The program will prepare professionals to support the academic, behavioral and emotional success of children and adolescents in school settings. Designed for individuals committed to improving student outcomes, the program combines doctoral-level coursework, supervised field experiences, and applied training to give graduates the skills needed to lead and deliver services across educational and child-focused environments.

Montclair has designed the hybrid PsyD program for early-career and experienced professionals. The program will offer multiple tracks to earn a degree, including:

• A three-year advanced standing track for certified school psychologists seeking to complete their doctoral degree
• A five-year pathway for students entering with a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a closely related field

Students in both tracks will meet the coursework requirements for licensure as a psychologist in New Jersey. Students in the five-year pathway will also meet requirements for New Jersey Department of Education School Psychologist Certification and earn a graduate certificate in Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS).

The program joins 10 doctoral-level programs at Montclair, including the Teacher Education Teacher Development PhD program in CEEL. Montclair offers approximately 116 graduate degree and certificate programs in hybrid, fully online and in-person formats across its colleges and schools.

“The College for Education and Engaged Learning is excited to announce the launching of this doctoral-level program,” says Dean Vincent C. Alfonso. “This much-needed program will educate graduate students to serve children, youth and families at a time that is especially critical. The value added to educational settings, related entities and society is immeasurable.”

To apply to the Doctor of School Psychology program at ����vlog, visit /academics/programs/psyd-school-psychology/.

“It all blacked out. All I heard was glass shattering and people screaming,” she recalls. “My mom gathered us in one room as far from glass as possible because we thought we were getting bombed.”

While Atieh  and her family survived the 3.3 magnitude seismic event, the blast was the “last straw” for a family living through a growing economic crisis and escalating threats of violence. For Atieh, the journey from that blast in Beirut to the Commencement stage at ����vlog is a tale of profound resilience and a search for a “home” that feels safe.

The persistence to finish

The transition to the United States wasn’t immediate or easy. Even after her family received immigration approval – thanks to a process started by her grandfather, a U.S. citizen since 2004 – Atieh struggled with the move. In what she calls “denial” about what was happening in her home country, she insisted on returning to Lebanon to live with her grandmother so she could complete her first degree in sports science. “I was very persistent. I really wanted to finish what I started there.”

While her family watched her first graduation from New Jersey via a YouTube stream, Atieh was already looking toward the next chapter. She moved to the U.S. permanently just one day after her ceremony in July, carrying with her a desire to help others but unsure of how to navigate the American educational system.

“Coming to the USA and choosing Montclair as my school was just life changing. I’m happy to be here. Sometimes, I can’t believe it’s real.” ~ Tia Atieh ’26

A sign in University Hall

Atieh describes her early days at Montclair as navigating a “maze.” She was overwhelmed and hesitant to have her international credits evaluated, fearing her past hard work wouldn’t translate. She found the Physical Education curriculum to be quite different from her studies. However, a chance encounter in University Hall changed everything.

While waiting to speak with an advisor, she noticed the nameplate for the assistant dean for Student Success at the College for Community Health (CCHL): Hanan Atiyat. Seeing a variation of her own surname on the door felt like a cosmic green light. “I was like, ‘Okay, it’s meant for us to be here,’” Atieh says.

After some discussion, Atiyat learned that Atieh had loved tutoring children with learning disabilities in Lebanon.

Atiyat suggested Atieh review the Family Science and Human Development major. It proved to be the perfect bridge between her previous background and her goals. “This is all I ever wanted,” she recalls thinking. She also discovered social work and felt “this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Atiyat assured Atieh that she and other colleagues would help her reach the finish line as quickly as possible. She completed it in three semesters.

“Once Tia found a home in Family Science and Human Development, she transformed disruption into renewed purpose,” Atiyat says. “Tia is a true inspiration. I have no doubt she will continue to make a meaningful impact as both a Montclair alumna and a compassionate global citizen.”

Helping the “Future Change Agents”

Atieh’s passion earned her a spot as an inaugural CCHL Ambassador, where she shares her experience with prospective students. Her work didn’t go unnoticed; she was recently named one of the University’s Outstanding Student Employee award winners, selected from over 100 nominees across the campus.

As part of her role, she gives tours of CCHL and speaks highly about her major: “I always tell prospective students, ‘Imagine how welcoming, empathetic and understanding they’re going to be when they’re talking to you, a future change agent.”

A new horizon

Today, Atieh finds peace in the nature of New Jersey – running trails, kayaking and fishing. She recently completed her first half-marathon, a physical manifestation of her endurance.

