Student and Alumni Spotlights

Master’s Programs

Public Policy

Advocating for Nature from Girl Scouts to Environmental Policy

Advocating for Nature from Girl Scouts to Environmental Policy

Jenna Agnello Master of Public Policy, Class of 2027 South River, NJPersonal interests: Hiking, skiing, camping, kayaking, and other outdoor activities; attending concerts and listening to music; yoga An avid outdoorswoman, Jenna’s Gold Award Project—the final honor...

Pathways of Purpose: Changing the World through Public Policy

Pathways of Purpose: Changing the World through Public Policy

Jasmine Hoff Master of Public Policy, Class of 2025 Maplewood, NJSpecializations: Education PolicyActivities/Organizations: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)Personal interests: listening to different music genres, writing songs and...

Equity in Action: A Public Policy Journey

Equity in Action: A Public Policy Journey

Awn Hasan Rizvi Master of Public Policy, Class of 2024 East Windsor, NJConcentration: Environmental Justice Activities at Rutgers: Outreach Coordinator, Rutgers Women’s Leadership Coalition; Founding Member, Bloustein Palestine Solidarity; Mentor, Bloustein Buddies...

Quantitative Compassion: A Journey to Data-Driven Policy

Quantitative Compassion: A Journey to Data-Driven Policy

Tarun Reddy Arasu Master of Public Policy/Master of Public Informatics, Class of 2024 Hyderabad, IndiaSpecializations: Energy Economics Activities at Rutgers: Treasurer, Rutgers Graduate Student Association;  GSA Liaison, Public Informatics Student Group Personal...

Urban Planning

Max Toth MCRP ’23 is recipient of SAE Metro Section Fellowship

Max Toth MCRP ’23 is recipient of SAE Metro Section Fellowship

MCRP candidate Max Toth (2023) was recently awarded the New York City Metropolitan Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers Section Fellowship. The award was established to provide financial assistance to students enrolled at the Bloustein School who have an...

Alumni Profile: Music is inherent in building design

Alumni Profile: Music is inherent in building design

Mrunmayee Atre Master of City and Regional Planning, Class of 2018 A trained architect from Pune, India, Bloustein School alumnus Mrunmayee Atre, MCRP ’18, AICP, PP, LEED Green Associate, CAPM, believes that music resides in everyone through heartbeats and breathing. ...

Bike advocacy inspires a public service career for former accountant

Bike advocacy inspires a public service career for former accountant

Ayla Schermer Master of City and Regional Planning, Class of 2021 Hometown: Jersey City, NJ Ayla Schermer is a former accountant turned passionate urban planner focused on creating safe, equitable, and sustainable streets and public spaces. Originally from Pittsburgh,...

Health Administration

Transforming Healthcare: From Caregiver to Leader

Transforming Healthcare: From Caregiver to Leader

Emily Muha Master of Health Administration, Class of 2024 Long Valley, NJ Activities at Rutgers: Vice President, Graduate Society of Healthcare Leaders; Student Associate, American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)  Personal interests: spending time with friends...

Forging a Path in Healthcare Leadership

Forging a Path in Healthcare Leadership

Briana Hernandez Master of Health Administration, Class of 2025 North Bergen, NJPersonal interests: Spending time with family, trying new cuisines, working out. After completing a bachelor of science in public health at the Bloustein School, Briana chose to continue...

A Family Legacy Inspires a Future Healthcare Leader

A Family Legacy Inspires a Future Healthcare Leader

Theodore ‘Ted’ Fisher Master of Health Administration, Class of 2024 Eatontown, NJSpecializations: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Activities at Rutgers: Social Chair, Graduate Society of Healthcare Leaders; Student Associate, American College of...

Public Informatics

A Journey from Finance to Data-Driven Policymaking

A Journey from Finance to Data-Driven Policymaking

Md Nurul Hoque Master of Public Informatics, Class of 2024 Chittagong, Bangladesh Certificate: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Activities at Rutgers: President, Public Informatics Student GroupPersonal interests: watching historical documentaries and political...

Merging the Energy Sector and Global Data Analytics

Merging the Energy Sector and Global Data Analytics

Yousaf Shahid Master of Public Policy/Master of Public Informatics, Class of 2025 With a background in mechanical engineering and five years of experience in Pakistan's energy sector, Yousaf witnessed the critical challenges of energy security, outdated technologies,...

Quantitative Compassion: A Journey to Data-Driven Policy

Quantitative Compassion: A Journey to Data-Driven Policy

Tarun Reddy Arasu Master of Public Policy/Master of Public Informatics, Class of 2024 Hyderabad, IndiaSpecializations: Energy Economics Activities at Rutgers: Treasurer, Rutgers Graduate Student Association;  GSA Liaison, Public Informatics Student Group Personal...

Junghoon Lee, MPI ’24

Junghoon Lee, MPI ’24

Meet Junghoon Lee, a dedicated professional with a background in urban planning, now making strides in the field of Public Informatics through the Public Informatics at Rutgers University program at the Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and...

Dayana Toledo-Mendoza, MPI ’23

Dayana Toledo-Mendoza, MPI ’23

Nonprofit Maven and Rising Public Informatics Star Meet Dayana T., a dedicated professional at Rutgers University making waves in the nonprofit sector and a Master of Public Informatics graduate student at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers....

Doctoral Program

Sophia Fox-Dichter

Sophia Fox-Dichter

Research Interests Rental housing Social safety net policies Social policy Inequality Teaching Experience Senior Teaching Assistant, 2024 Internship Program (Graduate/Undergraduate), New Jersey State Policy Lab, Summer 2024 Instructor, Qualitative Data Analysis Skill...

Lauren Nolan, AICP

Lauren Nolan, AICP

Dissertation Title Municipal Orientations to Large-Scale Warehouse Development Dissertation Advisor Kathe Newman Research Interests Economic development Community development Urban change and inequality Housing affordability and instability Teaching Experience Applied...

Cathy Y.H. Wang

Cathy Y.H. Wang

Dissertation Topic/Title Expert Attitudes toward Performance-Based Funding for Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Approach in the Case of New Jersey Research Interests Public budgeting and finance Social policy and health Nonprofits and philanthropy My current projects...

Lucas Marxen

Lucas Marxen

Dissertation Topic/Title Public Informatics as Boundary Objects: Advancing Effective Decision-Making Dissertation Advisor Dr. William Hallman Research Interests My dissertation research is focused on the use of public informatics platforms to span the boundary between...

Soo Yeon Lim

Soo Yeon Lim

Dissertation Topic/Title Valuing Land: The Politics of Greenbelt Land Development and Its Transformation Dissertation Advisor Dr. Mi Shih Research Interests Politics of Land and Housing Development Land Use International Planning Case Study Methods Content Analysis...

Undergraduate Programs

Health Administration

Transferring Lessons From the Cricket Field to the Classroom

Transferring Lessons From the Cricket Field to the Classroom

by Sharon Waters for Rutgers Today As a professional cricket player and coach, Rutgers senior Deep Joshi learned the importance of teamwork, which helped him succeed in the classroom, as well as on the field. “Cricket is a team game of 11 players where they need to...

Health administration: Seeking to make a difference in communities

Health administration: Seeking to make a difference in communities

Katherine Orefice Health Administration/Human Resource Management Class of 2023 Monroe Township, NJ Activities/Organizations: Eta Sigma Gamma honor society; Rutgers Italian Club  Personal interests: spending time with family; playing with my dogs Nella and Talulah and...

Health Administration Undergraduate: Sidrah Farooq

Health Administration Undergraduate: Sidrah Farooq

This past spring Sidrah worked with PWNHealth, a national clinician network that provides safe and easy access to diagnostic testing. PWN partnered with Verily Project Baseline, Quest Diagnostics, and other labs that are testing for COVID-19. What Sidrah says: As part...

Planning and Public Policy

Public Policy

Bloustein public policy undergrad named to New Brunswick BOE

Bloustein public policy undergrad named to New Brunswick BOE

Ashley Caldwell, a 19-year-old Rutgers sophomore who served as the student representative to the Board of Education during her senior year at New Brunswick High School, has been tapped to fill a vacant seat on the board. She fills the position left open when her dad,...

Public Health

Family Health Struggles Inspires a Passion to Make Positive Change

Family Health Struggles Inspires a Passion to Make Positive Change

Brandon Olivares Public Health, Class of 2024 Hometown: North Plainfield, NJ Activities/Organizations: Eta Sigma Gamma, Rutgers Peruvian American Student Association (RUPASA) Personal interests: Collecting Rilakkuma plushes, cat video enthusiast, listening to albums...

Combining Natural Science and Public Health

Combining Natural Science and Public Health

Anjali Patel Public Health/Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Class of 2024 Hometown:Jefferson Township, NJ Activities/Organizations: Reach Out and Read, The Examiner, Voices of Diversity Student Advisory Board Personal interests: Reading, playing board games, sewing,...

Urban Planning and Design

A Love of Green Spaces Changes a Career Path

A Love of Green Spaces Changes a Career Path

Zoe McGowan Urban Planning & Design, Class of 2025Minor: Landscape Design Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJ Activities/Organizations: Bloustein Public Service Association Communications & Public Relations Chair, Field Hockey, Delta Gamma Honor Board...

Alexander Liz

Alexander Liz

Hometown: Hackensack NJ Work Experience Student: At my first college I worked as a laboratory aid in the drafting department where I helped students complete and work through their drawings and exercises. At Rutgers I was proud to join the Habitat for Humanity E-Board...