Double Major Is Named Rutgers’ Fourth Beinecke Scholar

Jane Teran, who begins her senior year at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in the fall, has been named a Beinecke Scholar, one of 16 students nationwide to receive the honor that provides funding toward advanced degrees.

Teran, who attends the School of Arts and Sciences, becomes the fourth Rutgers student ever to receive the competitive award designed to encourage and enable highly motivated college juniors to pursue graduate studies in the arts, humanities or social sciences. The program provides each scholar with $5,000 before entering graduate school and another $30,000 while attending graduate school.

For Rutgers, she represents the second scholar to receive the award back-to-back after Rigo Salvatierra received it last year.

"I'm still grappling with the fact that it's real because I didn't really think I would get it," said Teran, a first-generation college student who is double majoring in geography and Latino and Caribbean studies.

The 21-year-old, whose research involves studying the dynamics of urban Latino immigrant neighborhoods, received help from the Office of Distinguished Fellowships at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

Additionally, Rutgers' 2025 Beinecke Scholar, Salvatierra, mentored Teran through the application process.

"He gave me a lot of hope that a kid from a state school could win," said Teran, who attended Elizabeth High School - Frank J. Cicarell Academy. "I feel very satisfied ... to show that Rutgers has the power and the resources to be able to bring back accomplishments like this."

During a Lloyd C. Gardner Policy Conference held in the Rutgers Club on May 5, Jane Teran (left) presented her preliminary research on gentrification in Elizabeth's "Little Colombia" community.

Established in 1971, the Beinecke Scholarship provides $35,000 in funding for master's degree or doctoral programs.

Teran said for those who want to go to graduate school, "Beinecke is rocket fuel to help you get there."

She added, "It's definitely very attractive to grad schools. If they see that you come with a bit of funding, it definitely makes you a more attractive candidate."

Having back-to-back Beinecke Scholars from Rutgers "is pretty awesome," said Anne Wallen, director of the Office of Distinguished Fellowships at Rutgers-New Brunswick. "We're very excited about that."

Teran was vetted by a national committee in the Beinecke selection process, Wallen said, adding that the student "is going to be a fantastic graduate school candidate because she is so smart and her research interests are so cool that I think she would be easily admitted to a lot of places. But having the Beinecke just adds that extra layer.

"She just has a real intellectual gravitas that is unusual in somebody her age. It's really impressive."

Raised in Elizabeth, N.J., by Colombian immigrant parents, Teran is researching the economic and social dynamics of urban Latin immigrant neighborhoods. Through the Lloyd C. Gardner Fellowship, she researched "Little Colombia" in Elizabeth and how Colombian business owners used state-led revitalization efforts to reshape the neighborhood.

She just has a real intellectual gravitas that is unusual in somebody her age. It's really impressive.

Anne Wallen

Director of the Office of Distinguished Fellowships

"The more I delved into geography, specifically human geography, the more I realized that there is so much research to be done on communities like mine," she said.

Teran - a research assistant to Johana Londoño, an associate professor in the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies - plans to continue this research through an interdisciplinary honors thesis on "gentefication," namely gentrification led by higher-income Latino populations. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in geography and conduct community-engaged research that supports local communities.

"Jane is among the top undergraduate students I have had the pleasure to teach at Rutgers," said Londoño, adding that Teran took her "Latino and Caribbean Cultural Studies" course last year. "I admire Jane's passion for understanding how the stories of her community get buried and marginalized."

Noting that Teran is a hard worker and a personable leader among her classmates, Londoño added that she "seeks scholarly and creative ways to make those stories available to the public."

In the fall, Teran will take part in the Ralph Voorhees Public Service Fellowship program and will be conducting community-based research. On campus, she has served as political chair of the Latin American Student Organization and as president of Celebrating Latinx Arts and Works. A resident assistant at Lynton Towers on Livingston campus last year, Teran will bring her RA chops to the Livingston student dormitory known as the Quads in the new school year.

Teran chose to attend Rutgers for its "great faculty" and its diverse student body.

"I was looking for diversity," she said. "What we have, I think, is pretty special compared to other institutions. And overall, Rutgers has really great programs. Also, Rutgers just has lots of opportunities, lots of fellowships, lots of scholarships."

Jane Teran begins her senior year at Rutgers-New Brunswick in the fall.

In addition to her research and coursework, Teran is a library assistant as part of a work-study program as well as a learning assistant "for topics of math in the liberal arts."

After obtaining a doctoral degree, Teran said she could see herself working for a university or institution, "but I don't want to limit myself."

She added, "Being a learning assistant has given me the opportunity to create relationships with students and I really love to teach, but I would also not mind doing something I know that helps local communities, whether it's working within a labor union or working for a nonprofit or working for an independent research institution that works closely with communities of color or immigrant communities."

She credited her family, including her mom and four older sisters (the eldest two attended Rutgers), for encouraging her to pursue higher education.

"The women in my life are very important," Teran said.

Students interested in the Beinecke Scholarship or other competitive fellowships may contact the Office of Distinguished Fellowships at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

Communicators with the School of Arts and Science contributed to this article.