Emily Crespo sits at a table with a Jumpstart poster.
Emily Crespo '21
English & Music Composition

Emily Crespo came to UML for its affordability – and for the River Hawk Scholars Academy, now a supportive community for first-year, first-generation college students.

I learned not only that you can help others, but that they can help you on your journey, too.
Read More About Emily Crespo 
Veyli Ortiz Solis
Veyli Ortiz Solis ’20, ’21
Criminal Justice

Veyli Ortiz Solis earned a B.S. in criminal justice in just three years – with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

I always love to be challenged. I feel like that’s when I do my best work.
Read More About Veyli Ortiz Solis 
Neyder Fernandez and Joe Kennedy
Neyder Fernandez '23
Political Science

First-gen student Neyder Fernandez is president of the Student Government Association.

My parents would say, ‘You can do anything that you want to, and we have your back.’
Read More About Neyder Fernandez 
Sean Simonini holds a petri dish while another person points at it in a UMass Lowell lab.
Sean Simonini '26
Political Science, Biology

From policy to research, Sean Simonini is making an impact.

UMass Lowell is about the grit, the work ethic. It’s everybody on an equal playing field. I love that mission.
Read More About Sean Simonini 

River Hawk Scholars Academy News

  • Visiting Lecturer Matthew Beyranevand, left, and student researcher Melanie Khiem outdoors in front of trees

    Precalculus Coordinator Aims to Improve Math Education

    Visiting Lecturer Matthew Beyranevand ’03, ’10 aims to improve students’ understanding of higher mathematics – and to make precalculus classes more fun. Two undergraduate students are helping him while gaining research experience.
    Featured Story
  • Four panelists sit in chairs in front of a screen at the front of a room, talking to college students.

    Peer Leaders Get a Boost from UKG

    Peer leaders from the Office of Multicultural Affairs are now supported with scholarships and mentorship from workforce management software company UKG, a longtime industry partner of UMass Lowell.
    Featured Story
  • Sean Simonini poses in a white lab coat in a laboratory

    Biology and Political Science Student Wins National Scholarship

    Sean Simonini, who is double-majoring in biology and political science, wants to help find treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. He won a $7,500 Goldwater Scholarship to support that work.
    Featured Story
  • A woman in a gray blazer poses for a photo while standing near the reception desk in a college office.

    Alumna Returns to Lead First-Gen Success at UML

    English alumna Venus Israni has returned to her alma mater to lead the River Hawk Scholars Academy, UML’s support program for first-generation college students.