Ogechi Dike '08

Recipient of the Amelia L. Ruggles Scholarship

Ogechi Dike '08 always wanted to be a doctor. She is a Douglass Scholar majoring in biological sciences with a minor in African studies. Ogechi, who goes by ChiChi, says she has "always been motivated and determined to do everything possible" that would prepare her to become a physician. Scholarship support enables her to reach her goal. She is the recipient of the Amelia L. Ruggles Scholarship.

She credits her father's encouragement as a teacher because "school never ended. I would go home and have work to do."

Chi Chi was attracted to Douglass because of the sense of community she observed during a campus tour. She values a close-knit community of classmates and the administrative and academic support she experiences.

She is a Red Pine Ambassador and served as a Peer Academic Leader. In New Brunswick, she volunteers at Saint Peter's University Hospital and in the pediatric emergency room at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Last summer, through Access-Med with UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, she started medical school while finishing her undergraduate degree at Douglass. As a physician, she hopes to address the disparities in health care across races and between genders.

Kathryn M. Jenkins '10

Recipient of the Bernadette Terango Gsell Scholarship

Kathryn M. Jenkins ’10 is a bright-eyed and confident young woman, moved by the legacy of her mother, Nancy Mencel Jenkins ’77. Scholarship support helps Kathryn pursue a major in political science and a double minor in public health and history. She hopes to pursue a career in public policy. As a sophomore, she is making inroads. She was recently accepted into a special program as a Congressional intern in Washington, D.C.

“Douglass is a women’s college connected to the University with all the benefits of a smaller community encouraging strong leadership skills,” she says. “At Douglass, you can really take off.”

Kathryn has embarked on things she never did in high school. She is the Class of 2010 representative for the Douglass Governing Council, and recording secretary for Rutgers University Student Association (RUSA). She served on the Douglass Orientation Committee.

During her first year, like her mother, Kathryn celebrated the tradition of the Sacred Path ceremony. She also celebrated Founders Day. When Kathryn entered Voorhees Chapel for the Douglass Orientation Convocation, she says, “I couldn’t help but think of all the alumnae who have passed through those doors and that my mother was seeing tradition now through my eyes.”

Lillian Forero '07, DCGA President

Carrying Forth the Voice of Douglass College Students

Douglass College Government Association President Lillian Forero '07 emigrated to the U.S. with her mother from Colombia just before her tenth birthday. She entered fifth grade and later graduated from Clifton High School. This spring, with the help of the Voorhees Family Undergraduate Support Enhancement Fund, Lillian will graduate from Douglass College with a bachelor's degree in political science, a minor in Spanish, and she will receive Institute for Women's Leadership and Eagleton Undergraduate Program certificates. Lillian credits much of her success to her mother. "She is a great example to me."

At the helm of DCGA, Lillian is charged with carrying forth the voice of the Douglass College student body. As a group, the DCGA develops policy for the College, allocates students fees, and deliberates on campus issues.

During an internship last year on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with the support of the Solomon J. Neimark Fund for Apprenticeship in Public Service, Lillian was able to observe politics in action. "Working on the Hill," she says, "helped me see the process of the law." The experience guided Lillian to define her leadership role in DCGA as "a stake" in how student government ought to engage in the process of the planned restructuring of Rutgers University and the formation of Douglass Residential College.

"DCGA will continue to be a women-only governing association that funds student organizations on the Douglass campus," she says.

"Students know why they love Douglass, and understand why women-only spaces are empowering," Lillian says. "I try to bring home the idea that in order to maintain these programs and spaces we all have benefited from, the University must prove its commitment by allocating enough resources. More importantly, I think DCGA members understand that the University has made a commitment to marketing Douglass Residential College, and we are going to follow up and hold the administration accountable."

Lillian says with confidence, "I think it's important for students to know what the administration is doing to respond to their needs, and DCGA is the perfect place for that."

Lillian is also co-chair of public relations for the University's Latin American Women's Organization. She had studied abroad in Spain and is a past recipient of the Robert Douglas Memorial Scholarship and the Winifred Despirt Meyer Scholarship administered through the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College. Prior to becoming president of DCGA, Lillian was the 2007 class president as a first-year student, and she served in the University Senate during her sophomore and junior years.

Lillian hopes to attend law school following a two-year stint in Lehman Brothers' Analyst Program, and then, as Lillian says with a smile, "to reach high and see what happens."

Danielle Josephs is a Douglass College senior double-majoring in political science and Middle Eastern studies. A huge proponent of Middle East coexistence, Danielle founded the Middle East Coexistence House that opens this fall as part of the Global Village at Douglass College. She founded the House with the dual aim of bridging the gap between Jewish/Israeli and Arab/Muslim/Christian women at Douglass College and encouraging women's involvement in international conflict resolution and negotiation. Danielle is from Teaneck, in Bergen County, New Jersey, and is the daughter of an American mother and an Israeli father. Danielle has always held a fervent interest in the Middle East and is working to realize her goal of becoming a Middle East negotiator/policymaker.

