A Place to Belong: ENHANCE Helps Students with Autism Thrive

In honor of Disabilities Awareness Month, Ramapo College of New Jersey shares how the College’s nationally-ranked ENHANCE program is supporting and empowering students on the Autism Spectrum.

October 31, 2025

by Lauren Ferguson

Julianna Mayer ‘27 was at an open house at Ramapo College of New Jersey when she first learned about the College’s ENHANCE program.

“It was my dad who pointed it out,” she recalled, adding her father said he’d never seen a college program dedicated to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. So she walked right up to the table on Ramapo’s welcoming Mahwah campus and asked about it.

From that first conversation, Mayer decided, “I want to be in this program. I want to be at this school.” And over the last three years, ENHANCE has made all the difference for her. Mayer met all three of her suitemates through the program. “Pretty much 80 percent of the friends I have on campus, I met through ENHANCE,” said Mayer, a filmmaking major with a concentration in post production, from Scotch Plains, NJ.

Launched in 2018, the therapeutic support program takes a holistic approach and focuses on social, emotional and organizational growth to assist students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in transitioning to and flourishing in college and beyond.

“We started the program because we saw a lot of students on the spectrum, while they’re academically very capable, sometimes, not with all students, but sometimes, it is a little harder to connect socially and a little harder to find your people,” said Suzanne Calgi, a licensed clinical social worker and assistant director of the ENHANCE program at Ramapo. Calgi said some students were going straight home or to their dorm rooms after class. “We thought, ‘there is more you can do,’” she said.

Gaining Support Through Weekly Meetings 

The program features weekly individual therapy for each student. In addition, peer mentors – Ramapo students usually studying social work, psychology or sociology – meet with the students individually to help them foster a social connection, get acclimated to college life, and find clubs and activities of interest. The peer mentors and ENHANCE students meet weekly to do things like walk around campus and talk, meet for breakfast or lunch, or go to the library to study, Calgi said.

Peer Mentor Kirara Fried ‘25 ‘26, who is pursuing her Master of Social Work, likes to plan meetings at the commuter lounge, where her mentees can play video games or pool and work their way up to inviting others to play too. She said she first talks with them about how to interact with other students, to help them eventually build up to inviting others to join in group activities.

“They see me as a student too, so we have that mutual understanding or foundation,” said Fried of Montville, NJ.

Each week, ENHANCE students have access to an academic workshop focused on topics such as time management, executive functioning and strategies for doing well in class. Peer mentors and staff help students put assignments in their planners so students know what work is due that week, Calgi explained. In addition, weekly social events with activities and games are held “so our students can realize school is not all about studying,” Calgi said.

Students also participate in weekly Connections meetings, co-facilitated by the Office of Specialized Services, where they delve into topics of their choice and share strategies that have worked for them. Discussions have focused on topics such as how they feel about being on the spectrum, how to make friends on campus, how many questions are too many questions to ask in class, what to do if they need extra help and how to get along with roommates.

“Students feel comfortable talking to fellow ENHANCE students. It’s nice because students really trust each other,” Calgi said.

For Mayer, the Connections meetings have served as an opportunity for her to both learn and help others. “I have applied a decent amount of the strategies that I have learned through ENHANCE, and I’ve also been able to help a lot of people, where I will raise my hand and I’ll give advice or I’ll tell them one of my strategies that I have used,” she said.

Kyle Desuza ‘26, a first-generation college student and music major with a concentration in music performance, called the ENHANCE program a blessing. “Coming here to help me gain the knowledge I need to create a proper future for myself and my family, it’s a pretty big deal,”  said Desuza, of Metuchen, NJ. “I am making sure I can make the best of it and really do everything I can to make my family proud.”

Witnessing the Results

Calgi said college is different from high school. “For many of our students, they’ve really been able to branch out and make more friends and become more involved, which is great, because that is our goal,” she said.

Mayer did not know any other autistic students in high school. So at Ramapo being around “a community of people that are like me,” has been an amazing opportunity, she said. She has used ENHANCE as a springboard to become involved on campus.

Mayer is the publicist for the Jewish organization Hillel, social media manager for Ramapo College Television (RCTV), and has served as vice president of Alpha Psi Omega, Ramapo’s theater honors society. She is also a member of Geek and Nerd Culture Club, the Disney Club, the Astronomy Club, Ramapo Pride and the Midnight Book Club, and she does as much theater on campus as she can – often auditioning for student productions.

“They’ve absolutely made my college experience,” Mayer said of ENHANCE. “I would not be where I am or who I am without them.”

Ramapo College is ranked among the top 25 colleges in the United States for students with disabilities by GreatValueColleges.net. The rankings prioritize colleges with top-notch disability services that allow their students to succeed.

Ramapo College Listed among Nation’s Best Small Colleges for Students on the Autism Spectrum

Ramapo College of New Jersey has been identified as one of the best small colleges in the nation – and the only New Jersey institution – for students on the Autism Spectrum, according to AppliedBehaviorAnalysisPrograms.com. The website, whose mission is to provide expert guidance about the top universities helping students reach their career goals and become board certified, selected 30 schools with fewer than 10,000 students that exhibited “autism friendliness” and strive to make their campus safe and comfortable for all students.

“We are thrilled to be included in this list,” said Suzanne Calgi, LCSW, coordinator of Ramapo College’s ENHANCE Program, a therapeutic support program which takes a holistic approach and focuses on social, emotional and organizational growth to assist those students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in adapting and flourishing in college and beyond. “We saw a need and created a program that fosters social inclusion, emotional and therapeutic growth and skill building to assist our students both in transitioning to college and having a college experience.”

Since its inception in 2018, ENHANCE offers additional services and resources to support our students over and above what is required under current disability law. “It continues Ramapo’s mission of providing individualized attention for students. Students have a point of contact and a place to go when they need assistance.”

Ramapo College has long been at the forefront of supporting students with learning differences and the ENHANCE Program is an exciting opportunity intended to help new students transition from high school to college and keep current students academically and socially engaged in order to maximize their college experience.

According to Applied Behavior Analysis, there are an estimated 1.8 million to 2.6 million current college students with autism, many of whom cannot attend large universities mostly because the school is “just too big and overwhelming.” In compiling its list, the organization considered the following factors:

• Size: Schools with a student population of 10,000 or fewer
• Specialized Programs: Colleges and universities which offer support and resources specific to students on the Autism Spectrum
• Overall Autism Friendliness: Additional examples of “autism friendliness,” such as buddy systems, special housing accommodations, and events designed to bring all students together
• Scholarships and Financial Support: Scholarships specifically for students on the Autism Spectrum
• The “It” Factor: Other offerings notable for students with autism including autism-related research programs, courses on autism, schools founded specifically as a place for those with learning differences, etc.

Ramapo’s ENHANCE Program consists of individualized weekly appointments with a counselor; weekly group meetings for peer support; students to be paired with trained peer mentors; social events; and parent consultations. Through these components, the ENHANCE Program strives to provide students with individually tailored support resources.

To learn more about Ramapo College’s ENHANCE Program, visit www.ramapo.edu/enhance/