Thank you, and good morning. I am Michael Chagius, Dean of the Honors College and Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to our Honor Degree Medal Ceremony. To get us started, would you please remain standing or re-stand up as Honor Senior Alondra Gonzalez leads us in the singing of the National Anthem. Seated. Thank you, Alondra, for that wonderful rendition of the National Anthem. What an amazing voice you have. With me on the platform today are President Dennis Asanas, Provost Laura Carlson, the deans of your academic colleges, the Associate Dean of the Honors College, the Director of Undergraduate Research, and our outstanding faculty award winners. In the audience, additional members of our Honors faculty and our Honors staff. Please join me in in welcoming our platform party and our honored guests. The many ceremonies going on around campus over the next few days, we are so fortunate to have President Asanas with us today. Dennis and Eleni were instrumental in enabling the honors program to evolve into a college in 2020. It gives me great pleasure to introduce President Dennis Osanis, the 28th president of the University of Delaware, so he can get this celebration started. Please join me in giving President Osanis a warm welcome. Thank you, Dr. Jesus. Hey, good morning to all of you. Let me start by offering a resounding congratulations Congratulations to all of our students who are earning honors degrees and honors degrees with distinction. Let's give them a hand. This designation demonstrates your ability to excel in UD's most rigorous academic program. Your success in your studies embodies a tenacity and dedication that I'm certain is present in everything you do. I'm incredibly proud of what you have accomplished at the University of Delaware. The UD's Honors Program goes back many years, but this is the fifth anniversary as our Honors College. When you applied to UD, we just elevated its status, but over that time, applications to the Honors College have quadrupled to over 15,000 now. And in 2024, the Honors College was ranked number 21 in the U.S. by college transition. Well, we'll be number one one day, I can assure you. The Princeton Review even called it UD's intellectual pearl. I think that's a wonderful characterization of our Honors College and the students who attend it. It offers unique experiences to truly exceptional students so that they may pursue their curiosity to thrive and excel. It's a place that encourages essential connections in the pursuit of great things. And clearly, you have all certainly accomplished great things. To give a few details about the Class of 2025, This year, we have 401 students who are receiving honors degrees, including 64 who are earning honors degrees with distinction. There are also 11 students who are earning two honors degrees. Of those 11, five are in the distinction group. That's pretty amazing. We also have eight who are earning an honors bachelor's degree and a master's degree, two for the prize for one, finishing a four plus one in just four years. Let's give them a hug. Wow, isn't this outstanding? Now, let me just name a few students, and I could have named each and every one of you and would be here the whole day, but let me just do a few. Isabella Haney, who you also know as your student body president and who also serves on the President's Student Advisory Council. She earned the Emilya Pusey-Warner Award as one of our outstanding graduating seniors. Grace Mahoney earned the Alexander Taylor Award, also an outstanding graduating senior. Altaf Bacchus and Matthew Stangle have received National Science Foundation fellowships. Sudha Anil Kumar, who I also know very well from her service on the President's Student Advisory Council, received a Goldwater scholarship. Incidentally, Altaf, Matthew, and Sudha are all Delawareans. Way to represent your home state. And Emma Knapp received the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award and will be teaching in Colombia. These are just some of the prestigious awards earned by this amazing group. So now, in appreciation of the outstanding accomplishment of these students and all of our honours graduates, everyone please give them a round of applause. It's most inspirational to me is the impact your excellent work has had on our world. Whatever your curiosity and passion have led you here to study, the results translate into discoveries and knowledge that will help you to become the leaders, thinkers, and creators who will propel us into a better future. As you graduate and embark on the next phase of your journey, whether that's a career or additional formal education or service to others, I urge you to keep your humanity at the center of everything you do. This will be especially critical as artificial intelligence becomes more and more ubiquitous in our lives. We're already using AI for data analysis, communication, commerce, and more, and the possibilities are growing exponentially every day. But it's the human connections that we share, the kinds of meaningful relationships you develop here with your peers and your professors that should always guide our path forward. Strong relationships can both anchor us to our core values of respect, honesty, and integrity, while also inspiring us to dream big, express our true selves, and reach new levels of success and impact on the world. Nurture the connections you've made here at the University