Ritika Dawadi

Ritika Dawadi from Kathmandu, Nepal is a junior majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Bioinformatics. She has maintained a 3.8 GPA, and she has been on the Dean’s List every semester.

Ritika was selected for the President’s Internship List for Summer 2024, during which she completed an internship at NJ Transit. She will be interning at Pfizer in Summer 2025 as part of the Pfizer Futures Program.

Ritika is actively involved on campus, serving as a Student Aide for the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department and participating in various initiatives through the Civic and Community Engagement Center (CCEC).

Her academic interests lie at the intersection of computer science and biology with a particular focus on computational biology.

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Ritika Dawadi

Ritika Dawadi of Kathmandu, Nepal is a junior Computer Science major with a minor in Bioinformatics. She has maintained a place on the Dean’s List throughout her academic career.

At Ramapo, she has been actively involved in several activities including working at the ITS Help Desk, where she assists students and faculty with technical support, and contributing to the CCEC Laptop Upcycle Program, helping to refurbish and distribute laptops to those in need.

Throughout her time at Ramapo, Ritika has demonstrated academic excellence and a strong passion for computational biology. In the future, she aspires to work at the intersection of biology, data, and computer science, pursuing a career in bioinformatics and computational biology to contribute to advancements in healthcare and life sciences.

Leah Payne

Leah Payne of West Milford, N.J. is a Bioinformatics major with a 4.0 GPA. She has made the Dean’s List every semester, and she is also a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.

At Ramapo, Leah has been a member of the Journal Club and has given a lecture for the Ramapo Retiree Association on Current Advancements in Gene Editing. She has been a TAS tutor for Computer Science and a McNair tutor for Bioinformatics. She has also conducted research on creating an organic chemistry website and random problem generator with professors J. R. Carreon and S. Dutta.

After graduation, Leah hopes to find a career in medical research and to use her bioinformatics knowledge to make the world a better place.

Jenna Vesey

Jenna Vesey of Springfield N.J. is a Bioinformatics major with a minor in Neuroscience. She has a 3.6 GPA and is a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. She has also won the Pillars Student Leadership award.

At Ramapo, she has been active as co-president of Dumbledore’s Army, treasurer of Disney Club, and a member of Ramapo Honor’s College. During her time at Ramapo, she has worked to help mentor various students in HMT groups.

Jenna has also been a Residential Assistant for the last three years and participates in on-campus research with Dr. Joost Monen.

Jenna plans on doing biological research at UNC Chapel Hill and eventually aims to get her PhD in Molecular Biology.

Leah Payne

Leah Payne of West Milford, N.J. is a Bioinformatics major pursuing a minor in Chemistry. She has a 4.0 GPA and has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She was also awarded the Presidential Scholarship and is part of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.

At Ramapo, she has been a TAS tutor for Computer Science and is currently conducting research with professors J.R. Carreon and S. Dutta. to help future students.

In the future, Leah hopes to apply her bioinformatics skills to become a Medical Researcher and discover new treatments and cures for diseases.

Jenna Vesey

Jenna Vesey of Springfield N.J. is a Bioinformatics major with a minor in Neuroscience. She has a 3.6 GPA and is a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. She is a member of the Ramapo Honors College.

At Ramapo, Jenna has been active in several organizations and activities, as co-president of Dumbledore’s Army, treasurer of both the Disney Club, and the Ramapo Radio Station.

Jenna has also been a Residential Assistant for the last two years. She also participates in on campus research with Dr. Monen.

Nischal Bhandari

Nischal Bhandari of Rolpa, Nepal is a Bioinformatics major. He has 3.7 GPA.

At Ramapo, he has been active in Journal Club where undergrad students discuss current advancements in biological sciences with their professors. He also conducts research with Dr. Stuart on plastic-degrading enzymes.

After undergraduate, Nischal wants to pursue PhD.

