September 10, 2025

by Lauren Ferguson

Before even starting their first classes on Ramapo College of New Jersey’s picturesque Mahwah campus, a group of new students fanned out across the largest municipality in Bergen County to give back to the community where they will be spending their college years.

The 55 first-year and transfer students in Ramapo’s Leaders in Service program participated in the first “Mahwah Day of Service” organized by the college’s Civic and Community Engagement Center.

Incoming students volunteered to teach senior citizens about technology at the Mahwah Senior Center, get their hands dirty doing outdoor maintenance at both the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference headquarters and Continental Soldiers Park, take care of fleet vehicles at the Mahwah Department of Public Works, and pitch in at the Mahwah Public Library.

The day “gave the students a sense of their place within the community” and helped them “really understand that they are part of a larger group,” said Dylan Heffernan, Ramapo’s assistant director of civic engagement.

Helping Seniors

Management major Mia Scavetta ‘29 of Oradell, NJ, and neuroscience major Zachary Martone ‘29 of Cliffside Park, NJ, were part of a team dispatched to the Mahwah Senior Center. They sat at a table with Mahwah resident Ula Sowinski who was having trouble with passwords on her phone. They gave her advice about setting passwords and using a passwords app and also tips about avoiding scam texts.

Mia Scavetta ’29 and Zachary Martone ’29 helped Ula Sowinski with tech issues at the Mahwah Senior Center.

“It is nice being able to get out and help people, especially with something that they are struggling with,” said Scavetta.

For Sowinski, having young people visit the center to help with tech issues was both needed and refreshing. “It is good to see younger faces,” said a joyful Sowinski, who said when she was in school she used to volunteer at a hospital.

Other Ramapo students helped senior citizens with issues like downloading Siri to a phone and learning how to ask the tool questions, changing alert notifications on a phone, and updating settings so the phone screen would not go dark so quickly.

Helping the Environment

At the headquarters of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, across Route 202 from Ramapo’s campus, students were busy removing invasive plants, trimming back native species, mulching and moving rocks.

After removing mugwort, nursing majors Amaya Santiago ‘29 of Kinnelon, NJ, Giana Hernandez ‘29 of Nutley, NJ, and biology major Brianna Benitez ‘29 of Ridgefield Park, NJ, were working together to spread mulch.

“I don’t have a lot of opportunities to just go and volunteer, so it’s definitely a different experience, and I really liked it,” Santiago said. “Being outside and seeing all the differences that we make, actually, really, really, really makes me happy, and I’m definitely going to be doing more volunteering.”

Amaya Santiago ’29 and Brianna Benitez ’29 volunteered at  the headquarters of New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.

Katie Kourakos, volunteer engagement manager for the Trail Conference, said the students’ hard work made a huge difference. “It’s been really helpful. The amount of work that they get done, it would take numerous volunteer days for us to accomplish the same amount,” she said.

Emerging Campus Leaders

The “Mahwah Day of Service” was part of the five-day Leaders in Service summer session, where new students are given the opportunity to get involved with service projects, political engagement, and leadership opportunities at Ramapo before their first semester even begins. Then during the academic year, students in the program attend monthly workshops covering topics on civic engagement, leadership development, and skill-building.

In their applications to join the program, students submitted letters they drafted to public officials about issues impacting their generation – such as healthcare, reproductive rights, mental health support, social media and gun violence.

This year’s group was the largest in the college’s history with 55 total students, including 8 transfer students. “It’s certainly a group that has people that want to be changemakers,” said Eddie Seavers, associate director of the Center for Student Involvement, which oversees the program.

During the week, students had meals and discussions with Ramapo College President Cindy Jebb, Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur, and Ramapo Vice President for Government Relations Patrick O’Connor. They also learned from Ramapo alumni who are now civic leaders during a panel discussion, took part in team-building and bonding exercises and traveled to New York City to experience the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a Broadway show.

For the final part of the week, the students joined college staff and upperclass leaders to move about 650 fellow first-year and transfer students into their dorms.

“After five days, they are already entrenched in the leadership fabric of the campus,” said Rick Brown, director of the Center for Student Involvement.

Kerry Thorne ‘29, an undecided student from New Milford, NJ, said the entire week was impactful for him. “It showed us a lot of opportunities that I did not know were at Ramapo,” he said.

Kerry Thorne ‘29 volunteered at the Mahwah Senior Center to help seniors with technology.