Students interacted with peers from across the state to help shape mental health policy and awareness on their campuses. 

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, Jan. 20, 2026—Centenary University junior Saurelys Escano remembers arriving on campus as a first-year student and feeling unsure how to get involved. Like many college freshmen, she struggled with taking the first steps to join campus activities and engage with fellow students. “A lot of college freshmen struggle with fitting in,” said Escano, a psychology major from Passaic. “Colleges have orientation, but the amount of information can be overwhelming. Specifics on things like student activities and support services can get lost.”

            Two years later, Escano has lots of friends at Centenary and is active on campus through the Multicultural Club. She also serves as a first-year leader, helping freshmen and transfer students navigate their first year at Centenary. 

Escano was recently one of 12 Centenary students to attend the first New Jersey Statewide Mental Health Summit, a gathering of more than 200 New Jersey college students to help shape mental health policy and awareness across campuses. Hosted by the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) at Kean University, the summit featured peer-led panels, interactive exhibits, and workshops. Networking with students from across the state, Escano and the other Centenary students shared best practices and discussed ways to improve mental health on campus.

            At the summit, Escano’s main focus was gathering ideas to improve the college orientation process through stronger emphasis on support services and activities that can smooth the transition from high school to college. Later, Escano brought what she learned back to Centenary, meeting with Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Administration Kerry Mullins and Director of the Counseling Center Mikolaya Nynka, LPC. “We spoke about introducing one-on-one interviews with accepted students,” explained Escano. “Centenary presents lots of information at orientation, but students will be more likely to remember what they hear from a one-on-one conversation. This could help students at risk of dropping out of college due to loneliness fit in sooner.”

                  Mullins said attending the mental health summit provided the Centenary students with the opportunity to network with fellow New Jersey college students, bring meaningful input to their own campuses, and gain professional skills and experiences to prepare them for graduate school and the workforce. “We’re so very proud of the Centenary students who attended this conference,” Mullins explained. “Engaged students like Saurelys are providing us with valuable feedback so we can continue to improve the Centenary student experience.” 

                  In addition to Escano, Centenary students who attended the summit are Jessica Rosano of Belvidere, Victoria Hart of Belize, Gianna Piccirillo of Andover, Gabriela Vasconcelos and Nehemiah Cintron of Hackettstown, Dara Frieder of Montville, Sara Riccardelli of Barnegat, Grace Sheyhing of Mauricetown, Serafina Lopez of Washington, and Jayden Pennella of Landing. 

Photo Caption: Centenary University students who attended the New Jersey Statewide Mental Health Summit are (front row, from left) Jessica Rosano of Belvidere, Serafina Lopez of Washington, Dara Frieder of Montville, Gianna Piccirillo of Andover, and Sara Riccardelli of Barnegat; (back row, from left) Victoria Hart of Belize, Jayden Pennella of Landing, Saurelys Escano of Passaic, Gabriela Vasconcelos of Hackettstown, Nehemiah Cintron of Hackettstown, and Grace Sheyhing of Mauricetown.

ABOUT CENTENARY UNIVERSITY

Centenary University was founded in 1867 by United Methodists and offers extraordinary learning opportunities that empower students to develop intellectually, emotionally, and interculturally—keys to career and personal success. The University aspires to advance its reputation as a world class institution offering innovative programs, including the world’s first Ph.D. in Happiness Studies and first Master of Arts in Happiness Studies, to lift the future for our students and local communities.