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Career Readiness Workshop with Sharp Electronics
November 20, 2025
°®ŅŗAʬ Students in a classroom with Sharp staff presenting information on a projection screen
ENHANCE students recently participated in a Career Readiness Workshop presented by Sharp Electronics. The session was thoughtfully designed to support studentsā unique strengths and needs, with the Sharp Human Resource team delivering an exceptionally relevant and engaging presentation focused on the job search process and interviewing skills.
Sharpās commitment to inclusive hiring practices and to empowering neurodiverse students will have a lasting impact on our community. We are truly grateful for their partnership and dedication to student success.
Together, weāre building more pathways, more confidence, and more opportunities for our students.
Group photo of °®ŅŗAʬ and Sharp Electronics staff
A Place to Belong: ENHANCE Helps Students with Autism Thrive
In honor of Disabilities Awareness Month, Ramapo of New Jersey shares how theĀ Collegeās nationally-ranked ENHANCE program is supporting and empowering students on the Autism Spectrum.
October 31, 2025
by Lauren Ferguson
Julianna Mayer ā27 was at an open house at Ramapo of New Jersey when she first learned about the Collegeās ENHANCE program.
āIt was my dad who pointed it out,ā she recalled, adding her father said heād never seen a college program dedicated to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. So she walked right up to the table on °®ŅŗAʬās welcoming Mahwah campus and asked about it.
From that first conversation, Mayer decided, āI want to be in this program. I want to be at this school.ā And over the last three years,ĢżENHANCEĀ has made all the difference for her. Mayer met all three of her suitemates through the program. āPretty much 80 percent of the friends I have on campus, I met through ENHANCE,ā said Mayer, aĀ filmmakingĀ major with a concentration inĀ post production, from Scotch Plains, NJ.
Julianna Mayer ā27 is a proud member of the ENHANCE program at Ramapo.
Launched in 2018, the therapeutic support program takes a holistic approach and focuses on social, emotional and organizational growth to assist students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in transitioning to and flourishing in college and beyond.
āWe started the program because we saw a lot of students on the spectrum, while theyāre academically very capable, sometimes, not with all students, but sometimes, it is a little harder to connect socially and a little harder to find your people,ā saidĀ Suzanne Calgi, a licensed clinical social worker and assistant director of the ENHANCE program at °®ŅŗAʬ. Calgi said some students were going straight home or to their dorm rooms after class. āWe thought, āthere is more you can do,āā she said.
Suzanne Calgi, assistant director of the ENHANCE program, is also a member of the College Autism Network (CAN) Practitionersā Advisory Board.
Gaining Support Through Weekly MeetingsĀ
The program features weekly individual therapy for each student. In addition, peer mentors ā °®ŅŗAʬ students usually studying social work, psychology or sociology ā meet with the students individually to help them foster a social connection, get acclimated to college life, and find clubs and activities of interest. The peer mentors and ENHANCE students meet weekly to do things like walk around campus and talk, meet for breakfast or lunch, or go to the library to study, Calgi said.
Peer Mentor Kirara Fried ā25 ā26, who is pursuing herĀ Master of Social Work, likes to plan meetings at the commuter lounge, where her mentees can play video games or pool and work their way up to inviting others to play too. She said she first talks with them about how to interact with other students, to help them eventually build up to inviting others to join in group activities.
āThey see me as a student too, so we have that mutual understanding or foundation,ā said Fried of Montville, NJ.
Kirara Fried ā25 ā26 is a peer mentor for ENHANCE.
Each week, ENHANCE students have access to an academic workshop focused on topics such as time management, executive functioning and strategies for doing well in class. Peer mentors and staff help students put assignments in their planners so students know what work is due that week, Calgi explained. In addition, weekly social events with activities and games are held āso our students can realize school is not all about studying,ā Calgi said.
