ISE Student Mona Ranadive Awarded Prestigious IISE UPS Scholarship

After learning about the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) UPS Scholarship for Female Students from a friend, School of Engineering junior Mona Ranadive decided to apply for the current academic year. 

She is one of just two recipients of a competitive $4,000 award chosen from industrial engineering students enrolled in IISE-recognized programs in the United States, Canada, and Mexico who have attained overall GPAs of at least 3.40. 

“I was beyond happy and thankful to get this scholarship for the current academic year,” Ranadive says. “It was nice to be rewarded and recognized internationally for the hard work I put into my academics.” 

Ranadive, who is majoring in ISE and minoring in computer science, loves the versatility of ISE. “One of the main things we are taught is how to optimize a system. This is so useful because almost anything can be viewed as a system – it could be a product, a project, an assembly line, or something as simple as the way you make your bed,” she explains. “I love learning fundamental ISE concepts because they can be applied to any job and can wire you to solve problems the most effective way.” 

After graduation, Ranadive plans to apply these concepts and skills to a career as a product manager in the technology industry. 

Her involvement in a number of campus organizations, includes IISE, where she serves as president. “I love meeting people in the major and bringing them together in our meetings,” she reports. “I think creating an ISE community with the School of Engineering is very important and I hope to foster it through my role as IISE president.” 

Ranadive also enjoys being a member of Theta Tau, the professional co-ed engineering fraternity, as well as being the public relations chair for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). “My favorite part of being in SWE is how supportive everyone in the club is. There’s always someone willing to look over your resume, help you prep for an interview, or just offer professional advice.” 

A well-rounded student, her interests range beyond engineering. She loves baking desserts, and during the pandemic quarantine, she opened and operated her own home bakery until she returned to campus for the fall 2021 semester. This year, she also joined the Rutgers club swim team. “It’s been great getting back in the pool after not swimming competitively since high school.”