There are many different paths at NJIT, and many students take advantage of various opportunities before they graduate. These paths can lead back to NJIT in some form or another, which is the case for adjunct professors Nicole Campos and Ruby Kapoor. Both are recent NJIT graduate students who now give back to the university that shaped their higher educational education. Campos and Kapoor, both Albert Dorman Honors College graduates, hold IT and Computer Science degrees, respectively, and are now members of the NJIT faculty.

When examining the journeys these two women took to reach their current roles, there are important parallels. Reflecting on her experiences at NJIT, Kapoor prioritized connecting with her professors and campus involvement. As an on-campus resident, she joined various organizations and connected with the campus community. Kapoor’s favorite clubs were the Association of Indian Students (AIS), where she served as an executive board member, and the Undergraduate Student Advisory Council, where she held a position during her senior year. These opportunities allowed Kapoor to deepen her connections with the student community and bridge the gap between students and the administration.  

Campos commuted during the entirety of her time at NJIT, though she still joined clubs and pursued both social and academic passions. Campos was in the Knit and Crochet Club and worked as a grader for Professor Lori Watrous-deVersterre, which gave her insight into the technicalities of being an instructor. For her Capstone project through the Ying Wu College of Computing (CS/IT 491), Campos worked as an operations manager and gained skills that she could apply to her current position. Campus made sure to make the most of this opportunity, developing her expertise in project management and logistics. To gain her current position at NJIT, Campos leaned on the strong connections she had developed with professors, who were aware of her work ethic and teaching experience. She now primarily teaches IT 331 (IT and Privacy). 

Kapoor also worked on the teaching side in her later years of undergraduate study. As a junior, she tutored through ACM, and TA’d for CS 288, CS 435, and CS 341 during her senior year. Similar to Campos, she gained a deeper understanding of what goes into teaching and how to better help her peers understand the material, especially when navigating different learning styles and abilities. Supplementary to her Computer Science degree, Kapoor performed Data Science research with Professor Xu as a junior and participated in NSF I-Corps her senior year to develop a matching app. Like Campos, she credits her connections with her professors and their staying in touch as a significant stepping-stone to obtaining her current position. Last August, the late Dr. Nassimi, Kapoor’s CS 435 Professor, reached out to her about an open section of CS 506 that she could teach. With his support and materials, Kapoor could pursue academia. It is something she claims no one can truly be ready for until they do it, but she is grateful to the Ying Wu College of Computing faculty’s unwavering support in her transition.

As students within the YWCC, both Campos and Kapoor got a taste of the rigor of NJIT’s computer science-related courses, and both commented on how tough some were, as well as the more difficult aspects of the journey overall. However, their advice for getting through harkens back to the idea of connection– not just with the instructors, but also with their peers. Both women developed close friendships through their classes and maintained a healthy social life, which served as motivation during tougher classes. Campos also recommends joining the internship hunt early on and taking advantage of Handshake to bolster academic and professional success.

The support system through the Honors College and the College of Computing, in addition to the network built through their time here, has driven Kapoor and Campos to give back to NJIT. Campos wants to help students by serving as the resource of someone who recently navigated the job market and developing students’ confidence in resume-writing and interviewing skills. Kapoor appreciates all the opportunities she had to engage with the student community and get to know people across majors and organizations on campus. She was integrated into the NJIT family and developed career-specific skills through research and extracurriculars. 

Nicole Campos and Ruby Kapoor attribute NJIT for changing the trajectory of their lives due to the community they built. In their eyes, it is paramount to give back to the university and provide the support to future students that they received as undergraduates. They will certainly contribute to student success and development going forward, serving the College of Computing and NJIT as a whole.