A flowering tree in the foreground, with Old Chapel in the background

Honors and Awards

10 UMass Amherst Undergraduates to be Honored as 21st Century Leaders at Commencement 2024

Two additional undergraduates will receive the distinction of becoming Jack Welch Scholars

The University of Massachusetts Amherst will honor the exemplary achievements, initiative and leadership of some of its most talented and accomplished undergraduates during Undergraduate Commencement on Saturday, May 18, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.

This year’s 10 undergraduate recipients of the 21^st 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.

The 10 graduating seniors who will each receive a $1,000 21^st Century Leaders Award from the UMass Amherst Alumni Association are:

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.

Sean T. Bannon, of Winchester, a Commonwealth Honors College student, is graduating on the pre-medical track with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.

As a junior, Bannon won a UMass Amherst Rising Researcher Award, the highest award an undergraduate can receive in research, for his honors thesis, “Role of MitoTempo in Attenuating Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Fast-Twitch Skeletal Muscle Induced by Cigarette Smoke.”

While pursuing his degree, he worked in research labs at the UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences, Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic. His investigations of the effects of cigarette smoke on the human body have appeared in two co-authored papers, and he has first-authored papers under review at the American Journal of Pathology and Free Radical Biology and Medicine. Bannon has presented his findings at national conferences and is an ad hoc peer-reviewer for high-impact journals such as the Journal of Life Sciences.

Beyond the lab, Bannon is an operations supervisor at the UMass Amherst Recreation Center, and is a peer advisor and teaching assistant for the Department of Kinesiology.

An accomplished athlete, Bannon completed an Ironman triathlon at age 19. He is now training to swim the English Channel this summer and hopes to one day achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

Bannon plans to accumulate more experience in clinical research before applying to medical school.

Naicha Chamille Christophe, of Taunton, is earning dual degrees in psychology and public health, with a certificate in criminology. Christophe’s dedication to social justice and public health is evident in her extracurricular and research endeavors. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, she is president of the Haitian American Student Association and reactivated the organization’s charity initiative, P.E.A.C.H., to help raise nearly $6,000 for the Haitian Health Foundation and for winter blankets to donate to a local migrant shelter.

She has interned at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School’s Center for Law, Brain and Behavior, as well as its Center for Addiction Medicine, where she co-authored a research paper about opioid-use disorder and smoking cessation.

Christophe is a strong advocate for students of color, making their voices heard through her involvement on the executive boards of multiple student organizations, in peer mentoring programs and with the “Day by Day” podcast that explores the unique challenges faced by students of color. She has also served the community as a tour guide, residential assistant, teaching assistant and as secretary of registry for the Student Government Association.

After graduating, Christophe plans to move to North Carolina to join the emerging leaders program at Fidelity Investments, after which she hopes to attend law school.

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, 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.

George F. Olisedeme-Akpu, of Abuja, Nigeria, a member of the Commonwealth Honors College, majored in mechanical engineering and minored in information technology. After attending Zoom classes from Nigeria during his first semester, he quickly got involved on campus upon moving to western Massachusetts.

Olisedeme-Akpu served as president of the UMass chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) following a two-year tenure as senator. Through his work in the organization, he grew membership by more than 60% in one semester, raised thousands of dollars to support the professional development of NSBE members, sent 60 members to national and regional conferences, and hosted an outreach event to teach high school students about opportunities within STEM.

In his sophomore year, Olisedeme-Akpu joined the Human Performance Laboratory. Under Professor Shannon Roberts, he studied the impact of advanced-driver assistance systems (ADAS) on teen driver behavior and trends in teen driver behavior with consistent exposure to ADAS. While conducting research in the lab, Olisedeme-Akpu held internships at Procter & Gamble (P&G) and General Dynamics and worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for an introductory engineering course.

Outside his academic endeavors, he walked in the UMass Fashion Organization’s 2023 fashion show and danced on the Haitian American Student Association Kompa team.

After graduation, Olisedeme-Akpu will join P&G full time as an IT operations engineer and start a part-time master’s program.

Molly Roth of Exeter, New Hampshire, is a Commonwealth Honors College student who double majored in legal studies and anthropology, minored in history, and earned a certificate in reproductive health, rights and justice.

When interning at the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (ACLUM), Roth analyzed public records requests to improve funding for mental health programming within Springfield Public Schools and created multimedia content for campaigns such as the Location Shield Act. For her ACLUM capstone project, she focused on immigrant rights in Massachusetts in her documentary, “Driving Forward Together.”

While earning her degree, Roth co-created the Massachusetts Daily Collegian’s first social justice podcast, the MhmKay Podcast, and presented her honors thesis, “Reproductive Justice Behind Bars: Investigating Historical Origins and Contemporary Realities for Incarcerated Women,” at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Roth has held leadership roles on the boards of multiple student organizations. As president of the UMass Pre-Law Club, she established the UMass Undergraduate Law Review and oversaw speaker panels, networking events and visits to law schools. She also served as vice president of the Legal Studies Undergraduate Board, treasurer of the NAACP UMass Amherst Chapter, and as a senator in the Student Government Association’s Social Justice Committee.

Following graduation, Roth plans to work before applying to law school in 2025.

Vandrey Sisson, of Newton, a Commonwealth Honors student, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

His research projects and extracurricular activities demonstrate his passion for a wide range of biological fields. Under Ph.D. candidate Joshua Medina in the Irschick Research Lab, Sisson participated in a four-year research project that examined sexual dimorphism in tanagers. The project, which is pending publication, earned him a Peter K. Hepler Field Research Scholarship. In January 2024, he traveled to Teresópolis, Brazil, to study the vibrant radiation of neotropical songbirds in their natural habitat.

