The Minority Faculty Staff Association (MFSA) was founded over 35 years ago and is the oldest and largest ad hoc committee at Ramapo College. The mission of the association is to support and advocate for minority communities by fostering a sense of belonging, and creating a culture of positive change that actively embraces people and values from diverse backgrounds.

Asha Mehta was a founding member of MFSA and a fearless advocate for the disenfranchised and marginal people in our community. She modeled inclusivity, patience and, most of all, hope. She was relentlessly optimistic that everyone could and would come to have a sense of belonging at RCNJ, and engaged with people in a uniquely individual and special manner. To know Asha, was to know that you were a valued member of this community.

Asha passed away in spring 2022. Members of the MFSA created this scholarship to honor her legacy at Ramapo College, and her tireless work to promote equity, diversity, inclusion and internationalization on campus, and foster a sense of belonging among students of color and from other minoritized communities.

2024 Recipient

Shubhashree Shahi

Shubhashree Shahi of Lalitpur, Nepal is a sophomore Biology major with a Neuroscience and Public Health minor. She is a part of the College Honors Program and a Presidential Scholarship recipient.

At Ramapo, she has been active in the Student Government Organization (SGA) as a Senator-at-large, the International Student Organization as a Vice President, and the Neuroscience Lab as a Student Assistant.

Shubhashree looks forward to getting involved in Research and Healthcare after graduation. In the next 15 years, she sees herself working to uplift the Sexual and Reproductive Health status of women in Nepal.

Back to List