strict and fully packed weekly schedule that now is suddenly full of free time. My days would start at 6 a.m. and wouldn’t end till about 10 p.m.
What is a positive in this situation is all the sleep I’m getting, but I’ll trade that in for all the on-campus experiences that I’m now missing.
How I’m trying to cope with it all is by staying positive and keeping as much of a routine as possible. I continue to wake up at a reasonable hour, make breakfast, do homework, and work out. Whole life may not be “normal” right now; what’s important to remember is to be thankful for your health and continue doing things that keep you sane.
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“The biggest difference between undergraduate coursework and graduate research is the switch from solving curated, self-contained problems with well-tested methods to having to pose your own problems and solutions with no guarantee they will work. This difference, in part, made it challenging to transition my strong undergraduate work ethic into my graduate work. To combat this, I’ve scheduled a period of time each day to focus on meeting small research goals. This helps me keep momentum even when unexpected challenges arise.”
Arts,
Back in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future or where I wanted to go for school. I knew that I wanted to go in the direction of music because I love it so much but I didn’t know what I could do with that. Then through my choir class, I met a friend who was a senior in high school at the time who had told me they were going to school for Music Business. Once she told me more about it, I instantly knew that music industry is where I needed to be. 
I added the sunflowers because they’re a happy flower and a reminder to always look toward the sun. I also decided to paint my light switch cover because the old one had soccer balls on it, a sport I haven’t played since middle school.
Most of us don’t have the money as college students to invest in a fancy camera, but we can make the most of our phone cameras with a few lighting tricks. Natural light is going to be our best friend, so try to shoot during the day time when you can use minimal overhead lighting. Fluorescent lights usually don’t work well with photos, and can distort the exposure (brightness) or colors in your photos. Avoid shooting in direct sunlight, especially if there is a person in the shot, so they don’t have to squint. Typically, overcast or cloudier days are best, as they prevent overexposure of your image and distracting sun flares or glares. Wherever your light is coming from, it should illuminate the subject in your photo so that they stick out from the background. Have your subject face the light source, as opposed to having their back to the light, so they are clearly visible.
“I originally didn’t even apply until the day of the [application] deadline, and then I found out about the 
The following year was a whirlwind of experience, as Kayla found more ways to get involved with sports communications and strengthen her resume. She jumped into play-by-play, color commentating and sideline reporting for Rowan Athletics, as a TV broadcaster. She even broadcasted the first football game of the fall 2019 season against Widener by herself! “We usually don’t [broadcast without a partner], but we were first getting into a groove for the season and figuring out our roles. It was definitely difficult, but it was cool to have that pressure and experience to get me started,” Kayla recalls.
When I heard that my sorority was creating a new position called mental health chair, I knew immediately that it was something I would like to be a part of. The executive board created this position to really highlight the importance of mental health in college and promoting resources that are available to us currently and beyond our college experience to ensure that we get the most of those. 
Next I planned to hold peer support groups in which I planned to schedule a library room before our chapter meeting and just hold an open one hour space where my sisters could come and talk about stressors in their life or their current anxieties they were having. I thought this would be a good idea because talking it out sometimes helps and makes you realize you’re not alone and a lot of people surrounding you are having these same feelings as you. This would give hope and an outlet. 
What would you share with a future student interested in Chemical Engineering?
Tell us about your transition into the work field and how you pushed through any challenges.
They were motivational. Listening to music and getting in the zone helps. I learned to not be afraid to ask for help from some of my computer science major friends, then that translated into feeling comfortable asking for help from professors. 
universities. When I outsource to other universities and in the outside world, I am representing Rowan. Being an RA has made me more confident and comfortable, as well as increases my interpersonal skills. These qualities are transferrable to my DJing. Both jobs have also taught me how to be adaptable and make people feel welcome. Also, DJing has helped me make many connections, and being an RA people reach out to me to DJ their events. 
Julianne has always liked history, more specifically presidential history. “Their personal lives is the better part, because you learn so much about what they did in class but then you get to know more about them as people and that kind of makes a bigger picture.”
because she though that other students from other colleges in Pennsylvania had a better chance due to them being closer. To Julianne’s surprise, after her interview within an hour she was already signing papers to start interning there. “I wouldn’t have heard about it if it wasn’t for Dr. Janofsky, I am very thankful.” 
Meet Autumn Gittinger, senior communication studies major, from Gibbstown, NJ (Gloucester County). She wrote this article in hopes to encourage a student to take a break and feel less guilty for wanting time for themselves.
