Meet the 2026 Douglass Arts Awards recipients!
From theater to costume design to printmaking, these Douglass students have demonstrated excellence in the fine arts and creative practices across a range of mediums and styles. For their work, they've received the 2026 Douglass Arts Award, which supports students as they continue to grow as arts and creative leaders.
This month, the Douglass Community Catalysts organized impactful events for all students, uniting voices from all corners of the community to celebrate and empower one another.
Bridget Perez DRC’27 grew up at Rutgers, traveling along the banks of the Raritan with her mother.
The child of a longtime Rutgers bus driver, Bridget spent her girlhood afternoons riding her mother’s bus across the University and back again as students traveled to and from class. Her Rutgers journey, which now includes an impressive research resume and a Douglass externship at AtlantiCare, began on the aisles of those buses where she admired her mother as a role model for family, leadership, and the future.
“Rutgers has been part of my life since I was young—my mother worked long nights as a Rutgers bus driver,” Bridget said. “Attending Rutgers feels like honoring her sacrifices and completing a full-circle moment for my family.”
Earlier this winter, three Douglass students represented the Rutgers Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Undergraduate Department at the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) Annual Conference in Puerto Rico.
“Attending the NWSA in Puerto Rico was one of the most memorable moments of my life,” said Max Mendez DRC’26, a Douglass senior. “Before starting college, I was not aware that Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies was an academic field, and now as a senior, I got to represent the WGSS Rutgers undergraduate department.”
