{"id":13733,"date":"2026-10-29T02:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T06:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=13733"},"modified":"2026-11-09T15:22:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T20:22:19","slug":"the-passion-followers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=13733","title":{"rendered":"The passion followers"},"content":{"rendered":"

COLLEGE IS OFTEN SEEN AS THE PLACE <\/span>where career wisdom takes root. But for some students, <\/span>those nuggets of knowledge lead to passions that define them <\/span>well after the workday ends. We introduce you here to some <\/span>alumni builders, creators, and literal life savers who <\/span>have found meaning and success in pursuits beyond their jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

ROBERT NEWMAN \u201962
\n<\/strong>BUILT TO FLY<\/strong><\/p>\n

ROBERT NEWMAN\u2019S PASSION for aviation began in childhood, building model <\/span>airplanes with his father. But the first time he actually flew a plane, the earth <\/span>unfolded beneath him like nothing he\u2019d seen before: winding waterways, the <\/span>contours of the land, familiar geography transformed from above.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo be up there in the sky and looking down, everything looks like a portrait,\u201d <\/span>he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arlene
Arlene and Robert Newman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A career educator, Newman majored in industrial arts at Trenton State <\/span>College and earned a master\u2019s in education in 1963. He was working as an <\/span>administrator at the Ocean County Vocational-Technical School in Brick, New <\/span>Jersey, when a staff member who owned a plane invited him for a ride. \u201cThat <\/span>hooked me on a lifetime of aviation,\u201d says Newman, who went on to get his pilot\u2019s <\/span>license in 1979.<\/span><\/p>\n

His enthusiasm flew even higher. While studying for his doctorate in school <\/span>administration, Newman craved something more hands-on than the paperwork <\/span>that consumed his days. \u201cI needed a distraction,\u201d he says. He found it in <\/span>building airplanes. Only this time, it was the full-size versions. Drawing on his <\/span>industrial arts training, Newman started with a fiberglass kit. More than a dozen <\/span>planes followed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Newman became a go-to resource <\/span>in the aviation-building community. <\/span>In 2022, he took on an especially <\/span>complex project when pilot Jessica <\/span>Cox, who was born without arms, <\/span>asked him to help create what became <\/span>known as the \u201cImpossible Airplane,\u201d <\/span>designed so she could operate it with <\/span>her feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Newman and about 20 volunteers <\/span>from Ocean County\u2019s Experimental <\/span>Aircraft Association Chapter 898 <\/span>spent four years adapting the plane\u2019s <\/span>controls, radios, and gull-wing doors <\/span>to Cox\u2019s needs. In summer 2026, they <\/span>shipped the aircraft to Mesa, Arizona, <\/span>where another crew is reassembling <\/span>it ahead of flight testing and Federal <\/span>Aviation Administration approval.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Newman shares his <\/span>expertise with fellow builders through <\/span>the chapter. Together, they are <\/span>rehabbing a donated aircraft whose <\/span>sale will create a scholarship fund f<\/span>or people pursuing flight training, <\/span>whether for a career or as a hobby.<\/span><\/p>\n

At 89, Newman still flies weekly <\/span>when weather permits, alongside a <\/span>younger pilot, and continues building <\/span>aircraft. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been a time <\/span>that I don\u2019t have an airplane in the <\/span>workshop,\u201d Newman says. \u201cThere will <\/span>continue to be one there until I can\u2019t <\/span>do it any longer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

MARIA HOPPER \u201962
\nFAMILY TREE TRACER
\n<\/strong>LIFELONG LEARNER: Retired from <\/span>teaching in 2004. Became a certified <\/span>genealogist in 2006.
\n<\/span>NOT A PASSING PASSION: Was <\/span>waiting in line to buy a Cub Scout <\/span>uniform for her oldest son in the early <\/span>\u201970s; spotted a merit badge book on <\/span>genealogy on a wire rack, bought it, <\/span>and never looked back. \u201cBest 50 cents <\/span>I ever spent,\u201d she says.
\n<\/span>DETECTIVE WORK: Treats genealogy <\/span>like solving mysteries, diving deep into <\/span>colonial wills, deeds, and historical <\/span>records. Self-published the first six <\/span>generations of the Hopper family.
\n<\/span>COOL CONNECTION:<\/strong> Found that her family is related to the famous artist Edward Hopper. He is her children\u2019s seventh cousin three times removed.<\/p>\n

REGINA PHILIPPS \u201907
\nTHE SYSTEM FIXER\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

REGINA PHILIPPS HAD 15 MINUTES to convince a New <\/span>Jersey state senator that a stalled bill deserved his <\/span>attention. So she shared a video.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Regina
Regina Philipps and her son Shane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On her phone were clips of her son, Shane: Strong and <\/span>healthy as a newborn, slowly losing movement over the <\/span>next several months, then beginning to regain some of what <\/span>he\u2019d lost after treatment. At 10 months old, Shane had been <\/span>diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic <\/span>disease that had robbed him of much of his motor function. <\/span>Had his disease been detected sooner, before symptoms had <\/span>appeared, treatment could have prevented his symptoms <\/span>from developing in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Philipps, a criminology major turned partner and civil <\/span>litigator at Madden & Madden, became a mom on a mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t fix what happened to Shane,\u201d she says. \u201cSo I <\/span>knew I had to fix the system that failed him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Using her legal training, Philipps learned of a bill that <\/span>would bring SMA screening to every newborn in New <\/span>Jersey. The bill had already been introduced \u2014 but was <\/span>going nowhere. Accustomed to pushing past dead ends, <\/span>she contacted lawmakers and helped rally more than 1,100 <\/span>New Jersey residents behind the effort. The bill passed <\/span>unanimously and was signed into law in January 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

