What’s on Your Camera Roll?

POV: The Life of a College Student, Through Their Lens

By Kenna Caprio

Millien Maharjan

Animation graduate student
Florham Campus

A collage of photos showing: a man with a long lens camera; geese waddling on the grass; a woman sitting by a window; a Ferris Wheel and students participating in pie-a-face.

  1. Camera Ready “What I do is carry my camera with me all the time, whether I’m going out with friends or exploring alone. I’m a little shy, and having my camera with me helps me go to new places and connect with people.”
  2. Bird’s-eye View At first, the geese kept running away when Maharjan was trying to take this photo. “I had a few minutes to spare before a class started and was walking across the Library Lawn when I saw a flock of geese.” Eventually, he got the shot. “One of the geese looks like a model. It’s so elegant.”
  3. Night Life “A few days before the fall semester started a friend of mine suggested going to Dorney Park and bought us tickets. My first amusement park experience was a nightmare, but this time, I had a blast. The Ferris wheel had lights on one side, and when it came down, I captured the shot. Since it was dark out, and the only light source was the wheel itself, it took multiple tries for me to get it right.”
  4. Campus Fun “The Muslim Student Association (MSA) hosted a pie-for-charity event. I have friends in MSA and attend a lot of their events. I love candid photography, capturing people having fun and living in the moment.”
  5. Portrait Photography Maharjan takes portrait photos for lots of his friends — sometimes graduation shoots, or professional pictures they can use to launch their careers or businesses.

Purnima Sengupta

Senior biology major
Metropolitan Campus

A collage of photos showing: a whiteboard; an ocean image; a wall of art at a museum; a professional tennis court; a plate of food; two Polaroid snapshots; a portrait of a cat; a young woman walking away and a gloved hand holding a test tube.

  1. O.Chem Molecules “Organic chemistry is one of the hardest classes I’ve taken at FDU. I earned an A — a result of countless hours of studying!”
  2. Beach Day “I took this photo at Lido Beach, N.Y., on the South Shore. The cool breeze, roaring waves and cotton-candy skies make it peaceful and beautiful.”
  3. Fine Art At the Cabildo, a Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans, Sengupta looked at art exhibits with friends. “We visited on spring break with Global Scholars. I loved everything about this trip — the culture, the food and the unique Spanish and French influences throughout the city.”
  4. Game. Set. Match. “Tennis shaped who I am — it built my confidence and taught me discipline and respect. This was my first time at the U.S. Open and it was a dream come true! Attending this year’s matches with my mom and seeing Venus Williams play was an unforgettable experience.”
  5. Charcuterie Board “I took this photo on a family trip to Jim Thorpe, Pa. — a charming town that looks straight out of ‘Gilmore Girls.’ We shared this plate and a flight of hard cider.”
  6. Study Abroad “These Polaroids are from a trip to Wroxton College. We were in London, at Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station, and then at a cat café.”
  7. Feline Friend “Most of my camera roll is pictures of my cat. Her name is Nada, she’s four years old and I love looking at photos of her when I’m at school.”
  8. Walking Away “A friend took this of me on my 21st birthday. My friends joke that I walk too fast!”
  9. Lab Life “This is a vial of microbes that I was inoculating for my microbiology lab, which I took last semester.”

Grace Romanowski

Senior biology major in the QUEST program
Florham Campus

A collage of images including: a specimen under a microscope; insects on a board; a desk in a dorm and deer grazing on campus.

  1. Under the Microscope “I looked at this moon jellyfish in microbiology. I found it really interesting to take an entire class about things that we cannot see without microscopes and to have learned about all the ways these microscopic organisms impact our lives.”
  2. Bug’s Life “In entomology, the study of insects, which I took with Dr. [Harald] Parzer [associate professor of biology], I learned to appreciate the small things. It also (mostly!) helped me get over my fear of bugs. Some of these insects are: a damselfly, a house cricket, a spotted lantern fly, a beetle, a grasshopper and a moth.”
  3. Desk Decor “I’m a resident assistant in the Park Avenue Residence Hall. I like having a designated space to study and get my work done. I decorated it to encourage myself to sit there rather than my bed. My favorite part of my set up is my houseplants. I enjoy taking care of them and watching them flourish.”
  4. Woodland Creatures “I love seeing deer on campus and get super excited whenever I do. The sky was also gorgeous that evening, it felt like a perfect moment.”
"My camera roll is honestly a mess of cool things that I’m studying, photos of my friends, and pretty sights and things. I would say my aesthetic is friendly, floral and pink."
— Grace Romanowski