of Delaware. Build new ones with the people you encounter, even those, especially those who see the world differently than you do. I promise your life and the lives of those around you will be happier and more rewarding if you give your humanity a starting role in guiding your future. Indeed I'm sure that some of the most valued relationships you form here at UD were with your professors. They provide you with rigorous learning, the encouragement when you needed it, and the scholarly inspiration to achieve excellence in the fields that most interest you. So let's take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate that outstanding FICU have been your teachers and mentors along the way. Let's give them a round of applause please. Honors graduates, I would like you to please take a moment to thank your families and friends. These are your biggest champions and supporters who have been cheering you from your very first academic moments to this important milestone today. Let's give them a big round of applause to families and friends. A personal note, this convocation season is especially meaningful for me as it marks my final year as the president of the University of Delaware. This has been an incredible time with so many memorable moments. I hardly know where to begin. Over the years my wife Eleni and I have been so impressed and so inspired by the drive, the dedication and the amazing talents of our Honors College students. Thank you for our time together. It has been exciting to watch you grow and excel. I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say the Blue Hand community is incredibly proud of you and what you have accomplished. We can't wait to see what the future holds for you. The The world needs your creativity, critical thinking skills, your tenacity, and most importantly, your integrity to help navigate us through society's challenges and find better ways of living and working together. I wish you all great success as you embark upon the next adventures in your life's journey. And before I go back to my seat, I want to make sure that I take a selfie with each and every one of you. I've taken a lot of those. I've got about two trillion bytes on my computer right now with all the selfies over the years, but this one is going to be special, and so let's all smile. Congratulations, Honors College graduates. Thank you. Thank you, President Asanas, for those inspirational words, and thank you for highlighting the impact of these amazing students. As President Asanas mentioned, he will be stepping down at the end of this academic year, and I will miss working with him from the bottom of my heart and I want to thank Dennis and Eleni for their enthusiastic and caring support of our Honors College and our students. As a small reminder of our gratitude on behalf of the entire Honors College I am pleased to present to Dennis our honors medal and one of his famous selfies. Dennis, now on to you the graduating class. When you graduated high school, I know it was a difficult time. It was still the COVID times. Probably education was remote. Even when you got here to the University of Delaware in the fall semester, we were still wearing masks. And as President Osanis mentioned, through those times, lots of people helped you succeed. I hope over the next few days you show your gratitude to some of those people, whether they be your friends, your family. We know that it takes a lot to help an individual person be their best. We know you are striving to be your best and you've done amazing things, but I remind you to think about who has helped you get here. And in that spirit, there is one group when I talk to alumni and ask them who helped them most at the University of Delaware, they talked to me about the faculty members, the faculty members who taught those classes, the faculty members who mentored them. So part of our ceremony every year is to recognize our outstanding teachers and mentors who have been nominated by you, the students. So it's my great pleasure at this point to introduce the Associate Dean of the Honors College, Monique Head, who will announce this year's winners. Monique? Thank you Dean Chagis. The first winner of our Honors Teaching Award is Professor Jacqueline Fajardo from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Student testimonial states whether it be going out of her way to facilitate extra help for a student, providing extensive opportunities for various internships and research experiences, or writing numerous letters of recommendation, Professor Fajardo truly goes above and beyond to ensure that all of her students succeed in all aspects of life. Congratulations, Professor Fajardo. The other winner of our Honors Teaching Award is Wayne Batches from the Department of Political Science and International Relations. Congratulations. Batches teaches his classes in a Socratic seminar style which challenges everyone to speak and create interpretations on what we've learned in class with deep, thought -provoking questions. He's an absolutely brilliant professor. Congratulations. The first winner of our Outstanding Mentoring Award is Professor Jennifer Saylor from the School of Nursing. Estimonial among many states, her commitment to my success goes beyond just the mechanics of research. She consistently challenges me to think critically, ask important questions, and engage deeply with my topic. She recognizes the