Philipps continues to share Shane\u2019s story with families <\/span>facing the same unknowns. And she has spoken with <\/span>students from elementary school through graduate <\/span>school \u2014 including genetic-counseling students at the <\/span>University of Pennsylvania \u2014 about what life with SMA <\/span>looks like beyond a textbook. More recently, she became <\/span>part of an NIH-funded Clinical Working Group on genomic <\/span>newborn screening led by geneticist Wendy Chung, who <\/span>helped develop SMA screening. The group will examine <\/span>which conditions and variants should be included and how <\/span>screening can be expanded responsibly.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Philipps, it all comes back to Shane. Now 8, he uses a <\/span>manual wheelchair, can stand with bracing, and continues <\/span>to work toward greater independence. \u201cI tell him all the <\/span>time, \u2018You changed the world,\u2019\u201d Philipps says.<\/span><\/p>\n

AMULYA VELDANDA VADALI \u201918
\nWRITE BRAIN, LEFT BRAIN THINKER<\/strong><\/p>\n

BY DAY, AMULYA VELDANDA VADALI steps into a state-of- <\/span>the-art laboratory at Students 2 Science in Whippany, New <\/span>Jersey, and designs science and technology programs for <\/span>high schoolers. A biomedical engineer, Vadali started her <\/span>career at Roche and then spent five years in research and <\/span>development at Integra Life Sciences before joining the s<\/span>cience education nonprofit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet beneath the lab coat lies something just as <\/span>meaningful: a passion for writing. \u201cEver since I was little, <\/span>it was a dream of mine to be an author someday,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Amulya
Amulya Veldanda Vadali<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vadali\u2019s journey into writing began with a simple <\/span>adventure story for children that featured her own <\/span>beloved golden retriever, Cosmo. When she was ready <\/span>to put her story out into the world, she applied her <\/span>characteristic research skills and weighed the pros and <\/span>cons of publishing paths before starting her own publishing <\/span>company, AVVBooks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to have that creative control over how my book <\/span>would look,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I like being deeply involved in <\/span>every step of the publishing process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That deep involvement paid off. She first set a humble <\/span>goal of selling just 50 copies to friends and family. Soon she <\/span>had sold tens of thousands of copies globally and penned a <\/span>full series of children\u2019s books, including the heartwarming <\/span>bestseller, I\u2019ll Be Your Friend Forever, about losing a pet. <\/span>Her most recent project delved into writing for adults: <\/span>The Art of Being Let Go is a satirical picture book that aims <\/span>to help adults laugh through career transitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vadali navigates her dual worlds effortlessly. \u201cThere are <\/span>honestly a lot of similarities between being a writer and <\/span>being a scientist,\u201d she says. \u201cYou need to explain things in <\/span>understandable ways. There\u2019s creativity in both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

TOM CASAZZA \u201994
\nBRICK MAKER
\n<\/strong>THE BRICK BOND: Picked up LEGO <\/span>building as an adult, a passion that <\/span>accelerated during the COVID <\/span>pandemic with the creation of a <\/span>massive six-table LEGO city in <\/span>his garage.
\n<\/span>ACT ONE: As a student at TCNJ, <\/span>worked in Kendall Hall on the main <\/span>stage, focused on lighting design. Built <\/span>a career in technical theater and is <\/span>currently a business development <\/span>manager at InterAmerica Stage.
\n<\/span>SET DESIGNS: Designed a custom <\/span>minifigure-scale theater and named it <\/span>Builtmor Theater, but his inspiration <\/span>came from the look of Kendall <\/span>Hall. It features working front-of- <\/span>house lighting, an orchestra pit, and <\/span>interchangeable sets for more than <\/span>30 different productions, including <\/span>Sweeney Todd with a working <\/span>trapdoor, which he displays at <\/span>regional conventions.<\/span><\/p>\n

GLENN FUCHS \u201985
\nLIFE SAVER
\n<\/strong>HIS JOB: Graphic designer at Bristol <\/span>Myers Squibb
\n<\/span>HIS PASSION: Giving blood
\n<\/span>RARE BIOLOGY: O-negative and CMV-<\/span>negative blood makes him a universal <\/span>donor whose blood can safely go to <\/span>just about anyone on Earth.
\n<\/span>THE TURNAROUND: Initially had a <\/span>fainting spell during a blood drive in <\/span>his 20s but was coaxed back years <\/span>later by a coworker at BMS. Since <\/span>then, he has had 27 separate donation <\/span>appointments and given more than <\/span>3.5 gallons of blood.
\n<\/span>SCI-FI CROSSOVER: A Star Wars fan, <\/span>he posts pictures of his post-donation <\/span>arm bandage with the hashtag: \u201cThis i<\/span>s the way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Photos Newman and Philipps by Hannah Yoon
\n<\/em>Photo of Valdali by Peter Murphy<\/em><\/p>\n

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Six alumni dedicate their time to the things that matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":360,"featured_media":13753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13733"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13810,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13733\/revisions\/13810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}