Students also participate in weekly Connections meetings, co-facilitated by theĀ Office of Specialized Services, where they delve into topics of their choice and share strategies that have worked for them. Discussions have focused on topics such as how they feel about being on the spectrum, how to make friends on campus, how many questions are too many questions to ask in class, what to do if they need extra help and how to get along with roommates.
āStudents feel comfortable talking to fellow ENHANCE students. Itās nice because students really trust each other,ā Calgi said.
For Mayer, the Connections meetings have served as an opportunity for her to both learn and help others. āI have applied a decent amount of the strategies that I have learned through ENHANCE, and Iāve also been able to help a lot of people, where I will raise my hand and Iāll give advice or Iāll tell them one of my strategies that I have used,ā she said.
Kyle Desuza ā26, aĀ first-generation college studentĢż²¹²Ō»åĢżmusicĀ major with a concentration inĀ music performance, called the ENHANCE program a blessing. āComing here to help me gain the knowledge I need to create a proper future for myself and my family, itās a pretty big deal,āĀ said Desuza, of Metuchen, NJ. āI am making sure I can make the best of it and really do everything I can to make my family proud.ā
ENHANCEās weekly academic workshops, social events and Connections meetings have helped Kyle Desuza ā26 thrive at Ramapo.
Witnessing the Results
Calgi said college is different from high school. āFor many of our students, theyāve really been able to branch out and make more friends and become more involved, which is great, because that is our goal,ā she said.
Mayer did not know any other autistic students in high school. So at °®ŅŗAʬ being around āa community of people that are like me,ā has been an amazing opportunity, she said. She has used ENHANCE as a springboard to become involved on campus.
Mayer is the publicist for the Jewish organizationĀ Hillel, social media manager forĀ Ramapo Television (RCTV), and has served as vice president ofĀ Alpha Psi Omega, °®ŅŗAʬās theater honors society. She is also a member ofĀ Geek and Nerd Culture Club, theĀ Disney Club, theĀ Astronomy Club,Ģż°®ŅŗAʬ PrideĀ and theĀ Midnight Book Club, and she does as much theater on campus as she can ā often auditioning for student productions.
āTheyāve absolutely made my college experience,ā Mayer said of ENHANCE. āI would not be where I am or who I am without them.ā
Ramapo is ranked among theĀ Ā by GreatValueColleges.net. The rankings prioritize colleges with top-notch disability services that allow their students to succeed.
Ramapo Listed among Nation’s Best Small Colleges for Students on the Autism Spectrum
Ramapo of New Jersey has been identified as one of the best small colleges in the nation ā and the only New Jersey institution ā for students on the Autism Spectrum, according toĀ . The website, whose mission is to provide expert guidance about the top universities helping students reach their career goals and become board certified, selected 30 schools with fewer than 10,000 students that exhibited āautism friendlinessā and strive to make their campus safe and comfortable for all students.
āWe are thrilled to be included in this list,ā said Suzanne Calgi, LCSW, coordinator of RamapoāsĀ ENHANCE Program, a therapeutic support program which takes a holistic approach and focuses on social, emotional and organizational growth to assist those students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in adapting and flourishing in college and beyond. āWe saw a need and created a program that fosters social inclusion, emotional and therapeutic growth and skill building to assist our students both in transitioning to college and having a college experience.ā
Since its inception in 2018, ENHANCE offers additional services and resources to support our students over and above what is required under current disability law. āIt continues °®ŅŗAʬās mission of providing individualized attention for students. Students have a point of contact and a place to go when they need assistance.ā
Ramapo has long been at the forefront of supporting students with learning differences and the ENHANCE Program is an exciting opportunity intended to help new students transition from high school to college and keep current students academically and socially engaged in order to maximize their college experience.
