Announcing the 2025 SPHHS Scholarship Award Winners

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From left to right: Dean's Student Advisory Board Members Firas Aljizani, Aarohi Darisi, Steph Amanze, and Carissa Lange pose with Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz (center) at the SPHHS awards celebration

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences honored a group of over 50 undergraduate and graduate students during its annual Awards Celebration held on May 3, 2025 in the Campus Center Auditorium. Award recipients were recognized for outstanding achievements in the classroom, in research, and through service to the community.

As part of the celebration, the school also honored the Dean’s Student Advisory Board members and 2025 cohort of student inductees in the Delta Omega Honor Society Rho Chapter at UMass Amherst. The honorary society for the study of public health, Delta Omega encourages excellence in student scholarship and research, recognizes academic achievement, and provides members with leadership development, publication, and networking opportunities. Members are nominated and inducted in faculty, alumni, graduate student and undergraduate student categories.

The 2025 SPHHS scholarship recipients and Delta Omega inductees are:

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From left to right: Student award recipients Jennifer Costa, Michaela Ayisi, and Jade Wagner

School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Robert Clinton Memorial Scholarship

Molly Gallagher (BS, Public Health Sciences)

William A. Darity Sr. Graduate Scholarship

Will-Angee Raymond (MPH, Public Health Practice program)

Farhana Tasnim (MPH, Epidemiology)

Global Health Impact Endowment

Jessica Kumah (PhD, Environmental Health Sciences)

IGH Global Health Research Award

Elisa Rivero (BS, Environmental Science/Public Health Sciences)

Kozma-Littleton Family Fund Scholarship

Lavanda-Sofia Probasco (PhD, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences)

Shirli Fabbri Weiss Internship Fund

Ryan Dailida (BS, Kinesiology)

Elise Fornaro (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Joseph Frumkin (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Kimberly Manyanga (BS, Public Health Sciences)

The Yablonski Fellowship Fund

Elise Pierce (MPH, Environmental Health Sciences)

Jade Wagner (MPH, Community Health Education)

Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

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BIO-EPI award recipients Adheesh Perera and Farhana Tasnim with Professor Brian Whitcomb (center)

David Hosmer Outstanding First-Year Student Awards

Adheesh Perera (MS, Biostatistics)

Farhana Tasnim (MPH, Epidemiology)

Departmental Second-Year Student Awards

Tesia Britt (MS, Epidemiology)

Shane Fitzgerald (MS, Biostatistics)

Jenna Marando (MPH, Epidemiology)

Diane J. Mundt Memorial Scholarship

Suryun Kim (PhD, Epidemiology)

Department of Environmental Health Sciences

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Left to right: EHS doctoral student Barbara Elorm Mottey, Assistant Professor Meichen Wang, doctoral student Kaniz Rabeya, and Professor Song Liang

Elaine Briggs Internship Fund

Patricia Henegan (PhD, Environmental Health Sciences)

Monet Williams (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Corinne A. Johnson Memorial Scholarship

Danish Humayun (BA, Economics/BS, Public Health Sciences)

Carissa Lange (PhD, Environmental Health Sciences)

The Stewart Fellowship

Barbara Elorm Mottey (PhD, Environmental Health Sciences)

Kaniz Rabeya (PhD, Environmental Health Sciences)

Department of Health Promotion and Policy

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HPP students Eliza Zhitnik and Jennifer Costa with Professor Elizabeth Evans (center)

Outstanding Master’s Student Award

Jennifer Costa (MPH, Community Health Education)

Eliza Zhitnik (MS, Health Policy and Management)

Louis Graham Award

Mariana Pinto-Alvarez (PhD, Community Health Education)

Paula Stamps Award

Stephanie Hucker (PhD, Health Policy and Management)

Ariel Scalise (PhD, Health Policy and Management)

Department of Kinesiology

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Kinesiology student Alexander Valencia (center) with Professor Richard van Emmerik (left) and undergraduate program director Thomas St. Laurent (right)

American Kinesiology Association Undergraduate Scholar Award

Elena Schell (BS, Kinesiology)

