A record number of graduates — 3,970 — will receive degrees at UMass Lowell’s 2017 Commencement. They’ve distinguished themselves in the classroom, on the playing fields, in the community and on campus. As the university celebrates their accomplishments, here are some of their stories:
Joining a club as soon as she arrived on campus got Julie Lawton experience on two political campaigns as well as internships in the Boston mayor’s office and the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus – all within a year.
As co-president of the Society of Environmental Scientists student organization, Evelynn Cousey has developed leadership skills that she plans to take into a career in environmental policy and law.
Bradley Sherwood explains history to school children and adults at the Tsongas Industrial History Center, an educational partnership between the university and Lowell National Historical Park.
Catherine de Groot enjoys using her marketing skills to help nonprofits in Lowell.
As a merchandising co-op for TJX in Framingham, senior business administration major Hayley Buonodono of Amesbury took a giant step toward her career goal of working as a buyer in the retail industry.
Pratibha Gautam’s job at a medical device incubator inspired her to pursue a career in health economics.
Sofia Savoca chose UMass Lowell for the opportunity to be in the Honors College and to study civil engineering. She’s found a dozen new opportunities since arriving on campus.
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.
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.
An Honors College student fellowship gave Marbella Leal a chance to work with at-risk students and do research with a professor.
Marvens Francois says switching his major to economics was one of the best decisions of his life.
Ben Jeter’s experiences at UMass Lowell, including participating in the professional co-op program and his job as a resident advisor, turned him into a student leader.
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.
Nursing student David Nguyen learned how to provide hands-on care to COVID-19 patients during the pandemic.
Sid Iyer has taken advantage of internships, research opportunities, the DifferenceMaker program and more to pursue his goal: a career in biomedical research and development.
Christina Han’s work with Multicultural Affairs, her club leadership and her studies in criminal justice converged in her honors capstone: running a “Support Space” for Asian American and Pacific Islander students during a surge in hate crimes.
As an accounting co-op at iRobot, business administration major Kelly Dankese of Wilmington discovered a symbiotic relationship between what she learned in the classroom and the work she was doing for the Bedford-based tech company.
When she was younger, Jennifer Schultz didn’t want to be an engineer. Yet here she is, a summer intern in the office of Nonspec, a company that offers low-cost prosthetic limb systems. She even trekked to India with UMass Lowell’s B.V.B. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program.
2021 Student Commencement Speaker Jamie Smorczewski knows what it means to persevere, over injury, health issues, the pandemic and life’s curveballs.
Through her coursework, business student Kanya Derisme gained the skills and knowledge needed for a career in digital marketing. Through her leadership roles in student organizations, she learned something about herself.
Benjamin McEvoy has been racking up wins as a DifferenceMaker competitor with partner Edward Morante and their idea for an inclusive combination of baseball and cricket, Benji Ball.
Roberto Rivera combined a B.A. in English literature and Spanish and Italian with a master’s degree in education to become an ESL teacher in the Lawrence schools.
Dana Ibrahim chose UMass Lowell for its peace and conflict studies program, which lets her combine classes across the social sciences and humanities to suit her goal: to become a diplomat and aid refugees.
Honors College student Daphne Shakira Naut was already fluent in two languages and had started on two more by the time she finished high school. Here at UML, she’s picked up a fifth language and studied abroad three times – all while supporting herself.
Honors student Rachel Record won a full scholarship to law school, thanks to the Legal Studies Program and research and practical experiences.
Leslie Marrero says schools are already inviting her to apply for teaching jobs because she’s earning dual certification in teaching students with moderate disabilities.
Marine Corps veteran Daryle LaMonica is on the fast track to becoming a doctor through the UMass Medical School Baccalaureate to M.D. Pathway Program.
Accounting student Victor Souza knew all about hard work when he arrived at UMass Lowell. His focus was on getting involved during his undergraduate career — while also gaining valuable professional experience through internships.
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.
Music studies major Rachel Sullivan discovered more than a way to earn money through her campus job with Transportation Services. She also found a genuine camaraderie that has enriched her college experience.
Plastics Engineering major Molly Tecce and partners from the 3D Club leapt into action to make PPE when the pandemic struck.
Business student Shaymus Dunn got hands-on accounting experience – and an unexpected visit to the NASDAQ stock exchange – during his summer internship at EverQuote.
Motivated by the loss of a lake he had enjoyed as a child in his native Uzbekistan, economics major Akbar Abduljalil has taken on the role of president of the Student Society for Sustainability.
Brianna Atwood came to UMass Lowell to study plastics engineering – but she’s done so much more. The honors student started a volunteer program that connects UML students with a local school. She has also participated in the professional co-op program, working on fire-resistant seals for airplanes.
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.
Flore Stécie Norcéide won an Oprah Winfrey Scholarship to study computer engineering here.
As a sophomore, Matthew Clancy designed a small satellite with a vital mission: getting children and teens excited about their STEM studies and aerospace careers. Now he’s developing his LEARNsat for NASA launch.
Emmy Misail won an Honors College creativity fellowship to draw comic strips under the guidance of an art professor.
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.
Army Rangers veteran Brendon Aylaian is working as a financial specialist for the Air Force.
Andrew Sciascia’s studies in political science and homeland security are combining with his student newspaper experience to prepare him for a career as a political analyst.
Even as a transfer student and a commuter, Vincent Ciaramella found friendship and a helpful community at UMass Lowell.
Kyle Mehan began researching nutrition when trying to heal his own injuries. Now he promotes a plant-based diet.
Tim Murphy says his experiences at UMass Lowell have increased his confidence along with his expertise.
Sydney Fagundes has found her calling: teaching young children, with a focus on science and math.
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.
A class in cognitive psychology inspired Melissa DiPano to do research with two professors and aim for a Ph.D.
Biar Kon grew up in refugee camps in Kenya. Now he gives back to the city’s refugee community through his work with the International Institute of New England.
Hannah Casey signed up for the Model U.N. and Mock Trial teams and student government. She interned with a congressional candidate and a defense attorney. Now she’s student body president.
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.
A born entrepreneur who was tuning up old lawn mowers and selling them online at the age of 6, Louis Cirignano made the most of his opportunities at UMass Lowell. He’s using his degree in business administration to launch a financial management app that he developed through the DifferenceMaker program.
Joyce Vega is grateful for all of the scholarships she was able to apply for through UML’s scholarship portal.
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.
Maxwell Aaronson is pursuing international experiences and languages, with the goal of working in the Foreign Service.
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.
For electrical engineering major Jack Goutier of Attleboro, failure was part of the job during his six-month product safety co-op at Bose Corp.
Business administration major Melanie Sunnerberg has a passion for finance that she’s honed through a co-op experience at MFS Investment Management and her leadership roles in student organizations.
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.
Nick Abourizk started college with plans to pursue a biology degree – but he couldn’t deny his passion for acting. An Oprah Winfrey Scholarship affirmed his decision to switch his major to Theatre Arts.
Madison Reed works as a research assistant with Plastics Engineering Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan in the UML Fabric Discovery Center.
Jared Socolow turned his own struggles into a research project that he will present at the annual conference of the Association for Psychological Science.
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.
Mya Neary won an honors fellowship to learn more about running an urban farming nonprofit. Now she’s volunteering with Mill City Grows while developing her own business plan.
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.
When Payal Patel started college as an engineering major, she missed tutoring and teaching – so she decided to make education her career.
Rachel Jordan says that discovering the chair of the Economics Department was a woman helped convince her to come to UMass Lowell.
Surbhi Kanthed’s team won a huge hackathon for women students – and now she is working at Red Hat.
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.
Abby Lipski has taken advantage of assistance from Disability Services to succeed – and excel.
During her six-month sales operations co-op at Kronos, business administration major Chanelle Cruz developed her Salesforce CRM problem-solving skills.
Honors student Franchesca Arias is passionate about studying abroad after completing a summer program in Valencia, Spain.
Whether it’s working to improve campus life as Student Government Association president or responding to an emergency call as a student EMT, David Morton has dedicated himself to making UML a better place.
Thanks to her co-op and internship experiences at Kronos, business administration major Maylis Brito has broadened her career options beyond her concentration in finance.
Just as she does in the high jump, junior business major Danielle Poublon reached new heights during her operations management co-op at Raytheon.
Kellsie Howard has managed to achieve a lot in her first two years in the Manning School of Business, including organizing a DECA competition, starting two clubs and working as a co-op at Putnam Investments.
Josh Santana’s passion for community music grew from the UMass Lowell String Project.
Carla Gonzalez Hidalgo is a full-time student and her family’s sole support. Yet she finds time to volunteer for causes she believes in.
Brigid Archibald always wanted to be a superhero. Now the editor of the student newspaper, The Connector, she sees journalists as today’s heroes.