Minah Leitao, ’26, recently was awarded a Lynch Scholarship, which is given to undergraduates with exceptional scholastic achievement and an interest in the study of Communication.
“I’m very grateful for this scholarship,” she said. "It's definitely going to help me."
Leitao transferred to UMass about a year ago and quickly crushed it academically, landing on the Dean’s List each semester.
She double majors in Communication and Journalism. She is also a Commonwealth Honors College student.
Looking back to when she first arrived on campus as a junior, she realized she only had two years to make a difference on campus. “I had to get out of my comfort zone since I really didn’t know anyone. So, I’m proud for being able to do that in a short amount of time," she said.
As a First Gen college student, Leitao has had to figure out a lot of things on her own. She said faculty members have pointed her in the right direction.
“Communication professors have been very helpful since I’ve been here, not just academically, but also just my transition to living here too,” she said.
She chose to study Communication for several reasons. "It's about understanding the barriers sometimes that you have to overcome to communicate with people who are different from you which is really important." In addition, Leitao said the major is "broad enough to cover a lot of things, but also gives me the skills that would allow me to be successful."
Leitao is writing a thesis on how beauty brands use nostalgia in their marketing. “In my opinion, it can lead to problematic regressive trends. That’s something I’ve noticed, so I want to do more research into it,” she said.
Her thesis reflects both her scholarly curiosity and her commitment to examining pressing issues in media and culture.
Besides her success in the classroom, Leitao has also served in leadership roles on campus. As editor-in-chief of Her Campus, Leitao combines her love of writing with creating content for a college aged audience.
She also serves as the commerce assistant for Protect Our Breasts, a group dedicated to educating students about toxins that may cause breast cancer. She is particularly interested in this club because she hopes to work in the beauty industry and wants to learn about safe products. She said one day she might "even work in product development."
Leitao pays for college on her own and said the Lynch Scholarship will help cover the cost of tuition.
“Otherwise, I would have had to pay out of pocket on top of the loans I’m already taking out, so it’s helping with that,” she said, adding, “I’m very happy.”
Communication students with superb educational achievement are considered for the Lynch Scholarship every year. Leitao’s academic excellence, intellectual curiosity and campus activities make her a top-notch choice.