Over 100 students, faculty, and staff attended the Middlesex College Honors Student Spotlight, which showcased the hard work and achievements of the College’s honor students. The afternoon included presentations, discussions, and a chance to celebrate students’ creativity in using their academics for real-world applications. 

“This experience pushed me beyond my comfort zone, providing new ways to communicate complex ideas visually and verbally to illustrate my thoughts, and gave me the confidence to pursue increasingly ambitious academic goals,” said Honors student Stan Lee. 

The event helps students build presentation and communication skills. Though presenting oral research is a requirement of the Honors Program, the poster element included in this year’s event gave students another opportunity to share their research in a different format. 

“I’m incredibly proud of our students and the work they shared at this semester’s Honors Student Spotlight,” said Honors Program Coordinator Claire Condie. “This event truly captures the spirit of our Honors Program—engaged learning, collaboration, and a strong sense of community. Their curiosity and dedication were on full display,” 

There were a total of 28 posters/projects on display, some of which included interactive elements like food samplings and games. 

“The Honors spotlight event gave me the opportunity to get real first-hand experience in both collecting my own data and presenting it in a real-world academic setting, which will be an invaluable experience for my career going forward,” said Honors student Kip Jolly.  

Student presentations ranged in a variety of topics such as equity in transportation, using calculus to improve medical imaging, and the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence as depicted in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. 

“Presenting my research was a great experience because it allowed me to connect Calculus II to a real medical application in a meaningful way. The Honors Spotlight helped boost my confidence in presenting technical material,” said Honors student Kamishka Grover. 

Congratulations to the Student Presenters: 

• Cherno Bah, Paul Figueiredo, Victor Gil, Avneet Kaur, Rimo Mathew, and Faith Valdata SCI 155 HONORS “The Geologic History of Venezuela: Where Did the Oil Come From?” 

• Shreya Karmokar MAT 124 HONORS “Test Anxiety Amongst College Students” 

• Randi Lamp ENG 121 HONORS “What Factors Cause the Development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease?” 

• Jacobo Cruz Vera MAT 132 HONORS “To the Moon and Back: Calculus II and Artemis II” 

• Hiba Abdul Gafoor Zarook, Yordaliz Pichardo, and Ysabella Tudtud PSY 123 HONORS “The Psychology of the Good Life in Perth Amboy” 

• Kip Jolly MAT 124 HONORS “GPA and Household Income: How Economics Defines Academic Achievement” 

• Stan Lee ENG 121 HONORS “Rei Ayanami and the Conscious Mind” 

• Andre Lindsey ECO 202 HONORS “How Public Transportation Shapes Opportunity: A Focus on New Jersey and New York” 

• Kamishka Grover MAT 132 HONORS “Beyond the Slice: Volumetric Modeling of Human Organs” 

• Anna Rivera ENG 121 HONORS “The Divine Maternal Feminine in Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Monstrous, Bloated Form” 

Congratulations to the Student Poster Presenters: 

• Rimo Mathew ENG 121 HONORS “Microplastics” 

• Ethan Sin ENG 121 HONORS “Akira: The Impermanence of Power” 

• Gurleen Saran ENG 122 HONORS “Love Me, but Not the Lasagna” 

• Acyuta Srivastava ENG 122 HONORS “Infected Glory” 

• Darlin Lajara ENG 253 HONORS “Rewriting Orpheus: Django Unchained and the Rejection of Tragic Myth” 

• Anthony Pollak MAT 123 HONORS “Caffeine Intake and Effects on Sleep” 

• Siddique Qureshi and Youssef Abdelsayed MAT 123 HONORS “Miles to Mindset: Mapping the Distance Between Commute and Campus Satisfaction” 

• Nicole Zelaya MAT 123 HONORS “Daily Caffeine Intake & Anxiety in College Students” 

• Shreya R Karmokar MAT 123 HONORS “Sleep v. Concentration: A Correlational Study” 

• Nox La MAT 124 & ENG 253 “The Environment Sings to Us” 

• Linmiao Gu MAT 124 HONORS “Does Colored Notetaking Improve Memory” 

• Michelle Bista MAT 124 HONORS “Adderall and other Amphetamine Use Among Middlesex College Students” 

• Ayesha Mustafa MAT 124 HONORS “Music Tempo & Exercise” 

• Heidi Lizardo Cadet MAT 124 HONORS “Relationship Between Grades and Modality” 

• Mariela Flores PHI 123 HONORS “The Epicurean Surgery: Fostering Well Being with the Community” 

• Aarzoo Brahmbhatt PHI 123 & ENG 253 “Philosophy as Therapy” 

• Victor Gil TSI Princeton “The Socially Aware Homo Sapien: Conservation Efforts & Social Media”