Hello Rowan Profs! Normally I’d be in Whitney Apartments, hanging out with friends and going through my engineering homework. However, being stuck at home, I have decided to take some extra time to bond with my beloved golden retriever, Riley!
What would you share with a future student interested in joining Women’s Ice Hockey? Joining is definitely worth it. The team is like a family. Everyone is collaborative with putting in effort, the coaches are great and helpful, and every teammate has your back on and off the ice.
Meet Samantha Bollendorf, sophomore 
Being a part of something like Food Recovery Network at Rowan, a university that encourages sustainability and practicing sustainable habits, is extremely rewarding. Being able to give back to those that have lent a hand in building beautiful Glassboro — the town that us Profs get to call home — is an opportunity I’m beyond grateful to have.
1. The Community in Mimosa 
Meet Natalia Panfilova, a 2017 graduate from the 
Commuter
“What I was looking for was not at Salisbury, Maryland. Don’t get me wrong — I had a great time, but sometimes having a great time doesn’t mean you’re being productive,” Jamal says.
Once at Rowan, something just clicked with Kristen with criminology. “It blew my mind. I could still do the writing and the research that I enjoyed, but also focus on justice.” The 
Today, Kristen is a 20-year employee of the judiciary within Mercer County. She started as an investigator, moving up to a probation officer after a year.
Meet 
These are just three ways how I have gotten involved here at Rowan, but there are so many other ways to get involved.
His experience in leadership positions at Burlington County College, Rutgers University and Sussex County Community College (where he is currently the CFO and EVP of Administrative Services) inspired him to explore the differences in leadership styles between private educational institutes and higher education.
He came across the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program at Rowan University through recommendations from colleagues who had had a positive experience in it. 
hear. It was definitely better than having to pick up the phone. It’s nice. 
individuals but still grow side by side. 
research, and allowed me the space to explore different career and research paths. In addition, with it being a new program, it allowed me to help make a difference and work to shape the program for the benefit of future students.
ing through Twitter, like most students, waiting for class to start. I saw a post from Rowan University about the transfer deadline and cruised to the main website. I found a big transfer button and thought, “Why not give it a shot?” Rowan was the only school I applied to transfer to, so this was all or nothing for me.
Engagement
I was born into this unique hobby thanks to my grandfather. He was not only a musician, but for 32 years he served the needs of the Ferko String Band in a multitude of various positions including President, member of the Board of Directors, and as Ferko’s Delegate to the String Band Association. The String Band Judging Booth has been named in his honor since 2016. 
Ben graduated magna cum laude from Rowan’s highly competitive 
Ben’s academic career flourished after that first semester. He joined the 
In October of last year I sat down with my public relations advisor, Lori Block, to discuss class registration. I did not expect this very routine meeting to land me a full-time job. 
service initiative. My team and I delivered an exciting presentation to a roomful of company leaders and, as a result, the company decided to move forward with the ideas we presented in our project. It is thrilling to know that the executives loved all of our hard work, especially Mindy Holman, granddaughter of the company’s founder. 
Devin says he came to Rowan specifically for the music program, and he heavily credits his humble experiences here so far to his professors.
Name: 
Share an “aha!” moment you’ve had within your major that made you feel passionate about your intended field. 
How is New Jersey different from Mississippi?
pharmaceuticals. I thought about first going to pharmacy school, but I was more interested in how drugs were actually made rather than the dispensing of drugs to patients,” shares Casey Wagner, senior 
how the operations are completed was an awesome experience. Being able to contact engineers and operators who are working at this plant to ask them questions and learn from their experiences has been a great experience for my future.
Could you share a moment you’ve experienced in which you have felt that Rowan is a welcoming environment for you? 
What’s your favorite thing about your typical Monday at Rowan? 
“It was terrifying at first. To travel alone, it takes a lot of courage and confidence. You have to be smart about what you’re doing and consider the language barrier,” Leann says. “This was a big jump for me. I didn’t even know who my roommates were until the day I moved in!” 
