The Riki Jacobs Livingston Pride Award is given annually by the Livingston Alumni Association (LAA) to the Rutgers-New Brunswick graduating senior who most embodies the spirit of Livingston College and its attributes of leadership and social action.

All Rutgers University-New Brunswick undergraduate seniors with a minimum cumulative GPA of are eligible to apply for the award.

Riki E. Jacobs (1957-2009, pictured at right) was the director of the Hyacinth Foundation, an AIDS support organization, among many roles she fulfilled to assist vulnerable populations.

Jacobs (LC’80) was also one of LAA’s first Livingston College Distinguished Alumni, honored in 2000.

Recipients of the Livingston Pride Award (renamed for Riki Jacobs in 2010)

Honorees from 1990 through 2010 graduated from Livingston College. Since 2011, honorees may be graduates of any undergraduate college at Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway.

The years in the list below link to the Livingston College yearbook page where each student is pictured. / * Photo not available.

The names link to more information about each awardee, as available. No awards were given in 2020 or 2024.

1990: Yantra E. Zavala *
1991: Stephanie Heitmann
1992: Daniel Malloie
1993: Harry R. Knabe
1994: Janel C. Patti
1995: Ayana D. Gee
1996: Caren A. Tinney
1997: Connie Liauw
1998: Ashwini Reddy
1999: Irene Shenouda
2000: Geraldine Burgos
2001: Randall Gordon Stamm
2002: Michael Lawrence Dimond
2003: Kazim A. Rizvi
2004: Gregory Ordun
2005: Lisa M. Lattanzi
2006: Keith A. Gottesman
2007: Zuleima Feliciano *
2008: Jacqui Whitfield *
2009: Rob Drucker *
2010: Victoria Rowland *
2011: Matthew Cortland
2012: Amy Tran
2013: Melanie Davila
2014: Emilie Transue
2015: Amy Albert
2016: Victor A. Mensah
2017: Maria Alba
2018: Lucy Anne Blevins
2019: Eshan Kaul
2021: Janelle L. Taliaferro
2021: Amanda Wells
2022: Tara Krishna
2022: Anthony Rivera-Rosario
2023: Divon Pender
2023: Sara Rubiano
2025: Pauline Kung
2026: Mahi Shah
2026: Zarin Sharif

Pauline Kung, a 2025 graduate of the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, developed her leadership skills as a student recreation worker and through participation in multiple student organizations, including the Rutgers Japanese Student Association (JSA).

As of October 2026, Kung, of North Haledon, New Jersey, is working as an intern for One to World, coordinating Fulbright teachers coming to the greater New York City area.

From August 2025 to July 2026, she taught English to students in the fourth through sixth grades in Taipei, Taiwan. Kung, who majored in political science and criminal justice and minored in economics at Rutgers, plans to enroll in law school in the coming years.

In 2025, the Livingston Alumni Association of Rutgers University named Kung as that year’s winner of the Riki Jacobs Livingston Pride Award.

“For me, participating in sports was the first step towards acclimating myself to venturing far outside my comfort zone,” Kung wrote in her Pride Award application essay. “My connection to athletics permeated all aspects of my life, from an introverted high school freshman to now an aquatics recreation manager and student-athlete tutor. As a manager, I have lived out my passion for being at the center of health and well-being. … Since my early start on the leadership management team, I learned what it truly meant to employ professionalism, empathy, and patience in a capacity so that my fellow student employees could rely on me in times of need. …

“As an adventurous soul, I knew I would find my way to travel the world and see places instead of just reading about them,” she wrote. “My curiosities guided me to Kyoto, Japan, in the summer of 2023, when I participated in the Rutgers University and Ritsumeikan University exchange program. Upon learning the history of World War II from the Asia-Pacific perspective, I became more aware of the complexities of history and the community-oriented mindset of East Asia. …

“At JSA, we do not just host educational lectures; we also experience history firsthand. One powerful example is our field trip to Seabrook Farms in South Jersey, where the stories of Japanese-Americans, especially those affected by WWII internment camps, are brought to life. JSA fosters a strong sense of Japanese community and deeply emphasizes educating others about the intertwined histories of Japan and America. To be able to create a welcoming environment for students far from home is truly one of the most remarkable feats that JSA endeavors year after year.”

Kung also completed a semester abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, while at Rutgers. During her free time as an English teacher in Taiwan, she visited Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, played in a club volleyball league, and ran in road races.

“With my adventurous and outgoing personality, I know that I will live to regret much, as do most people,” she wrote. “However, I intend to live a life that I am proud to look back on in a career that continues to reward and challenge me daily. After all, what is knowledge worth if not shared?”