Stockton is a distinctive college for many reasons. Our school is located on a beautiful campus within a national reserve, operates inside state-of-the-art buildings, and has full-time faculty members that truly care about the success of their students. Perhaps the most distinctive of all, the student body, have the potential to make Stockton’s name world-renowned.

Some of the most impressive work from our students can be seen within the pages of Innovations, our undergraduate research journal. Each year, inspired students generate ideas for research that have the ability to enlighten the community on a certain issue, test the validity of a particular theory, or potentially spread awareness regarding a social movement. One of my proudest accomplishments that I can take away from my time spent at Stockton thus far has been the opportunity to work on the editorial staff for Innovations and meet these individuals, who I truly believe can change the world through their research.

            Each year, undergraduates submit InDepth or InBrief research projects to the editorial board, which then have the role of meeting with these authors to create an article that is ready for publication. As an editor, I have the opportunity to read drafts of these articles and interview the authors to gain insight on their personal backgrounds, experiences and motivation for conducting their research. Last week, I met with an author who wrote about social mobility.

Nicole was assigned a research project for her Economic Wellbeing course, and was told that the research could be done on virtually any topic that fell under the umbrella of economics. Nicole saw this assignment as an opportunity to take her knowledge of this concept to the next level, and hopes to continue researching this topic in the future because she believes the concept of social mobility can relate to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic class. She hopes to inspire students to continue their efforts in pursuing their own dreams, and to not give up in the face of adversity. Nicole believes that it is important to be aware of this issue, as is can ultimately affect the economy on a grander scale.  Getting to know Nicole and working as member the Innovations staff has opened my eyes to the impact any of us could make in this world.