TCNJ

17 FALL/WINTER 2026 "They had such unwavering confidence in me," Wang says. Years later, as Wang navigated the vast and unfamiliar research ecosys- tem at Harvard, her TCNJ mentors' belief in her became an anchor, even when she doubted herself. "I really think it was borrowed from them," she says of the confidence TCNJ professors instilled in her. WANG'S EXPERIENCE WAS NOT UNIQUE. It's part of a culture that stretches across TCNJ's campus: A professor recognizes a student's potential, invites them into meaning- ful research, and trusts them to investigate questions whose answers are not yet known. Take biomedical engineering major Hannah Hoer '27. She's had to get comfortable tackling problems she doesn't yet know how to solve. Her testing ground? A powered exoskele- ton for the human hand. Working in professor Brett BuSha's robotics lab, Hoer has spent nearly two years developing a 3D-printed wearable device that combines hard and soft robotics to assist people with hand weakness or nerve damage. Inflatable components help power everyday movements most of us rarely think twice about — grasping a cup or pinching a pen between two fingers. The work has pushed Hoer well beyond what she already knew. After her sophomore year, she began tackling the project's circuitry before she had even taken a formal circuit analysis course. "I'd come across a problem, and I'd be like, I know abso- lutely nothing about this," she says. So she learned. With BuSha's encouragement, Hoer turned to textbooks, built circuits, and worked through problems as they arose. As she put in the time to solve each new challenge, her initial uncertainty gave way to confidence in her abilities. Psychology professor Raquel Sosa and Simmer Jealf '27 JEALF REALIZED SHE HAD EARNED THE OPPORTUNITY SHE WAS GIVEN. FOR PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR SIMMER JEALF '27, research has been as much about finding purpose as finding answers. As a Barbara Meyers Pelson '59 Student Fellowship recipient, Jealf engaged in TCNJ's Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience (page 35). She examined how racial trauma intersects with mental health among Latinx college students — and whether factors such as ethnic identity, advocacy, and a welcoming campus climate can help protect students' well-being. The work aligns closely with Jealf 's broader interest in immigrant populations and her belief that research can ultimately help colleges better support marginal- ized students. "I feel like I am making an impact," she says. Part of the wonder of research, Jealf has learned, is that discovery unfolds gradually. She likens the process to nurturing a tree. "You keep watering it, and sometimes you wonder, 'Is this tree even growing? It looks the same,'" she says. "But slowly, you start to see the progress."

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