As she prepares to enter �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Master of Social Work program this fall, Atieh is no longer in denial. She is a survivor who has found her voice, nature and immense gratitude.

“I never imagined getting out of those dark places in my head and overcoming all of this,” she says. “I feel more grateful. I’m building a better life for my family and my future family and I’m going to try to help my family back home as much as I can.”

On Monday, Atieh’s family won’t have to watch her graduate on a screen as she receives her BA in Family Science and Human Development. They will be in the stands, cheering for the eldest daughter who crossed an ocean – and survived a blast – to find her way home.

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.

Cameron has danced around the world, but never in a venue as large as Prudential Center in Newark, where 4,251 students will receive their diplomas over two ceremonies.

“I’m not going to be able to have a dress rehearsal, so I’m trying to put myself in a place of calm,” Cameron says.

For him, though, this moment is as much about what comes next as what happens on stage. Drawing on those years as a performer, his MFA work at Montclair has focused on how that experience can translate into teaching – using everyday gestures to make dance more accessible and to expand what “counts” as dance.

Expanding what counts as dance

Much of his graduate research has explored everyday actions as choreographic material, starting with familiar movement and building layered performance out of it. 

“I’ve spent much of my life hearing people say they can’t dance, that they have two left feet, or that dance is only for the trained,” he says. “As an artist, I’ve become increasingly committed to challenging those beliefs and to expanding how dance is understood, created and experienced.”

His culminating project, Again, But Different, built an entire performance from familiar movement. Dance Professor Elizabeth McPherson, MFA Dance coordinator, says Cameron “approached every single assignment with insight and depth of thinking, often bringing in personal examples from his own teaching practice.” His thesis, she notes, used everyday gestures – often in humorous ways – “to show just how meaningful they can be when structured for performance.”

From stage to classroom

For Cameron, turning ordinary actions into choreography is another way to invite people in, and �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s low‑residency MFA in Dance gave him the structure to pursue that work. The two‑year program features asynchronous online study and summers spent inside the Montclair dance studios. 

“We were sweating and moving and doing all the creative practices that we could physically,” mixed with academics in dance technology and media, anatomy and movement analysis.

Montclair also let him step into the role he’d been working toward by giving him classroom experience teaching Dance Appreciation to undergraduates. 

I’m in such a happy place now. I’ve found that, at an older age, I can still be on stage, but that’s not my main focus. My main focus is to be an educator, to enjoy the benefits of being a dance professor.”

From Nutcracker kid to Commencement speaker

The roots of that commitment go back to his childhood in Lynn, Massachusetts. His parents, Paul and Claire Brewer, got him into lessons after he began dancing around the house, mimicking The Nutcracker’s Rat King. “My parents worked hard and made sacrifices so I could have opportunities to dance. My dad even sanded the studio floors at my dance school and took on extra work to help make my training possible,” he says.

“When I say I’d missed my moment, I tried one year of college at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Dance right out of high school,” Cameron says. “Fourteen thousand dollars for out‑of‑state tuition was just too much for my family. I also wasn’t very focused. I just wanted to dance professionally.”

At 20, he left for Florida to take a job at Busch Gardens in Tampa. “I ended up staying with that company for almost 12 years, working on cruise ships, dancing around the world, and being a production corporate dancer,” he says.

From performer to pedagogue

After moving back to Boston, teaching was always in the back of his mind, but he refused to do it halfway. “I knew that when I was going to teach, I wanted to do it correctly, and I knew I needed an education to do that,” he says. “That’s not hyperbole.”

That chance came when his husband, Kell Cameron, a business school professor, got a job at the University of South Florida and Jason enrolled at Hillsborough College, a nearby community college, giving him affordable access to general education classes and dance coursework. 

“Once I got this academic bug, I couldn’t stop,” he says. He transferred to the University of Tampa on scholarship, drawn to its focus on pedagogy. From there, his sights turned north.

“Montclair was what I’d had my mind set on for quite a while,” he says. “Their reputation in our little dance world is phenomenal.”

When he thinks about how far he’s come, his mind goes back to those early living‑room Nutcracker performances before he ever set foot in a studio. From there to world dance tours and now earning a Master of Fine Arts to become a teacher, Cameron says, “Dance is just a part of my being.”

“I’m just not kicking my face and doing triple pirouettes and all that kind of jazz much on stage anymore.”

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.

Born in Yangon, Myanmar, Zan grew up speaking Burmese and learned English at a local monastic school, becoming proficient enough that he later became a volunteer English teacher at the school. He also worked in translation at a local broadcasting company translating English movies for Burmese viewers.

Then in 2008, in the wake of the catastrophic Cyclone Nargis that devastated Myanmar and the subsequent influx of foreign aid and involvement, new opportunities in the civil society sector opened up and he joined an NGO that worked in education.

“I worked in education support for local marginalized communities and I joined another NGO working at the Thailand-Myanmar border helping refugee schools build their curriculum and train their teachers,” Zan, 37, says.

A decade of working in translation, interpretation and teacher training made him realize that he was not only interested in languages, but he had a passion for helping other people learn.

Finding the right academic fit at Montclair

Looking to further his own education, Zan applied for and received a Lincoln Scholarship to study in the U.S. “Much like the Fulbright, this program offers a premier track for Myanmar scholars to pursue international education in the United States,” he explains. Out of three possible college options, he chose to come to Montclair to study Applied Linguistics.

“I found that what Montclair provided was an exact academic fit with my interests,” he says. “I thought the subjects and electives provided here were directly addressing what I wanted to do with my academic path ahead.”

He found the coursework challenging but also stimulating and developed a particular interest in corpus linguistics.

According to Zan, “Corpus linguistics is studying language as it is used in the wild. It’s looking at language at a whole new level of magnitude. People would look at language but only at a specific section of that language, but corpus linguistics brings in the entirety of the whole language.”

Persevering through uncertainty

Although he excelled in his classes, Zan’s academic path through graduate school was anything but straightforward.

“At several points in the past two years, the progressing violence following the military coup back home, the largest earthquake in my country’s history, and the ripple effects of an eventful administration change in the U.S. have had profound effects on my friends and communities,” he says. “It was somehow uneasy to be all safe and comfortable here while my folks struggled there.”

In addition to the emotional weight of watching his communities and loved ones endure hardship from afar, funding for Zan’s scholarship was cut in his second semester, leaving him uncertain if he could remain at Montclair for the second year of the program.

That uncertainty could have ended his journey – but it didn’t.

With the support of the University, particularly the Office of Global Engagement and faculty and staff of the Linguistics program – especially Graduate Program Coordinator Professor Larissa Goulart – Zan was able to continue in the program with a Graduate Assistantship, which helped cover his tuition and fees. He expressed his immense appreciation for all the work done and arrangements made on his behalf so that he could complete his degree.

“I must have been such an unusual case, giving both staff and faculty a considerable administrative challenge,” Zan says. “And for that exact reason, me completing the degree and graduating is an embodiment of the University’s commitment to higher education – for all of its students.”

Through the assistantship, Zan has been working as a research assistant in the Linguistics department’s . In addition to excelling in research and teaching, he conducted an original, empirical study on Myanmar’s high school English textbooks, focusing on their vocabulary and phraseological coverage and strength.

Looking ahead

Zan has applied to work at an organization in New York that helps refugee populations get settled, and beyond that, he plans to pursue a PhD in Applied Linguistics with a focus on corpus linguistics.

All the while, he is still engaging with his organizations in Myanmar and providing online trainings and classes for underserved community schools there. His long-term goal remains clear: to elevate the quality of language education in Myanmar, especially in the communities that need it most.

But for now, he is looking forward to Commencement and celebrating his achievements with fellow Red Hawks.

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.

Ready to start your Montclair journey?

Prospective students: Learn more about �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Linguistics program or apply to Montclair.

Journalists: Contact �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Media Relations team for assets or to schedule an interview.

“These shorebirds are important, but it’s just as important to know which areas need to be monitored and protected to support the horseshoe crabs,” Witters says. “If we lose the habitat and areas they use to breed and lay eggs, it will be hard to get that habitat back and keep the populations sustained.”

As a nationally recognized high-research university, ����vlog gives students early access to faculty-led projects, which allowed Witters to join a lab in her first year and keep building her research skills in one continuous five-year path.

That early start is built into �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s academic model: Montclair offers more combined programs than any other institution in New Jersey, giving students a head start on graduate study and careers. For Witters, that has meant not just upper-level science courses, but real ownership of a research question and presenting her findings at scientific conferences.

“I always thought it would be a fantasy to actually work with horseshoe crabs,” Witters says. “They were just my favorite animals. They’re so weird and unique – they have blue blood, they’re called crabs but are more closely related to spiders – and being able to build my own research around them really changed my life and showed me what I want to do.”