Coming into Rowan University, her intro business courses were super general and informative, which allowed her to explore marketing and supply chain logistics in a more in-depth manner. This helped her decide where she wanted to be within those fields. Currently, she works at Rowan University’s Business Hall. This past summer, she worked in a recruiting agency in Parsippany, NJ, which she found through 
Erin is a part of University Innovation Fellows, a Stanford University run program where students are recommended by their university business or engineering professors to get involved in. She was one of the four students chosen from Rowan to join the program. The four students are tasked to find a problem with the university and attempt to fix it by getting funding. Erin chose to focus on solving the hunger problem at Rowan. She devised a plan in which students can donate their meal swipes to other students in need. This is in its beginning stages, and if it passes, the group will be sent out to Stanford in the spring and go to Google’s Headquarters to present.
What’s your favorite thing about Rowan?
What would you share with a future student interested in your major? I would tell them that Molecular and Cellular Biology is definitely a little harder than regular biology, because the engineering base classes, or statistics-based classes, are harder than the classes that biology students take. I would say that you get a better variety of subjects, you get to learn so many other things than what a regular bio major does. If you are looking to branch out in college in your education, but not to an extreme degree and if you don’t have enough time to take on a minor then taking a major where you have some flexibility in your classes is really good. If you want to experience something else besides regular science classes, then you should try Molecular and Cellular Biology.
How does your field impact the world? It’s very research based A lot of my professors that teach my classes actually do research, like cancer research, different blood pathogens research, different diseases research. There’s a lot of research that goes into it.
I volunteered a lot in high school, too. I was in Key Club, so I did a lot of volunteering then and I wanted to continue here. I was a leader this year because I loved it so much my freshman year. I wanted to do it again and have a positive impact on the incoming first-year students, because that was really important to me.”
What was your favorite activity?
With a few days left until the application deadline, I decided to apply to Rowan. I remembered touring it with my brother a few years prior and enjoying how it was a small and quaint school. Most people think applying as a transfer can be confusing, and it can be. However, Rowan’s process made applying simple and painless. I even received my acceptance letter a just few days later.
Before I knew it, I was all moved in. I cried as I didn’t want my family to leave because I was still scared to start this new chapter. But within a few days my worries subsided, and I found myself getting into the swing of my routine. I was starting classes, working on Rowan’s social media team and joining clubs, such as 
Today we talk to Erin O’Grady, a freshman 
Name:
Meet Elizabeth Hudak, a freshman 
(Mercer County), is charging through college in the 
Last semester, Shreya visited the 
What got you interested in your intended field? I began taking
Every year entering students (freshmen and transfers) who have registered for the program arrive early on-campus for the Fall semester and participate in group activities run by Rowan’s staff members and upper-class student leaders.
This year there were four student leaders and they all had to work together in planning different types of activities for the participants to do during their free time. “We put together a scavenger hunt and some games,” she said.
Being a student leader has taught Rose to work along with other fellow leaders, bounce off ideas from one another and how to make plans in a group where everyone agrees.
Gaspare is a transfer student from 
Gaspare is doing his work under a hood at regular temperature and regular pressure, because it’s much safer and financially achievable for most labs.
Meet Billie! 
What did you like the most about Rowan?
What are you looking most forward to coming into your freshman year? “
Meet Egg, Frankie and Gandalf!
Being a business owner requires Steve to constantly meet other like-minded colleagues at networking events to grow professionally and personally.
Alyssa will become the first doctor in her family; both her parents chose different careers outside of the medical field. “I really want to become a doctor, so I liked how it [the TBS major] kind of had a built-in premed track. I want to be a pediatrician,” she said.
Meet 
How did PCI help you prepare for college? “It helped me a lot. My mother is Dr. Penny McPherson Myers [from the 
Derek first attended Drew University but decided to transfer to Rowan University his sophomore year. “Once I made the decision that Drew wasn’t for me, I immediately went straight to Rowan. My sister also graduated from Rowan, so it was either Drew, Rutgers or Rowan. And then I decided that Rowan was the perfect fit. I didn’t even go to the school [Rowan], since my sister went there, so it was a whole new campus that I found when I transferred there,” Derek said.
In 2017, Derek started up his own social media business called 
He also started his own sports podcast with two current Rowan students. The podcast is called 
She has recently worked with clients such as P&G, The Home Depot, Purina, Merial, Abbott Nutrition and PayPal. 
Peter also started a YouTube Channel, The Sundae Drive, where he and a fellow Rowan alumnus perform DIY car maintenance tips. This channel currently has more than 5,000 subscribers. On top of all of this, he launched a supplement company, PWR Supplements, with another Rowan alumnus. 
Today we are speaking with Lauren O’Donnell, a 
And lastly, why did you choose Rowan?
