Grads with top GPAs in Class and Each of University’s Schools, Colleges Recognized
05/28/2020
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell is honoring the top academic achievers in the Class of 2020 as part of the celebration of this year’s Commencement.
The university will hold a virtual Commencement ceremony Friday, May 29 for graduates and their families and friends, along with the public. The ceremony will be streamed tomorrow at 5 p.m. at www.uml.edu/commencement, where it will also be available for replay later.
As part of the celebration, recognition is going to the graduates with the highest grade-point averages in their class and each of the university’s schools and colleges.
Six members of the Class of 2020 have earned the Trustee’s Key for completing all four years of their college careers at UMass Lowell with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The Trustee’s Key winners include Veyli Ortiz Solis of Haverhill, a criminal justice major in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies.
“UMass Lowell professors and staff helped me to succeed not only as a student, but as a person,” said Ortiz Solis, who found steadfast support in the university community after the death of her father in 2018. A first-generation college student who has benefited from UMass Lowell’s specialized efforts for such students, Ortiz Solis is working with children at Autism Learning Partners in Burlington. Ortiz Solis has already started her master’s degree in criminal justice at UMass Lowell and plans to earn a Ph.D. to pursue a career in research.
Other Trustees Key recipients are:
- Brett Daniels of Harvard, mechanical engineering major;
- Kyle Foster of Sterling, mechanical engineering major;
- Jonathan Johnson of Attleboro, biology major;
- Pomaika’i Pai of Bristol, Pa., information technology major;
- Rachel Record of Pepperell, criminal justice major.
Each Trustee’s Key winner is also among the recipients of Chancellor’s Medals for Academic Achievement. This award goes to the top bachelor’s degree recipients in each of UMass Lowell’s schools and colleges, as well as its Division of Online and Continuing Education.
Academic medal winners include Amy Mazzucotelli of Woburn, a computer science major in the Kennedy College of Sciences.
“I was worried about how I’d fit in, but I made friends quickly and UMass Lowell made campus feel like home,” said Mazzucotelli, who grew up in Westford and enrolled at UMass Lowell after she decided the bachelor’s degree she earned at another institution would not help her advance her career the way she wanted. Through UMass Lowell, Mazzucotelli gained an education and co-op work experience that helped her land her job as a software engineer at Broadcom in Burlington.
Academic achievement medals were also awarded to:
- College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Kimberly Cosgrove of Boxford, a graphic design major, along with Trustee’s Key winners Ortiz Solis and Record;
- Francis College of Engineering – Chemical engineering major Liam Bingham-Maas of Middleboro, electrical engineering major Benjamin Fisher of South Hamilton and mechanical engineering majors Willoughby Cheney of Belmont and Brett Daniels of Harvard along with Trustee’s Key winner Foster;
- Manning School of Business – Business administration major Stephen Flynn of Tewksbury;
- Kennedy College of Sciences – Computer science majors Benjamin Fine of Dracut and Yassir Kanane of Woburn, along with Johnson, who also received a Trustee’s Key;
- Division of Online and Continuing Education – Information technology major Brian Cowan of Billerica, English major Emily Singley of Greenfield, along with key winner Pai;
- Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences – Exercise physiology major Melissa Lubas of Haverhill.
More information on UMass Lowell Commencement is available at www.uml.edu/commencement.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu