Nardelle Thelus

Nardelle’s freshman year at Fordham was eye-opening. She earned a full ride to Fordham University and lived on campus, but faced the harsh reality of microaggressions and harmful stereotypes—a sad experience for many students in higher education. Proactively, Nardelle voiced her concerns to the school, though it was an uphill battle. Balancing coursework, time management, and difficult professors while confronting these challenges was tough, but she remained determined. She discovered she is a person of action, focused on excelling academically despite uncontrollable obstacles. 

Nardelle joined clubs like the Black Student Association, the Investment Banking Club, and the Outreach Club, which helped her find a sense of belonging. Now in her third year at Fordham as a computational and applied mathematics major, she feels more grounded. She has a passion for helping minority students access internships and opportunities, particularly in technology. As a current intern and member of “Color Stack”, an organization for people of color in tech, she is learning and gaining invaluable connections to one day be able to support many others. 

She’s dedicated to helping others, referring students to opportunity programs, and is working on establishing a Black and Latinx tech chapter at Fordham. Despite early doubts, she’s truly blossomed, making the most of every opportunity to advance her personal goals.