Incoming B-STARs are encouraged to "shine brightly" in college

The newest group of Rutgers Business School B-STARs celebrated the completion of a rigorous summer program that gives them an early start on their path through college.

The Business Student Transition, Access and Retention program accepts high-performing students from historically underrepresented and underserved populations and provides them with a nurturing support system through graduation. The newest cohort includes 42 students spread across Rutgers Business School’s two campuses.

“Hold onto the passion that has gotten you this far,” Charles A. Brown, assistant dean of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access. “You have people here who believe in you and your ability.”

“You belong here,” Brown told the students who were assembled in the center of Bove Auditorium with their parents and siblings and relatives crowded into seats on either side of them. 

The incoming students ended vacation early to participate in the six-week program introducing them to college life, including course work that earned them three credits. They also met Rutgers Business School faculty and staff, learned about resources and programs that will help them navigate campus life and prepare them for careers.

The recognition ceremony, a tradition of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, is partly a celebration of the students’ achievement for completing an intense orientation and a pep rally meant to encourage them as they begin their first year at Rutgers Business School.

Among the speakers who cheered them on was Rutgers University-Newark Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson and Marizol Rodriguez, an alumna of the RBS PREP and B-STAR programs. Current student Goodness Ifesanya delivered words of wisdom to his new classmates.

Robinson urged the students to create a vision for their life, to seize opportunities and to understand the intellectual and culture capital they offer. “Do not underestimate who you are and what you bring to the table,” he told them.

View a slideshow of snapshots from the ceremony: