First-generation college students often arrive on campus without the same family experience with higher education that many continuing-generation students have. Navigating academic expectations, campus systems, and support resources can feel isolating, and those experiences may shape whether students feel comfortable seeking academic help. At SPARK! 2025 (Showcase of Projects, Art, Research, and Knowledge), Chareina Johnson… continue reading
Hospital survival rates for pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients have improved dramatically over the past several decades. Yet survival is only part of the story. During the peri-transplant period, children often experience significant symptom burden, disrupted sleep, and challenges engaging in supportive care. Understanding how these factors interact is critical to improving quality of… continue reading
What people value shapes how they live, connect, and cope. This research explored how educational background and perceived social status influence whether individuals prioritize self-focused values such as power and achievement or other-focused values such as family and compassion. The project was presented during the 2025 SPARK! Graduate Poster Exhibition. Conducted by Xuanzhou Du while… continue reading
Growth often begins with a single decision: reaching out. Yet for many students, asking for help remains one of the most difficult steps to take. Ethan Trieu’s research explores how strengthening a sense of meaning and purpose may shift attitudes toward help-seeking, positioning self-efficacy as a key bridge between belief and action. Trieu completed this… continue reading
Turning a master’s thesis into a peer-reviewed article marked a milestone in Jeniska Rivera-Galarza’s graduate work. An MA candidate in Psychological Sciences, she described the publication as an honor that prepares her for the next stage of her academic career. The article, co-authored with her thesis advisor, Courtenay Cavanaugh, is published in the Journal of… continue reading
In The Philadelphia Inquirer, the article “Rutgers professor seeks to spread kindness and compassion digitally” by Susan Snyder profiles Rutgers–Camden assistant professor Yoona Kang and her research on compassion, kindness, and digital well-being. The piece highlights Kang’s role as a faculty member in the Psychological Sciences MA program and the Prevention Science program, focusing on… continue reading
