Meet Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Monica Rubens   

“Even though Rutgers is a big school, I was  surprised by the personalized attention and support I’ve received.” – Monica Rubens 

Electrical and computer engineering major Monica Rubens fell in love with Rutgers after attending an event as a high school senior for women students admitted to the School of Engineering. As a student, and former caregiver in a retirement/hospice community, she is passionate about the “All-in-One IoT Application for Alzheimer’s Caregivers” capstone project her team is developing to make caregiving for people with Alzheimer’s easier. After graduating, she looks forward to a career in cybersecurity and graduate school. 

What drew you to ECE as a major? 

My father heavily influenced me as he has his degree in computer science. He taught me to always appreciate numbers, math, and science and my interest slowly built from there. We work on repairing computers together, and he always offers an ear to listen to everything that is going on in my classes and academic career.  

In terms of my major, I most like the aspect of continuous learning because that in turn means continuous growth.  

Do you have any favorite faculty members? 

My favorite faculty members have to be professors Sheng Wei and Michael Caggiano, who teach with such passion and understanding that they can make any material easy to follow and grasp. I also can’t credit making it this far without the kindness and encouragement of ECE undergraduate coordinator Pamela Heinold, nor can I forget my EOF advisor Dean Michael Brown. I don’t know where I’d be without his constant support and advocacy.  

What will you miss most about Rutgers Engineering? 

I’ll definitely miss the camaraderie – everything was a shared experience. Engineering really is about teamwork, and the School of Engineering taught all of us the “all for one, one for all” mentality. 

What is your favorite student memory? 

It has to be declaring my major. It’s something so small and trivial, but I’ll never be able to forget how I felt in that moment to finally declare that I was an ECE major. 

Do you have any advice for future students? 

Don’t let the gen-eds or professors scare you out of engineering. To future women in SoE: Be authentically you and don’t be afraid to be different and break the mold. To my fellow Latinos in SoE: Your presence belongs and let it be known that you are here to stay. 

What words best describe your SoE experience? 

Rigorous. Scholarly.