Transfer Students

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

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.

After living through civil war in her native Ivory Coast, Senior Class President Anna Kouadio is grateful for her opportunities at UML.

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.

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

As a music business major, Brynne Santos performs in four ensembles while also learning about marketing, management and licensing.

Honors transfer student Cameron McKenzie squeezed four study abroad trips into her short time at UML.

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.

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.

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.

Chummeng Soun is documenting the traditional dances of his native Cambodia with support from the Center for Asian American Studies and the Southeast Asian Digital Archive.

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

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.

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.

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.

David Rosario says his professors help him to stay focused and motivated.

David Todisco says his political science classes, internships and experiences through UML's partnership with The Washington Center are helping him forge a political career.

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.

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.

Eleanora Peters fell in love with teaching at the Boston Museum of Science.

Emily Sayler made the most of her two years at UMass Lowell.

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.

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

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.

Honors transfer student Fidel Castro wants to make a name for himself in the field of nanotechnology manufacturing.

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.

Garima Jain transferred from J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA in her hometown of Faridabad, India, to UMass Lowell, where she has gained research and internship experiences.

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

To pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, Sonma Agundu joined MAGIC, a program to help students from underrepresented groups succeed in health care careers.

Political science major and lacrosse player Jade Catlin is making her mark as the team’s leading scorer while preparing for a career as a criminal defense attorney.

Jamie Aciukewicz has used his affinity for the Spanish language to create experiences for himself both locally and abroad.

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

Jeurys Santiago credits his entrepreneurship classes and experiences with helping him launch his networking and marketing company, Minds With Purpose.

Jonathan Aguilar ’21 started a 3D printing company as an undergrad that he now runs at the Haverhill Innovation Hub.

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

Transfer business student Julia Marino discovered a passion for sales at UML.

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.

Business administration major Keviana-Joy George transformed from a shy transfer student to an outgoing student leader who is on track for a career in human resources.

Transfer student Kristina Boni got her bearings in community college and is now reaching for the stars after an internship at NASA.

Laura Cabrera's studies in philosophy and psychology have given her great personal insight - and the confidence to pursue a creative career in music, art and dance.

Laura Brushingam, a finance student and member of the UML field hockey team, landed a summer internship with Krispy Kreme, where she helped the company prepare for its IPO and presented her work to senior leadership.

Lena Maria Arango ’19, ’20 loves meteorology.

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.

It took Lisa teDuits 27 years to earn her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She pursued the paralegal option for better job opportunities – and to set a good example for her sons.

Maddy Roop transferred to UMass Lowell as a business student looking to launch a music career. But along the way she’s become president of the Student Society for Sustainability.

Marcus Whitlow began pursuing a health care degree after caring for his family.

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.

Matt Murphy quit vaping after a two-year addiction. Now he speaks out against teen vaping every chance he gets.

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

Criminal Justice major and community organizer Mayara Reis says the diversity at UMass Lowell let her be who she's supposed to be.

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.

Melisa Hussain’s experience as a visibly Muslim teenager inspired her honors thesis.

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.

Honors student Michael Doane has won several prestigious fellowships and scholarships for his cancer-related and biofuel research. He says UMass Lowell does a great job of structuring both classes and learning experiences that build on one another.

Mike Carpenter ’97 is busier than ever after retiring from a successful network security sales career.

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.

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.

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

Neil Oliveria, already a grandfather, is pursuing degrees in history and education so he can embark on a new career as a teacher.

For Nhuy Phan, an aspiring math teacher who emigrated from Vietnam, "mathematics is a universal language."

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

When Nicole Cruz Merced overcame her shyness and reached out to a professor, it changed her life.

Nicole Hayek came to the Manning School of Business to prepare for a career in marketing. Along the way, she's been able to fulfill her passion for music.

Nicole Wilson ’24 discovered a passion for volunteering while earning a business degree.

Exercise Science major Olivia Houle plans on pursuing a career researching prosthetics and orthotics.

Pablo Ruiz returned to school for a second bachelor’s degree, and he’s going on for his master’s degree, too.

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

Knowing how cultural differences make an impact on health, Rabia Haider is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.

Rafal Thaher brings a unique international perspective to her coursework in the Manning School of Business. After fleeing war-torn Iraq with her family in 2005, she has spent the last two decades pursuing her passion for entrepreneurship.

Rosmery Medrano analyzed her culture and hometown in a field research class.

Ryan Katz invented a musical instrument that “plays” the weather.

Sandi DeRuntz invented ZipperBuddy, an aid for people with disabilities, through an interdisciplinary class and DifferenceMaker.

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.

For this sound recording technology grad, it’s all between the ears.

Sergio Rodriguez mentors incoming transfer students as a TAP peer ally.

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.

Business student Shaymus Dunn got hands-on accounting experience – and an unexpected visit to the NASDAQ stock exchange – during his summer internship at EverQuote.

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.

UMass Lowell was love at first sight for business major Tan Nhat Nuynh, a native of Vietnam, who is making the most of his opportunities in and out of the classroom.

Tariq Brathwaite’s superpowers — creativity and work ethic — have already taken him farther than he dreamed possible.

Thomas Baldwin is pursuing a history degree while planning a career in law.

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

Urdilinya Smith helped paint the new mural on South Campus.

Varsha Perkins loves both her teaching and honors classes.

Even as a transfer student and a commuter, Vincent Ciaramella found friendship and a helpful community at UMass Lowell.

Wonder Ahiatsi chose UMass Lowell for its B.S. in quantitative economics.