American Kinesiology Association Masters Scholar Award

Sikha Pudasaini (MS, Kinesiology)

American Kinesiology Association Doctoral Scholar Award

Montgomery Bertschy (PhD, Kinesiology)

American Kinesiology Association Graduate Student Writing Award

Christopher Lee (PhD, Kinesiology)

Priscilla M. Clarkson Graduate Scholarship in Kinesiology

Luke Arieta (PhD, Kinesiology)

Lingsong Kong (PhD, Kinesiology)

Patty Freedson Undergraduate Health and Wellness Scholarship

Jennifer Chou (BS, Kinesiology)

Jenna Kenney (BS, Kinesiology)

Shyla Senn (BS, Kinesiology)

Timothy Moynahan Award

Shlok Parekh (BS, Kinesiology)

Frank Rife Undergraduate Scholarship in Kinesiology

Ryan Dailida (BS, Kinesiology)

The Rouzier Family Pre-Health Professional Scholarship

Janet Lam (BS, Kinesiology)

Matias Sanchez (BS, Kinesiology)

John R. Schroeder Scholarship Fund

Sophia Woods (BS, Kinesiology)

Eric Sinacori Memorial Scholarship

Rylee Shunney (BS, Kinesiology)

Alexander Valencia (BS, Kinesiology)

Esther Wallace Scholarship

Samara Mehta (BS, Kinesiology)

Department of Nutrition

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Nutrition student Gianna Morse (center) with undergraduate program director Claire Norton (left)and Professor Lindiwe Sibeko (right)

Virginia A. Beal Undergraduate Scholarship

Yejun (Peter) Na (BS, Nutrition)

Elizabeth (Libby) Rich (BS, Nutrition)

Virginia A. Beal Graduate Fellowship

Yuanyuan Deng (PhD, Nutrition)

Ojamalia Godwins (PhD, Nutrition)

Yingxue Guan (PhD, Nutrition)

Maria Wigati (PhD, Nutrition)

Virginia A. Beal Graduate Scholarship

Mengqi Duan (PhD, Nutrition)

Vi Vien Khoo (PhD, Nutrition)

Jenna Linehan (MS, Nutrition)

Esi Quaidoo (PhD, Nutrition)

Helen S. Mitchell Undergraduate Scholarship

Rachel Burke (BS, Nutrition)

Dept. of Nutrition Community Service Scholarship

Gianna Morse (BS, Nutrition)

Dept. of Nutrition First Generation Scholarship

Christina Zhuo (BS, Nutrition)

Peter L. Pellett Scholarship

Suwaidou Manneh (MPH, Nutrition)

Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences

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Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences student Abbey Linskey (center) with undergraduate program director Gwyneth Rost (left)and Professor Sarah Poissant (right)

Miriam P. Romo Award

Yu-Cheng (Collin) Kuo (BA, Linguistics/BS, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences)

Harry and Charlena Seymour Scholarship for Diversity

Maria Alejandra Meneses Montoya (BS, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences)

Kimberly Ann Soucy Scholarship

Andrew Ceglia (BS, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences)

Gilbert C. Tolhurst Senior Scientist Award

Angela Murzin (BA, Linguistics/BS, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences)

Abigail Linskey (BA, Linguistics/BS, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences)

Delta Omega Honor Society Rho Chapter Inductees

Graduate Student Inductees

Olatunbosun Arowolo (PhD, Environmental Health Sciences)

Michaela Ayisi (MPH, Community Health Education)

Isabella Caruso (PhD, Epidemiology)

Ivy Johnson-Kanda (PhD, Nutrition)

Sophia Tribie (MPH, Worcester program)

Eliza Zhitnik (MS, Health Policy and Management)

Undergraduate Student Inductees

Hannah Rose Beckman (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Lauren de Melo (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Hengie Isidore (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Allison Kowal-Safron (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Molly Gallagher (BS, Public Health Sciences)

Delta Omega graduate student inductees Michaela Ayisi, Isabella Caruso, Olatunbosun Arowolo, and Eliza Zhitnik pose with Associate Dean Katherine Reeves (far left)