JYNENE ALFAY ’26

When Jynene Alfay received her acceptance letter from RPI, she was so nervous that she didn’t tell anyone. Instead, she read the decision notification by herself before immediately running to share the good news with her mother. Alfay wanted to pursue a college education, but she knew that financial aid would be the deciding factor.

Not only did RPI offer her a scholarship package that was very generous compared to other offers, putting a college degree within reach, it also offered something equally important to Alfay: the chance to do undergraduate research.

Alfay is passionate about materials engineering, as it gives her the opportunity to develop and manipulate material properties. She has been involved in biomaterials, semiconductor, and metals research, and loves the opportunity to be hands-on in the lab while applying lessons from class to real-life scenarios.

She has even pursued research and materials testing opportunities in three separate internships so far, including one in St. Lucia. Looking to the future, Alfay hopes to enter graduate school before attaining an R&D position in industry — allowing her to thrive in the lab for the foreseeable future.