Meet Our Students & Alumni

The River Hawk Scholars Academy, a support program for first-generation college students, gave Monica Kong the confidence she needed to succeed – and lead.

Augustin Cruz came to UMass Lowell for its exercise science program and the wealth of research opportunities for undergraduates.

Simone Peironnet secured a job with Boeing as a health physicist before graduating from UMass Lowell.

After 12 years working as a registered nurse at Lowell General Hospital, Meredith Ritze developed specialized skills caring for people who struggle with urology issues. She applied to UMass Lowell to become a nurse practitioner to further her career.

With her people-first approach, Yonnie Collins found success in her coursework and her extracurricular activities.

Sergio Rodriguez mentors incoming transfer students as a TAP peer ally.

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.

UML prepared Lianna Partee for a career that she’s passionate about. After completing her nursing degree here and working as a registered nurse for a year, she returned to earn a master’s degree in gerontological nursing.

Kyle Mehan began researching nutrition when trying to heal his own injuries. Now he promotes a plant-based diet.

A research scholarship taught nursing student Alexa DeVito more about her chosen profession – and gave her a faculty mentor.

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.

Lindsey Roberts worked her way through the clinical laboratory science program and a master’s degree, too. Now she’s the laboratory supervisor at Lowell Community Health Center.

Sandra Ocampo switched her career from investment management to dietetics.

As a well-being coach, Angeline Castillo reaches out to other health sciences students to ease their stress.

Lacrosse player Caroline Klim ’23 plans to apply public health knowledge to her future nursing career.

Jessica Dossantos chose UMass Lowell for its patient simulation labs – and because her twin sister liked the university, too.

Exercise Science major Olivia Houle plans on pursuing a career researching prosthetics and orthotics.

Isabella De Souza has won two scholarships that will allow her to study Spanish abroad, so she can bring multiple languages to her future nursing career.

Juana Guerrero came to UML with strong academic credentials. A support program helped boost her confidence and leadership skills, too.

Toni Laracuente credits the Health Information Management program with helping her land a job before graduation.

Valeria Saldana knew she had found a welcoming community from her first visit to campus.

Stacey Nwachukwu is helping communities and influencing policy at the Statehouse.

Lawreta Kankam is passionate about public health. She plans to go on to medical school so she can provide both care and preventive health programs for underserved groups.

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.

Daniel Howell spent several years addressing the opioid epidemic in Lowell. Now, he’s working on a pandemic: COVID-19.

As a pharmaceutical sciences major interested in research and business, Marita Merheb pursues all opportunities to advance her goals.

Marina Novaes was inspired to pursue a career in health after a mission trip to El Salvador. Marina's experiences through her sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau, and the peer-education group Campus Advocates for Prevention Education, motivated her to apply (and be accepted into) UML’s Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Public Health program.

A serious knee injury gave women’s soccer player Halle Anderson the chance to explore her artistic interests.

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.

Inspired by his mother’s careers in health care and business, Emmanuel Idehen-Ovabor is working toward a master’s in health care administration while also pursuing his dream of becoming a pediatrician.

Kristina Ogbarmey-Tetteh took advantage of the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences’ Student Resource Center as a first-year student, and then became a tutor herself.

Through leadership opportunities as a student-athlete, exercise physiology graduate Amanda Baptiste found her voice — and discovered her calling to become a high school biology teacher.

Annie Soup Koagne is getting everything she can out of UMass Lowell, while working to make it a better place.

Honors student Hannah Allgood came to UML for undergraduate research opportunities.

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.

Nursing student David Nguyen learned how to provide hands-on care to COVID-19 patients during the pandemic.

Her master’s degree in public health and research experiences helped Chandni Shahdev get a job with the CDC Foundation, working with employers to prevent and contain outbreaks of COVID-19.

In and out of the classroom, Meilani Chen found support to pursue a future career in epidemiology.

Kelsey Gonzalez cares for asylum seekers as program manager for Global Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Global Health.

A scholarship introduced Andreas Himariotis to research – and a possible career as a sports researcher.

Suparlan Lingga ’17 came to UMass Lowell to further his education in public health. Now he coordinates the Indonesian government’s work with UNICEF to improve child and maternal health, education and safety.

Katie McGourty took advantage of UML's Bachelor’s-to-Master’s program and completed her master’s in one year. She landed a job with Pfizer Inc. in the inflammation and immunology department before she graduated.

An Honors College student fellowship gave Marbella Leal a chance to work with at-risk students and do research with a professor.

Nicolas Troisi gained extensive experience from his clinical lab rotations and landed a full-time job as a medical laboratory scientist at Winchester Hospital. He started in April, before he even graduated.

Coral Gonzalez set her sights on becoming a nurse after she was hospitalized in middle school. The Honors College student won one of the first Oprah Winfrey Scholarships to help her succeed.

Marcus Whitlow began pursuing a health care degree after caring for his family.

Cosette Scott’s internship working with a lead epidemiologist in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is making an impact on public health policy.

Caroline Owusu lost an internship because of the COVID-19 pandemic – and found a passion for research.

