Get to Know Our 2024 Incoming Class

Eleven colleges. More than 100 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate degree programs. 10,647 new students embarking on their NC State adventure. One incoming class of 2024.

It’s easy to be excited by the numbers at NC State. In August — for the fifth consecutive year — we welcomed our largest class of students to our campus in Raleigh and our online programs.

But what’s more exciting are the people behind those numbers. The newest members of our Wolfpack are diverse, distinguished and determined to thrive. They’re sports fans, musicians, environmentalists and, it turns out, at least one of them can safely weigh a komodo dragon (yes, really). Now, they’re here — finding their paths and taking charge of their futures.

They came to NC State from 99 North Carolina counties, 46 states and territories and 43 countries. With a weighted high school GPA of 4.34 and a transfer GPA of 3.48, our newest students are ready to Think and Do.

We sat down with nine members of our 2024 incoming class to find out what brought them here, what they’re excited about and what they think you should know about NC State.

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Natalie, Kaylee and Allison Toro: Sticking Together, Branching Out

• Majors: All biochemistry
• Hometown: Gurabo, Puerto Rico
• Fun Fact: The Toro sisters enjoy playing a variety of instruments, including el cuatro, Puerto Rico’s national instrument.

Triplets Allison, Kaylee and Natalie Toro have been inseparable all their lives, and they don’t plan to let college get in the way of that — at least not in the first year. They’re all in the Life Sciences First Year Program, with plans to major in biochemistry. They’re rooming together, and even coordinated their schedules so they wouldn’t have to be apart.

“We have all the same classes together, except the labs,” said Kaylee.

NC State was the Toro sisters’ first choice. They were drawn to NC State’s reputation as a research institution. Plus, they have an uncle in North Carolina so they were familiar with the state. They’re excited to get the full college experience, complete with living in a residence hall and attending collegiate sporting events — something they wouldn’t get back home in Puerto Rico. But it’s still been an adjustment. 

“We’ve never been in a situation where we have to speak English 24/7, so it’s been a struggle at times,” said Natalie. 

They’re leaning on each other while they adjust to being far from home. But next year, they plan to branch out and have different class schedules and make separate friends. 

“We definitely have each other’s backs, but it’ll be good for us to be more independent,” said Natalie.

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Robert Garbarz: Starting a New Chapter

• Major: Master of Accounting (MAC) program, public accounting track
• Hometown: Apex, North Carolina
• Fun Fact: He has worked as a professional musician for more than 10 years — performing nationally and internationally — including with the Wichita Falls Symphony, Louisville Orchestra and Carolina Philharmonic.

This fall, a professional musician is roaming Nelson Hall. Robert Garbarz is a student in the Poole College of Management’s Jenkins Master of Accounting (MAC) program. He’s also a violinist who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in violin performance.

Garbarz was two years into a doctorate when he realized becoming a violin professor was no longer the career path he wanted. His most recent job showed him a previously undiscovered love for managing and organizing people and he soon found himself applying to different accounting programs.

Within a day of submitting his application to the Jenkins MAC program, Garbarz got a call from a real person at NC State who expressed genuine interest in him. As a husband and father to three children, time and money were top priorities. Garbarz worked with MAC staff to secure a fellowship sponsored by local accounting firm BDO USA. Not only does the fellowship cover nearly all of the MAC program’s expenses, but it also includes a job offer which Garbarz has accepted.

“I just hope to get an experience that makes me feel like, on day one at my job, I’m prepared and I know what’s expected of me,” said Garbarz. “[Think and Do] made a lot of sense to me. And I will say, that’s not the case everywhere. And it seems so simple. It seems so obvious.”

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Julia Chiu: Developing Technologies to Help Musicians

• Major: Music technology
• Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
• NC State Tip for New Students: There are lots of quiet study spots, even on a busy campus. “There’s a lot of places where people naturally gather, but there’s also less crowded ones that people don’t really know about.”

When Julia Chiu discovered the new music technology major at NC State, she knew she’d found the right fit. Continuing her musical studies was important to the lifelong violinist and ballerina, but she found herself drawn to the engineering components of the degree — and the career opportunities that the combination of skills could provide for her.

“The music technology major is unique compared to other colleges,” she said. “I like how the major is a blend between a variety of music and engineering classes. I can see how it could open future career opportunities in the music industry.”

Chiu was inspired to pursue a degree and a career in music technology after she taught herself to use music software in order to produce a piece of music for a dance competition. She’s excited that the coursework for the major includes several semesters of ensemble study, so she’ll be able to continue playing the violin and performing in the orchestra as part of her degree.

“I wasn’t a typical STEM student,” she said. “In high school, I gravitated towards humanities classes. Math and science were more challenging for me, so I had to work harder in those classes. I originally thought I would be a non-STEM major, but music technology is the perfect combination for me. STEM is the future, and NC State has a strong engineering program, too, so I want to be able to learn as much as I can while I’m here.”

