Dear Douglass Community,

This is absolutely my favorite time of year. There’s a palpable sense of possibility in the air as students arrive on campus. For first-year and transfer students, it’s a brand-new beginning. For continuing students, it’s a return to their campus home, to that distinctive mix of routine and discovery that college life offers. And, as a lifelong Jersey Shore resident, I’ll admit I also love this season because it’s “local summer,” when the beaches are at their quietest and best.

This past month, Douglass welcomed 667 new students to our community! Watch highlights from Welcome Days 2025 below. 

Dear Douglass Students,

Welcome to Rutgers! I’m Megan Coyne, a proud Douglass alumna from the Class of 2019. After graduating with a degree in political science, I ran social media for Governor Murphy and later served in the White House Office of Digital Strategy under President Biden. None of this was on my radar when I first started at Rutgers – and none of it would have been possible without Douglass.

For Jaiden Radocyz DRC’26, Douglass is the ideal place at Rutgers to develop the leadership skills necessary for advancing personal, professional, and community futures. Whether they are curating an exhibit in the Douglass library through the Faculty Fellows program or serving as a peer mentor for their fellow Douglass students, they exemplify what effective feminist leadership looks like across campus.

“It is just so important to have spaces like Douglass,” she said. “It’s a community that’s open to discussion, where being passionate is encouraged, and your lived experience is celebrated. To be a leader, you need to know and learn about yourself as well as your community. Douglass is the place to do that.”

As they turn the page on their undergraduate careers at Douglass, the graduating class of 2025 has some words of wisdom for the incoming class of Douglass students!

At the 104th Spring Convocation on May 17, 2025, Douglass had the pleasure of presenting Chancellor Francine Conway of Rutgers–New Brunswick with an honorary Douglass stole.

Chancellor Conway has been a champion of the Douglass mission since starting in her role as Chancellor-Provost. She has offered guidance on the College’s new strategic plan, collaborated on innovative new visions for the future of Douglass Campus, and connected with Douglass alumni and students alike at events and ceremonies.  

This past spring break, Douglass students completed Spring Externships around the region. Externships, offered through the Reilly BOLD program for Advancing Women’s Professional Development, are immersive job-shadowing experiences that pair students with professional mentors in an industry of interest. For many students, an externship is their first glimpse at the working world.

Akshita Prakash DRC '26, a Biological Sciences major and French minor, externed at Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI).

Students from the Douglass Women in Science and Engineering program visited Google in New York City last month. Hosted by Rutgers alumni, this group of aspiring tech professionals gained insight into the life of a software engineer at a leading tech company. The day was filled with learning experiences, motivation, and meaningful conversations.

“It was such a joy to host a group of Douglass students in computer science at Google,” said Anna Godin, a Software Engineer at Google. “I’m incredibly grateful to have been a part of this experience for the students, and to everyone who helped make it happen.”

From March 19 to March 23, 2025, Douglass Residential College students participated in the inaugural Dublin City University (DCU) FIRST® LEGO® League Intervarsity Hackathon—and came home with first place in the overall competition!

Celebrate the end of Women's History Month with a recap of Women's Day at Douglass! This year's annual event showcased henna, a fashion show, dance performances, a community mural, service activities, and much more. Listen to what Douglass students have to say about the meaning of women's empowerment on International Women's Day and every day at Douglass.