Biosketch
- Name: Rojann Jermaine Portacion
- College: Francis College of Engineering
- Major: Computer Engineering / Minors: Business Administration, Mathematics
- Hometown: North Chelmsford, Massachusetts
- Brief introduction about who you are, your role, and your academic focus:
My name is Rojann Jermaine (RJ) Portacion, and I was born in the Philippines, raised in Singapore, and now here in the US! I am a peer leader for RHSA and am studying Computer Engineering with an interest in semiconductors and hardware. Various opportunities here at UML have helped me establish myself as an undergraduate researcher, having been a part of Dr. Xingwei Wang's lab for Optics and now currently with Anhar Bhuiyan's ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor research group. Besides research, I also aspire to be a great leader, and am very active on campus. - Favorite hobbies: I love to golf, play basketball, and am a self-taught photographer. Besides these three things, I love music and have over 400+ Spotify playlists! I listen to all genres of music but my favorite artist is Sade.
- What is your favorite thing about UMass Lowell (UML)?
The community. Everyone here is focused on getting students all the resources they may need or want for success in the future. The moment I started to really immerse myself in the community and get to know professors, faculty, and staff, the more I realize how many opportunities there are for networking, collaboration, and growth. My leadership and the way I carry myself is attributed to the help of countless people here at UML and I like to think that the school has literally shaped me the way I am now. So much so that I am completely unrecognizable when compared to the version of myself that graduated high school! - Why did you choose to attend UMass Lowell?
I was drawn to the focus on technology, research, and professional development (specifically the co-op program). It also helps that I went to Chelmsford High School which is basically right next-door to UML. My older brother also played a part in my wanting to be in the same University as him. - What are your future academic and/or career goals?
I want to be a good leader, have greater confidence in my public speaking skills, advance my research, make many more connections within the UML campus community, develop my own leadership development student org, continue to help others, have fruitful mentorship relationships, do well in my studies, get a masters degree, and stay the course and graduate with my engineering degree! - What has being involved with the River Hawk Scholars Academy meant to you?
I carry RHSA like a badge of honor. Besides all of the great benefits we get from being first-generation students, I like having the RHSA label as it just shows that we are all trailblazers in our own way. Knowing that there is a whole community that is specifically made for students who may be disadvantaged from the start is comforting and empowering. Being one of the first generations in my entire family tree to be in college while feeling this supported is something I don't take for granted. RHSA has connected me with opportunities that I would have never gotten anywhere else, and scholarships that helped with the financial burden of college. - What inspires you to support RHSA and/or first-generation students?
Feeling supported throughout my freshman year made me want to reciprocate and give back to the program. I wanted to make sure that the newest class of first-generation students came in with a built-in friend that isn't too far down their path, but just right there with them. Me being only one year ahead of my mentees allows me to connect further with them and have genuine conversations. Having my mentees also benefit me as I have new friends that are all doing the same major as me! I love helping them and how they help me as well. It is truly inspiring how resilient first-gens are and it motivates me to do better than the day before. - Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of college?
To try to take advantage of all the opportunities sooner. Check your emails, because the "spam" you see is all opportunities waiting to happen. - What advice would you give to fellow UMass Lowell students?
Get involved. If you were never involved in things in your high school, now is the time to really break out of your shell and reinvent yourself. There are so many student orgs here at UML that you will definitely find a home. You will never know when that random connection you made through a random event on campus may help you down the road. All the professors here are also here for the sole purpose of helping students or helping humanity through research. That random professor you walk by is probably part of initiatives you may have interests in, and that staff member you see at UC may be working for a program that has real benefits for you. - What does it mean to you to be a first-generation college student?
It means that no barriers exist that cannot be gone through. Being a first-gen proves to myself that I can be independent and that I can figure things out. That I am not alone, and that questions I have are normal and that it is okay to fail and find things out by trial and error. Being a first-gen is pride of being first, and following your own path.