CNS Represented in Undergraduates to be Honored as 21st Century Leaders at Commencement 2026
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The exemplary achievements, initiative, and leadership of talented and accomplished University of Massachusetts Amherst undergraduates will be honored during Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 15, in the McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
This year’s 11 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 UMass Amherst, both as undergraduates and as alumni joining the larger community. The graduating seniors will each receive a 21st Century Leaders Award of $1,000 from the UMass Amherst Alumni Association.
Several College of Natural Science majors, dual majors, and minors are represented through this group of 21st Century Leaders:
Connor Casey, of Leominster, a member of CHC, graduates with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, a Bachelor of Science in applied physics, and a Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration in quantum science and engineering.
Casey’s technical curiosity has driven his work both on and off campus. In Professor Don Towsley’s Advanced Classical and Quantum Information Research Lab, he built a numerical benchmarking framework for one- and two-way satellite quantum repeaters for his honors thesis, and over the last year, he has contributed research in the Superconducting Quantum Information Lab under Professor Chen Wang.
His research has taken him around the U.S. and abroad. Casey presented a first-author poster at the IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering and a first-author paper at the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia. He also gained experience in finance through internships at Morgan Stanley and growth equity firm General Atlantic, and he broadened his academic perspective by studying the philosophy of physics at the London School of Economics.
One of Casey’s goals is to make quantum science more accessible. To prepare students for success, he founded the Amherst Quantum Initiative, a university organization that brings quantum demonstrations into local K-12 classrooms.
After graduation, Casey plans to pursue a PhD in experimental quantum physics and start his own company.
Joanne Charland, of West Springfield, is graduating from UMass Amherst’s University Without Walls (UWW) Department of Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in applied psychology.
Charland followed a nontraditional path to higher education, shaped by years of life and work experience. After leaving high school in 1995, she had two sons, including one with special needs, whose birth inspired her to become an advocate for individuals with disabilities. She ultimately returned to college to rebuild her life, finding UMass’s UWW program to be a perfect fit for her educational goals and professional aspirations.
While pursuing her degree, Charland has continued her advocacy work on behalf of individuals with special needs. She is also deeply involved with Pedal Thru Youth—a nonprofit founded and run by her husband—that fixes and donates bicycles to underprivileged populations, provides adaptive bikes, supports previously incarcerated individuals returning to the workforce, and distributes supply-filled backpacks for the unhoused.
A throughline in Charland’s work, education and volunteerism has been her commitment to helping others. She currently serves as a residential service desk coordinator at UMass, where she creates a welcoming and supportive environment for student employees.
After graduation, she hopes to further her education and work directly with students in crisis, providing resources, offering mental health support, guiding them through challenges, and encouraging them to realize their potential.
Danish Humayun, of Belchertown, a CHC student, graduates with dual degrees in economics and public health sciences and a minor in biology.
While at UMass Amherst, Humayun has contributed to research on the efficacy of edible clay in mitigating the toxic effects of forever chemicals, and he helped evaluate programs that provide access to treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders in jails and courts in Massachusetts. For his achievements in health promotion and policy, Humayun received a 2024-25 Gerald F. Scanlon Student Employee of the Year Award.
Humayun’s care and concern for others extends to his extracurricular activities. He is a medical assistant with University Health Services, where he provides direct patient care. It is through this work that he became more aware of the health challenges college students face, which fueled his passion for health equity. He also experienced firsthand the interconnectedness of public health issues and everyday life in his role as a resident assistant.
As president of the Pakistani Students Organization, he organized Chaand Raat, a large-scale Ramadan celebration and community-building event co-hosted with the Muslim Students Association in 2025.
Humayun has secured a postgraduate internship at biotechnology company Xilio Therapeutics, and he will continue his education with a Master of Public Health in epidemiology through the UMass 4+1 accelerated master’s degree program.
Aaria Prakash, of Lexington, graduates with dual degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology and psychology. A thoughtful and compassionate leader with a scientific mindset, Prakash has dedicated her time to caring for others both in and out of the classroom.
She is the co-founder and co-president of MedConnect, a healthcare-focused nonprofit organization that offers pre-health students hands-on experience in the medical field. She hopes to expand MedConnect—which already has 12 partnerships in the Amherst area—and is opening four chapters in the coming year.
Prakash has been involved with the Boltwood Project, a student-run civic engagement and leadership program designed to provide enrichment, recreation, and socialization for community members with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In addition, she has served as a patient advocacy volunteer at Tapestry Health and as a resident coordinator at Carleton-Willard Village, a continuing care retirement community in Bedford.
Outside of direct patient care, she has contributed to studies on rare diseases at Mass General Hospital and investigated how hormones influence physiology and behavior through lab research at UMass.
After graduation, Prakash hopes to work in life sciences while applying to medical school. She is particularly passionate about studying the neuroscience of developmental disabilities. Ultimately, she would like to combine her interests in research, health care and community engagement into a career as a physician.
Marcos Genao Sánchez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and grew up in Lynn. He graduates with a degree in pre-veterinary science.
Genao Sánchez, a first-generation college student, is the founding president of the Arcane Kavari Chapter of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc., UMass Amherst’s only Latino-based fraternity. In this position, he led two service trips to Latin America—the first in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico and the second in collaboration with The Gift of Soccer Foundation to provide sports equipment to young athletes in Honduras.
He has created a welcoming, inclusive environment on campus through his involvement with New Student and Family Programs as an orientation leader and student office assistant, and he has continued to support his fellow students as a residential assistant.
In addition to his studies and on-campus activities, Genao Sánchez is a certified veterinary assistant providing seasonal help to North Shore Animal Hospital in Lynn and a volunteer with the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth.
Genao Sánchez’s future plans include attending veterinary school at St. George’s University in Grenada and owning his own veterinary practice in Essex County, Massachusetts. He hopes to use his skills not only to heal animals but to expand access to care, strengthen communities, and mentor students in search of connection and belonging.
This story was originally published by the UMass News Office.