WE ARE YOU

Rutgers Excellence across
New Jersey and Beyond

WE ARE YOU is an ongoing series of stories about the people who embody Rutgers University’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, building community, and the common good.

Sheila Malovany-Chevallier DC’63 and Connie Borde DC’63

Connie Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier first crossed paths as students at Douglass College. They reconnected in France in 1964, just a year after graduation, and embarked on a remarkable journey of collaboration. From crafting an American cookbook in French to translating the landmark feminist text The Second Sex, their work spans decades and disciplines. “Whether it’s food or writing or translating, it’s all a question of using language and sharing and opening up to another culture,” says Malovany-Chevallier.

Chehrazade Chemcham RLAW’06

A Rutgers law degree, earned at night, was the “passport to success” for Chehrazade Chemcham RLAW’06. “It opened doors for me that would have otherwise been closed,” she says. Today, Chemcham leads a team in the U.K., specializing in intellectual property at a global consumer health company. Watch her video as she reflects on the difference one person at Rutgers made for her along the way.

Chris Markus RC’91

Step behind the scenes with Chris Markus RC’91, the Emmy Award-winning screenwriter of some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, as he reflects on his Rutgers roots and the creative process. Discover why archetypes like those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe remain essential to storytelling today.

Peter Seligmann AG’72

Alumnus Peter Seligmann AG’72, Hon. Doctorate 2003—a leader in conservation—credits Rutgers with giving him his start. As founder and chairman of Conservation International, he works with luminaries like actor Harrison Ford to protect oceans, forests, and other living ecosystems for the well-being of humanity. Through Conservation International, Seligmann has helped to protect 1.5 billion acres of land and sea, benefiting millions of people. “For conservation to work, it had to benefit communities,” says Seligmann. “It needs to be understood as enlightened self-interest of all people.”

Marty Siederer LC’77

Marty Siederer LC’77 honed his journalism skills at Rutgers, but the real story was the life lessons he uncovered along the way: “Tenacity. Flexibility. The value of a good network.” Those lessons fueled a career pivot into the nonprofit world, where he has helped raise millions to support people facing life-affecting and life-threatening conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, colitis, Crohn’s disease, and ALS.

Stories

Yanela Frias hero image

Yanela Frias, who holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rutgers University–Newark and an MBA from the Rutgers Business School, was the first woman to be named CFO of Prudential Financial, which has deep ties to the university. In May, she delivered the business school’s MBA and Graduate Program Convocation address in Newark.