Meet Honors College Alumni

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

As a 1982 graduate with a degree in English, Beth Donaghey took a temporary job as a secretary at the university, just for a year. She never left.

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.

An interest in genomics took Caryn McCowan ’11 from researching spiders to working at a canine genetics company.

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.

An elective course helped John Kelly ’23 figure out his career interests.

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

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

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

Honors physics alum Dashon Jones ’23 took advantage of research opportunities on and off campus.

A research opportunity helped Caroline DeSouza see that marine biology was an attainable career.

Army Rangers veteran Brendon Aylaian is working as a financial specialist for the Air Force.

Computer science alum William Boag ’16, a senior health care data lead for MassHealth, remains deeply engaged with the Honors College through leadership, mentorship and philanthropy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thomas Sherriff was the lead author on a paper about functional movements of firefighters.

Mateo Rull Garza immersed himself in research – and published in a leading scientific journal.

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

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