Among his other accomplishments at UMass, he is the co-president of the BioSci Club, a peer advisor for the Pre-Med/Pre-Health Advising Office, and a peer mentor at the Learning Resource Center.

Sisson has flourished as a leader on campus, participating in and steering community organizations that help people with developmental disabilities. He is the president of the Autism Awareness Club, a member of the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services letter of specialization program, and founder of the UMass LEGO Playgroup, a respite care program for children with a range of abilities.

After graduation, Sisson will study for the MCAT as he works as a patient care associate on Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s pediatrics floor. He hopes to matriculate into a research clinician program specializing in pediatric oncology and eventually join the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Gaia Taig, of Lexington, a Commonwealth Honors College student, is earning a dual degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and psychology with a concentration in neuroscience. Her strong academic work earned her a membership in the Phi Kappa Beta Honors Society and she held numerous volunteer roles, such as Red Cross blood donor ambassador, UMass Disability Services notetaker, and Bangs Community Center general volunteer in Amherst.

Taig conducted research on breast cancer development in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences’ Jerry Lab. Here she completed her honors thesis, “Impact of Estrogen Receptor Signaling and p53 Function on Oncogenic Transformation of Immortalized Breast Epithelial Cells,” for which she immortalized over 15 primary breast cell lines, making the lab the largest storage of immortalized breast epithelial cells in the world.

Taig has enjoyed sharing her passion for lab- and clinical-based medicine with her peers. She has been a member of the Biochemistry Club, serving as president in her senior year and secretary as a junior. She was also a teaching assistant for Biochemistry I and II and a supplemental instructor for the Learning Resource Center.

Upon graduation, Taig will be a research technician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Hahn Lab, where she will study T-cell involvement in adenomas associated with colitis and colorectal cancer. After two years, she plans to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D.

Caroline Tran, of Everett, is a member of the Commonwealth Honors College and a pre-medical-track student graduating with dual degrees in microbiology and public health sciences. The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, she proudly embraces her status as a first-generation college student.

Tran is deeply passionate about youth development, equitable education access and community service. Under professor Christine St. Laurent in the “Moove and Snooze Lab,” Tran completed her honors thesis, “Understanding Family Childcare Providers’ Knowledge and Practices Relating to Children’s 24-Hour Movement Behaviors.” She also started a free college application assistance program for underrepresented high schoolers, guiding students through the application process and conducting workshops on topics related to the university experience.

As president of the Student National Medical Association–Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, Tran co-led UMass’ first pre-health formal with the Pre-Medical Society and supported a mentorship program that paired over 80 upperclassmen with underclassmen. She additionally served as vice president for Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., mentoring sorority chair officers to raise thousands of dollars for philanthropies and spreading cultural awareness. Tran has also been a peer advisor in multiple departments, assisting hundreds of UMass students with their academic concerns.

After graduating, Tran plans to work at Boston Children’s Hospital, build her beauty business, expand her college assistance program, and apply to medical school. She hopes to eventually create her own philanthropic organization.

Jack Welch Scholars

Two students have been named Welch Scholars for 2024 and will receive merit scholarships funded by the GE Foundation. The award is named in honor of alumnus Jack Welch, who drew upon his UMass undergraduate education in chemical engineering to forge a legendary career as a business leader, serving for two decades as chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric.

Gillian Gaboury, of Brimfield, earned dual degrees in finance and managerial economics. A first-generation student, she joined the business Honors Residential Academic Program upon arriving at UMass, where she found a community of like-minded and academically curious friends who encouraged her to unapologetically be herself. A career peer in the Isenberg School of Management’s Chase Career Center, Gaboury led more than 90 first-year students each semester in resumé writing and personal branding. She also integrated career coach and peer mentoring to formulate career exploration guides for students interested in social entrepreneurship, nonprofit financial services and financial literacy. Her work at Isenberg expanded beyond the career center; as a teaching assistant for graduate students in business analytics, Gabourey offered feedback regarding professional development.

Also passionate about community service, Gaboury worked as a corporate partnerships intern for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign in summer 2022. Her role required her to identify factors that lead to successful fundraisers, initiate partnership opportunities in the home healthcare market and moderate 2023Q1 Partner Day—a strategic think-tank event.

Gaboury hopes to build sustainable pathways for under resourced populations, later completing a Ph.D. related to industrial organization/resource economics to further her understanding and impact. A self-described “movement-maker,” she strives to inspire others as she enters the workforce.

Tiana Elaine Naylor, of Littleton, is a Commonwealth Honors College student majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in computer science. At UMass, Naylor excelled in her research endeavors, qualifying for the dean’s list every semester and participating in sports including rock climbing, soccer and volleyball.

Naylor spent two years working in professor Prabhani Atukorale’s research lab, which focuses on developing immunostimulatory lipid nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy. Her contributions will be included in the biomedical journal Science Translational Medicine, and she is an author on an additional manuscript that will be submitted in the upcoming months. She completed her honors thesis in the lab, determining the mechanisms of how multiple innate immune pathways synergize for their use in cancer immunotherapy.

As a research and development intern at Bluejay Diagnostics, Naylor collected and analyzed data to push a medical diagnostic device toward FDA approval. She is also a member of UMass Amherst’s chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society, where she served as secretary for two years, as well as in the Society of Women Engineers and on the UMass Biomedical Engineering Design Team.

Naylor plans to obtain a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, after which she hopes to continue research and work for a company that develops novel therapy options for complex diseases or pursue a postdoctoral fellowship and start a research lab.