麻豆传媒

Career Readiness Workshop with Sharp Electronics

November 20, 2025

ENHANCE students recently participated in a Career Readiness Workshop presented by Sharp Electronics. The session was thoughtfully designed to support students鈥� unique strengths and needs, with the Sharp Human Resource team delivering an exceptionally relevant and engaging presentation focused on the job search process and interviewing skills.

Sharp鈥檚 commitment to inclusive hiring practices and to empowering neurodiverse students will have a lasting impact on our community. We are truly grateful for their partnership and dedication to student success.

Together, we鈥檙e building more pathways, more confidence, and more opportunities for our students.

A Place to Belong: ENHANCE Helps Students with Autism Thrive

In honor of Disabilities Awareness Month, 麻豆传媒 of New Jersey shares how the聽College鈥檚 nationally-ranked ENHANCE program is supporting and empowering students on the Autism Spectrum.

October 31, 2025

by Lauren Ferguson

Julianna Mayer 鈥�27 was at an open house at 麻豆传媒 of New Jersey when she first learned about the College鈥檚 ENHANCE program.

鈥淚t was my dad who pointed it out,鈥� she recalled, adding her father said he鈥檇 never seen a college program dedicated to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. So she walked right up to the table on Ramapo鈥檚 welcoming Mahwah campus and asked about it.

From that first conversation, Mayer decided, 鈥淚 want to be in this program. I want to be at this school.鈥� And over the last three years,听ENHANCE聽has made all the difference for her. Mayer met all three of her suitemates through the program. 鈥淧retty much 80 percent of the friends I have on campus, I met through ENHANCE,鈥� said Mayer, a聽filmmaking聽major with a concentration in聽post production, from Scotch Plains, NJ.

Launched in 2018, the therapeutic support program takes a holistic approach and focuses on social, emotional and organizational growth to assist students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in transitioning to and flourishing in college and beyond.

鈥淲e started the program because we saw a lot of students on the spectrum, while they鈥檙e academically very capable, sometimes, not with all students, but sometimes, it is a little harder to connect socially and a little harder to find your people,鈥� said聽Suzanne Calgi, a licensed clinical social worker and assistant director of the ENHANCE program at Ramapo. Calgi said some students were going straight home or to their dorm rooms after class. 鈥淲e thought, 鈥榯here is more you can do,鈥欌�� she said.

Gaining Support Through Weekly Meetings聽

The program features weekly individual therapy for each student. In addition, peer mentors 鈥� Ramapo students usually studying social work, psychology or sociology 鈥� meet with the students individually to help them foster a social connection, get acclimated to college life, and find clubs and activities of interest. The peer mentors and ENHANCE students meet weekly to do things like walk around campus and talk, meet for breakfast or lunch, or go to the library to study, Calgi said.

Peer Mentor Kirara Fried 鈥�25 鈥�26, who is pursuing her聽Master of Social Work, likes to plan meetings at the commuter lounge, where her mentees can play video games or pool and work their way up to inviting others to play too. She said she first talks with them about how to interact with other students, to help them eventually build up to inviting others to join in group activities.

鈥淭hey see me as a student too, so we have that mutual understanding or foundation,鈥� said Fried of Montville, NJ.

Each week, ENHANCE students have access to an academic workshop focused on topics such as time management, executive functioning and strategies for doing well in class. Peer mentors and staff help students put assignments in their planners so students know what work is due that week, Calgi explained. In addition, weekly social events with activities and games are held 鈥渟o our students can realize school is not all about studying,鈥� Calgi said.

Students also participate in weekly Connections meetings, co-facilitated by the聽Office of Specialized Services, where they delve into topics of their choice and share strategies that have worked for them. Discussions have focused on topics such as how they feel about being on the spectrum, how to make friends on campus, how many questions are too many questions to ask in class, what to do if they need extra help and how to get along with roommates.

鈥淪tudents feel comfortable talking to fellow ENHANCE students. It鈥檚 nice because students really trust each other,鈥� Calgi said.

For Mayer, the Connections meetings have served as an opportunity for her to both learn and help others. 鈥淚 have applied a decent amount of the strategies that I have learned through ENHANCE, and I鈥檝e also been able to help a lot of people, where I will raise my hand and I鈥檒l give advice or I鈥檒l tell them one of my strategies that I have used,鈥� she said.

