Name: Zil Naik
Hometown: North Brunswick, New Jersey
Major/Minor: Statistics major, Economics and Religion minors
Relationship Status: Depends on who is asking ;)
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What are you involved in on campus?
Residence Hall Association
What makes you want to continue putting time into these activities?
RHA is an organization that advocates for residents’ needs and encourages community building through various programs. The most encouraging aspect of RHA is seeing the results of the  hard work I put into planning events. Seeing the smiles on residents’ faces and new friendships being made is one of the most satisfying emotions.
What is your favorite place on campus?
The new Nutrition building on Cook! No one really wants to go over there because “it’s on Cook”, but it’s one of my favorite places to study. The vertical garden and large windows create a nice atmosphere to get work done. Not to mention, there’s a really nice café in there!
What has shaped your time the most so far at Rutgers?
Searching out all the coffeehouse events on campus? Academics? Slumber parties with new friends? Spontaneous adventures to Easton Ave for Cookie Rush and/or Mamoun’s or to George Street for RiteAid or BurgerFi or that clothing place, Finale? Mostly though, I go wherever the wind takes me (which, if you’re wondering, is mostly to my bed).
What other things are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about Random Acts of Kindness—I love to make people smile. I’m also super passionate about food and its history. Did you know that almonds are closely related to peaches, nectarines and apricots? And it goes without saying that I’m passionate about sleep.
What are your future plans?
I want to be an actuary, if that’s the question. But mostly I like to think of the future as “What kind of person do I want to be?” And to answer that, I want to be someone who’s confident in herself and who has the ability to affect change in the lives of those around me. I want to be the person who people can depend on to be there and make them smile. Because at the end of the day, we are nothing more than specks in the universe, and if I have to be a speck, I’d much rather be a good speck than a bad one.