Jessica Bowman

Jessica Bowman of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ is a Literature major with a Creative Writing concentration. She has a 3.983 GPA.  She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the Literature Honor Society on campus and was a 2014 recipient of the Friends of Ramapo Scholarship. Jessica is passionate about writing and is proud to have won the Critical Reading and Writing Essay contest during her freshman year.

At Ramapo, Jessica is active in several organizations and activities, including Relay for Life, the college’s Center for Reading and Writing, and the Literature Club.  As an Event Chair for Relay for Life since her sophomore year, Jessica is proud to have worked with her colleagues to plan the event for over 500 people and raise over $50,000 for the American Cancer Society in 2016. At the Center for Reading and Writing, Jessica enjoys helping students hone their reading and writing skills. In addition, Jessica attends Literature club meetings, where she develops her poetry and fiction writing abilities outside the classroom.

Jessica has also been involved in volunteering with the American Cancer Society at events such as Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Further, Jessica held an internship at Penguin Random House’s Knopf Doubleday Imprint. She hopes to pursue further publishing internships, especially those focused on the publication of children’s books. Post-graduation, Jessica plans to attend graduate school and strives to have a career in the publishing industry.

Awarded Scholarships

2017

Dr. Ernest Simon Book Award

Dr. Ernest Simon was a professor of Literature at Ramapo from 1973 until his retirement in 1998. A group of his former students established this fund a number of years ago to honor their teacher and benefit Ramapo seniors in the Literature major. Dr. Simon appreciated the gesture and he and his wife Christiana contributed to the fund. Mrs. Simon further enhanced the fund after Dr. Simon’s death in 2003.

“One of the things I most enjoyed about Ernie Simon was that he never tired of sharing what he knew,” says his friend and colleague, Professor Ira Spar. “He approached our discussions, his teaching, and his students with the same energy that he gave to all that he did, and I count him among the best teachers Ramapo has ever had.”

This faculty-nominated award recognizes an outstanding Literature major who shows a “commitment to reading and research.”