Alumna Yolanda Jackson, who graduated from RU-N with a bachelor's degree in 2015 and a masters in 2016 from the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA), has held a variety of roles at Rutgers-Newark, including academic advisor, and assistant dean at SPAA. She now works for the Center of PreCollege Programs as Associate Director for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships.
‘“I always wanted to be able to help students like me and I had a passion for helping people. As an advisor I talked them through the process in terms of their own self-discovery,’’ said Jackson, who received degrees in Nonprofit Administration and Public Administration.
She is one of many alumni who plan on attending RU-N’s first homecoming in a decade on Saturday Oct. 25. It will be a day of community and school spirit featuring food, family fun, music, dance, a Biergarten serving alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and a soccer game pitting the Scarlet Raiders against NJCU's Gothic Knights. To register and learn more go here.
Yolanda Jackson
Hometown: Somerset, NJ,
Best Memory: I lived on campus and I remember the pancake breakfast in the residence halls for Raider Madness. It was always in preparation for final exams. You could come down in your pajamas. In Stonseby, all of the executive leaders and deans would be serving pancakes, cheering you on for your finals. We were Scarlet Raiders here to recognize the teams and cheer them on. But the leaders were cheering us on, too. Those moments were really special.
Friendship Formed: Rusty Flores, who is Area Coordinator of 48 New Street Residence Hall, and Rosemary Padilla, Senior Executive Assistant at RU-N. We met in grad school, pursuing our master degrees in public administration. The three of us were like three peas in a pod, finding ways to be great. We have always been thinking of ways to empower each other. We connect to relive memories over lunch and travel together. They’ve become lifelong friends.
Favorite Class: Public Service as Responsible Citizenship. That’s what made me change my major. It was really monumental because the professor was Tia Gaynor. She brought in a lot of professionals who were working in public administration to speak. Some of their paths were unconventional but so impactful. It changed my life and became woven into who I am as a leader today.
Why I Love RU-N: I love the spirit of Rutgers-Newark. I think about my student experience, RU-N felt like a home base, where I could always return for support, information, for affirmation, guidance and clarity on whatever it is I want to do next. I made the best professional partnerships and participated in some of the best collaborative projects. It serves as a home base for you, but when you’re ready to take off, it’s a launch pad.
Why I’ll Be at Homecoming: I have committed to Rutgers-Newark on the professional side, but it’s an opportunity for me to reconnect with the identity and the spirit, the warmth of the place that made me who I am today.