According to Applied Behavior Analysis, there are an estimated 1.8 million to 2.6 million current college students with autism, many of whom cannot attend large universities mostly because the school is ājust too big and overwhelming.āĀ In compiling its list, the organization considered the following factors:
- ³§¾±³ś±š:ĢżSchools with a student population of 10,000 or fewer
- Specialized Programs:Ā Colleges and universities which offer support and resources specific to students on the Autism Spectrum
- Overall Autism Friendliness:Ā Additional examples of āautism friendliness,ā such as buddy systems, special housing accommodations, and events designed to bring all students together
- Scholarships and Financial Support:Ā Scholarships specifically for students on the Autism Spectrum
- The āItā Factor:Ā Other offerings notable for students with autism including autism-related research programs, courses on autism, schools founded specifically as a place for those with learning differences, etc.
°®ŅŗAʬās ENHANCE Program consists of individualized weekly appointments with a counselor; weekly group meetings for peer support; students to be paired with trained peer mentors; social events; and parent consultations. Through these components, the ENHANCE Program strives to provide students with individually tailored support resources.
To learn more about Ramapoās ENHANCE Program, visit www.ramapo.edu/enhance/
ENHANCE Gives Students an Added Boost
Entering college can be a challenge for most students. But for those who are on the spectrum, a college environment can often present a unique set of hurdles.
Ramapoās new ENHANCE Program is designed to help students with ASD to transition successfully from high school to college. Another goal is to keep current students academically and socially engaged so that they can fully enjoy their college experience.
āENHANCE was created because the number of °®ŅŗAʬ students who identified as having ASD has increased by more than 800 percent over the past seven years,ā says Suzanne Calgi, a psychological counselor and coordinator for ENHANCE. āAnd while many of these students excel academically, they often have a deficit in social communication.ā
A therapeutic support program, ENHANCEās holistic approach focuses on social, emotional, and organizational growth to assist students on the spectrum to adapt and flourish in college and beyond.
āWe individualize the program to meet each studentās needs,ā explains Calgi. āI am a therapist. It is through talking to students and getting
their stories that I begin to understand if they are suffering from anxiety, or having difficulty communicating with people. I also discover what has kept them from achieving in the past and what keeps them from making friends. Then I hone in on those issues and help to resolve them.ā
Each student has a weekly appointment with Calgi to discuss their needs and to work on individualized goals. If needed, a student may request additional weekly sessions.
āParent contact is a part of our program,ā she adds. āI encourage my students to sign a release that will allow me to speak to their parents and most students do sign the release.ā
Calgi also facilitates group meetings for students with the Collegeās Office of Specialized Services. āAt those meetings we ask students for topics they are interested in discussing and that are relevant to them, such as friendships, dating, social media, texting, college stress, life stress, effective communication with college personal, life skills and independence,ā she says. āThrough these meetings the students get support not only from us, but also from each other.ā
Another unique component of the program is its peer mentors, undergraduates who volunteer to work with ENHANCE students.
āThe goal of the peer mentors is to help ENHANCE students to integrate into the campus,ā says Calgi.
She trains peer mentors on the basics of the autism spectrum, what things to look for, what issues might come up, and she makes sure they understand that each student is unique. āThe peer mentors receive four hours of training before they meet their peers, and then we have a weekly meeting where we discuss what is happening with the students. If an issue arises, mentors know that they can call me anytime.ā
A peer mentor will then meet with their ENHANCE student several times each week to eat lunch or just relax at one of the student gathering spots.
āWeāve noticed that our students tend to be very good academically, but the social aspects of campus life might be more difficult for them, so they often isolate themselves,ā says Calgi. āA peer mentor can often ease a student entry into the larger student community.ā
Peer mentors also introduce ENHANCE students to the various student organizations and if necessary will accompany them to a meeting. They create a bridge to campus activities and help the students to connect with other club members. Peers also help plan and lead weekend social events. In addition, they review the campus events lists, select the ones that might appeal to ENHANCE students, and offer to accompany them to those events.
āENHANCE is in line with °®ŅŗAʬās strategic goal of creating a supportive environment for all, with particular consideration for underrepresented groups and we do consider students with disabilities to be underrepresented,ā says Calgi.
āI see ENHANCE expanding in the coming years.ā
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