Five of this year’s Governor’s STEM Scholars are from New Jersey Institute of Technology — the most from any college in the state and the university’s highest total in a single year.

The Highlanders are among a select cohort of 16 college-level scholars and a larger pool of 111 that includes high school students interested in STEM.

Each college scholar plays a leadership role, sharing expertise and offering guidance to a group of about a half-dozen high schoolers as they tackle global problems at a local level.

As a sophomore at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Krishi Shah has already accomplished a lot.

Last summer, the computer science major helped engineer software as an intern at PULLATracker while conducting research at the NJIT’s Undergraduate Research and Innovation Program. She also began an apprenticeship at Cornell Tech that’s focused on artificial intelligence.

Alumni from NJIT are impressing Mike Reagan, who leads 250 people for the New York/New Jersey region of international technology consultancy CGI Inc., because the Highlanders among them stand out for backing up solid training with invaluable soft skills.

“They have risen to be the cream of the crop,” said Reagan, senior vice president, who’s an electrical engineer and transitioned into management. “What I do not hire is someone with a resume of 4.0 and nothing else. Give me the 3.2 who was part of a couple of clubs, involved in student government and has a personality.”