Kyle Desuza 鈥�26, a聽first-generation college student听补苍诲听music聽major with a concentration in聽music performance, called the ENHANCE program a blessing. 鈥淐oming here to help me gain the knowledge I need to create a proper future for myself and my family, it鈥檚 a pretty big deal,鈥澛� said Desuza, of Metuchen, NJ. 鈥淚 am making sure I can make the best of it and really do everything I can to make my family proud.鈥�

Witnessing the Results

Calgi said college is different from high school. 鈥淔or many of our students, they鈥檝e really been able to branch out and make more friends and become more involved, which is great, because that is our goal,鈥� she said.

Mayer did not know any other autistic students in high school. So at Ramapo being around 鈥渁 community of people that are like me,鈥� has been an amazing opportunity, she said. She has used ENHANCE as a springboard to become involved on campus.

Mayer is the publicist for the Jewish organization聽Hillel, social media manager for聽麻豆传媒 Television (RCTV), and has served as vice president of聽Alpha Psi Omega, Ramapo鈥檚 theater honors society. She is also a member of聽Geek and Nerd Culture Club, the聽Disney Club, the聽Astronomy Club,听Ramapo Pride聽and the聽Midnight Book Club, and she does as much theater on campus as she can 鈥� often auditioning for student productions.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e absolutely made my college experience,鈥� Mayer said of ENHANCE. 鈥淚 would not be where I am or who I am without them.鈥�

麻豆传媒 is ranked among the聽聽by GreatValueColleges.net. The rankings prioritize colleges with top-notch disability services that allow their students to succeed.

麻豆传媒 Listed among Nation’s Best Small Colleges for Students on the Autism Spectrum

麻豆传媒 of New Jersey has been identified as one of the best small colleges in the nation 鈥� and the only New Jersey institution 鈥� for students on the Autism Spectrum, according to聽. The website, whose mission is to provide expert guidance about the top universities helping students reach their career goals and become board certified, selected 30 schools with fewer than 10,000 students that exhibited 鈥渁utism friendliness鈥� and strive to make their campus safe and comfortable for all students.

鈥淲e are thrilled to be included in this list,鈥� said Suzanne Calgi, LCSW, coordinator of 麻豆传媒鈥檚聽ENHANCE Program, a therapeutic support program which takes a holistic approach and focuses on social, emotional and organizational growth to assist those students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in adapting and flourishing in college and beyond. 鈥淲e saw a need and created a program that fosters social inclusion, emotional and therapeutic growth and skill building to assist our students both in transitioning to college and having a college experience.鈥�

Since its inception in 2018, ENHANCE offers additional services and resources to support our students over and above what is required under current disability law. 鈥淚t continues Ramapo鈥檚 mission of providing individualized attention for students. Students have a point of contact and a place to go when they need assistance.鈥�

麻豆传媒 has long been at the forefront of supporting students with learning differences and the ENHANCE Program is an exciting opportunity intended to help new students transition from high school to college and keep current students academically and socially engaged in order to maximize their college experience.

According to Applied Behavior Analysis, there are an estimated 1.8 million to 2.6 million current college students with autism, many of whom cannot attend large universities mostly because the school is 鈥渏ust too big and overwhelming.鈥澛營n compiling its list, the organization considered the following factors:

• 厂颈锄别:听Schools with a student population of 10,000 or fewer
• Specialized Programs:聽Colleges and universities which offer support and resources specific to students on the Autism Spectrum
• Overall Autism Friendliness:聽Additional examples of 鈥渁utism friendliness,鈥� such as buddy systems, special housing accommodations, and events designed to bring all students together
• Scholarships and Financial Support:聽Scholarships specifically for students on the Autism Spectrum
• The 鈥淚t鈥� Factor:聽Other offerings notable for students with autism including autism-related research programs, courses on autism, schools founded specifically as a place for those with learning differences, etc.

Ramapo鈥檚 ENHANCE Program consists of individualized weekly appointments with a counselor; weekly group meetings for peer support; students to be paired with trained peer mentors; social events; and parent consultations. Through these components, the ENHANCE Program strives to provide students with individually tailored support resources.

To learn more about 麻豆传媒鈥檚 ENHANCE Program, visit www.ramapo.edu/enhance/