The College is honored to announce that five members of the Douglass community have been awarded Fulbright grants this year. Douglass students account for over a quarter of all Rutgers students awarded this prestigious recognition in the 2022-2023 school year. Douglass caught up with two of the awardees, Gabrielle Jacob DRC'20 and Aditi Kiron DRC'22, to learn more about their awards, the work they are doing as part of the program, and where they hope to take their future careers.

This past month, Douglass held the second annual Douglass Discovery Day, a student showcase celebrating Douglass excellence in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Student cohorts participating in experiential learning opportunities through Douglass Discovery programs and the Global Village gave presentations on their ongoing or completed projects, highlighting the student population's wide range of interests and talents.

* The following is a message from Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway to the Rutgers Community

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,
 
Please join me in congratulating Meghan Rehbein, whom I have appointed permanent Administrative Dean of Douglass Residential College. This appointment follows her distinguished service since last June as Interim Administrative Dean.

On Friday, March 3, the Douglass Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee presented the fourth annual Women's Day at Douglass. Over 200 students, staff, and community members gathered in the Kathleen W. Ludwig Global Village Living-Learning Center for an activity fair, student performances, spoken word artists, and lunch. Students also put on a fashion show, displaying and sharing cultural style from their heritages.

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, staff and students at Douglass gathered over zoom to share the experiences of Black women in America. The zoom call would be the first of many spaces created, both in person and virtual, in a pivotal new program series at Douglass known as Black Women’s Voices.

Outside the lab, Obade continued to explore the intersection of STEM and education. This year, Obade was one of several Douglass student mentors that connected with high school-aged students from a rural area of Migouri County in Kenya. In each session, the Douglass mentors worked with the girls on STEM projects, which included making chapstick and building solar-powered fans. Douglass partnered with RU Global and Rongo University in Kenya for the project.

This past month, Douglass students and staff traveled to Kuwait! While abroad, students took part in educational and service-learning experiences centered around the feminist topics they study and research as part of the Douglass Global Leaders program.

On Sunday, December 4, Douglass’ Annual Yule Log Ceremony took place in Vorhees Chapel. Stair seniors, The Traditional Events Committee, and the Voorhees Chapel Choir led the community in a program filled with songs, readings, and traditions drawn from a diverse mix of cultures and religions. This year, Julianne D'Avirro Humphrey DRC’23 and Amanda Shapiro DRC’23 led the planning of the event as the student co-chairs of the Douglass Traditional Events Committee.

 "We are happy to have helped continue this long-standing tradition and as seniors we are excited to pass it on to our next co-chairs,” said the duo.

At Douglass, diversity, equity, and inclusion is expansive, offering a wide array of initiatives to serve students from a multitude of unique experiences—including those who have had to take alternative paths to the typical college experience. During the month of November, the College is celebrating its thriving population of nontraditional students—students over the age of 23 pursuing a college education—and raising awareness for the challenges they face.

“Part of being a diverse and inclusive university is accepting and accommodating those from different backgrounds than the traditional demographic of students on campus,” said Gail Lordi DRC’24, a nontraditional aged Douglass student studying ITI and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

On October 14, 2022, STEM research students, Rutgers faculty, Douglass staff, and distinguished guests gathered to share in an evening of knowledge, new ideas, and celebration of Douglass students in STEM. The annual Project SUPER Undergraduate Research Symposium and this year’s STEM Lecture were held in-person for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

“The symposium made my research experience notable,” said Isha D. Patel DRC'24, a cell biology and neuroscience major and Project SUPER student. “I felt confident in my work and that I was able to educate others of the purpose my research serves for the greater community. The symposium helped to bring together professionals of various fields to empower growing women like us to learn from each other.” Click here to read more!

Douglass alumnae were an integral part of the 2022 Christiana Foglio DC'84 Career Conference. Of the 40+ panelists and speakers at the Conference, over half were members of the College's alumnae community. As graduates of Douglass, alumnae provide a unique perspective to current students. When alumnae share their stories and insight with students, they paint a valuable picture of all that is possible with dedication, ambition, and passion. Hear from some of the 2022 alumnae panelists below on their experience working with students at the Career Conference!