Three HFA Students Among 2024 21st Century Leaders Award Recipients
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The University of Massachusetts Amherst has chosen 10 undergraduate students—including three from the College of Humanities & Fine Arts (HFA)—whose exemplary achievements, initiative, and leadership will be honored during Undergraduate Commencement on Saturday, May 18, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
This year’s 10 undergraduate recipients of the 21st Century Leaders Award were chosen in recognition of their strong academic records and exemplary achievements. They also further distinguished themselves through intellectual accomplishments and will be recognized for the prestige and honor they bring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, both as undergraduates and as alumni joining the larger community.
Each student will each receive a $1,000 award from the UMass Amherst Alumni Association.
The three HFA 21st Century Leaders Award are:
Alina Antropova
English

Alina Antropova, of Southwick, a double major in English literature and social thought and political economy, demonstrated a combination of academic excellence and a deep commitment to social justice when she arrived at UMass Amherst. Her senior thesis, “Sigue Uno Caminando en la Oscuridad (One Keeps Walking in the Darkness): Theorizing the Abolitionist Sanctuary Model,” is centered around the immigration sanctuary movement in western Massachusetts, and her paper on neoliberalism in non-governmental organizations working with Syrian refugees in Turkey was published in UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity.
Over the last several summers, Antropova dedicated her time in service of immigration rights. She was a researcher at the Collaborative Site Program on Immigration Policy and U.S.–Mexico Border Communities at New Mexico State University, where she investigated the implementation of the CBP One™ app for asylum appointments and served two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA summer associate at the West Hill Refugee Welcome Center in Albany, New York.
Antropova is a proud member of the UMass Parliamentary Debate Society and has worked at the on-campus Center for Women and Community as a program staff member and staff development coordinator. In the fall, she plans to attend Northeastern University School of Law and hopes to become an immigration attorney.
Zoë Pearl Cohen
Music education

Zoë Pearl Cohen, of Nevada City, California, graduates with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She is the first-ever recipient of the Jeff Poulton and Suzanne Jessee Drum Major Scholarship and was awarded the Howard M. Lebow Memorial Scholarship from the university’s music department.
In all aspects of her UMass experience, Cohen’s love of music and her outstanding talent shine. She was a founding member of the university’s first all-female trumpet ensemble, and participated in the Chamber Choir, the highest-level classical voice ensemble at UMass. Since 2020, she has served as a drum major for the Minuteman Marching Band, assisting directors in leading rehearsals and conducting hundreds of musicians daily.
Cohen continued to take advantage of leadership opportunities by organizing a conducting recital at UMass—a highly unusual feat for an undergraduate student—and leading rehearsal and conducting a piece in performance as the conducting intern for the Smith College Wind Ensemble. She also served as president of the UMass Amherst collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Education, the undergraduate representative for the Department of Music and Dance, and the social media manager for the Pioneer Valley Trumpet Guild.
Cohen will earn her Massachusetts Initial Educator License in Music in June and plans to pursue a career as a high school band director. She looks forward to inspiring the next generation of musicians.
Rianna Jade Jakson
Film studies

Rianna Jade Jakson, of Marlborough, earned dual degrees in film studies and communication through the bachelor’s degree with individual concentration (BDIC) program, all while maintaining three on-campus jobs and serving as a peer advisor.
Since joining UMass, Jakson has contributed research to two articles published by Project Censored’s Verified Independent News, including “School Hospital Program Bridges Education and Student Recovery.” She also built critical media literacy activities for the open-source e-book, “Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning: Interactive Explorations for Students and Teachers,” which provides k-12 teachers with examples to support students’ understanding of media literacy education.
Jakson’s love of dance and film drew her to the UMass Fashion Organization (UFO), where she was cinematographer for two fashion shows and the director of photography for 12 short films. She designed a more than 275-page “look book” for the spring 2023 fashion show and acted as editor-in-chief of two editions of UFO’s magazine, sourcing literary work from artists across the Five Colleges for the spring/summer 2024 issue. Her desire for other creatives to realize their potential led her to launch a Creator’s Grant for students.
Jakson is a prospective recipient of the media literacy and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certificates. After graduation, she will study at the National Taiwan Normal University’s Mandarin Language Center and hopes to work in fashion or dance filmmaking.