Students Receive Caldwell University Business and Literary Studies Goldman Sachs Scholarship

Caldwell students Marialis Nunez’25 and Emy Cuadros ’25  recently learned that they were selected as recipients of the Caldwell University Business and Literary Studies Goldman Sachs Scholarship.

Emy Cuadros is grateful for opportunities to develop, connect and network 

Emy Cuadros ’25  knows the value of networking, a concept many college students don’t grasp or value until after they graduate. An international student from Peru, Cuadros began doing internships her freshman year at Caldwell as a business administration major—first in marketing at a day care center in Queens and then this past fall with the Apple sales and retail business team in Manhattan. She was recently selected as a Caldwell University Business and Literary Studies Goldman Sachs Scholarship recipient for her junior and senior years. 

Since English is not her first language, Cuadros said it was a “huge cultural” shock to come to the U.S. for school and get adjusted. “I was so shy in class. I was scared that no one would understand what I was saying … little by little I decided to push myself,” said Cuadros.   As she became more comfortable, she decided to add English as a second major. She credits much of her increased confidence to the support of her Caldwell professors. “All of those [internships] are things I could not get if I did not try to gain communication and writing skills, practicing, going to classes, pushing myself … meeting with professors, talking to them about projects, ” said Cuadros. Now she seizes opportunities to attend workshops like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities conference she went to last year with two other Caldwell students. 

Cuadros has enjoyed classes like English Professor Mary Ann Miller’s poetry class, which took her back to her days growing up in Peru. Starting when Cuadros  was age 3, her mother taught her indigenous-language poems and instilled in her a love for the “poetry art.” She found in poetry a way to make deep connections and express herself. “When I moved here everything was new … remembering the connection I had with poetry made me feel alive and gave me motivations to come to class every day.” Now she is interning with Miller in marketing for Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, a national publication for which Miller is the editor. 

Thinking about her career aspirations, Cuadros is determined to keep doing internships and networking. She is considering journalism as a field, but for now she wants to keep attending events and communicating with others to learn. She is grateful to English Professor Tara Harney-Mahajan for her support and for informing her of the Caldwell University Business and Literary Studies Goldman Sachs Scholarship. The scholarship, she believes, is yet another wonderful opportunity to develop, build her résumé and network. “It is an honor. I am committed always to the Caldwell family.” 

Marialis Nunez  is thankful for professors and advisors who support and challenge her

Support from professors and advisors and engaging classes are the two reasons Marialis Nunez ’25 decided to take on a double major in business and English—support from professors and advisors who see something in her and keep challenging her, and interesting classes like Foundations of Western Literature, taught by Professor Tara Harney-Mahajan, Ph.D.; American Literature with Professor Doug Anderson, Ph.D., and Leading and Managing Holistically with Professor Ranjit Nair.  

“My advisor, Melissa Cook, really encouraged me,” said Nunez, who has been selected to receive the Caldwell University Business and Literary Studies Goldman Sachs Scholarship for her junior and senior years. Before signing on, she took time to talk with Harney-Mahajan. She was reassured after learning that when Harney-Mahajan was a college student, she too was not certain about her career path and that when she started out in the business world, she realized how much her English skills benefited the corporate environment. “Professor Tara encouraged me a lot to keep going,” Nunez. And so did Professor Emily Eklund “an inspiration,” said Nunez of the Educational Opportunity Fund teacher in the Global Literature course. 

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Nunez wanted to add the English major to improve her grammar, pronunciation and writing since English was not her first language. The Paterson resident is happy she decided on the dual major. “By having both, I have different skills I can use in different places.”

Active on campus, Nunez is developing her leadership skills as vice president of operations in the Student Government Association and in clubs and activities for a future in a marketing field. A student ambassador in the Admissions Office, she enjoys “convincing our visitors [of] why they should come to Caldwell … I’m big on talking, communicating … if I see that I can help, I’ll go to the max to help you.”  

Adjusting to university life took some fortitude, but now that Nunez is approaching her junior year, she knows each challenge is helping her develop. Whether “it’s you just being a student dealing with your personal life … dealing with classes that are challenging or maybe even professors, those are to just keep you going, to give you a little push … Caldwell has taught me there’s always more.”