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“Montclair is truly an American dream school,” says Jacob Roby. “It’s one of those places where if you work really hard, you can achieve a lot, have great experiences and find people who will help you succeed.”

Roby did just that. A graduating senior with a double major in Political Science and Policy Studies and a double minor in Chinese and Global Security and Diplomacy, he is also a winner of the U.S. Department of State’s highly competitive Critical Language Scholarship for intensive Mandarin study.

Policy fellowships and research

As an honors student in the Martinson Honors EDGE Program, Political Science and Law Professor Tony Spanakos showed him that politics could mean “taking your ideas, translating them into public policy, and making a positive impact on the world.” That insight led Roby to seek out real‑world policy experience early in his college career, building a record of hands‑on public‑service work.

“Jacob has a very good ability to link what interests him to seeking information and opportunities to listening to other people and then moving ahead with his research or professional activities,” Spanakos says. “He is humble, hard-working and interested in hearing multiple perspectives.”

Roby dove into opportunities that brought his interests to life:

• Alexander Hamilton Institute, Washington, D.C. – A program that took him to the nation’s capital to study U.S. history and meet policymakers, which “opened me to public service as a vocation.”
• National security research in D.C. – Work with a think tank on Taiwan and Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing, giving him a window into the intersection of technology, security and foreign policy.
• USDA Student Fellow – A role in New Jersey that connected his policy training to real‑world issues affecting communities closer to home.

Roby also joined Project AROS, a Montclair‑exclusive research lab that paired him with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. There, he researched how U.S.–China competition is shaping global efforts to address climate change in the Indo‑Pacific region – a new angle on issues he was already exploring through his national security work in D.C.

Learning alongside students from all walks of life

Roby’s idea of Montclair as an “American dream school” comes as much from who he studied with as from what he studied. He recalled an early macroeconomics course filled with nontraditional students: veterans of the Marine Corps, a taxi driver, a construction worker and a classmate who worked overnight shifts at a FedEx facility before coming straight to class.

“That is what I mean about the American Dream – this University accepts students from all walks of life and gives them a chance to better their lives through higher education,” he says.

Taking Montclair global

After Commencement, Roby will take that story abroad with support from his Critical Language Scholarship, studying Mandarin Chinese at Tamkang University in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The intensive, immersive eight‑week summer program is equivalent to one year of university‑level language study and includes living with a host family, meeting regularly with a language exchange partner on campus and immersing himself in the local community.

Looking ahead, Roby hopes to continue his studies at National Taiwan University’s International Chinese Language Program for the following academic year and summer term. He is also considering staying in Taiwan long‑term by pursuing a master’s degree in Political Science at National Taiwan University and building a career in a Chinese‑speaking environment.

This story is part of a series celebrating ����vlog’s graduates – students who embody the University’s mission to broaden access to exceptional learning opportunities and contribute to the common good.