Last spring, Danielle founded and coordinated the Douglass College 2006 Middle East Lecture Series. The three-part lecture series featured Mishkat Al Moumin, former Iraqi Interim Government Minister of the Environment; Dana Savoray, founder and head of the first Municipal Women's Administration for the City of Herziliya, Israel; and OneVoice, a grassroots movement working with Israelis and Palestinians, deploying cutting edge technology, electronic democracy and a broad group of experts, celebrities, and spiritual leaders to enable citizens to craft a public concensus around issues at the heart of the Middle East conflict.

Danielle spends her summers serving as a research assistant for Professor Brian Mandell at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she is researching Middle East policy frameworks and negotiations. In May, she received the Mabel Smith Douglass Award for outstanding individual contribution.

Danielle is also the winner of GLAMOUR Magazine's 2006 Top Ten College Women Scholarship. She was recognized by GLAMOUR for her involvement in the development of the Rutgers University Middle East Coexistence Project and the Middle East Coexistence House. This project is just one piece of her overall goal of encouraging women to become involved in conflict negotiation. Please click here to read Danielle's profile in GLAMOUR Magazine.

Student Leaders Welcome Incoming Class to Summer Orientation

As told by Lauren Maher '09

For the past year, six Douglass College students, including me, have been meeting to organize Summer Orientation at Douglass. We are known as Summer Orientation Leaders. Our goal was to ensure the two-day, overnight orientation experience for first-year Douglass students would be informational, educational and fun, preparing these young women for their college experience.

As Orientation Leaders, we each had slightly different reasons for getting involved in the program, especially one that takes up a few weeks of summer because there are several sessions. Some of us had great orientation experiences as incoming students, which inspired us to become involved. Others wanted the leadership opportunity. What we all agreed on was that we have a great love for Douglass College and wanted to share our passion with incoming students.

Let me introduce everyone: Elyse Washington '08 is a psychology major and a Red Pine Ambassador; Hannah Weinstock-Gallagher '09 is a political science major involved in the Douglass Student Recruitment Network; and from the Douglass Orientation Committee came Malissa Pansa-Ad '09, a political science major; Kim Brynildsen '08, a psychology major; Amytza Maskati '09, a journalism and media studies major; and myself, Lauren Maher '09, a genetics major. Our different backgrounds were an asset as we prepared for Douglass's Summer Orientation. We helped each other learn the necessary information about new programs and requirements for the college and ways to answer questions we thought the incoming class might have. Not all of us knew each other at the beginning, so we had a blast getting to know one another, especially at our training session in the weeks before Summer Orientation began. Our different personalities brought a great dynamic to the program. It also helped students as they discovered they could always relate to at least one of us! I was impressed by the young women who will be entering Douglass this fall. Their non-stop energy and enthusiasm over the two days of activities left all of us very tired but inspired.

This year, Summer Orientation housing was based in Lippincott Residence Hall, with activities taking place at the Cook/Douglass Recreation Center and Neilson Dining Hall. In Lippincott, two leaders were assigned to a floor of incoming students, acting as a residence assistant for the session. The young women always had opportunities to get to know students from other floors even though ice-breakers and other activities were done floor-by-floor.

This was the fourth year of Summer Orientation at Douglass and it was a very special one because the incoming class is the first for Douglass Residential College. As leaders, we had the task of not only trying to learn everything possible about the new system, but also how to convey the information to the students, and in only two days.

After check-in the first morning, students got to know one another through ice-breaker activities, followed by a walking tour of the campus. We held sessions on the importance of women's leadership and highlighted the first-year women's leadership course they will all be taking. Through our own experiences, we offered advice on scheduling, getting around campus and tips on University dining. There was also academic advising.

Mixed in with the serious side of orientation was plenty of fun! A highlight was an activity called The Amazing Race, where the first-year students broke into teams and competed against each other through a series of ten team building exercises. Orientation ended with a series of skits we created about different situations that the students might encounter in college, such as roommate conflicts, the difference between commuter life and residence life, and academic integrity. Although the skits were slightly exaggerated and made everyone laugh, we hope they exposed the incoming class to some of the situations they may encounter in their new environment.

It was touching to see incoming students at Summer Orientation become friends. Some even asked if they could request to be roommates. I know many of these friendships will strengthen over their four years. There is something really special about knowing that you helped create friendships that could last a lifetime.

As a group, we exchanged e-mails to stay in touch. Although social Web sites like Facebook and MySpace sometimes get bad publicity, these sites can be great tools when used properly.

We saw a lot of ourselves in the incoming Class of 2011: confidence, strength, and an interest in making a difference somehow. We look forward to seeing the Douglass Class of 2011 around campus and to helping them experience the Douglass Difference, which is still going strong.