BRANCHBURG TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) — Raritan Valley Community College student Manuela Bulgaro has been named the Engage NJ Kesselman Fellow for the Advancement of Democracy for the 2025-26 academic year, the college’s Pray Family Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement announced recently.
Bulgaro, a second-year Honors College student majoring in social sciences, will use the fellowship to co-develop The Republic We Keep: A Podcast on American Systems, Voices & Values with Rutgers University sophomore Aiden Annis, who is majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in political science. The project will receive a $1,000 honorarium for the upcoming academic year.
“RVCC’s Kesselman Fellows seek to walk a similar path [to Dr. Harvey Kesselman’s advocacy for human rights],” said Dr. Saul Petersen, executive director of Engage NJ. “When I look to the future state of justice and opportunity here in New Jersey, I am confident that Manuela and Aiden will be the future we want to see for our citizenry.”
In addition to the honorarium, the fellowship provides professional pathway coaching and skills development opportunities in areas such as consensus-building, public speaking and professional communication. Bulgaro and Annis will also collaborate with other student fellows nationwide.
The Republic We Keep is a student-led civic podcast exploring how U.S. systems — including healthcare, education, justice and immigration — affect people’s lives. Through real stories, expert voices and balanced perspectives, the podcast aims to build civic literacy, encourage intergenerational dialogue and foster critical thinking across political lines.
RVCC is a longtime member of Engage NJ, a statewide consortium of colleges and universities that supports the program. More information about the podcast is available at www.therepublicwekeep.com.
