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David Dagenais of Agawam, a Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) student, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology on the neuroscience track. He will speak on behalf of the undergraduate Class of 2025 at the 155th UMass Amherst Commencement, which will start at 5 p.m. on Friday, 16, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
While qualifying for the Dean’s List every semester, Dagenais won an Honors Research Grant and Honors Research Assistant Fellowship from CHC to support his research and honors thesis. He joined Professor Sibongile Mafu’s biochemistry lab in his junior year, where he studied plant biochemistry and conducted experiments that show how plant chemicals function and evolve. Through his research findings, he intends to create a pathway to a more resilient agricultural system and food supply. He recently presented his findings at the annual Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference held at UMass Amherst, which was attended by hundreds of college student-researchers from across the state.
Outside of the classroom, Dagenais enjoys spending time on campus with the UMass community and leads walking tours of campus to prospective students and families as a tour guide. In the spring of 2023, he was promoted to admissions fellow, overseeing the tour guide staff and presenting weekly information sessions on the UMass application process. He has also been a member of the UMass club swimming team for the past four years, qualifying for the annual College Club Swimming National Championship in his junior year.
Dagenais plans to begin a career in the STEM field after graduation.