Rowan Today

When Justin Hawkins walks across the stage at Commencement this spring, he’ll do so with recognition from the leading professional organization in his field—and a clearer sense of the educator he hopes to become.

Stand in front of a mirror, turn your head to one side, and note the large, protruding muscle running from your collarbone to the base of your skull. That’s your sternocleidomastoid, which helps you rotate your head left to right.

Kayla Bhagaloo's passion for hands-on learning sent her on a mission to become a leader in veterinary medicine.

Rowan research continues to advance innovation and economic growth across the region and beyond.

Armando Santana doesn’t ease into his days. He seizes them—starting at 5 a.m. By the time most of campus is waking up, Santana has already worked out, read, checked the markets and planned ahead. That discipline—built over years as a student-athlete, coach, finance major and emerging sales professional—has shaped his Rowan University experience and now propels him toward his next chapter.

Long before she began studying diplomacy in Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities & Social Sciences, Moonique Williamson was already practicing – through service, leadership and commitment to community shaped by her upbringing in Guyana. An international student, Williamson arrives at commencement May 13 as a student in the John H. Martinson Honors College, a student organization president and an award-winning public speaker on a path toward diplomacy, passionate about humanitarian and environmental issues. Grounded in gratitude and resilience, that vision began at home.

For Amir Davoodi, medicine is shaped by ethics, culture, and community as much as by science. A member of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University’s Class of 2026, he combined service in Camden, health policy advocacy and nationally recognized bioethics scholarship to develop a patient-centered approach to care. His research on physicians’ moral responsibility under systemic pressure was published in the British Medical Journal’s Journal of Medical Ethics. As he prepares to begin his internal medicine residency at CMSRU/Cooper University Health Care, Davoodi hopes to build a career at the intersection of clinical care, public health, and policy.

Sean Olcese found his way from stargazing to climate resilience and community impact

Rowan University’s Rohrer College of Business became a hub of energy and creativity on April 17 during the annual New Venture Competition & Expo.

Long before he ever put on a white coat, Michael Acevedo found himself in an unexpected role as a translator.