challenges of balancing rigorous academics with personal well -being and always checks in on my progress, not just academically, but personally. Congratulations, Professor Saylor. The second winner of our Outstanding Mentoring Award is Ben Maruca from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The student states, Professor Maruca has kindled my love for physics, given me the courage to stick with the program and has given me opportunities to meet with some truly incredible people. Professor Maruca motivates me to excel through his passion for the field and to know that the work we do means something. Congratulations Professor Maruca. Please join me in one more time in congratulating these amazing teachers and mentors. Thank you Monique. There is one One more award that I have the pleasure of announcing today. It is the Dean's Outstanding Honors Student Award. This award has been made possible through an endowment established by our dear friends Don Puglisi and Mauricio Valencia. As I have witnessed time and again, honors students pride themselves in not only excelling academically but also engaging in the honors and UD community and supporting their fellow students. This award is given to the Honors College student who has demonstrated the highest level of both academic achievement and community engagement. This year the award goes to a student who is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, is getting two honors degrees, has been an honors Munson fellow, has served as a teaching assistant, has been a summer fellow, was a member of the President's Student Advisory Council, has been a shared support of Survivor's peer educator, and has been extremely active in the Harrington Theater Arts Company, including serving as their president. Please join me in congratulating this year's winner, Maggie Johnson. Maggie, if you would please come forward to receive your award. Right, it is now my honor to introduce our keynote speaker today, Avi Amon, a very distinguished alumnus of the Honors College. Avi is a composer, sound artist, and educator. He is a sought-after collaborator in theater, film, dance, and experiential art. As a member of the honors class of 2008, Avi earned two undergraduate degrees, an honors bachelor of science degree in economics and a bachelor of arts degree in history. Avi was a Eugene DuPont Memorial scholar, participated in the Deltones and the UD Chorale, was employed by UD after graduation as an admissions counselor. During that time, he co-created the legendary and critically acclaimed admissions video called, Delaware the Musical. Google it sometime, it really is a lot of fun to watch. I highly recommend all of you look that up. Since leaving Newark and moving to New York, Avi has composed more than a dozen musicals and his film scores have been featured at Cannes, Tribeca, and the Venice Film Festival. Avi has been awarded a Jonathan Larson Grant, is a McDowell Fellow, a Tony Awards voter, and is in residence at The Shed in New York City. Avi is also the resident composer and music director at the 52nd Street Project, where he co-writes songs with young people and has the time of his life. He also teaches a variety of collaborative art-making courses at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he received his MFA in musical theater and writing. When not writing and composing, Avi tends to an immense plant collection and creates horticulture installations for his friends. Avi lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter. Please join me in giving Avi a warm welcome. Thank you for such a generous introduction. And thank you for inviting me to speak here today. It's a tremendous, tremendous honor to be back on campus. This place means a lot to me. It's not just where I went to school, though. In some ways, it's quite literally where my story begins. My parents immigrated from Istanbul in the late 1970s to come here, to UD. My dad to earn his PhD in chemical engineering, and my mom to finish her BA. So the roots do run deep. And I want to start not with advice, but with a memory, one of your memories, a grounding exercise to bring us here into the present during this transitional time. There's a lot of familiar faces in the room and many new ones, too. So let's arrive here together to exist in slowness for a bit. everybody please close your eyes and take a deep breath in and let it out let's do another one keep your eyes closed and I want you to let a memory from the last four years rise to the surface it could be something huge a major milestone or maybe something tiny you hadn't thought about in ages. Parents and families, everybody, you can do this too. Maybe it was a spark of understanding in class, a shared meal at Russell Dining Hall, a trip home, a trip abroad. Did you fall in love at a party? Was it a concert you went to, a protest, a walk on the green, An existential crisis about changing your major, junior year? Or maybe just a funny video you watched with a friend late one night? Here's one of mine from my time here. I'm sitting in the bedroom of a house we rented during our senior year. We lived on campus the three years prior, actually right above the archway on the green. That was our room. But now we were living the dream in a beautiful old bungalow on Center Street. It was so great. They actually knocked it down a few years back to make an entrance to the parking lot to that new