Honors College

Abigail Hans becomes the first student to represent Manning School of Business’ Beta Gamma Sigma chapter at the international business honor society’s Global Leadership Summit.

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.

One faculty member opened a door for Adeja Crearer, and it changed her life.

Alex DiBuono turned his own experience with chemotherapy into an honors capstone project in electrical engineering.

The Honors Program at Middlesex Community College helped Andrea Patino Galindo master English – and transfer to the Honors College at UMass Lowell.

Ever since moving to Lowell from the Philippines with his mom as a child, Andre Ragel has embraced a sink-or-swim attitude – one that carried the business administration major through a busy first year on campus.

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

Ayah Awadallah is starting an online magazine for young American Muslim women caught between American culture and the tenets of their faith.

Benedicta Agyemang-Brantuo won the 2021 MLK Service Award for starting a club to address health disparities – amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A summer co-op inspired Benjamin Gacek to pick up a second major and pursue a career in forensic accounting.

Army veteran and business major Brendon Aylaian is working on a solar energy project in Haiti for his Honors College capstone.

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.

Briannah Larsen came here to play Division I field hockey – and stayed for the business school and the Honors College.

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.

Brigid Archibald always wanted to be a superhero. Now the editor of the student newspaper, The Connector, she sees journalists as today’s heroes.

Catherine de Groot enjoys using her marketing skills to help nonprofits in Lowell.

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

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.

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.

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 graduate Dan Muise is launched on an academic research career, thanks to a pair of B.A.s in economics and political science, lots of faculty support and several undergraduate research grants.

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.

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.

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.

Debby Fernand says the River Hawk Scholars Academy has introduced her to friends and faculty mentors – and turned her into a leader herself.

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.

Duc Vu discovered his ability to teach in high school, so he signed up for the UTeach program in STEM education.

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.

Elinor Mayo has lofty dreams, and Air Force ROTC is helping her find her way to the cockpit.

Emmy Misail won an Honors College creativity fellowship to draw comic strips under the guidance of an art professor.

Eric Roy started doing meteorological research on campus the summer after his freshman year – and then won two research internships with government agencies.

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.

Flore Stécie Norcéide won an Oprah Winfrey Scholarship to study computer engineering here.

Honors student Franchesca Arias is passionate about studying abroad after completing a summer program in Valencia, Spain.

Great classes and research experience, a professional co-op and a cybersecurity competition are preparing Grace Chin for professional success.

Greg Reimonn found a faculty mentor to help him research microplastics in waterways, thanks to an honors fellowship.

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.

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

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.

Jared Socolow turned his own struggles into a research project that he will present at the annual conference of the Association for Psychological Science.

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 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 honors seminar led Joshua Walsh to design a drinking water system and solar grid for a center in Haiti.

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

As a first-generation college student, Kelsey Gonzalez struggled to find a major she liked. Then she studied abroad – and came back determined to help other first-generation students.

During his six-month co-op at iRobot, Kevin Dibble was a full-time member of the software team – and he developed an automated testing system for a universal robot controller.

By participating in the virtual UML Launch! Summer Program, Khadija Mir felt better prepared to begin college remotely during the pandemic.

Kimberly Chao transferred to UMass Lowell where she was able to follow her two passions: business and health care

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.

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

Lindsay Blount is a full-time Honors College student, military spouse and mom – but she still found time to pursue a partnership with the Thoreau Institute.

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

Madison Reed works as a research assistant with Plastics Engineering Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan in the UML Fabric Discovery Center.

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

Student trustee Malinda Reed is considering a career in human rights and immigration law after studying the history of Greek immigrants in Lowell.

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

Her experiences in the Honors College and in a college readiness program, Let’s Get Ready, helped Marilyn Saha get a job at Raytheon Technologies.

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.

As an undergraduate, Mateo Rull published a paper on axolotls in a leading scientific journal. He plans to pursue a career in animal movement research.

Matthew D’Angelo loves to solve problems—and he’s great at explaining how he does it. That’s why he’s majoring in math and enrolled in the UTeach program.

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.

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.

Maxwell Aaronson is pursuing international experiences and languages, with the goal of working in the Foreign Service.

A class in cognitive psychology inspired Melissa DiPano to do research with two professors and aim for a Ph.D.

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.

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.

Nairoby Gabriel is graduating with an Honors College degree in Political Science after only one year at UMass Lowell, where she participated in Model UN for the first time – and was named an outstanding delegate.

Nazeli Acosta won a State Department Scholarship to study rural health care in the Dominican Republic.

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.

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

When Payal Patel started college as an engineering major, she missed tutoring and teaching – so she decided to make education her career.

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.

Pratibha Gautam’s summer job at a university medical device incubator inspired her to pursue a career in health economics.

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.

Rachel Jordan says that discovering the chair of the Economics Department was a woman helped convince her to come to UMass Lowell.

Honors student Rachel Record won a full scholarship to law school, thanks to the Legal Studies Program and research and practical experiences.

Manning School of Business student Rachel Silk landed a professional co-op as a marketing events coordinator that has helped shape her future career plans.

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.

The scholarships and financial aid Ruchika received from UMass Lowell helped tremendously in keeping her education affordable.

Sam Aikins transferred to UMass Lowell because he wanted a greater challenge – and a place he could make his mark.

Honors mechanical engineering major Scott Penfield has traveled extensively on two continents besides North America – and hopes to add a fourth before long.

Sean Cloran used his Co-op Scholarship to study ecology and to map sources of water pollution in Peru. He also got to hug a baby sloth.

Shanice Kelly is a leader in multiple campus clubs because she wants to get more students of color involved in STEM, especially space science programs.

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.

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.

Sophie Combs knows her research is going somewhere: into the online Library of New England Immigration.

Research and community are important to Steven Jacek. Fortunately, he’s found opportunities for both on campus.

Sunilda Frias is studying biology to help subsistence farmers improve their soil. She also loves literature – and didn’t want to give it up completely as a biology major. An Honors College Student Fellowship pushed her to keep reading great books.

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.

Tim Murphy says his experiences at UMass Lowell have increased his confidence along with his expertise.

Twisha Mohapatra says her experiences in the River Hawk Scholars Academy and the Honors College have boosted her confidence, taught her leadership skills and set her up for academic success.

Honors student Tyler Cote helped start an award-winning nonprofit, co-authored research papers and interned with a Washington think tank, all while completing two majors.

Tyler Farley has found much to satisfy his appetite for politics on campus and off, from serving in student government, to campaigning for Marco Rubio, to attending the Republican National Convention and more.

Vanessa Chen likes computer science because it’s both logical and creative.

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

Yonnie Collins joined the Honors College to get a well-rounded education – and for challenging classes.

Yrvanie Joseph is grateful for alumni scholarships because they confirm the value of her hard work and academic achievements.

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