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Je’Niya Nelson: From Childhood Dream to NC State

• Major: Biological sciences
• Hometown: Greenville, North Carolina
• Fun Fact: She loves to sew and hopes to get involved in NC State’s vibrant fashion and design scene.

Je’Niya Nelson transferred to NC State with plans to study biological sciences and one day become a doctor. It’s a dream that began early, when she participated in the Teddy Bear Hospital Project — a program that reduces children’s fears of medical procedures by letting them role-play as the caregiver of a stuffed animal needing “treatment.” She pursued her dream to Wake Technical Community College, where she earned her associate degree in science. 

At NC State, Nelson became a Goodnight Scholar and an ambassador for Community College Collaboration (C3), which provides students from North Carolina community colleges with pathways to higher education.

“I love my C3 family,” Nelson said. “I became a C3 Ambassador because I struggled with social anxiety and was not very talkative at events when I first went into the program. In this role, I feel less anxious because I’m needed, and I can help others adapt socially who might be anxious or more reserved.”

Nelson is excited to immerse herself in her College of Sciences coursework, and she looks forward to exploring research opportunities in fields such as biomedical engineering. With the support of a Wolfpack behind her, her dreams seem well within reach.

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Henry McDevitt: Balancing Goals and Exploration

• Major: Electrical engineering
• Hometown: Camden, Maine
• NC State Tip for New Students: “There’s a lot of free ice cream.”

Park Scholar Henry McDevitt can’t wait to attend his first NC State football game. He also has a solid game plan for making the most of college. For one, he’s looking to stretch his wings and see the world through a study abroad program in Kenya related to his major in electrical engineering.

McDevitt is excited to explore how his major might connect with his other passions. In his hometown of Camden, Maine, where mountains border the ocean, he developed a love for running and hiking — and a respect for the environment. Through a STEM-focused summer program, McDevitt created an apparatus to attach a thermal camera to a drone and measure wastewater sources in his coastal town’s harbor. He wants to continue exploring an interdisciplinary path that balances electrical engineering with environmentalism.

McDevitt’s goal is to find more of that balance over the next four years at NC State, juggling academics and a social life. He wants to try different student clubs and see what piques his interest. “There is seriously something for every person,” McDevitt said about the numerous ways to get involved at NC State. 

McDevitt likes to remind himself — and anyone else trying to do it all: “In school, you don’t have to be perfect at everything. Go out, have fun with friends, and make the memories that you want to make, because you can do that, also.”

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Dakota Coburn: Scholars Building Community

• Major: Textile engineering, product engineering concentration
• Hometown: Winterville, North Carolina
• NC State Tip for New Students: “Always carry a water bottle — it’s a big campus, and my water bottle has saved me during the hot weather.”

It’s a big deal for students to get into programs like the Goodnight Scholars or Textile Pioneer Scholars. So, you can imagine that when Dakota Coburn was accepted into both, it was a very big deal. She worked hard to get these scholarships, even going so far as to jet out during a midday break at a First Robotics competition in Durham for one of her interviews. 

As a textile engineering major and double-scholar, Coburn has her hands full. But she couldn’t be more excited about it. She knew textile engineering was the path for her when a representative from Wilson College of Textiles came to her high school the fall of her senior year — she was immediately hooked, and her scholarships sealed her Wolfpack fate.

These programs don’t only help Coburn financially — they also provide a reliable community for her as she settles into a new routine here at NC State. Meeting new people has been one of Coburn’s favorite parts of the university so far, and she’s looking forward to getting involved in more student activities like intramural soccer. 

“I’m just happy to be here,” Coburn said. “I love everyone I’ve met, and I can already tell that my time here is going to go by fast.”

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Muhammad Ikbal Putera: Learning and Leading By Example

• Major: Ph.D. in parks, recreation and tourism management
• Home: Indonesia
• NC State Tip for New Students: Don’t be scared to reach out to your advisors and others if you have questions, especially if you’re an international student. And make your mental health a priority.

Park ranger, future Ph.D., international student and, now, member of the Wolfpack: Muhammad Ikbal Putera is all of these things and much more. The Fulbright Indonesia Scholar and International Fellow came to NC State this fall from his home in the Republic of Indonesia, where he works — still, thanks to his incredible dedication and some 3 a.m. EST Zoom calls — for Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Putera’s duties in the park included managing visitors as well as catching, measuring and weighing komodo dragons, the latter of which can be as boring as it is exciting. Many lonely hours can fall between each potentially dangerous encounter, so Putera loves to sing to pass the time. He hopes to find ways to connect with other NC State students through music during his time on campus.

Putera is also part of the community outreach program Ranger Goes to School, which enables him and his fellow park rangers to teach more than 500 high school students in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, for one semester each year. His efforts to educate and empower the next generation of Indonesian park rangers recently earned him a special acknowledgment of appreciation from the Minister of Environment and Forestry. While he’s deeply grateful for the award, Putera is quick to point out that his successes were actually team efforts — a fitting Wolfpack mentality.

Through his academic career, his professional work and everything else in his life, Putera hopes to show people, especially other Indonesians, that anything is possible.

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