COME AS YOU ARE
Our students are what make New Paltz what it is: a community of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and parts of the world that fosters an open, diverse, and creative space for all to grow.
Jingdi Ma (Painting BFA)
“My classmates and contemporaries have been the most influential to my work as an artist. BFA students can relate to one another as we have all gone through the same process to get to where we are now. We value each other’s opinions and feed off one another to create work.”
Kaitlyn Burch (Printmaking BFA)
"Our world exists in binaries. We are told what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad. When we see such distinct versions of right and wrong, people who fall between those binaries feel left out or lacking.”
Andy Spanjer (Graphic Design BFA)
"I feel like there's a little bit of design in just about everything. I actually think it’s human nature to see chaos and want to make something beautiful from it.”
Elisabeth Bikoko (Communications/PR)
"I feel like every freshman comes in not knowing what to expect. I used to go home so often – I would look at my bank statements, and it was like Trailways, Trailways, Trailways. It was good to see my mom and my brother sometimes, but eventually I was like, I gotta grow up, stay on campus, otherwise I won’t have the college. That’s when I started to get more involved, getting into dance and joining the women’s empowerment club.”
Jue “Niki” Zhang (Music Therapy)
"I did my fieldwork in a school and my practicum in a nursing home. Now, I’m doing my internship at the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at New York University in Manhattan. I primarily work with children with autism and adults with special needs. I face different challenges every day and I’m getting real practice in the field.”
Heather Wander (Biology)
"There was never any doubt in my mind that I would go into science, but I didn’t know where it would lead me. Last year I went to Australia for the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network Conference.* It’s unique in that you’re involved in active science, coming up with new questions and collaborating with other researchers. I’ve learned that conducting good science is a lot more than it seems.”
Adam Rovin (History MAT)
"Teaching abroad has afforded me the opportunity to travel to various countries during school holidays. I have seen the majestic Dragon-Blood trees of Socotra, Yemen, walked along the Great Wall of China, tasted the delicious flavors from local food stalls in Sri Lanka and marveled at the pristine landscapes in rural Kyrgyzstan.”
Emma Tyrell (Biology: Organismal/Environmental)
"I am 100% a believer that communication and education are key to protecting the environment. When you get people involved with science, understanding it and having fun with it, you make it so much easier for them to want to make a change.”
Kaina Rivera (Sociology)
"My social justice concerns affect my community and the people I love. I want to be able to open up about situations that I have experienced and be able to help the generations to come.”
Adama Ouedraogo (Electrical Engineering)
"Every year my home country of Burkina Faso organizes a huge vaccination campaign. The problem is that in my country, the vaccines spoil under too much heat. I envisioned a system that would use photovoltaic panels to power a small refrigeration system for hours at a time.”
We sat down with a few of our students to learn more about their personal experiences here at New Paltz. Read their stories here:
