Alumni

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.

Adam Norton’s experience at the UMass Lowell robotics lab and Revolving Museum allowed him to work with iRobot on educational school visits to get the next generation hooked on robotics.

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

UTeach graduate Alexander Eden won the Exemplary New Teacher Award for science education in his first year of teaching.

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.

Alex Frieden found his calling thanks to an elective sociology course.

Alexis Day ’17, ’19, a senior health physicist at Boston Children’s Hospital, followed in the footsteps of her grandmother Terry LaFrance ’90.

Allyson Toppi never thought she could work in robotics. An internship at Brooks Automation changed her mind – and turned into a full-time job.

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.

Angela King Lines is already on the front lines of fighting crime as a manager at Walmart. She says her degree in criminal justice helped prepare her for her next fight: reducing the backlog of DNA tests in rape and murder cases.

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

Autumn Kleiner’s internships prepared her for a job she loves.

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

Working in the Baseball Research Center prepared Becky O’Hara ’06 for a job at Rawlings Sporting Goods, where she now heads research and development.

Bernard Trubowitz says his history major and labor studies minor, plus years of summer and weekend museum experience, prepared him well for his job at Lowell National Historical Park.

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.

Bob Manseau was named Principal of the Year for his work in New Hampshire, but its his education from UMass Lowell that made the difference for him.

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

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

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.

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.

Cheryl and Paul Katen are funding a scholarship to give diverse students “a leg up.”

The founders of what has become a multimillion dollar premium, all-natural cookie dough and ice cream sandwich company hold degrees in engineering.

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

A scholarship endowed in memory of the late English teacher and lecturer Socrates Lagios helped Christina Sirignano complete her master’s degree in education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Lowell’s city engineer, civil and environmental engineering alum Christine Clancy ’06 is responsible for infrastructure projects on streets, bridges and sidewalks throughout the city – including those on the campus of her alma mater.

UMass Lowell has always been part of Claire Hall’s life. Now, three decades after starting her degree in American studies, Hall can call herself a UML graduate.

An elbow injury may have thrown the promising baseball career of Collin Duffley for a curve, but fortunately he still has his nuclear engineering career to fall back on.

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.

Daniel Barros thought the law might be a good way to help people. His classes in legal studies confirmed it.

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

University Alumni Award recipient Darlene Steffen ’76 helped endow a scholarship for first-gen business students.

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

David Moloney chose UMass Lowell so he could study creative writing with award-winning author Andre Dubus III. Now he’s published his first book of fiction, “Barker House,” and teaches creative writing.

Three decades after earning his mechanical engineering degree, Wittmann Battenfeld President David Preusse is helping the university develop the next generation of innovative, highly skilled engineers.

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.

One of the first Black women to graduate from UML with a math degree, Deborah Washington Brown ’75 spent her lifetime running toward new challenges.

Deborah Friedl ’83 broke barriers for women at the Lowell Police Department. Now president of the International Association of Women Police, she’s advocating for women to play a role in police reform.

Deepak Bhimani's love of chemistry led him to pursue a degree in chemical textiles at Lowell Textile Institute. His education resulted in the creation of several successful companies, and spurred a desire to give back to the University.

Research experience and an internship solidified Deepshikha Ananthaswamy’s interest in biotechnology.

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.

In her career of nearly 50 years, Diane Mahoney has cared for patients in hospitals and in homes, developed training programs for hospital personnel and families, taught college students and received millions of dollars in grant funding to conduct research.

The debut collection of Dominican American poet Diannely Antigua ’12 was released in May, and promptly won the Pamet River Prize.

Retired MBTA Transit Police Sgt. Dic Donohue finished his master’s degree in 2012. Less than a year later, he was shot during a police firefight with the Boston Marathon bombers. After earning his Ph.D. in criminology, he’s taking a job with the RAND Corp.

Drew Epperson ’21 landed a two-year player development trainee internship with the Kansas City Royals.

Ed Priest came to UMass Lowell to study French and music, which led to a career teaching French and Spanish — and joining a mariachi band in Mexico.

Emily Makrez ’07, ’09 turned her passion for farming, fermenting and foraging into her own business.

Despite multiple roadblocks, biological sciences alum Emmanuelle Oliveira ’10, ’12 is on her way to becoming a doctor.

Studying abroad in London convinced business student Emoni Baffour ’18 to return to the UK for graduate school and pursue her passion for a career in the fashion industry.

Earth System Science Ph.D. student Ericka Boudreau is on her way to becoming a triple River Hawk.

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.

A required computing course launched mathematics alum Evana Gizzi on a path to working at NASA.

Frances Skinner ’19 gained lab skills and confidence while working in Chemistry Asst. Prof. Manos Gkikas’ lab

George Dylan Bistany completed his master’s degree abroad in fall 2019 at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Honors history and economics major Gerrit Boldt landed an internship at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, working with cities to improve conditions for low-income residents. Now he’s back on campus as an AmeriCorps volunteer, helping first-generation college students succeed.

A Lowell elementary school is named for Gertrude M. Bailey ’48, who taught countless Lowell schoolchildren and mentored a generation of student teachers.

Gianna Geraci ’23 was destined to study accounting at UMass Lowell.

Coming from a family of small business owners, entrepreneurship is Gianni Falzone's blood. To develop on his Bachelor's degree, he is pursuing a Master of Science in Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneur Harish Hande is helping the poor in India in an economically and environmentally sustainable way, by bringing affordable solar power to the countryside.

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.

Hillary Scott ’02 has won national recognition for her landscape paintings.

John Huikku, using his art degree from UMass Lowell, is responsible for some of our most beloved movie characters, including Elsa from "Frozen."

After spending almost her entire career as an executive with Exxon Mobil and Starbucks, Irene Haley ’85 has become president and CEO of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce — a role that connects to her early dreams of becoming a teacher.

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.

Jack Neary ’73 is a prolific playwright, director and actor with 34 published works to his name.

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

A class in archival methods and a directed study, working in the Lawrence History Center, led Jaden Belizaire to pursue graduate schools for archiving.

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.

Janelle Diaz says two things made her undergraduate experience at UMass Lowell really special: residence life and the club she founded, Disable the Label.

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.

Looking back, Jessica Saad doesn’t take for granted how much UMass Lowell —and community health especially— helped prepare her for life outside of college.

Johana Reyes cofounded a nonprofit to help preserve the Amazon rainforest.

John Martin ’10 ’13 went from ho-hum high school student to Teacher of the Year in the Connecticut district where he teaches high school English.

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

Jonathan Geanakos’ commercial real estate career got an assist from his lacrosse coach at UML.

Josh Santana’s passion for community music grew from the UMass Lowell String Project.

America East Man of the Year nominee Juan Avelino ’22 is driven to help others.

Emerging singer-songwriter Julia James is drawing national attention for her music and preparing to release her first album.

Science teacher Karin Loach says UMass Lowell’s well-paced and structured online Doctor of Education program was a perfect fit.

Karina Cruz appreciates the flexibility, small classes and in-depth administrative skills she’s learning, from how to change public policy to managing a diverse workforce.

Katherine Moses ’12 came to Lowell to get a master’s degree in energy engineering. She fell in love with the city and has worked as Lowell’s energy manager since 2014, helping it become more energy efficient while also partnering with UML on sustainability projects.

Katie Sanchez ’20 is a step closer to her goal of becoming a chartered financial analyst after being accepted into Boston Scientific’s financial leadership development program.

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.

Kelley Leonhard is putting her history degree to work as COO of the Boston History Company.

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.

Political science alum works on White House staff.

Kevin Twitchell graduated the first time as a criminal justice major – and then switched direction, going back to school at night to get a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology.

Thanks to his internship and co-op experiences, plastics engineering major Kraig Scharn ’20 discovered that sales was the right career path for him. He is now a junior technical service engineer for Entec Polymers in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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.

Kripa Krishnan is one of four senior women at Google featured as “sheroes”—female superheroes— in the book “Ara the Star Engineer.”

Perseverance and support from UMass Lowell helped Kristin Kahla ’19 reach her goal of getting accepted into medical school.

Lauren Young is a political strategist who helps Democrats get elected – including U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, who defeated Roy Moore by a razor-thin margin in an Alabama special election.

Software engineer Laurie Agel was looking for a career change in her 40s. Fifteen years later, she has her Ph.D. in marine sciences and technology from UML and is working as a post-doctoral research assistant, studying extreme precipitation and flooding in the Charles and Mystic river basins.

Lena Maria Arango ’19, ’20 loves meteorology.

Plastics Engineering alumnus Leo Montagna Jr. '70, '76 says he wouldn't be where is is today with the University. He is a devoted UMass Lowell donor and supporter of the Plastics Engineering Department.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Armed with skills achieved through her graduate studies in Economic and Social Development of Regions, Lydia Sisson '12 launched Mill City Grows "with the goal of empowering Lowell residents to create a safe, healthy food system through access and education."

During her final semester at UMass Lowell, Maddie May Scott’s band was invited by rock royalty Melissa Etheridge to join the all-star lineup playing on Etheridge’s annual seven-night spring cruise.

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

Throughout his career, James Costos ’85 has espoused that ‘we all rise together.’

Electrical engineering alumnus Richard Asirifi discovered his eye for fashion at an early age. EforAll and the DifferenceMaker program helped turn his passion into a growing fashion business and brand, Lief Kultuur.

Thanks to UMass Lowell, Hillard says she's found true satisfaction and happiness in her career and in herself.

While working for 16 years in an intensive care unit, Margaret Fitzgerald decided that she could do more to prevent patients from ending up in the hospital. So she earned a master’s degree in nursing at UMass Lowell to become a nurse practitioner.

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.

In just three years, Commonwealth Scholar and UMass Lowell alumni, Mark Lalli graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering. Because of his research opportunities at the university, he was able pursue a Ph.D.

Mark Micire’s unique work experience and education have been able to help people in their darkest hour. He designs robotics systems that help coordinate efforts at search and rescue sites.

Alumni donor Mark Saab's UMass Lowell education provided the foundation for a successful career. His gratitude to the plastics engineering program is expressed through the generous donations he's bestowed upon the University.

Markus Sebastiano's art is big, modern and bold, a bridge between past and present.

Retired special collections librarian Martha Mayo ’92 collects art – and supports art at UMass Lowell (UML).

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.

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

Matt Crowley, part of a team that led a radical turnaround in Brockton High School, is bringing his literacy campaign to the Woburn public schools.

Matthew Beyranevand produces and hosts “Math with Matthew,” a public access cable television show that combines comedy and music to help pre-teen children understand mathematics without even realizing it.

Internships in the Middle East and in Nashua, N.H., launched Matthew Chigas on an ambitious career path.

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.

Matthew Olson, dean of humanities and social science at Middlesex Community College, says there is a direct connection between the doctorate he earned in Leadership in Schooling and his current job.

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.

Michael Souza ’13, ’14 is the go-to meteorologist at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

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.

As a technical program manager with the U.S. Navy, Mike Taskoski had his pick of MBA programs. He chose UMass Lowell based on the reputation of its online program.

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.

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.

Biology teacher Morgan Tierno’s student teaching and first year on the job were complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and major social issues. But, she says, UTeach prepared her for those challenges.

As founding executive director of Get Girls Going, a nonprofit that inspires Black teenage girls to become entrepreneurs, Nana Younge ’18 is applying the skills she learned as a business student — while doing work that gives her a sense of purpose.

Transfer student Nicholas Ewing ’24 got through some “tough moments” and became a storyteller at UML.

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.

As an alum and a coach, Norm Bazin makes the River Hawks proud on and off the ice.

Omoladé Adeniyi is looking to make a difference in health care for those who are underrepresented.

Computer science skills come in handy for mushroom farmer Owen Hunter ’23.

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.

Chemistry alum Peter Barrett ’74 went from creating new businesses to helping fund the next generation’s business ideas.

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.

A chance encounter with a professor led to an amazing research opportunity. Now Qurat Ann is researching the pros and cons of sex offender registration laws as she pursues a Ph.D.

Ralph Saint-Louis ’18, ’20 was recognized by Time Magazine as one of its 2022 Innovative Teachers.

Rameez Shaikh ’21 has been accepted by more than six dental schools, thanks to mentoring by Chemistry Assoc. Teaching Prof. Khalilah Reddie.

Pakistan native Ramsha Farooq ’19 came all the way to UMass Lowell for her master’s degree in electrical engineering. She’s staying in the area after landing a “perfect job” as an electrical engineer at Black & Veatch in Burlington, Mass.

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.

Rick Violette Jr. is forever grateful to the UMass Lowell faculty for incredible success in a field he is most passionate about.

In addition to his day job as a finance manager, Manning School of Business alumnus Robert Leonard ’16, ’18 hosts the “Millennial Investing” podcast, runs his own real estate investment firm and is about to launch an interactive online platform for real estate investors.

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.

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.

Curiosity led Russell Todd ’81, ’83 to a wide-ranging career that included nuclear subs, weather radar and disease outbreak modeling.

With the nonprofit Braver Angels, alumna Sabrina Pedersen ’17 is working to depolarize American politics.

When Sadrac Noel graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, he could look back on many twists and turns in his path – and one professor who was always there for him.

Sara Khun-Leng ’99 helps immigrants and refugees, veterans and others needing assistance as director of constituent services in the district office of U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan.

Sarah Long ’97 was the first UML alumna to forecast the weather on TV.

After a life-changing health scare, Sean Flaherty recommitted himself to academics. He graduated from the Manning School of Business with a perfect 4.0 GPA and landed his “dream job” at a water sustainability company in New York.

Sean Jordan is living his dream working for the New England Patriots as an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist.

Selena Tran did as much undergraduate research as she could. It paid off when she got a research job – and then was accepted to top Ph.D. programs.

Sheila Angelo’s internships for U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas and Jim McGovern helped her win jobs doing advance event planning and media relations for Bernie Sanders and President Obama.

Shiri Spear ’07 is now a successful TV meteorologist.

Athletic Academic Coordinator Sima Suon ’17 represented Cambodia in women’s basketball at the Southeast Asian Games.

After a successful recruiting and development career that has spanned the nonprofit, corporate and higher education worlds, political science alumna Sophan Smith ’02 has come full circle as the new executive director for EforAll Lowell, the nonprofit small business accelerator started at UMass Lowell.

Steven DiNoto's career is a mix of “CSI” and “Criminal Minds” high-tech rip-offs, forensics and criminal psychology. He's held top-level posts through his career and credits his UMass Lowell education for his success.

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.

Surbhi Kanthed’s team won a huge hackathon for women students – and now she is working at Red Hat.

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.

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.

From Fox Hall to your flat screen TV! Taniya Nayak can trace her interest in interior design to her days at UMass Lowell.

Terrie Enis’ college experience is quite different from most. She was married with a two-year old daughter when she decided to go back to college full time to earn her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy.

A graduate of the Sound Recording Technology Program, Thomas McGurk '91 owns his own studio and is a seven-time Emmy award winner.

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

Tim DiFrancesco served as the head strength and conditioning coach for the LA Lakers, but he knew in his heart that he wanted to have an impact on more people’s lives. So he left to dedicate his career to his business, TD Athletes Edge, a fitness training facility.

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

For Tyler Davis, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, the dream of being a pilot came true at UMass Lowell through Air Force ROTC Detachment 345.

As Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce, electrical engineering alum Vala Afshar ’94, ’96 examines digital business trends and shares his insights with more than 410,000 followers on Twitter.

Without setting foot on campus, Vania King, a Wimbledon champion, also aced her bachelor's degree in psychology at UMass Lowell.

Asst. Teaching Prof. Yahayra Michel, who was a first-generation college student, found her mentors at UMass Lowell.

Yahuba Garcia-Torres ’96 has been rocking the national music scene since 2006. He says UMass Lowell gave him his musical foundation.

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

As senior project manager with Facilities Management, Zach McDonough ’16 is building a successful career path at his alma mater.

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