hotel. R.I.P. Memories, you know. Anyway, I'm at the piano. It's late. My friends Nate and Keith are there. And a melody comes to me. I hit record, just like I always do. I don't think. I don't judge. I just followed it did outside unedited and real you can actually hear me thinking in the recording but seeds planted in stillness often grow in unexpected ways and we rarely know where their roots and branches will lead and speaking of what comes next you can open your eyes who has a job lined up You can raise your hands. Cool. Who's going to grad school? Who's traveling? Who's working in service of a cause, an organization, taking care of a person? And now the brave ones. Who's still trying to sort it all out? That last one was and remains me. When I graduated in 2008, I was all vibes and no plan. Just a 22-year-old living on the edge of another global financial crisis. It was great. But how did I get there? I started playing piano when I was five. It was an important part of our household growing up. My dad played violin, my mom sang, my siblings played flute and cello. Music had always been a part of my life, but it also felt kind of on the side. So like any good musician, I came to the University of Delaware to study engineering. With deep admiration for all the engineers in the room, I figured out very fast that that was not for me. And I went undeclared by October of my freshman year. And I stayed that way through almost senior year. Took classes that sparked my curiosity, started giving tours, sang in the chorale, got sucked into the a cappella cinematic universe. Deltones forever. And when it came time to pick my major, my advisor, Jema, described my assortment less in terms of a solid career plan and more of a collage. You know the classic econ and history double majors with minors in philosophy and jazz piano. Combo pack. Very classic. It wasn't tidy, but it felt right. It felt honest. And she encouraged me nonetheless. After graduation, as you heard, I applied for a job in the admissions office. And I did not get it. But I did get cast in a show at the Rep. My first professional gig writing music. And then a new position to open up in admissions and I got the job after all. I loved talking to people about UD and wanted to bring creativity into the work and thus Delaware the Musical was born. It was a huge undertaking for which I had absolutely no experience and no immediate goal other than marketing the school well, no designs beyond that moment. But that moment, that silly, ridiculous, beautiful video grew into something personally transformational, a realization that I had a voice, and a voice worth sharing. I was able to use that as the bulk of my portfolio for grad school at NYU. And of course, seedlings continued to emerge. While at NYU, I used my skills from admissions to work in their admissions office. I assisted a photographer and learned about image-based storytelling and running a business I got really into horticulture and I designed retail spaces and learned about how to sculpt an event and I began to volunteer at the 52nd Street project making theater with young people and through their eyes I learned to see the world anew. All of these disparate branches which I can quickly summarize only in hindsight lead me to where I am now. I get to create sonic worlds all over the world. I collaborate with artists to make film and theatrical experiences that hopefully move people towards a better understanding of themselves. The meandering blossoms of my past add richness and complexity to my present. And a conversational knowledge of historical macroeconomic trends, eastern philosophy, and higher ed marketing is my my party trick. Could I have predicted any of that when I was sitting right where you are now? No. I'm sharing all this not to sound interesting, but because I've learned that being interested, staying curious, can take you places you never planned for. We We are not stories. We are not tidy arcs, perfect movies or plays. We exist in a series of rough drafts. We are in a state of drafting. Life unfolds, it meanders, and sometimes, if you're paying attention, it surprises you. A life is made up of moments, some quiet, some bold, some tiny, some transformational, some planned, but most not. Moments that we gather and assemble over time and our power lies in how we share them with our community and those we love. It's easy to think we're only moving forward when we're achieving, but oftentimes the most important discoveries arrive when we're not trying to be productive at all. Rather they arrive when we're really paying attention and doing our best to honor all moments as they are, there is wonder in the ordinary, in the day-to-day, in giving ourselves over fully to what we are doing at the time. And I find myself appreciating this even more now. Two years after losing my father to cancer, five years after becoming a parent, to an amazing kiddo who understands time only as yesterday, today, and tomorrow. tomorrow. She exists in the world fully present and unedited. And that moment of instinct, that recording that I played for you late last night almost 20 years ago, that little seed of a melody has grown into a full album and multimedia opera that will premiere next year in New York City at the shed. It's honestly a dream. I can't believe it. Sitting in my room with my friends wasn't me doing anything. That was me being available to receive something when