Andrew House | President | Chemical and Materials Engineering, Ph.D.
As an undergraduate student, House was on the executive board of the Student Activities Council. “Our goal back then was to unite the NJIT community through events on campus,” he said. “I’m bringing that mindset and enthusiasm with me to the Graduate Student Association, as my team and I work towards holding events that cater to NJIT’s graduate population.” Being a doctorate student, research is one of his top priorities; he has worked on a travel award so that students can afford to attend conferences. He is also in the process of creating a research conference at NJIT geared towards students who are newly involved in research.
Shivam Verma | President for Academic Affairs | Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
Verma has the goal of incorporating more academic events to attract more engagement between the students and the association. Events that have already existed, such as Research Day and 3-Minute Research Presentations, will be enhanced by inviting students from other universities to present their work. He taught at a university in India prior to coming to NJIT and truly saw how much potential young minds have. “We just need to channel their energy and provide them with ample opportunities to vent them out,” he mentioned. “Any achievement of a student will increase the quality of the degrees of others.”
Shwetansh Mate | Vice President of Communication | Engineering Management, Master’s
Since the barren campus that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mate wanted to bring back the vibrancy. “This year, our association is planning at least 15 events for students,” he said. “I hope this academic year will be better for students.” Through his role, he has learned the importance of planning in advance, especially for holding events. He explained, “Getting an idea to do something won’t take time, but to capitalize on that idea and make something good out of it surely will.” He has also learned to utilize all resources on campus to spread the word about events to maximize engagement.
Muhammad Ameen Syed | Vice President of Finance | Biomedical Engineering, Master’s
Following an increased budget for the association, Syed can now encourage more events to be hosted, boosting the amount of engagement it gets from fellow graduate students. “Socializing and making connections can help them handle the stress they face and flourish both academically and professionally,” he said. In addition he has been working with the Development and Alumni Relations to offer a scholarship, exclusively for the graduate students, after going over the endowment fund. He mentioned, “Getting to work with students and staff who come from such diverse cultural and traditional backgrounds was an opportunity that I could not afford to lose.”
Swathi Venkatesh Kumar | Vice President of Programming | Computer Science, Master’s
Venkatesh Kumar values connecting with others and learning about their various cultural backgrounds. “My biggest motivation was and still is to conduct events that give everyone an opportunity to attend and expand their connection circles,” she said. “Getting to meet new people on a daily basis and hear their ideas also motivates me every day to do a better job in my role.” She believes that listening to everyone’s interests and celebrating together are substantial parts to achieve successful engagement.
Anusha Syed | Vice President of Public Relations | Computing and Business, Master’s
One of Syed’s goals is to “make the association more prominent for the incoming graduate students so that they know that there is a whole group representing them.” She added, “having more students increases the association’s diversity – people can bring a global perspective and introduce new ideas.” Hoping to enhance students’ learning while they’re at NJIT, she aims to organize valuable events throughout the year. Learning soft skills through her role in the association, she hopes to use them on and off campus to create a better community.
