TCNJ

13 WINTER 2019 just freshmen" career trajectory — to fortuitous TCNJ meetups. words RENÉE OLSON pictures BARRY FALLS HAD A BRUSH WITH BECOMING A DENTIST KERSTIN BARAN studies crabs and corals Change agent Gary Dickinson, professor of biology When Summer before sophomore year Dr. Dickinson definitely helped me realize what I really wanted to do. I never thought I'd be good enough to be a scientist. He's very patient, he's very driven to help you succeed. That's really helped me believe I can go on to get my PhD. Since seventh grade, I had wanted to be a dentist, but I never got excited when I talked about dentistry. But when it's biology, I light up. THINKS ABOUT ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS IN HIS SLEEP DARSHAN KALOLA is the first computer science major in TCNJ's 7-year MD program Change agent Dimitris Papamichail, computer science professor When Sophomore year He's had a huge impact on me. It's definitely a new dynamic. We do research together — I'm helping him review tools for gene design. We play Ping-Pong three or four times a week. (He's the better player. No question.) When we're in class, he's my professor. When we're out of class, he's my friend. WGS* ACOLYTE AVIVA RON is keeping her options open Change agent My adviser, Professor Leigh-Anne Francis When Accepted Students Day. She talked to me for an hour. She helped me find self-worth. She helped me believe in myself, both as a scholar and as a human being because she believed in me. She also teaches you how to think critically, how to take analysis to a higher level. She's a really brilliant thinker. *Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. 2018 NEW JERSEY DEVILS INTERN NICOLE TAMPONE is likely to become a sports business executive Change agent Networking events through the School of Business When Starting freshman year I never knew there was a business side of sports. As soon as I found out, I was like, "This is exactly for me." The school hosts a lot of outside networking events. I went to a Phillies #CollegeSeries night, which was really cool. I went to a networking event at the Prudential Center in Newark. I was able to meet not just people from the Devils, but people from the 76ers, the Yankees, and people from smaller teams as well.

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