Embracing her culture enables Richell Garcia to appreciate Rutgers’ diversity

October 4, 2022

For #HispanicHeritageMonth, we’ve asked students to write about their heritage, the loved ones they share it with, and where they come from. Take the time to learn these stories as we share them over the next few weeks.

Meet Richelle Garcia, a graduate student in the Bloustein School’s Master of Health Administration program.

“Puerto Rican culture is a mix of Spaniards, African and Native Taino. I come from a family that visits our grandmother every Sunday. When I visit during the Christmas season, we sing our traditional songs and play our instruments at a Parranda. Our traditional dance is the Bomba y Plena, and my cousin taught me the basic steps. Traditions from my heritage have always been ingrained in me by my family. Embracing my culture allows me to appreciate the university’s diversity, which has helped me succeed.”

Recent Posts

EJB Talks: Beyond “Does It Work?”

Beyond “Does It Work?”: Laura Peck on Policy, Evidence, and Impact EJB Talks returns for Season 14 with Dean Stuart Shapiro speaking with Laura Peck, one of our newest Public Policy Associate Professors and a Principal Faculty Fellow with the Heldrich Center for...

Heldrich Center: Motivational Texts and Unemployment

Original post from the Daily Targum By Akash Nattamai Researchers at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development recently published a report regarding the effectiveness of motivational text messaging on reintroducing people in the statewide Reemployment...

Guest Speaker Lerrel Pinto: Robot Data is Not Enough Data

How can robots make physical labor easier for humans? This past week, Prof. Lerrel Pinto gave a talk at the Bloustein School titled "Robot Data is Not Enough Data." Lerrel Pinto is the co-founder of Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI) and an Assistant Professor of...

State Planning Commission Adopts NJ State Plan, Needs Assessments

State Planning Commission Adopts New Jersey State Plan, Impact Assessment, and Infrastructure Needs Assessment New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan On December 17, 2025, the New Jersey State Planning Commission (SPC) adopted an updated New Jersey State...