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Berlin, Stanley Memorial Scholarship

For more than half a century, photography was an integral part of Stanley Berlin’s life. It began in 1961, with his first job selling innovative x-ray equipment for Polaroid, a pioneer in the field at the time.  He went on to sell high tech medical equipment for major companies to support the treatment of cancer patients.  Over the years, his interest in photography grew, both professionally and personally.  Before his death in 2015, Stanley traveled and photographed the world with his beloved wife Rosalie, capturing special moments and people in thousands of images, many of which were displayed in various venues throughout Bergen County.  The Stanley Berlin Memorial Scholarship honors the spirit of Mr. Berlin and his passion for photographing and celebrating life.  It is for students majoring in Visual Arts with a concentration in Photography.

  • Students must be majoring in Visual Arts with a concentration in Photography.
  • Students must have a GPA of 3.5+

2024 Recipient

Mason Murphy

Mason Murphy of Ringwood, New Jersey is a Visual Arts major with a concentration in Photography and has maintained a 3.5 GPA.

At Ramapo, Mason works at the photo lab as a lab assistant helping students on campus. Previously, he has worked with Carolyn Herring as a campus photographer, capturing events such as the Les Paul concert and Mack Brandon’s gospel. He is also a current theater photographer for the 2023-2024 season, and has photographed shows including “Antipodes,”“Rhinoceros,” and “Marisol.” His photos have also been featured in the Ramapo news.

In his spare time, Mason photographs street photography in New York and sporting events for Ramapo when possible. 

 

After graduation, Mason plans to work in the world of photography as a sports photographer.



2023 Recipient

Kaitlin Balasaygun

Kaitlin Balasaygun of Freehold, N.J. is a double major in Visual Arts and Communication Arts, with concentrations in Photography and Journalism. She has a 3.96 GPA and has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She is a Presidential Scholar, a New York Women in Communications Inc. Comcast NBCUniversal Scholar and a member of Ramapo’s Honors Program. She was also selected to present her photography at the 2020 and 2021 Northeast Regional Honors Conferences and her research in art history at the 2022 SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate Art History Symposium.

Kaitlin has been a competitive swimmer since she was 5 years old, and she’s now the captain of the Ramapo College NCAA Division III swimming team. She is also a Student Lab Assistant for the Photography Lab, a Student/Faculty Researcher and a part of the School of Contemporary Arts Student Advisory Board.

Kaitlin is currently a Strategic Content Intern at CNBC where she writes business news stories and assists with TV production. In her spare time, she photographs events for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and Special Olympics New Jersey. After graduating, she hopes to attend graduate school or start her career as a photojournalist.



2022 Recipient

Anonymous

The recipient of this award would like to remain anonymous.


2021 Recipient

Kaitlin Balasaygun

Kaitlin Balasaygun of Freehold, N.J. is double majoring in Visual Arts and Communication Arts, with concentrations in Photography and Journalism. She has a 3.9 GPA and has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She is a Presidential Scholar, a member of the Honors Program, and was selected to present her photography at the 2020 and 2021 Northeast Regional Honors Conferences.

Since she was five, Kaitlin has been competitively swimming, and she’s now one of Ramapo’s top backstrokers on their NCAA Division III swimming team. She is also a Student Lab Assistant for the Photography Lab and contributes articles and photographs to the school newspaper.

In her spare time, she coaches Monmouth Height’s summer swim team and photographs charity events for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. After graduating, she plans to attend graduate school to further explore her career path in photography and journalism.


2020 Recipient

Rachel Betts

“In the future, I hope to inspire others with my art and to surround myself with creative souls,” says Rachel Betts.  A resident of Kinnelon, N.J., Rachel is a Visual Arts major with a concentration in Photography. She has a 4.0 GPA and is an active member of the Visual Artists Society and the Yoga Club.

Last fall, Rachel studied at Studio Arts College International in Florence, Italy. At SACI, she volunteered as a photographer for gallery openings at the on-campus galleries and for promotional photography.  During the summer, Rachel worked as a photographer at Gallery Aferro, located in the heart of the Newark, NJ arts community. At Aferro she photographed collections of various artists, edited and archived photographs, and helped prepare for exhibitions and auctions.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Rachel plans to work in the world of photography, ideally making a living off selling her photographs or freelancing. She aspires to further her education and attend graduate school for her MFA.



2019 Recipient

Daniel McElrone

“I’ve been an avid photographer for eight years, and would like to pursue work in photography and art handling after graduation,” says Daniel McElrone of North Haledon, N.J. Daniel is a Visual Arts major with a concentration in Photography. He has a 3.6 GPA and in the Honors program and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta.

At Ramapo, Daniel has been the Vice President of the Visual Artists Society since Spring 2017, where he helped organize various art-related trips and activities for club members, as well as exhibitions of Ramapo students’ art.  He works in the Photography Lab where he has helped maintain the facilities and assist students in the darkroom, digital lab, and shooting studio.  He has also worked in the Pascal and Kresge galleries since Summer 2019 as an assistant gallery technician, helping with the preparations for exhibitions, installing artwork, and meeting with and assisting exhibiting artists.  He will study abroad in Cuba this summer.

Daniel has also been involved worked at Justin Pedrick Photography and the Paul Robeson Galleries at Express Newark.


2018 Recipient

Rachel Dickstein

“I hope to work in the photography field, combining my love of travel and exploration with my unique way of seeing things through a lens,” says Rachel Dickstein of Pennington, N.J.  Rachel is a Visual Arts major with a concentration in Photography.  She has a 3.7 GPA and is a member of two honor societies, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Alpha Lambda Delta.

Rachel spent the fall 2017 semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy at the Studio Arts College International. During her time on campus, she has been active in the Outdoors Club, the Nutrition and Fitness Club and the Fusion Dance Club.  Off-campus she is regularly involved in helping at the donation center in her community and has also donated her time taking photographs at Brain Tumor Society fundraising events.



2017 Recipient

Carlie Johnson

Carlie Johnson of Kinnelon, NJ is a Visual Arts major with a concentration in Photography. She has a 3.7 GPA.

Carlie has a passion for horses and rides her horse every day at the Smoke Rise Riding Club.

After graduation, she plans on working in the photography and graphic design field.

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