Manalapan Native Earns Honor, Recognition For Student Voter Registration Efforts

MANALAPAN, NJ — Jaclyn Romano, a Manalapan native and graduate student at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), was recently named to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Student Voting Honor Roll in recognition of her efforts to increase student voter registration.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a national awards program that recognizes colleges and universities for their commitment to increasing student voting rates.

Their Student Voting Honor Roll serves as an annual recognition program for college students at participating ALL IN campuses, and each participating campus can nominate one student to be honored.

Romano, who attended Manalapan High School and is in her final semester of the Master of Public Policy Program, currently serves as a graduate assistant in the Office of Co-Curricular and Leadership Development at TCNJ and has worked closely with the TCNJ Votes Committee to plan and implement the college’s voter engagement events.

She is one of 232 students in the U.S. (including nine from New Jersey) to be named to the Student Voting Honor Roll from ALL IN.

“For the past year, student voting has been pretty all-consuming for me, so it’s very nice to have that work recognized,” Romano said. “This role has enabled me to connect with students and help to prepare them to continue this work. Sustainability is what I believe really matters in something as important as voting efforts, and I really feel like we’ve found a great rhythm to keep it up.”

Katie Kahn, the Center for Community Engagement manager at TCNJ, said Romano has exemplified “exceptional dedication and drive” in supporting their voter engagement efforts on campus, and said her proactive attitude and enthusiasm for exploring new ideas have made her an invaluable asset to the team.

“Jackie played a pivotal role in mobilizing students to register and vote, while also raising awareness about candidates, social issues, and civic engagement opportunities,” Kahn said. “Her contributions have been indispensable, and we are deeply grateful for her outstanding work and commitment.”

Avani Rana, the director of Co-Curricular and Leadership Development at TCNJ, agreed with Kahn and said Romano has also been a mentor to other students to help get them more civically engaged.

“Her creativity and enthusiasm has been a great asset to our team and encouraging to her peers,” Rana said.

Going forward, Romano is hopeful that college students will become more active in elections in their own communities as well as those that garner national attention.

“It is especially important for young people to take part in local elections that have a direct impact on life in their states and towns,” Romano said. “It’s actually state and local policies that tend to have a more direct impact on residents. I encourage students to always do their own research and form their own opinions.”

To see a full list of students on the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Student Voting Honor Roll, you can click here.