Our Alumni

The Health and Exercise Science Department is proud of all our alumni. We strive to hightlight their success.

A big thanks to all our alumni who completed the 2021 Alumni Survey, based on your answers we have the below information!

What do our alumni have to say about our HES department and majors?

Where are our HES Alumni?

Survey Highlights 

• 46% of respondents consider themselves first generation students 
• 47% of respondents went on to earn a professional certification 
• 43% of respondents earned an additional degree

Alumni Profiles 

My name is Stephanie Yip and I am a 2022 graduate of Rowan University’s HPWM program with a minor in Psychology. I am proud to say that I am attending my dream Ivy League school in September 2022. I am a graduate student in Columbia University’s Occupational Therapy Program. A reminder to everyone that you can always achieve your dreams, put in dedication/effort and believe in yourself. I myself would have doubts about being admitted into Columbia due to the low 5.4% acceptance rate, but I knew deep down that it was what I truly wanted and I made it happen, and everyone can too! Don’t underestimate yourself. I want to personally thank my family and friends, professors, individuals that have been a part of my journey, and Rowan as a whole for shaping me into who I am these past 4 years and for teaching me an abundant amount of knowledge. The HPWM program has prepared me well for graduate school and I am extremely grateful for everything!

Meet Esma Ozdemir, a 2018 Rowan graudate who majored in Health Promotion and Wellness Management. Esma continued her education and received a Bachelor's in Nursing in 2020 from Thomas Jefferson's accelerated nursing program. "My favorite Rowan memories were being part of extracurriculars. I was on the E-board for the National Wellness Institute (NWI) as well as a manager for the GetFIT program. Being a part of these clubs have taught me numerous skills that can be applied in my professional and personal life. During my time on the NWI board, we hosted our first Health & Exercise Conference on campus, hosted multiple fundraisers and professional development opportunities, and sent students to national conferences back to back years! I also loved being a part of GetFIT, which is an exercise and wellness program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Working with this population is extremely rewarding and has taught me skills that I can use in the clinical world as a nurse. I genuinely loved to be involved in the HES department during my three years at Rowan. "

-Esma Ozdemir, '18

"My name is Paul Menno Jr., and I am a 2019 graduate of Rowan University’s HES program. I am currently a graduate student in Rutgers Doctor of Physical Therapy program projected to graduate in May of 2022. I wanted to take some time to thank Rowan's HES program for providing me with the tools to not only graduate with the highest of honors in the HES program and receive the Dean of Outstanding Senior Award but to excel in my current graduate program. Rowan gave me new tools to further education and encouraged me to fine tune the skills that I already had within myself. I want to personally thank Gregory Biren, William Peifer, Dylan Klein, Mehmet Uyger, Nick DiCicco, Jessica Gibb and many other professors for their dedication to education and passion for the subject matter that they taught. The HES faculty has gone beyond the role of just educating students on subject matter. They have pushed me to become the best academic, peer, and professional that I can be and instilled in me the idea that the application of learning and memorization is the key to true realization. They have showed me what it truly looks like to be a professor of the highest caliber, and I hope to be a part of Rowan’s incredible HES department someday. Additionally, I want to thank my advisor, Jeanine Dowd, for making my transition into Rowan and graduate school as smooth as possible. Thank you Rowan University and its Exercise Science program for investing into me so that I may be able to invest in the lives of others as a future Doctor of Physical Therapy." 

-PJ Menno '19