Brinda Bhalla named Salutatorian of SUNY New Paltz’s Class of 2025
Brinda Bhalla ’25 (Biology) made her plans for a career in medicine while still living at home in Skillman, New Jersey.
When she learned about the SUNY New Paltz Accelerated Dual Degree Medical Program, she knew she’d found her fit. The Program is time-intensive – it requires a special application process to be accepted, and includes a credit-dense three years at New Paltz, early registration for the MCAT and a streamlined transfer to medical school – but Bhalla had faith that she was up for the challenge.
“Being a student in the Accelerated Program has taught me time management,” she said. “All my classes were at a faster pace. I had to learn to balance my time studying with also having fun, but I’m glad that all my hard work has paid off.”
Today, Bhalla is the Salutatorian of the Class of 2025 at SUNY New Paltz and is reflecting on all she learned as she prepares to address her fellow graduates at the Saturday Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 17.
A key inflection point has been her participation in New Paltz Nachle, a South Asian fusion dance group, where she found community and a connection to her cultural identity, and where she eventually became captain.
“I’ve made strong connections here,” she said. “These are friends for life.”
Nachle also helped Bhalla stay grounded in her academic pursuits. She first connected with Chemistry Professor Preeti Dhar at a Nachle event, teaching her future Organic Chemistry professor some dances, and in turn, Dhar helped Bhalla enhance her Cellular Biology studies with an interdisciplinary understanding of the human body.
“Within biology, there’s always an aspect of chemistry,” she said. “Biology is more about the human body and its different systems, whereas chemistry looks within these systems to understand how it works. Studying the connection between these two fields has been foundational in my pre-medical education here.”
The Biology II course Bhalla took with Biology Professor David Richardson was also influential, offering opportunities to conduct field research in a different area of science: lake ecology.
She became a research assistant in the Department of Biology, collaborating with Professor Richardson and peer students Sierra DePry ’25 (Biology) and Anthony Gramse ’25 (Biology) on a project that was showcased at the annual Student Research Symposium on May 2.
“Being a part of these studies gives me a more well-rounded view of the different aspects of science,” she said. “As someone who did not originally know much about this field, learning under an amazing expert like Professor Richardson has been beneficial.”
Other pivotal experiences during her time at New Paltz were an internship with the Spread the Joy Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey, which prepares care boxes for hospitalized children, and a part-time job at Princeton Nassau Pediatrics.
“I got to see a human side to medicine,” she said. “In addition to knowing the science, you also have to have an emotional connection with your patients.”
As she looks ahead to next steps – through the Accelerated Dual Degree Medical Program, Bhalla has been accepted into the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine – Bhalla is taking the moment presented by Commencement weekend to think about all she’s accomplished, and what she’d still like to do.
“I would like to work with kids, but I’m open to any field as of right now,” she said. “I’m just happy to have made it this far.”
About Commencement 2025 at SUNY New Paltz
This year’s Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, 2025, on the Old Main Quad on the SUNY New Paltz campus. Both ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m.
The Saturday Ceremony honors graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Sunday Ceremony honors graduates of the School of Business, School of Education, School of Fine & Performing Arts and School of Science & Engineering.
The Graduate Commencement Ceremony will take place on Friday, May 16, at 6 p.m., also on the Old Main Quad.
More information at https://www.newpaltz.edu/commencement/.