Thomas Tragale

Thomas Tragale of Ringwood, N.J. is a Bioinformatics major and Neuroscience minor. He has a 3.86 GPA and will be graduating with Honors in the Spring. He is a member of the Honors Program and a Dean’s List student. In 2018 he attained the rank of Eagle Scout, learning discipline and leadership skills which help guide him towards greater goals.

Thomas volunteers for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and serves as a presenter for the Current Advancements in Biological Sciences Club, where he presents recent publications in scientific journals such as Nature Medicine. He is also a Mathematics tutor at Ramapo, providing guidance and advice to his peers on subjects like Algebra.

Suvekshya Shrestha

“I believe that knowledge is power and education is the ultimate key to bring positive changes into the world,” says Suvekshya Shrestha. 

Originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, Suvekshya hopes to become a biologist and a public health researcher in order to work passionately in the field of medicine and healthcare.

Suvekshya is Secretary of the International Student Organization, Co-Treasurer of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club, and the treasurer of FeminStem Club. She was a full-time tutor/counselor for the Upward Bound Math Science program during summer 2020. She has also worked at the Tutoring Center and as a Student Aide for the Registrar’s Office.

After graduating, Suvekshya plans on attending graduate school to conduct research on medicine, drug discovery and healthcare. 

“My motto in life is to keep learning and growing as a person,” she says. 

Esther Jakubowicz

Esther Jakubowicz of Spring Valley, N.Y. is a Bioinformatics major with a 3.98 GPA. She has made the Dean’s List every semester and enrolled in TAS Research Honors courses for two semesters. 

Before attending college, Esther was born and raised in an Ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic home. In her community, girls received a limited secular education as emphasis was placed on marriage and raising large families. Though her childhood schooling did not include any formal science education, Esther’s inquisitive mind propelled her to seek scientific explanations for occurrences prevalent in nature. 

She started attending college at the age of 36 while raising five children, and swiftly proceeded to propel her career to a position of Director of Patient Services. The scientific passion within Esther continues to grow exponentially as she thrives in her pursuit of knowledge in the biomedical field and genomics.

Vanesa Getseva

Vanesa Getseva of Shumen, Bulgaria is a Computer Science major and a Bioinformatics minor. She was awarded the 2019 Faculty-Student Research Award and the 2020 Academic Achievement Undergraduate Book Prize at Ramapo. She holds a 3.93 GPA.

Vanesa is involved in Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the International Student Organization, and the TAS Research Honors program. She is actively conducting research in close collaboration with Ramapo professors Dr. A. N. Kumar, Dr. S. Frees and Dr. P. S. Bagga.

Off campus, she has worked as a Bioinformatics/Computational Biology research intern at Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Vanesa plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Computational Biology starting in the fall of 2021.

Camille Menendez

Camille Menendez is enrolled in Ramapo’s College Honors Program, and is conducting research in Bioinformatics with two professors in the School of Theoretical and Applied Science. “Our work has resulted in the publication of our web application in the journal Neucleic Acids Research last summer,” she says. Camille has also presented her research at a Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists conference and a University of Maryland, Baltimore County Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences. She is a Bioinformatics major with a 3.71 grade point average, and plans to complete a Ph.D. in computational or molecular biology. Camille holds leadership positions with the Bioinformatics Club and the Biology Club, and is an active volunteer with her church. She has been a competitve figure skater for 15 years. “I am living proof that people can have more than one passion in life, and be successful in all of them,” she says. Camille is from Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.

Emmanuel Takor

Emmanuel Takor of Cameroon is excited to be at Ramapo College. He is especially excited to be enrolled as a Bioinformatics major, a course of study his country does not offer. In Cameroon, Emmanuel completed a challenging science curriculum in a specialized program. Emmanuel researched colleges on the Internet. He was impressed with the opportunities Ramapo offers, as well as its diversity. Then he learned his brother’s friend, also from Cameroon, graduated from Ramapo. After speaking with the alumna, he decided “Ramapo is the place I want to be.” Emmanuel has a 2.85 grade point average.