Kelly Witters holds a horseshoe crab molt the team collected while gathering samples. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Turning a favorite animal into publishable research

Witters and her twin sister, Caitlin – who also majored in Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences, graduated in January 2026 and plans to join the U.S. Coast Guard – first joined Biology Professor Paul Bologna’s lab as freshmen, finding not just mentors but a close‑knit community of students working side by side in the field and lab. 

When Bologna invited students to propose independent projects, Witters seized the chance to study her favorite animal more deeply, and together she and Bologna focused on a question that hadn’t been fully explored in New Jersey: whether quiet lagoonal back‑bay beaches are important spawning habitat for horseshoe crabs, not just the better‑known oceanfront beaches along Delaware Bay and the open Jersey Shore.

She times fieldwork with lunar cycles and high tides when spawning peaks. Back in the lab, she counts eggs and analyzes sediment types to see where egg densities are highest. The results are striking, and the work led to a peer-reviewed article co‑authored with Bologna in . Seeing her name on a scientific paper is powerful confirmation that her research matters, she says.

Because Witters is in a 4+1 program, the project didn’t end when she finished her bachelor’s degree – it became the foundation of her master’s thesis. She had already begun taking graduate-level classes while completing her undergraduate requirements, so the transition to full-time graduate study felt natural. “We’re out in the field, on the water and in the lab, and the five-year program lets me start graduate-level work early and build my research over several summers,” she says.

Kelly Witters examines horseshoe crab eggs under a microscope after collecting 20-centimeter sediment cores in Barnegat Bay. In the lab, she runs each core through a sieve series to separate eggs by size, then counts them and records their developmental stage. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Building toward a PhD and beyond

By the time she graduates with her master’s in 2027, Witters expects to have three summers of data on horseshoe crab spawning, experience presenting at national conferences and at least one publication – with more analyses underway. Along the way, she has also discovered a passion for teaching as a graduate assistant for introductory biology labs, working closely with undergraduates who, like she once did, are testing out a future in science. She continues to balance research with life on campus, from long days in the back bays of the Jersey Shore to training with �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s varsity cross country team.

“Being able to build my own research around the animal I loved in third grade really showed me what I want my life to look like,” she says.

Ready to start your Montclair journey?

Fast-track your future with a Combined Program and earn two degrees in one streamlined path. Explore our accelerated, affordable options and see where your curiosity can take you.

Accepted students: Make it official by submitting your new student deposit and registering to attend Accepted Student Day.

The DNP at Montclair is designed to educate working RNs for direct care as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to provide care as family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners.

Master’s prepared Certified Nurse Practitioners will enter the program without a concentration.

The program can be completed in 2 years (6 semesters), 3 years (8 semesters), or 5 years (14 semesters) depending on the student’s previous level of education and choice of full or part time study.

“Launching our new DNP program is a significant step forward in the evolution of the School of Nursing,” says . “Our experienced faculty look forward to working with nurses who seek to advance their clinical practice by coordinating and managing care to address the needs of individuals, families, and communities across settings and over time.  This program will give practicing nurses the tools they need for leadership as the next generation enters the field.”

Classes are fully online and asynchronous to fit a working nurse’s busy schedule. In-person clinical hours and three on-campus immersions ensure hands-on rigor and real-world readiness.

The online DNP is the first online doctoral program at ����vlog. for  Spring 2026 and Fall 2026 and are accepted on a rolling basis.

“We know the demand for healthcare practitioners in New Jersey is growing, and the need for doctorate-prepared Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners is especially high,” says Marc Austin, Vice Provost and Managing Director for Montclair Unbound. “These new degrees have a ‘healthcare multiplier’ effect for the state. We are very pleased to offer them fully online so working professionals can advance their knowledge and their careers without disrupting their already busy lives.”

I’m a _______, tell me more…

Prospective Student: Learn more about the Doctor of Nursing Practice at ����vlog or take the first step towards applying to become a Red Hawk.

Journalist: Contact the Media Relations team for assets or to schedule an interview.

“I couldn’t hear or see anything,” Eloy says. “I had no clue the photo was being taken. All I could feel – see, sense – was joy.”

Eloy earned her Master of Public Health degree and works as an Assistant Community Director at the Village Apartments. Her celebration on the Prudential Center floor marked more than just the end of a degree – it was the fulfillment of years of dedication, resilience and faith.

“In that moment, all of the hard work, prayers, trials and obstacles that I had overcome were brought to remembrance. This is a celebration of the journey ahead and the many more milestones I will accomplish.”

From Graduation to Global Impact

While pursuing her MPH, Eloy interned at Be Well Women’s Health, an OBGYN practice in Northfield, New Jersey, where she connected her coursework to clinical practice.

“In my time there, I worked on cultural competency, addressing health disparities, and ensuring quality patient care,” she says.

Eloy isn’t done yet. She plans to continue her education and attend medical school – driven by a lifelong passion for health care and a desire to give back.

“I spent much of my childhood in Haiti, and over the years I’ve witnessed the challenges many face due to a lack of medical resources,” she says. “A long-term goal is to open a clinic in Haiti and provide care to those who otherwise might go without.”

As she looks ahead, Eloy says she’s more confident than ever in her calling.

“I’ve grown to see the light that shines within me, and I can’t wait to let that light shine out into the world – a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.”

This story is part of a series celebrating ����vlog’s Spring Commencement 2025 graduates – students who embody the University’s mission to broaden access to exceptional learning and contribute to the common good.

Ready to Start Your Montclair Journey?

• Prospective Students: Learn more about Montclair admissions, our Graduate School, and the College for Community Health.
• Journalists: Contact our Media Relations team to request assets or schedule an interview with a member of the Class of 2025.

The Montclair programs that participate in the annual survey include Education, Public Health, Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology and the University’s Part-Time MBA program.

Highlights from the 2025 Best Graduate Programs Rankings:

• �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s graduate education specialization in Elementary Teacher Education ranked No. 21 in the nation
• �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Doctor of Audiology and Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology programs, in a new addition to the annual rankings, ranked No. 61 and No. 105 (and second in N.J.), respectively
• The institution’s overall ranked No. 108 overall and second in N.J.
• The University’s Master of Public Health ranked No. 168 overall
• �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Part-Time MBA program ranked No. 197, up ten spots from last year’s rankings

�ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Graduate Offerings

Montclair offers 116 master’s and eight doctoral programs across a range of disciplines in its 13 colleges and schools.

“Our graduate programs prepare students to enter the next phase of their careers with the skills needed to thrive in their chosen fields,” says Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Junius Gonzales. “These rankings are the latest indication that �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s stature as a comprehensive research university with cutting-edge programs continues to ascend.”

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Prospective Student? Take the first step toward applying to become a Red Hawk.

Journalist? Contact the Media Relations team for assets or to schedule an interview about this topic.

New online degree programs at Montclair:

• Online Master’s in Strategic Communication and Media, a fully asynchronous program with the exception of an optional hybrid Industry Bootcamp that will prepare students for the communication and media jobs of the digital age by developing skills in areas including social media strategy, data analytics, content creation, audience analysis and crisis communication.
• Online Bachelor’s in Family Science and Human Development, a nationally-recognized Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) program where students will gain an interdisciplinary understanding of the various factors that impact individuals, families and communities and be prepared for high-demand jobs in human services, mental health, non-profit organizations, community advocacy, and research.
• Online Bachelor’s in Economics, a program through the AACSB-accredited Feliciano School of Business that will prepare students to succeed in today’s global marketplace by building expertise that offers a natural path into business, finance, law, research or policy-making.
• Online Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management, the only program of its kind in New Jersey, will offer a comprehensive curriculum that incorporates cutting-edge supply chain strategies and sustainable practices to prepare students for high-demand jobs including Supply Chain Analyst, Logistics Manager, Demand Planner, and Operations Manager.

The university offers more than 30 online degree and certificate programs in a wide range of in-demand fields, including:

• Accounting
• Child Advocacy and Policy
• Educational Leadership
• Applied Information Technology
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Social Research and Data Analysis
• Social Work

Students in these online programs receive comprehensive support, with access to advising and career resources, all while enjoying the flexibility to earn their degrees while balancing work and other responsibilities outside of the classroom.

Are you a…

Prospective Student? Learn more about our online program offerings or take the first step in applying to become a Red Hawk.

Journalist? Contact the Media Relations team for assets or to schedule an interview.

Andrea Uguna-Solano, an international student from Ecuador, vividly remembers the challenges of her first semester at ����vlog. Struggling with English, homesickness, and seasonal depression, she was ready to quit. “I felt like an outsider, struggling with language barriers and wondering if I could ever find my place,” she recalls.

