A Celebration of Excellence

It is with great pride that we present the honors theses from the graduating class of 2025.

These works represent the culmination of dedicated scholarship, intellectual curiosity, and academic excellence. Each thesis represents a substantial study of a carefully defined question or problem that holds particular significance to its author. Through this rigorous process, our graduating seniors have demonstrated not only mastery of their chosen disciplines but also the ability to contribute meaningful insights to their fields.

The diversity of topics represented in this collection illustrates the breadth of intellectual interests within our graduating class. From scientific inquiry to literary analysis, from social justice explorations to technological innovations, these theses showcase the remarkable talents and passionate commitments of our students. 

On behalf of Commonwealth Honors College, I applaud these scholars for their outstanding achievements and invite you to explore the impressive body of work they have created. Their dedication to academic excellence and intellectual growth exemplifies the highest ideals of our institution.

Congrats, Honors Class of 2025, on completing your honors thesis and your graduation. You rock!

Warmly,

Mari Castañeda, PhD
Dean, Commonwealth Honors College

Commonwealth Honors College recognizes the graduating seniors who have earned the following distinguished scholarships and awards for their outstanding academic performance, excellence in research, and varied contributions to campus and community life.

Donor-Funded Scholarships

John B.’s Ephemeral Fund for Honors Students

John B. was a 1975 honors chemistry graduate who leveraged his UMass Transit Services CDL into various tractor-trailer summer positions through graduate school. He established this fund through his estate to encourage and reward dedication to academic studies, particularly in the physical or biological sciences, pre-med, nursing, engineering, or mathematics. Some preference is given to students participating in Newman Center activities or those who are employees of UMass Transit Services.

• Rebecca Candido
• Shane Alexander Keiser
• Matthew Richard Mejail

Bettez-Simanis Scholarship

Members of the Bettez and Simanis families established this scholarship in honor of their parents and grandparents, Marie-Jeanne and Albert Bettez and Joseph and Elizabeth Simanis. The Bettez-Simanis Scholarship provides access for a Commonwealth Honors College student who is the child of one or more immigrants. The donors were motivated by a desire to pay forward the generosity they experienced.

• Rebecca Candido

Tina Brown-Stevenson and Harry C. Stevenson Diverse Healthcare Scholars Award

Established by two graduates of UMass Amherst, this scholarship is designed to provide access for a Commonwealth Honors College student who plans to pursue a career in healthcare fields such as pharmacology, medical research, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or mental health. Tina Brown-Stevenson has served as a member of the Commonwealth Honors College Advisory Board.

• Brian A. Kubi

Class of 1941 Humanitarian Award

The Class of 1941 Humanitarian Award was endowed in 1991, on the occasion of the Class’s 50th reunion, for Commonwealth Honors College students who share their commitment to world peace and furthering human progress. Award recipients are selected among junior and senior Honors College students who demonstrate academic excellence, document their community service, and submit an essay that recognizes the need for service beyond one's self.

• Rebecca Candido
• James Hairston
• Hector Martinez
• Isabelle Grace Tse

Commonwealth Honors College Community Scholarships – Collective Fund

The collective gifts of many donors from the Commonwealth Honors College community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and parents provide multi-year support for incoming Honors students with outstanding potential.

• Matthew Richard Mejail
• Rachele Ariana Moyes

Commonwealth Honors College Opportunity Scholarships – Malone Fund

Established by a 1975 graduate of UMass Amherst, the Malone Commonwealth Honors College Opportunity Scholarship provides access to Commonwealth Honors College for current UMass Amherst students who demonstrate outstanding academic potential and have been admitted to Commonwealth Honors College as part of the on-campus application process.

• Nikki Chen Luca
• Aml Ahmad Rachid
• Jamin Seo
• Gabriella Coleman Spengler

Cooke Family Fund Scholarship

This award is endowed by the Cooke family in memory of family members, several of whom were alumni of the University: Theodore F. Cooke Sr. (1901), Robert G. Cook (1925), Dorothy Cooke Robbins (1928), Theodore F. Cooke Jr. (1934), Helen Cooke Rudzinski Hough, and Alma Cooke Kendall Bassett. Recipients are selected among senior honors students who have shown outstanding scholarship, successful completion of research, and significant university or community service.

• Chloe Allendorf
• Caroline Pare
• Michael Pastorello

Gerald S. Creem ’67 Scholarship

Established by a 1967 alumnus, this scholarship provides access for a student who demonstrates outstanding academic potential and has been accepted to Commonwealth Honors College through the on-campus application process. This scholarship is renewable over three years providing the recipients maintain good academic standing in Commonwealth Honors College.

• Kassidy Ye

Dresden Family Scholarship

Established by a 1983 UMass Amherst alumna who also serves as chair of the Commonwealth Honors College Advisory Board in honor of the generations of educators in her family, the Dresden Family Scholarship provides access for Commonwealth Honors College students who have demonstrated leadership.

• Grace Sheila Gobeil

Emerging Scholars

Emerging Scholars is a collaborative Honors and Residential Academic Program for first-year students with strong academic potential who are not yet admitted to Commonwealth Honors College. The following Emerging Scholars were admitted and chose to join Commonwealth Honors College, and have earned Honors distinctions

• Xavier Jorge Aparicio
• Anna Calamis
• London Paisley James Cannon-Eckerle
• Marisol Ashley Sabrina Treble

The Gyalwang Drukpa Scholarship

Established by UMass alumnus Celso Avelar and his wife Cam Tu Avelar to honor His Holiness 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, this scholarship supports students pursuing academic, co-curricular, internship, or community work in at least one of the following areas: environment, human rights, women’s leadership, gender equality, social justice, healthcare, and/or animal welfare.

• Michael Cristopher Pastorello

Charles J. Hoff Scholarship

Funded by the Hoff Foundation, the Charles J. Hoff Scholarships are designed to provide assistance to Commonwealth Honors College sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are permanent residents of Massachusetts.

• Danielle Dustin Swan
• Rachele Ariana Moyes

Melvin Howard Scholarship

Established by alumnus Melvin Howard, former vice chairman of Xerox, who served as the chair of the Commonwealth Honors College Advisory Board for eighteen years, this scholarship provides support for outstanding students in Commonwealth Honors College with an interest in business or economics.

• Madison Elaine Farmer

Honors Dean's Award

Honors Dean's Awards are presented to Commonwealth Honors College seniors who have demonstrated excellence in research and submitted descriptions of their honors thesis with a supporting letter of recommendation from a faculty member.

• Xavier Aparicio
• Adeline Beckert
• Olivier Bradley
• Rebecca Candido
• Neha Dave
• James Hairston
• Shane Keiser
• Aditya Khurmi
• Hector Martinez

Honors to Honors Scholarship

This scholarship provides renewable support for students transferring from a Massachusetts community college into Commonwealth Honors College.

• Shaye Michael McKeen
• Jozelyn Chandara Ne
• Anita Ononye
• Jason Yamil Perez
• Janel Marie Tralongo

International Scholars Program

Founded and administered through shared effort between the International Programs Office and Commonwealth Honors College, the International Scholars Program (ISP) provides a vehicle for students who wish to intentionally focus on international study over an extended period of time. It is intended to both enhance international study and provide an academic and cultural context for students' experiences abroad. The program's curriculum consists of two preparatory courses in the sophomore year, study abroad in the junior year, and a senior cross-cultural re-entry seminar. The following students have completed this program:

• Ridha Alam
• Elena Bauer
• Addie Beckert
• Shriyaa Chittibabu
• Gavin Defina
• Ruby Donnelly
• Emersyn K. Foresyth
• Sadie Gardner
• Laurel Ralph
• Andrea Tchesnovsky
• Citli Valencia Cordova
• Gwun Wong

Patrick LeBeau and Meghan Rawson Commonwealth Honors College Scholarship

Established by alumni Patrick LeBeau and Meghan Rawson, this scholarship provides access for Commonwealth Honors College students with strong academic performance, and a preference for first-generation college students.

• Trisha Larios

Lewenberg Family Scholarship

The Lewenberg Scholarship was established in 2002 to support outstanding Commonwealth Honors College students who are active in Hillel. The scholarship celebrates the multiple Lewenberg family connections to the university. Roger Lewenberg ’74 is a founding member of the CHC Advisory Board. Peter Lewenberg ’69 served 11 years on the UMass System Board of Trustees and as its vice chairman. Frank ’67 and Betsy ’68 Lewenberg served multiple years on the Hillel Board of Directors. The family’s connection to UMass continues to be strong, with the third generation now attending the university.

• Sam Kempler Levitt

Chancellor John V. Lombardi and Cathryn L. Lombardi Scholarship

Established in honor of former UMass Amherst Chancellor John V. Lombardi and his wife, Cathryn, this scholarship provides renewable financial assistance to incoming Commonwealth Honors College students with interests in academic research and community service.

• Chandler Graham Betts
• Rebecca Candido
• Maya Leigh Couto
• Awad Khalifa
• Kirsten Anistasia Szala-Krotkov

Marybeth T. Murphy Memorial Scholarship

This award was established in memory of Marybeth T. Murphy, a 1983 graduate who studied landscape architecture with a major in environmental design. This scholarship serves as a tribute to her and her commitment to public art. Friends and family established this scholarship to support Commonwealth Honors College students pursuing landscape architecture who share her ideals.

• Gavin Louis Defina

Lawrence Payne ’77 Public Service Scholarship

Endowed by the class of 1977, this award commemorates Lawrence Payne, a classmate who graduated with departmental honors in political science who was serving as special assistant for U.S. and Foreign Commercial Services when he died in a plane crash on April 3, 1996 in Croatia with Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown. This award recognizes a senior Commonwealth Honors College student who has demonstrated a strong record of public service.

• Diki Yangzom

Howard H. Quint Memorial Prize in Honors

This award is endowed in memory of the founder of the Honors Program who also served as chair of the history department. Recipients are selected on the basis of strength in their writing jointly by the Department of History and Commonwealth Honors College.

• Helen Tang

Joseph and Elizabeth Rountree Merit Scholarship

Established by a bequest from Elizabeth Mary Rountree, the Joseph and Elizabeth Rountree Merit Scholarship Fund provides access to Commonwealth Honors College for high-performing students who demonstrate outstanding talents and abilities. This scholarship is renewable providing that recipients maintain good academic standing in the Honors College.

• Jadine Silva Dos Reis
• Madison Elaine Farmer

David J. Snyder ’57 Memorial Scholarship

The David J. Snyder Memorial Scholarship, established by classmates and friends of alumnus David Snyder, offers a one-time grant awarded to a student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement.

• Laurel Louise Ralph

Paul Solli Community Scholarship

Established by a 1979 alumnus, the Paul Solli Community Scholarship is a three-year award that provides access to Commonwealth Honors College for first-generation UMass Amherst students who demonstrate outstanding academic potential and have been admitted to Commonwealth Honors College as part of the on-campus application process.

• Rishi Krishana
• Laurel Louise Ralph
• Nicholas Ram Yazbek

Tabacco-Schmidt Scholarship

Established by 1971 alumnus Joseph J. Tabacco and his wife, Peggy Schmidt, the Tabacco-Schmidt Scholarship is designed to provide access to a rising in-state junior in Commonwealth Honors College who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement, with preference for first-generation college students. The scholarship is renewable for the senior year providing the recipient maintains good academic standing.

• Rachele Ariana Moyes

National Scholarships and Fellowships

A campus-wide program housed within Commonwealth Honors College, the Office of National Scholarship Advisement assists students throughout the university who seek to compete for prestigious national scholarships and fellowships. Commonwealth Honors College recognizes the students who have been awarded such honors in the past year.

Critical Language Scholarship

The Critical Language Scholarship Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, offers an intensive summer opportunity for American college and university students to gain proficiency in one of a dozen critical languages essential to the United States’ global engagement. Languages include Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.

• Alison Irwin, finalist, Brazil

DAAD German Academic Exchange Service

The DAAD Study Scholarship for graduating seniors requires a nomination from the campus, followed by a selection process by the DAAD for funding to study at a German university.

• Auden Cote-L'Heureux

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program provides students with access to study or intern abroad experiences, helping them to cultivate skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. The Institute of International Education has administered the program since its inception in 2001.

• Gwen Van Allen, Denmark and Italy
• Maya Couto, Denmark and Netherlands

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly-qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in those fields.

• June Ahn
• Kevin Alexander
• Ryan Bahous-Boldi

We are especially proud of the achievements of these graduating seniors. 

They now join a select group of UMass Amherst graduates with a long and proud history of having worked at the highest academic levels. 

Commonwealth Honors College recognizes the alums whose generosity has made this “Celebration of Excellence” possible. The continuing support of our alums and their families is instrumental in allowing us to offer this and other special events as well as many of the opportunities and services available to Commonwealth Honors College students. Through their donations, alumni express gratitude and appreciation for their honors experience and they keep the honors tradition alive for others. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their contributions and express our own thanks in return. Support from alums is vital to continue our upward trajectory.

Welcome

Dean Mari Castañeda
Commonwealth Honors College

Chancellor Javier Reyes
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Provost Fouad Abd-El-Khalick
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Student Speaker

Laleh Panahi
Operations & Information Management and Journalism

Recognition of Faculty

Recognition of Honors Students

• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Humanities & Fine Arts
• Robert and Donna Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences
• College of Natural Sciences
• Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
• College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
• Isenberg School of Management
• School of Public Health & Health Sciences
• Stockbridge School of Agriculture

Closing Remarks

Dean Mari Castañeda
Commonwealth Honors College

Platform Party

• Mari Castañeda Dean, 
  Commonwealth Honors College
• Javier Reyes Chancellor, 
  University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Fouad Abd-El-Khalick Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, 
  University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Farshid Hajir Senior Vice Provost, and Dean of Undergraduate Studies 
  University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Laleh Panahi Senior Speaker, 
  Operations & Information Management and Journalism
• Ann Marie Russell Associate Dean of Recruitment and Belonging, 
  Commonwealth Honors College
• Elena Carbone Associate Dean for Curriculum and Academic Oversight, 
  Commonwealth Honors College
• Dominick Usher Senior Assistant Dean of Academic Success, 
  Commonwealth Honors College
• Angela McCall Assistant Dean of Administration and Finance, 
  Commonwealth Honors College
• Anthony Paik Secretary of the Faculty Senate, 
  University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Maria del Guadalupe Davidson Dean, 
  College of Humanities & Fine Arts
• Sanjay Raman Dean,
  College of Engineering
• Traci J. Hess Senior Associate Dean,
  Isenberg School of Management
• Michael Fox Dean,
  College of Natural Sciences
• Allison Vorderstrasse Dean,
  Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
• Karl Rethemeyer Dean,
  College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
• Anna Maria Siega-Riz Dean,
  School of Public Health & Health Sciences
• Gregory J. Kelly Dean,
  College of Education
• Jacqueline Urla Dean,
  Graduate School
• Curtis Brundy Dean,
  University Libraries
• Scott Davidson Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Programs

Departmental Honors

Students awarded departmental honors undertake advanced research by completing at least four additional honors courses, including an honors thesis or project designed to complement and enhance the course of study in their major.

Multidisciplinary Honors

Students awarded multidisciplinary honors undertake advanced research by completing four additional honors courses, including an honors thesis or project that is either outside of their declared major or that integrates two or more disciplines.

Commonwealth Honors College Scholar

Students are awarded the distinction of Commonwealth Honors College Scholar (CHC Scholar) for successful completion of both the general studies and advanced research portions of the curriculum.