More Decorated Undergrads Share Path to Success at NJIT (2024)

Here, we conclude a two-part series in which winners of the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award at this year’s College of Science and Liberal Arts Awards share memorable experiences that highlighted their path to success at NJIT, while they also look ahead to plans after Commencement 2024.

Isaiah Rejouis, B.A. Biology

Where did you grow up and what led you to NJIT?

I grew up in West Orange, NJ. One of my reasons for applying to NJIT was its reputation as a leading university in research. I’ve been fascinated by science and biology since childhood, but I also valued the freedom to take my focus in a potentially different direction if I ever changed my mind during my first years.

What was your research focus leading to your CSLA Outstanding Student Award?

My focus in research waswithDr. Xiaonan Taiand theEcohydrology Lab, which primarily studies water’s ecological roles in areas affected by drought and climate change. I’ve also been privileged enough to be accepted into the McNair and GS-LSAMP research programs as a scholar.

What’s next?

After graduating, I plan on pursuing my Ph.D. atNJIT’s Biology Department, studying the impacts of drought on forest ecosystems using watershed models. My current interest is in formulating a possible methodology for modeling pest outbreaks in forests experiencing drought stress.

What will you take most from your time at NJIT?

My time at NJIT has helped me better understand and decide my potential and impact in research. Presenting my work over the past few years has been invaluable in my journeylearningand deciding my future as a researcher.

Emily Corcoran, B.S. Mathematical Sciences (Applied Statistics and Data Analysis Concentration)

Where did you grow up and what led you to NJIT?

I grew up in Bayville, N.J. Through graduating students who went on to NJIT from my high school, at Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences (MATES), I learned that NJIT was a great option to receive a STEM education in New Jersey, and that there was an opportunity to earn generous merit-based scholarships through the honors college. I knew going into the college search process that I wanted to study statistics, so the Department of Mathematical Sciences’ program in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis was a perfect fit for me!

What was your research focus leading to your CSLA Outstanding Student Award?

Prior to the award, I had experience in both academia and industry. In the summer of 2022, I participated in the NSF-funded Computational Math for Data Science Research Experience for Undergraduates at Emory University. There, I worked with a team researching the applications of data assimilation for glacier modeling — the findings of which we presented at the 2023 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston.

We also authored a paper outlining our work, "The Potential of the Ensemble Kalman Filter to Improve Glacier Modeling," which was recently accepted for publication in La Matematica, the official journal of the Association for Women in Mathematics. In the summer of 2023, I worked as a risk management analyst at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), where I was able to apply my skills to analyze the risks associated with loan underwriting.

What’s next?

After graduation, I will have a bit of time off to relax and travel before starting full-time at SMBC in New York, working as an analyst in the Distribution Risk Group. I am very excited to join the bank full-time, as I am returning to the same team that I really enjoyed working with during my internship. This job will allow me to learn valuable new skills in finance while applying the mathematical and analytical skills that I gained at NJIT.

What will you take most from your time at NJIT?

The importance of keeping an open mind and being adventurous. Despite being a mathematics major, some of the most enlightening courses that I experienced throughout college focused instead on theatre or psychology. NJIT gave me the opportunity to explore different subjects while earning my degree and many areas of mathematics and computer science within my curriculum. I came to NJIT intending to work as a statistician after college but ended up discovering that I really enjoy applying my skills to financial risk management.

Gabriella Zalot, B.A. Law, Technology and Culture

Where did you grow up and what led you to NJIT?

I grew up in Levittown, Pennsylvania. I transferred to NJIT my sophom*ore year because of its proximity to home and New York City. Here, I was given the opportunity to continue playing soccer at the Division 1 level and follow my passions academically as part of NJIT’s Federated Department of History and the Albert Dorman Honors College.

What was your research focus leading to your CSLA Outstanding Student Award?

I’ve had the opportunity to do several historical research projects over the past year — including an independent study of media coverage of Cory Booker's mayoral tenure in Newark, and another study of reproductive rights in Tunisia post-decolonization through researching the Rockefeller archives.

Most recently, I’ve investigated the connection between suburbanization and environmental inequality in Trenton, N.J. and Levittown, PA Through my research — involving data and image analysis, interviews and archival research — I found that the racially discriminatory construction of Levittown in 1952 caused the permanent alteration of Trenton’s economic and demographic trajectory. These changes in economic and demographic realities then contributed to Trenton’s persistent, and unequal, issues regarding lead contamination and exposure.

What’s next?

I plan to work for at least a year as a paralegal or legal secretary. I will also be applying to grad school and hopefully moving on to a new program in the future.

What will you take most from your time at NJIT?

As a student-athlete, one of the most important skills I'll take from NJIT is learning to find balance with so many commitments. Adapting my routine made it possible to stay on top of classes and research projects, manage my practice schedule and traveling for games, as well as get involved with the E-Board of the Pre-Law Society and other extracurriculars on campus. NJIT allowed me to explore my passions while also preparing me for my next steps, and I’ve even been able to sprinkle in a little fun along the way!