Melissa Vargas is a two-time first-generation alumna of Rutgers University. She has a BA from Rutgers College, where she majored in Mathematics and minored in Psychology. She obtained her M.Ed. from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education (GSE) in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education.
Melissa has dedicated over 22 years of service to higher education opportunity programs at Rutgers. Her career in higher education began as the Development Specialist for the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, which she participated in as an undergraduate. She also served the Student Support Services and TRIO Dissemination Programs. She began her career with the Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in 2004 as the Senior EOF Counselor. She currently serves as the Associate Director/EOF Manager.
Throughout her career, Melissa has received special recognitions and embarked on unique opportunities. In 2020, she was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. She was a member of the GSE Remote Learning Steering Committee as well as the Graduate Student Association (GSA) Mental Health Committee. She participated in the 2023 Cohort of the Building Bridges for Impact and Growth (BBIG) Diversity Champions Program. Melissa also served as the Vice President for EOF Counselors, Rutgers AAUP-AFT. She also presented at the 2024 Educational Opportunity Fund Professional Association of New Jersey (EOFPANJ) Counselors Training Institute (CTI).