Rutgers University: Sarita Pillai of Plainsboro is the first graduating senior to speak at the university wide commencement since Rutgers became the State University of New Jersey in 1956. Close to 11,”372 degrees will be conferred at the 239th commencement on May 18.
A public health major, she is earning a joint bachelor of science degree from Rutgers College and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. She is in the five year dual bachelor of science/master of public health program with the UMDNJ School of Public Health.
She graduated from High School South, Class of 2001. Her senior project helped investigators at Rutgers’ Program for Disability Research study barriers to employment for people with disabilities. She spent two summers working for a consulting firm involved with asbestos litigation. Her goals include law school with an eye toward a career in health law.
Her family members include her mother, Hema, a doctor; her father, Radhakrishna; and her younger sister Arati.
American University: Sara Neufeld of Plainsboro is on the dean’s list and inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society for scholastic achievement. She is majoring in visual media and is a photographer for the school’s newspaper. She graduated from High School South, Class of 2004.
Berkeley College: Lauren Elizabeth Krause of West Windsor was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society.
Fairleigh Dickinson University: Kathleen Thomas of West Windsor was inducted into Psi Chi, the national psychology honor society.
Sarah Anderson of Plainsboro presented a research paper during Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Honors Program Research Day in April and was then honored at a dinner. A senior, her research topic was “Outsourcing.” An accounting major in the five-year program, she will earn a masters degree in accounting and taxation.
Earning high honors each semester, she was nominated for Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and College. Anderson has worked as a tour guide for the admissions office and tutored students gratis in accounting. Last summer she worked in FDU’s Career Development Office, creating group presentations for students seeking internships. She currently is a senior tax intern with Amper, Politziner & Mattia. She graduated from High School South, Class of 2001.
George Mason University: Sarah Patterson of West Windsor is on the dean’s list and honor society. She is a graduate of High School South, Class of 2004.
Georgetown University: Rahul Bansal of Plainsboro received the Lens Landegger Community Service Award in the amount of $2,”500 for his contributions to community service as an undergraduate student.
As a member of the March of Dimes National Youth Council, he joins 18 college students nationwide in assisting the organization in its mission to prevent birth defects and infant mortality. He has raised over $80,”000 for the March of Dimes and has volunteered more than 2,”000 hours of service.
Harvard College: Jennifer Hsin-I Hou of West Windsor was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is one of the elite “Junior 24,” a select group of Harvard students named to the society in their junior year. Hou is a graduate of High School North, Class of 2002. She is concentrating on chemistry and physics.
Loyola College: Laura Hajducek of West Windsor was named the William G. McGowan Scholar. She is rising senior majoring in finance and economics. The scholarship carries a full year of tuition. Hajducek graduated from High School North, Class of 2002.
A member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society, she has been on dean’s list every semester since her freshman year. She is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honor society, and will be vice president of the school’s chapter in her senior year. Co-president of both Loyola’s Financial Management Association and Special Interest Career House, she has received the college’s top freshman business economics award, and earned the college’s business achievement award as a freshman and sophomore, and has participated as a Sellinger Scholar in Loyola’s academic business honors program since her sophomore year.
University of Maryland: Taryn Sarstedt received distinguished dean’s list honors for the fall semester. A research assistant at the school of psychology, she will graduate later this month. She was awarded a graduate assistantship at Fordham University in Manhattan and was admitted to the doctorate program in school psychology. She graduated from High School South, Class of 2001.
New England Conservatory in Boston: Ben Sorrell, a saxophone performance major, is on the dean’s list. He graduated from High School South, Class of 2004.
Rider University: Quynh Woodward of West Windsor was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honor society for business schools accredited by the International Association for Management Education. Woodward is an MBA candidate.
University of Scranton: Peter Guala of West Windsor was inducted into Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international economics honor society, and was accepted into the Business Leadership Program at the school. He graduated from High School North, Class of 2003.
University of Texas at Austin: Ashley Gosselin-Ildari of West Windsor received a $32,”000 scholarship to pursue a graduate degree in physical anthropology. The Beinecke Scholarship Program presented 18 scholarships from a pool of candidates nationwide.
An honors student, she is planning a career in teaching and research specializing in the areas of comparative primate anatomy and locomotion. She is working with the school’s Anthropological Society. She is a graduate of High School South, Class of 2002, where she was active with Pirate Players and the orchestra.
Her undergraduate research project focuses on deciphering social stratification and health in prehistoric Native American populations from evidence of nutritional definiencies as preserved in skeletal remains.
