New Jersey program points toward bright future in science

Two students from the College of Science & Mathematics are among the New Jersey Governor’s 2025 STEM Scholars. 

Mary Okolla, a 2025 master’s degree candidate in cybersecurity, and Sapjah Zapotitla, a junior psychology major, have been recognized for their committed work ethic, leadership and passion for research. 

Since its inception in 2013, the New Jersey Governor’s STEM Scholars program works to connect high-achieving STEM students from grades 10 through the doctoral level with state STEM professionals and experts while encouraging interaction among awardees. 

GS Scholars learn about higher education and career pathways in STEM including participation in a self-designed STEM research project overseen by senior scholars consisting of college and graduate classmates.

Okolla and Zapotitla each serve as a team lead for a group of four to six high school scholars in the program; mentoring others in New Jersey-centric studies of the group’s own design. The experience has helped both women imagine a future as thought leaders.

Okolla holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nairobi. Additionally, she completed a year of training in computer and data science through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ReACT program prior to coming to Rowan University in pursuit of a graduate degree in cybersecurity.

She served as a research analyst at Rowan, focused on bioinformatics and applied cybersecurity principles to protect sensitive data. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and a volunteer and member of Peace Ambassadors Kenya and Red Cross Kenya.

“Now, I aspire to lead a cybersecurity innovation lab where I can spearhead the development of next generation security solutions,” Okolla says. “I want to build a team of talented professionals, secure funding for innovative projects and collaborate with industry partners to bring new ideas to the market. “

In addition to majoring in psychology, Zapotitla is pursuing a double minor in sociology and the psychology of sports and exercise, as well as a certificate of undergraduate study in social justice and social change.

As a first-generation Mexican-American, Zapotitla says she recognized early on that she didn’t have the resources of many of her peers, but she had a lot of determination. Mentorship provided by Nathaniel Nucci, Ph.D., a molecular biophysicist in the College of Science & Mathematics, “shifted everything for me, knowing there were people like him willing to help people like me,” she says.  

Even so, she explains, “everything that I had to do to succeed was going to come from me.” 

Her driving force is “to do something that will make an impact and represent the underrepresented people…being in spaces where it's breaking the barrier and doing things to make a way for someone else.” 

Zapotitla is part of the research team at Rowan’s Health & Behavioral Integrated Treatments (HABIT) Lab, led by Bethany Raiff, Ph.D., which studies behavioral interventions for health. Earlier, she contributed to published research on mental health in autism, led by Katherine Gotham, Ph.D., at the Social, Emotional & Affective Health Lab (SEAHLab).

With support from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, she participated in a summer research experience program at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where she conducted research under the guidance of immigrant researchers. 

Zapotitla says her recent leadership experience has revealed another piece of the puzzle for her future. 

“I have a platform to share my passions with other people, with future researchers and future scientists,” Zapotitla says. “And it's really beautiful.”