5 Future Innovators: How NJIT's Pre-College Program is Helping Scholars Build a STEM-Driven Tomorrow
At New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the path to STEM achievement often begins long before college. Through its nationally recognized Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP), the university engages students in grades 4–12 each year — many from Newark and other historically underserved communities — with academic enrichment designed to spark discovery, cultivate leadership and build confidence in the next generation of scientists, engineers, designers and innovators.
NJIT recognized five exceptional middle and high school students as the first recipients of two newly-established CPCP scholarships. Each student earned a fully-funded opportunity to attend an NJIT summer program, thanks to the Kelly A. O'Connor Pre-College Scholarship and the Albert Dorman Honors College Community and Service Pre-College Scholarship. Their stories reflect a shared drive to lead, serve and shape the future through STEM.
Amelia Genao — Calm Under Pressure, Ready to Lead
When a critical material for a school design project went missing, Amelia Genao didn’t panic — she improvised. The rising 8th grader from Glenfield Middle School (Montclair, NJ) quickly reimagined her team’s architectural model using recycled cardboard, leading her peers through design adjustments with a level head and creative spirit.
“Leadership isn’t just about taking charge,” she wrote in her scholarship essay. “It’s about staying calm, thinking creatively, and making sure everyone works together.”
Genao balances her academic excellence — she maintains straight A’s and is a National Junior Honor Society member — with a demanding schedule of competitive gymnastics, Girl Scouts and community mentoring. As part of her school’s Peer Leadership program, she supports younger students, often volunteering in the classroom of her former second-grade teacher. Her scholarship, funded in memory of NJIT triple-alumna Kelly A. O’Connor, recognizes not just Genao’s intellect, but her poise and empathy.
True Edwards — Building Community Through Code
At a community tech showcase hosted by Technology for {You}th, True Edwards led sessions on video editing and Roblox game development for kids from underserved neighborhoods in East Orange, NJ. The experience, he said, was energizing and eye-opening.
“Education, paired with creativity and collaboration, has the power to transform lives and bring communities closer,” he wrote.
A rising 9th grader at Aquinas Academy (West Orange, NJ), Edwards is already fluent in HTML, CSS and JavaScript — and has built his own developer hub website, Ramplex. His passion for sharing knowledge truly defines him. Whether mentoring peers or guiding younger learners through robotics and game design, Edwards sees technology as a tool for inclusion and empowerment. His selection for the Dorman Honors College Community and Service Scholarship reflects that vision.
Danna Matamoros — Tutoring with Purpose and Compassion
What began as a chore — helping her younger brother Nicko with homework — became a calling. Danna Matamoros, a rising 9th grader at Wallington Jr/Sr High School, saw firsthand how differently children with learning disabilities absorb material. Inspired by Nicko, who has autism, she launched a free tutoring service for other children in her community, many of whom were struggling without access to academic support.
“I’m willing to take this more seriously in the future to serve and support not only kids who are struggling, but my community.”
Matamoros is also a standout in the classroom. Her Python project was ranked in the top 1% of all submissions at her school, and her computer science teacher praises her as both technically gifted and generous with her time and skills. The Kelly A. O'Connor Pre-College Scholarship will open the door to further opportunities in coding and STEM, as she continues mentoring and innovating.
Elaine Zhang — A Future in STEM, A Heart for Service
Elaine Zhang’s dream is to serve in the U.S. Navy, combining her passion for STEM with a calling to help others. A rising 10th grader at West Essex High School (Fairfield, NJ), Elaine balances a 3.94 GPA with an impressive list of extracurriculars: cross country, track, basketball, club swimming and volunteer work at Toni’s Kitchen and a local pet adoption center.
“I feel happy when I know I’ve helped someone or something,” she wrote. “Being a Navy officer means serving and protecting our country. I believe my volunteer work is already helping me learn how to serve others with care and responsibility.”
Her teachers describe her as mature, grounded and quietly effective — a student who leads more by action than words. Elaine’s scholarship through the Kelly A. O’Connor fund affirms her ambition to prepare for a military career that blends discipline, service, and advanced STEM knowledge.
Maria Fernanda Reyes Morales — Changing the STEM Narrative, One Child at a Time
At Roselle Park High School, Maria Fernanda Reyes Morales isn’t just learning science — she’s teaching it. A rising 10th grader with a 98 average in environmental science, Morales co-founded “STEM Girls,” a club that brings hands-on science experiments to elementary classrooms. From DIY lava lamps to lessons on air pressure, the goal is to spark curiosity — and confidence — among young students, especially girls.
“We want to transmit knowledge and a love for science,” she wrote. “Even though our target audience is girls, we welcome anyone who wants to learn.”
Morales’s efforts reflect the spirit of NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College: fostering civic-minded leaders who use their talents to uplift others. Her scholarship affirms both her academic strength and her deep community impact.
Building the Pipeline, Starting Early — and Sustaining It Together
These five students are part of a much larger story — one that NJIT has been shaping for more than four decades through CPCP. Founded in 1979, CPCP reaches over 4,300 students annually through rigorous, hands-on programs that fuel curiosity and elevate achievement in STEM. Many participants come from Newark and other underrepresented communities and are among the first in their families to aspire to college.
But NJIT’s work doesn’t stop at students. CPCP also empowers educators and families through targeted professional development and family learning workshops — ensuring that the entire ecosystem around each student is equipped to nurture their growth. Teachers participate annually in CPCP-led training, while STEM Family Programs invite children and adults to explore engineering, coding and science together.
Signature initiatives like Upward Bound, UBELLs, GEAR UP / College Bound, Early College Preparatory Program, the Forensic Science Initiative and Math Success Initiative create bridges from middle school to college, offering academic instruction, mentoring, dual enrollment opportunities and career exploration. Meanwhile, competitions like eSTEM and the New Jersey Science Olympiad extend the classroom through challenge-based learning, with coaching support from NJIT faculty and students.
The impact is measurable: 95% of College Bound seniors enroll in post-secondary education, and 91% of those completing CPCP’s Math Success Initiative have been accepted to NJIT.
“We are humbled by the confidence that Kelly O’Connor had in the Center for Pre-College Programs to entrust her impressive NJIT legacy to our care through the establishment of a scholarship in her name,” said Jackie Cusack, executive director of the CPCP. “Special thanks to her husband, Robert Nee, for his unwavering commitment and diligence to ensure its implementation as Kelly intended. Her scholarship is bound to have a transformative impact on female pre-college award recipients as they explore opportunities and options in STEM-related careers.
“The inaugural Albert Dorman Honors College Community and Service Scholarship reflects a vision that Dean Louis Hamilton has for fostering the growth of community leadership among students at the pre-college level. Not only is it a privilege to partner with him in such a noble endeavor, but it is a distinct honor to be associated with the trailblazing legacy of Dr. Albert Dorman, for whom the Honors College is named.”
Whether it begins with a lava lamp experiment, a community tutoring effort or a dream of naval service, CPCP helps students convert early interests into lifelong purpose. With the addition of scholarships like those awarded this year, NJIT’s mission championed for generations is clear: ignite potential and prepare future leaders long before they set foot in a college classroom.
