James Joutras came to UMass Lowell to discover himself. His experiences instilled confidence – and took him to Japan, where he plans to work after graduation.

Moniphal Bing was able to study abroad in Cambodia, which his parents fled before he was born, through a new partnership with the American University of Phnom Penh.

Evan Dingle’s passion for helping people and love of international study led him to a job with a nonprofit in Uganda that serves children with special needs.

A service-learning capstone in Lowell and Haiti transformed Maureen Kelly’s civil engineering education — and her life. She now works for a firm that supports her ongoing volunteer work in Haiti and her mentoring of current students.

Student trustee Malinda Reed is considering a career in human rights and immigration law after studying the history of Greek immigrants in Lowell.

Syeda Nizami is using scholarships, research fellowships and work-study jobs to graduate with low debt, so she can afford a career helping others instead of working to pay off student loans.

Honors student Tyler Cote helped start an award-winning nonprofit, co-authored research papers and interned with a Washington think tank, all while completing two majors.

Abigail Hans becomes the first student to represent Manning School of Business’ Beta Gamma Sigma chapter at the international business honor society’s Global Leadership Summit.

Manning School of Business student Rachel Silk landed a professional co-op as a marketing events coordinator that has helped shape her future career plans.

While double-majoring in psychology and exercise physiology, Patrice Faith Olivar has gained both research and practical experience. UMass Lowell has opened more doors than she thought possible.

Honors student Kripa Joseph is earning her B.A. and M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies in four years, while minoring in music and pursuing internships that promote diversity and respect among cultures.

Tyler Farley has found much to satisfy his appetite for politics on campus and off, from serving in student government, to campaigning for Marco Rubio, to attending the Republican National Convention and more.

Dean Kennedy always dreamed of a career at Disney. The experience he gained and connections he made while earning his bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering helped make that dream come true.

During his six-month co-op at iRobot, Kevin Dibble was a full-time member of the software team – and he developed an automated testing system for a universal robot controller.

Nairoby Gabriel is graduating with an Honors College degree in Political Science after only one year at UMass Lowell, where she participated in Model UN for the first time – and was named an outstanding delegate.

Honors student Denia Taylor has overcome many challenges in order to pursue a degree in political science. She plans to take up a career that allows her to combine legal training and philosophy.

Lindsay Blount is a full-time Honors College student, military spouse and mom – but she still found time to pursue a partnership with the Thoreau Institute.

Honors student Jessica Kergo has landed great jobs and internships – including one with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. She also writes for The Connector student newspaper and advocates for mental health awareness.

Mary Everett combined her interest in environmental science with a love of writing. An honors fellowship gave her the support to write a group of short stories – which won her admission to a top-ranked M.F.A. program in creative writing.

Honors student Patrick Martin is studying political science to change drug policy.

A summer co-op inspired Benjamin Gacek to pick up a second major and pursue a career in forensic accounting.

The scholarships and financial aid Ruchika received from UMass Lowell helped tremendously in keeping her education affordable.

Anthony Gaeta says his six-month co-op at John Hancock Financial gave him real-world experience in his dream job as an actuary.

Sam Aikins transferred to UMass Lowell because he wanted a greater challenge – and a place he could make his mark.

Briannah Larsen came here to play Division I field hockey – and stayed for the business school and the Honors College.

Research and community are important to Steven Jacek. Fortunately, he’s found opportunities for both on campus.

An honors seminar and fellowship sent Maggie Davenport to Haiti, where she’s working on sustainability projects.

Bridget McSherry seized every opportunity she could while earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting at UMass Lowell, and now she’s ready to begin her career at Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico.

Jacob Solomon is as well-rounded as they come. The honors English and math major is assisting with research in a biology lab.

The Honors College offered Peter Larsen a chance to explore outside his major, giving him a true liberal arts education and changing his career plans. Then DifferenceMaker helped him realize his dream of providing unique and inexpensive prosthetic hands to kids.

Yonnie Collins joined the Honors College to get a well-rounded education – and for challenging classes.

Matthew D’Angelo loves to solve problems—and he’s great at explaining how he does it. That’s why he’s majoring in math and enrolled in the UTeach program.

Ayah Awadallah is starting an online magazine for young American Muslim women caught between American culture and the tenets of their faith.

Honors chemistry major Abigail Giarrosso helped develop a safer paint-stripper at her work-study job at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute. She stayed to pursue her master's and has taken on her next research challenge: finding an alternative to acetone-based removers for gel manicures.

Roma Aurora has become a strong and valued presence on campus, from her roles as president of both the Manning Leaders Council and Marketing Society, to her ambassador work for both international students and student alumni, to her participation in the DifferenceMaker Program.

Kimberly Chao transferred to UMass Lowell where she was able to follow her two passions: business and health care

Peace and Conflict Studies major Jenna Kapp has taken advantage of nearly every opportunity that’s come her way on campus. Now she’s finding more abroad.

Qiana Curcuru loves UMass Lowell for its opportunities. The honors student is president of the campus chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, has done a professional co-op at iRobot, has taught and interned at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and done research with two professors on campus.

Thomas Heywosz’s experiences in the UTeach program and in Haiti have made him a successful high school math teacher.

Lukas Lazarek’s summer research fellowship in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University helped prepare him for graduate school – and won him an award.

Alex DiBuono turned his own experience with chemotherapy into an honors capstone project in electrical engineering.

Her experiences in the Honors College and in a college readiness program, Let’s Get Ready, helped Marilyn Saha get a job at Raytheon Technologies.

Honors nursing student Corrina Quaglietta studied abroad in San Sebastian, Spain, the summer after her freshman year. The experience turned her into a huge booster of study abroad.

Zayna Basma volunteered at a center that helps Burmese refugees - and became fascinated by refugee policy and research.

One faculty member opened a door for Adeja Crearer, and it changed her life.

Criminal justice major Matt Levenson loves an adventure and a challenge—and he’s bent on seizing every opportunity he can while at UMass Lowell.

Honors College graduate Dan Muise is launched on an academic research career, thanks to a pair of B.A.s in economics and political science, lots of faculty support and several undergraduate research grants.