For her practicum course experience, Alytah Noum was hired by the Lowell Community Health Center as a community health worker.

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.

Ellen Panetto was always interested in anatomy and how the body works, but wasn't sure exactly what area she wanted to work in. Her clinical rotation experiences led to her decision to pursue a career as a pathologists' assistant.

Miranda Melo feels well prepared for her nursing career. Her past clinical rotations included working at Lowell General Hospital, Winchester Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and the Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of New England.

José Archila Quezada found support and a network of friends in the MAGIC program, which helps students from underrepresented groups pursue medical school.

The Medical Lab Science program helped Michael McCormack use his problem-solving skills to land a job learning how diseases occur.

Christianto Putra conducted research on titanium dioxide, a common food additive, for his dissertation and published the results in the Journal of Nutrition.

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.

Exercise science alum Alex Sarazen ’17 went on to chiropractic school and now treats athletes at his own clinic. He also teaches classes at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

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.

Jennica Hamm was mentored and is now a mentor herself, helping first-year students get acclimated to campus and academic life.

A first-generation college student, Jeremy Duford was nervous about starting college. He says the River Hawk Scholars Academy was a tremendous support.

Donald Rogers gained research experience as an exercise science major, which fueled his desire to become a physician scientist.

Sundus Siddique, a physician and public health researcher, has published studies and presented at conferences about healthy workplaces.

Namrata Chauhan ’23 secured a position as a surveillance epidemiologist with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in the Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health.

Three bus rides, a different language and a challenging curriculum were not roadblocks for Isaura Jimenez on her path to a nursing degree. She saw them as challenges to be met.

During his long career, Coiro has opened two physical therapy clinics, treated thousands of patients and hired many UMass Lowell students.

Exercise science major Zachary Kyros is one of the first UML students accepted into the Boston University Early Medical School Selection program.

Jessica Ross landed a job after graduation as a research associate in the gene therapy analytical development department at Sarepta Therapeutics.

Assoc. Teaching Prof. Michele Fox ’94, ’06 of the Department of Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, a double River Hawk, swims competitively and raises money for cancer research.

Amina Mohammed is the first Youth Poet Laureate of Worcester and a first-year nursing major who loves helping people, especially children.

As a dual major in public health and political science, Anthony Milisci leads a student club that promotes organ donation, and he also serves on the Student Government Association.

Student Government Association Vice President Nosagiegbon (Sai) Igiede takes advantage of leadership opportunities to develop his skills and support his classmates.

Michael Hines, a former college athlete who wants to own his own athletic or physical therapy facility one day, is following the exercise and fitness management degree pathway.

Susan Mullaney, who earned a doctorate in nursing practice in 2015, is a vice president at UnitedHealth Group, where she focuses on keeping seniors healthy. She joined the board of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, which sets curriculum standards for nursing degrees.

Iffat Farah works as a community workforce program coordinator for the Lowell Community Health Center.

The summer after his freshman year, Andrew Stanwicks worked in a hospital rehabilitation research lab.

Majoring in Public Health helped Ashley Ventrillo turn her passion for women's rights into a career.

Dannalee Watson loves working in hospital labs, where she analyzes patient samples for signs of disease. She says it’s like being a medical detective.

Gerry Siracusa is combining his degree in exercise science with an MBA, which will help him open his own physical therapy practice someday.

Kate Killion came to UML because it’s the only university in New England that offers a dietetics degree with a public health perspective.

Stefany Campbell was hired by Comprehensive Environmental Inc, a civil engineering and environmental consulting firm, before she graduates.

EJ Judge received his Master of Public Health degree during the pandemic, which provided real-world opportunities to learn what epidemiology is all about.

Jack Callahan is pursuing a public health degree to improve the lives of as many people as possible.

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.

A practicum in infection prevention at a hospital prepared Abdul Hameed for a job with the CDC, preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus in hospitals and other health-care facilities.

After Matthew Fowler's mother underwent heart surgery, he observed the nurses, who worked with both intelligence and kindness. The experience inspired him to choose nursing as his career.

After working with Alzheimer’s patients while in high school, Bryanna Ippolito is pursuing her bachelor's in nutritional science and developed a program for students who someday may be working with Alzheimer’s patients to understand what it’s like to live with the disease.

Thavaleak Prum came to UML to pursue her dream of transforming people’s lives through research.

Khuyen Tran is pursuing a nursing degree after witnessing the care provided to her grandfather during his hospitalization.

Even as a transfer student and a commuter, Vincent Ciaramella found friendship and a helpful community at UMass Lowell.

Knowing how cultural differences make an impact on health, Rabia Haider is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.

Patrick Pang knew he wanted hands-on experience conducting research. As a college freshman in the Immersive Scholar program, he conducted research on protective wear that helps prevent injuries.

For Nery Rodriguez, public health is the perfect major to combine science with helping people and communities.

Richard Juknavorian ’98 volunteers online and in person to support students. He raises money for scholarships, mentors students and serves as a judge at symposiums and events.

Nancy Pin is on her way to becoming a family nurse practitioner so she can help the community.