At her husband’s urging, Uguna-Solano decided to stick it out for just one semester. That decision proved life-altering in multiple ways.

Recalling Albert Einstein’s famous quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” Uguna-Solano decided it was time to change things up and take action. “I started to ask questions, joined student organizations, took extra courses, and, most importantly, volunteered, which slowly helped me to find my voice,” she explains.

Today, Uguna-Solano celebrates her persistence and accomplishments as a graduate of �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s College for Community Health, receiving a Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Science at Winter Commencement 2025 at Prudential Center.

Overcoming Early Challenges

Uguna-Solano’s journey to Montclair began when she moved to the United States to join her husband, who was pursuing a master’s degree in structural engineering at Manhattan College. She volunteered to translate for Spanish-speaking patients at a hospital to improve her English. After a couple of years, she felt ready to tackle graduate school in the U.S.

She applied and was accepted to several but ultimately chose Montclair because she felt welcomed as an international student and people were willing to answer her many questions. Back in Ecuador, Uguna-Solano had earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the State University of Cuenca. But despite her academic background, the transition to graduate school was far from seamless. She soon discovered that “speaking English is not the same as taking a class in English,” she says.

Additionally, not all of her credits transferred and she had to retake courses she had already completed in Ecuador to complete her Certification of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She also found herself in a daunting research class that she believed was unrelated to her career goals. “It didn’t make any sense to me at that moment,” Uguna-Solano recalls. However, her willingness to volunteer with professors soon revealed the importance of that research class and her own potential. Leveraging her Spanish fluency, Uguna-Solano contributed to projects on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and lactation programs in New Jersey, reigniting her passion for academic research.

Academic and Professional Growth

Uguna-Solano’s perseverance paid off. She is a member of Alpha Epsilon Lambda Honor Society. She co-authored several research papers with Montclair Nutrition and Food Studies professors and presented findings at conferences, including one in Minneapolis and another in Galway, Ireland, where she presented part of an abstract she co-authored with professors Yeon Bai and Soyoung Lee. She also collaborated with Professor Lauren Dinour on a food insecurity report focused on Montclair students. In addition, she analyzed data relating to lactation research. 

These opportunities not only allowed Uguna-Solano to showcase her expertise but also deepened her sense of belonging. Ultimately, she became a research assistant to both professors. “At Montclair, I discovered a family,” she says. “The Red Hawks community surrounded me with friends, professors, mentors, and classmates who made me feel that I belonged. I found my inner voice here, the strength to stand confidently, and the courage to pursue meaningful goals.”

Her accomplishments were recognized when she won several scholarships and awards, including the Katharine B. Hall Family & Child Studies Scholarship from ����vlog, from the American Society for Nutrition and the (FNCE) for the second consecutive year. At the Minneapolis FNCE conference, she publicly thanked her mentors, professors Bai and Dinour.

Even �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s signature red, a color she once disliked, became symbolic of her transformation. She now embraces it as representative of empowerment, she says. “It was as if the University ignited a power in me that had been waiting to be seen, encouraging me to step up and be part of something bigger.”

A Supportive Community

Uguna-Solano credits �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s supportive environment for much of her success, particularly during that first semester. From faculty and staff to student organizations and the Office of Global Engagement, she felt embraced by the campus community. During International Student Orientation, CAPS staff reassured her and other students that feelings of homesickness and sadness were to be expected, and University Police’s assurances of student safety provided her peace of mind.

Uguna-Solano recalls: “A lot of people in my country want to come to the U.S. to have opportunities, including myself. However, after arriving, I was not happy at that moment,” she recalls. “I was completely sad. I missed my country and my family. Thankfully, during orientation, I connected with other people who share similar histories, and we were told that this was common.”

Looking Ahead: Goals Rooted in Service

Uguna-Solano is ready to embark on the next chapter of her career. This summer, she will complete a dietetic internship and exam to become a registered dietitian. She also plans to stay in the U.S. for at least a couple more years and pursue certification as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.

Her ultimate goal is to open her own lactation practice and help people to fight hunger. “Montclair has changed my life, uncovered strengths and given me the final puzzle piece,” she says. “I feel ready to start a new chapter with infinite possibilities on the horizon.”

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez.

Are you a… 

Prospective Student or Parent? Learn more about Nutrition and Food Science or other programs in the College for Community Health or plan a visit to our campus and take the first step in applying to become a Red Hawk.

Journalist? Contact the Media Relations team for assets or to schedule an interview with a graduating student.