Graduate Students

Before Aaron Stella graduated from the medical laboratory science program, he had more job offers than he knew what to do with.

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.

Andrew Farkas, chief operating officer at Boston MedFlight, returned to college after 35 years to complete his M.S. in health informatics, with a specialization in management.

With a dissertation on social media’s role in the entrepreneurial process, Thailand’s Atthaphon Mumi became the first graduate of the Manning School of Business’ Ph.D. in entrepreneurship program.

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.

Cassie Harding’s internship experiences as a public health student inspired her to tackle the big health and wellness challenges facing people in the cities and towns around her.

Christine Vaudo returned to school after a long gap to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Manning School of Business and then decided to pursue her master’s degree in business analytics.

A former carpenter sidelined by the recession, Christopher Ingemi went back to school at Middlesex Community College and then transferred to UML. Now, thanks to his job in a lab, he’s completed his master’s in civil engineering and found a great job as a bridge designer.

Cora Casteel says mathematics will help her with a career in policing and criminal justice policy.

Manning School of Business MBA coursework provided service learning opportunities to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, native Covington Bien-Aimé. He improved his team management skills, while working with students from many countries to give help to communities in need.

When Daniel Howell interned at the City of Lowell Health Department, he helped run a forum addressing opioid abuse.

Manning School of Business MBA student Daniel Parravano began working as a real estate agent as an undergraduate to help pay his way through school. Now he is ready to make his mark in the world of commercial real estate.

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.

Devon White, a recent graduate of the Autism Studies program, is helping to run a new, affordable and comprehensive autism treatment center in Kuwait. She says great faculty mentors and all the research opportunities she got, starting as an undergraduate, prepared her for the post.

Retired MBTA Transit Police Sgt. Dic Donohue finished his master’s degree in 2012. Less than a year later, he was shot during a police firefight with the Boston Marathon bombers. After earning his Ph.D. in criminology, he’s taking a job with the RAND Corp.

Edgardo Pomales-Feliciano is an inaugural member in the new Pharmaceutical Science Master's program at UMass Lowell.

Honors student Edina Hirt faced hurdles from learning English to battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma while working toward her degree. Still, she won an award for her dedication to community service.

Erin Monahan finds value in learning principles applicable to a wide range of arts and humanities-based organizations. She is getting professional experience as an archivist through an internship at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods.

Toronto native Frank Stegnar excelled in the classroom and on the ice as an undergrad at UMass Lowell, so he chose to get his MBA online from the Manning School of Business.

Gabby Davis is learning to make peace through community building and putting her studies into practice by organizing events for Made in Lowell, a community nonprofit.

Gackson Wheeler found his path to the crossroads of politics and the possibilities the Air Force offered at UMass Lowell, and he calls it one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

Motivated to help patients regain strength to live their best possible lives, Haley LaFreniere was inspired early on by her mom to pursue a health-related field.

Haylee Dussault was a part of the first class of students in the Master of Public Heath Dietetics program. Shortly after graduation, she passed the registered dietitian exam and landed her dream job.

Jessica Amedee interned at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce as the university’s first Civic Action Project fellow. The program for UMass graduate students in public policy and related fields introduced her to a network of inspiring professionals.

John Kilgo VI began working at MITRE Corporation more than three years ago as an intern, when he was a UMass Lowell undergraduate. Now, he’s employed there full time as a software systems engineer, while enrolled part time in the master’s program in computer science.

When music education major Joshua Santana teaches local grade-schoolers to play violin through the university’s String Project, he connects with them because he was once in their shoes.

Juan Boungou, a former Fulbright Fellow, started a nonprofit for underprivileged youth in the Republic of the Congo. Now he’s earning his Ph.D. in global studies to expand his learning and his impact.

Jyotik Savaj, who is enrolled in the Master of Science in Energy Engineering/Solar Program, aims to help fulfill the need for solar power and has a paid co-op job at Exyte, an engineering and project management company specializing in high-tech facilities.

Kady Phelps came to UMass Lowell to major in education, but history caught up with her. She is working toward her master’s degree in history and earned the Excellence in Students Cultural Heritage Award for her work on an exhibit about Portuguese immigration to Lowell.

Karina Cruz appreciates the flexibility, small classes and in-depth administrative skills she’s learning, from how to change public policy to managing a diverse workforce.

Kevin Huang is turning his passion for health and fitness into a career in medicine after internships with hospital administrators.

