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Senior Reflects: 4+1 Student Mia Fondacaro
Mia Fondacaro recently graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences through the Combined Advanced Degree 4+1 program (CADP) along with minors in Sustainable Studies and Psychology. She is now working toward her master’s degree in STEM education. She reflects on her time at Rowan and offers some advice to incoming students.
Could you please share your favorite moment with a faculty member or a favorite experience in one of your classes?
Not sure if this counts but I had this one professor who was super connected with her students. If you missed a class but did not inform you, she would check in on you to make sure you’re ok. She was/is a great professor, and her class was always really fun.
Could you please share your favorite social memory?
My favorite moment as a student has to be my junior year Homecoming. This is where I really went out of my comfort zone and met a lot of new people.
What are your career aspirations?
Finish my +1 year, work in a high-need school, get my doctorate, work in higher ed.
How did the people or programs at Rowan help to support you with your professional growth or career aspirations?
My program is unique. For your three years as an undergrad you are only taking classes for your subject matter (for me it is biology) then in your fourth and +1 year you are taking graduate courses for education. With this set up I feel like it makes getting certified being a teacher easy because I do not have to double major in my subject matter and then education, here it is a program that is already set up.
Also with this accelerated program, yes I graduate a year later than my peers, but I graduate with a MA, which will have me entering the job market with higher income. To employers I think I will look like a valuable employee based on this program and my education from Rowan.
Who is your favorite professor? What class did you take them for? And why is this person your favorite?
Dr. Courtney Richmond, Intro to Marine Biology, connected with her students, really knew how to teach, and was well educated in the subject.
What advice would you give to incoming freshmen or transfers about making the most out of their college experience?
With me being a senior and having Covid take away my last year at Rowan, I’m thinking back to all the amazing memories I had at Rowan and wish I could have been able to make more this year with my friends and professors.
To the incoming students at Rowan, please make the most out of your time here. Join clubs, go to events, live in a resident hall, eat on campus, sit in the student center pit, sunbathe at Bunce Green, go to the REC center. Be an active student on campus because you never know when it is all going to be taken away. What seems like a normal day on campus might end up being your last, so appreciate every moment here.
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Story by:
Bianca Torres, music industry graduate
Photos by:
Brian Seay, junior sports communication and media major
TRANSFERmation Tuesday: Writing Arts Major Makenzie Forrest
Meet Makenzie Forrest, a Writing Arts major from Collingswood, New Jersey (Camden County). She will be graduating with the Rowan class of 2023.
What are a few things you are looking forward to next year at Rowan?
I’m looking forward to having small classes (a big plus), living on campus, and going to events/being in clubs.
How or why did you choose your major?
I chose Writing Arts because I love writing.
Why did you choose a university that is close to home?
It’s more familiar to me. I’ve been visiting Rowan’s campus for homecoming with my family every year since I was 5. It’s also only 20 minutes from my house.
What is one activity, club, sport or hobby that you did in high school that you’d like to continue with at Rowan?
Being part of a writing organization (the college I’m transferring from didn’t have one, but my high school did!).
Why Rowan?
To me, Rowan can still offer the full college experience, while many other schools are stripping away everything besides classes. Rowan has character. People are friendly, and there are things to do on campus. It’s more than just a few hundred acres or buildings. The people make it what it is.
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Senior Reflects: Friendship & Greek Life
Today’s story is from Melanie Sbaraglio, a senior public relations and advertising major social-distancing from her house in Nutley, NJ (Essex County). Melanie joined the Rowan Blog team to wrap up her remaining internship hours, after her internship with Ace Screen Printing in Glassboro was cut short due to COVID-19 affecting business.
I have made a lot of memories throughout my four years here at Rowan. My experiences have shaped me into the person that I am today in so many ways.
When I think back to the first day that I moved into my freshman dorm, I had no idea what the next few years would have in store. Now as a senior who is almost reaching the point of graduation, I want to share some of my favorite moments from the past four years.
The first memory I have is moving into my freshman dorm and meeting my first friend at Rowan, Emily. Emily and I have experienced everything together at Rowan because we have been roommates since freshman year. We even ended up both joining the same sorority during our sophomore year, Alpha Sigma Tau. Joining my sorority brought me to so many amazing friends that I continue to make memories with all the time.
Moving into 114 Victoria junior year was definitely one of the best times. My roommates and I were all just starting to meet new people since joining Greek Life. I’d have to say this was my favorite year of college. It was when everything started to finally fall into place for me, and I realized that I loved this school.
I came out of my shell a lot junior year and did things that I never thought I would do. From participating in Greek Life pageants to dancing on stage with my sorority for lip sync during Homecoming and Greek Week, I was finally having the college experience I’d always hoped for. I gained so much confidence after joining a sorority because it got me involved on campus and recruitment pushed me out of my comfort zone. Finally finding the friends/roommates who I still live with this year also gave me so much confidence because I finally felt like I belonged here.
The start to senior year will also always remain one of the best times of my life. My five roommates and I moved into our off-campus house together, which was another new and exciting experience. Although senior year was unfortunately cut short, I will always have the best memories from Rowan. I will always have the friends that I made along the way as well and will continue to keep making amazing memories with them.
The time spent at this school brought so much good into my life, and I would not change a thing about how it all came together.
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Story and photos by:
Melanie Sbaraglio, senior public relations and advertising major
Alumni PROFile: Kari Janisse, Creative Juices by Kari
We are #RowanPROUD and we are Rowan Profs! Not exactly sure what a Prof is? It’s our owl mascot, Whoo RU. Read about him here. Our series of alumni spotlight blogs feature Profs who have stayed connected to the Rowan community after graduation. Here we speak with 2004 graduate Kari Janisse, who owns Creative Juices by Kari. […]
The “College Experience” as a Commuter
Getting the Rowan “college experience” as a commuter isn’t as difficult as stereotypes from years ago suggest. There is no need to worry, our commuters are just as much a part of this campus as anyone else! Just because you don’t live in Chestnut, Holly Pointe or Townhouses, doesn’t mean you can’t show up, have […]
Block Party Draws Big Crowd with Multicultural Munchies
Homecoming weekend couldn’t officially start without the annual Homecoming Block Party. Friday, Oct. 7, Hollybush Mansion’s front lawn was transformed into a massive celebration of school and national pride with the 2016 theme, PROFlympics. Complete with food trucks, inflatables, and giveaways, this year’s homecoming catered to students and families alike. Upon entering, students were met […]