Kevin Copson is using his policy and data analysis skills to help local nonprofits while working at a university-based startup.

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.

Kyleigh Clark-Moorman is interested in how best to prepare inmates to rejoin their communities. She’s gotten a broad range of research and teaching experiences in the doctoral program in criminology.

Lauren Gary transferred to UMass Lowell to study psychology and work with people with disabilities. Thanks to faculty advice, she entered the bachelor’s-to-master’s program in autism studies – and found a job in her field before finishing her undergraduate degree.

Superintendent Lisa Dana's length of service in the Danver's public school system is among the longest in the state.

A research assistantship helped Liz Ejaife continue into the Master’s program in Community Social Psychology – and gave her valuable research experience.

Marcus Lithander was already designing online courses when he heard Asst. Prof. Yana Weinstein, co-founder of The Learning Scientists, speak at a conference in Stockholm. Six months later he arrived in the U.S. to pursue his Ph.D. with her and do research on effective learning strategies.

Matthew Olson, dean of humanities and social science at Middlesex Community College, says there is a direct connection between the doctorate he earned in Leadership in Schooling and his current job.

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.

Once Michelle Palladino started taking courses in nutrition as an undergraduate, she knew right away that she wanted a career in the field of nutrition and dietetics.

As a technical program manager with the U.S. Navy, Mike Taskoski had his pick of MBA programs. He chose UMass Lowell based on the reputation of its online program.

Mindasari Daniar's upbringing in Indonesia inspired her to study nutrition. She now works at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and is pursing her Master of Public Health degree.

Already on track for a successful marketing career in Pakistan, Moiz Khan has shifted gears to pursue a master’s in business analytics from the Manning School of Business.

Neil Oliveria, already a grandfather, is pursuing degrees in history and education so he can embark on a new career as a teacher.

Nicole Haas always knew she wanted a career helping people. The Master of Public Health major landed an internship with the Revive Recovery Center and is taking on one of the most challenging public health crises of the last 20 years: the opioid epidemic.

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

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.

A chance encounter with a professor led to an amazing research opportunity. Now Qurat Ann is researching the pros and cons of sex offender registration laws as she pursues a Ph.D.

Pakistan native Ramsha Farooq ’19 came all the way to UMass Lowell for her master’s degree in electrical engineering. She’s staying in the area after landing a “perfect job” as an electrical engineer at Black & Veatch in Burlington, Mass.

Rianna Grissom does research on how stereotypes and prejudices affect biracial and multiracial people.

Rimonda Maroun is doubling up on research and teaching experience as she pursues her Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice.

Rohann Nair was torn about whether to pursue a master of science degree or an MBA. Instead of choosing, he opted for both by enrolling in UMass Lowell’s master’s degree in engineering management.

In the Master of Public Administration program, Ron Pannell is learning skills he can apply to his job in the Office of Student Engagement at Middlesex Community College – and later, in a housing agency.

Sarah Golding works with young people transitioning to adulthood while coping with mental illness. She says the Master of Public Administration program is giving her the right balance of core administrative skills and deep knowledge to help her advocate for her clients.

For this sound recording technology grad, it’s all between the ears.

After earning a master's degree in criminal justice, Sean Perry plans to pursue a Ph.D. in criminology with the ultimate goal of becoming a professor or private sector or government researcher whose studies could help improve police departments or criminal justice systems.

Shannon Gray started earning her master's degree in Public Health with a focus on epidemiology as an undergraduate. Her internship with the Uxbridge Board of Health broadened her exposure to the role public health professionals play and strengthened her skills.

Shruti Jain came to UMass Lowell for its hands-on teaching approach. She’s gotten lots of opportunities to apply what she’s learning – as well as a coveted internship with Red Hat.

Tara Lynch's experience during her undergraduate psychology program practicum working with a community agency to improve outcomes for rape survivors led her to pursue a Master of Public Health.

Tugba Metinyurt came to UML to study community social psychology and learn how to be a force for positive social change in her native Turkey.

Before starting his Ph.D. in atmospheric science at UMass Lowell, Tyler Harrington interned at the Federal Aviation Administration, where he wrote a report for Congress on how extreme weather events affect air travel.

Tyler McMillan teaches guitar and plays in a band. He’s earning his M.P.A. degree in public arts and humanities so he can start a nonprofit recording studio – and more.

Even though many of Zack Zuber’s family members attended UMass Lowell, he wasn’t convinced that it was the place for him – that is, until he visited the campus.