it showed up. There's a difference. One of the best gifts UD gave me was an appreciation of the unknown. If I had been forced to pick a path early on, maybe I would have missed the one that led me right here. That uncertainty is where possibility began to take root. We all exist at the intersection of everything that came before us and everything that's yet to come. This room, this breath, this memory that you surfaced earlier, it's the flicker between past and future, a little spark of now. So I want to do it again. Close your eyes. Let's take another breath. And on your way out, I want you to sing a note. This note. Ready? Okay, now hold that. Take Take a breath and come back in when you need to. Maybe a harmony emerges and maybe it increases in volume. How is your note different than your neighbor's and how is it the same? What are you adding and what are you receiving? Don't rush through it. Try not to curate your life too much. Don't quiet the impractical parts of yourself. In fact, don't be quiet at all. The greatest gift you can give is the gift of contribution, of presence. Be curious, be generous, get lost, redraft, accumulate, and let your path unfold. Know that when it meanders, that that might be the best part. And mind your seeds, because you never know what they'll grow into. Thank you. In appreciation for Avi being here today, it gives me great pleasure to provide him with a little token of our appreciation. I know I enjoyed that. I hope you did as well. You'll hear a lot of speeches over the next few days, and the mark of a great speech is that you remember, and I hope that you remember some of Avi's words it was really quite an experience thank you and I know that Jame is in the audience today so nice to have you here Jame I'm sure Avi appreciates that we are now ready to recognize our students who will be receiving honors degrees and honors degrees with distinction both produce prestigious accomplishments those who have attained an honors degree have completed a minimum of 30 credits. Students complete those honors coursework in their major and in upper division courses including taking an honors capstone course. They have a minimum GPA of 3.4, many of them well well above that. These students will be presented with an honors medal and please wear those proudly at the commencement ceremony this Saturday. Our honors graduates who have attained an honors degree with distinction have also completed all of those requirements and an honors senior thesis and have successfully defended that thesis. These students will be presented with two medals. We will be recognizing the students by college starting with our honors degree with distinction candidates in that college followed by our honors degree candidates. Honors students, our staff will guide you, as they already are, to the podium one row at a time. Once finished receiving your medal and congratulatory handshakes from the president, myself, your dean, and the director of undergraduate research, you can return to your seats. I would note that the photographer, and this will be your one chance to get a photo with President Asanis so when you're shaking hands with President Asanis look for the camera don't look at the ground and get your picture taken we expect to conclude in time for all of you to make your other events today we know you have places to be going but please do stick with us through the rest of the ceremony so we will start the medal ceremony we begin with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dean Brian Farkas and Dr. Rosalie Rolandow, Faculty Director of Undergraduate Research, will recognize the honors degree with distinction recipients. Victoria Owls. She'll be working as an ecology intern for Martha Vineyards Land Bank and plans to pursue an MS in wildlife ecology. Evan Appel Evan is working to improve healthy food access across Philadelphia. Ella Owen Insect Ecology and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Ella is attending the University of Georgia to earn a Ph.D. in Integrated Life Sciences. This concludes the honors degree with distinction recipients in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Let's give them a round of applause. Benjamin Berry, Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Benjamin is attending Auburn University to pursue a doctorate of veterinary medicine. Madeline Brown. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Madeline is starting a master's degree here at UD in entomology. Madison Drew. Environmental and Resource Economics. Maddie is looking for jobs in the area and home in Vermont and is excited to see where life takes her. Pre-Veterinary Medicine. She is attending the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine on a full tuition subsidy. Pre-Veterinary Medicine, she will be attending Ross University to earn a doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Jessica will be attending Cornell University to earn her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. Plant Science. She is pursuing work in the field of environmental and plant science. Meredith Evelyn McHugh. Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Meredith is pursuing a bachelor's of veterinary medicine degree from the Royal Veterinary College in London. Delaney Noel Oath. Pre -Veterinary Medicine. Delaney will be at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine pursuing her DVM. Zoe Posner. Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Zoe is pursuing a master's degree in regulatory science. Skylar Nicole Rowe. Pre -Veterinary Medicine. Skylar is attending Rowan University's Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine. Lucy Ann Smith. Pre -Veterinary Medicine. Lucy is attending the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Jessica Wilm. Pre -Veterinary Medicine. Jessica is attending the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Jasmine Angelica Zaman. Jasmine, animal science. Jasmine is preparing for the veterinary technical national exam while working at a veterinary clinic in southern New York, and she will continue to raise service puppies. This concludes the honors degree candidates in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Let's give them a round of applause. We will now recognize the honors degree with distinction candidates in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dean Caleb Everett will join us, as well as Dr. Roland Dow. Neuroscience, Sharia will be attending UD to earn a graduate degree in biomedical engineering. Jessica Benito, Biological Sciences, Jessica is applying to medical school to become a physician. Jasmine is earning two honors degrees, chemistry and Spanish. Jasmine is heading to UCLA to earn a PhD in chemistry. Biological sciences. Emily will be an associate scientist at QPS, working in pharmaceuticals. chemistry Nina is heading to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to earn her PhD in material science and engineering Sydney Alexandria Bradley biological sciences Sydney is attending the University of Maryland to earn a master's in education Carly brand three languages and international relations Carly is moving to D.C. to pursue a master's in strategy and policy as a recipient of the New Lines Institute Fellowship. History and political science. Zoe will be pursuing a master's degree in Russian and Eurasian politics and economics at King College London. Luke Koster. Biochemistry. Luke is a semifinalist for the Canadian Fulbright and plans to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Zoe McRobert Cronin. Zoe is earning two honors degrees, neuroscience and psychology. Zoe is attending the University of Texas at Arlington to pursue a Ph.D. in the cognitive area of experimental psychology. Ancient Greek and Roman Studies and International Relations. Amanda is attending law school at Temple University. Biological Sciences. Eleanor will continue her research at UD while she seeks employment. at a research assistant. Eleanor stands to pursue a PhD in cell biology. Mitchell Gale. Physics and Applied Math. Mitch will be a graduate research assistant in a PhD program in physics at the University of Texas at Austin. Hope Kiboura. International Relations. She's attending American University to earn a master's in global governance, politics, and security. Isabella Lamb. English and Asian Studies. Bella is excited to be continuing her time at UD pursuing a Ph.D. in English. Christine Oshinuga. Neuroscience. Christine is pursuing a 4 plus 1 and she plans to head to Sydney Kimmel Medical College in the fall of 2026. She will greatly miss her regular visits to all her honors staff besties. Rachel Ilana Pragman. Musical History and Literature. Ray will be attending the University of Colorado in Boulder to earn a combined master's degree in both musicology and early music performance. Elise Ruggiero. Applied Music Instrumental. She is attending Florida State University to earn a master's of music and musicology. Sophia is continuing her education at Montclair State University pursuing a master's in clinical and school psychology. Callie is planning to attend graduate school to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. She is attending North Carolina State University to earn a Ph .D. in bioinformatics. Cognitive science, she is working for a keyword studio in San Jose. Lauren Ullman English. Lauren will continue freelance writing for Delaware Today magazine and Winterthur Museum while searching for editorial writing and media-based roles. Naya Nguyen Biological silences. She is working in science journalism during a gap year before applying to graduate school. This concludes the honors degree with distinction recipients in the College of Arts and Sciences, let's give them a round of applause. Maida Annam. Biological Sciences. Maida is attending Sydney Kimmel Medical College to earn an M.D. Margaret Armstrong. English. Margaret is pursuing her passion for language, learning, and writing. Hayden Atkinson. Physics. Hayden will stay at the University of Delaware to earn a Ph.D. in physics. Caitlin Marie Bayless. Criminal Justice. Caitlin will spend the summer as a legal intern at New Jersey Transit and is set to begin law school in the fall. Sydney Kate Ballinger. Psychology. She is working for Dr. Dozier's Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up Lab as a post-baccalaureate research assistant. Sydney Becker. Communication and English. During Sydney's gap year, she will preparing to apply to law school and also plans to get in some traveling. Ethan Berkman. International relations and history. Ethan will start the Simon Wiesen Center's International Advocacy Internship Program. Audrey Berry. Neuroscience. She is attending Georgia State University to earn a master's in in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Milen Mehta Blakeman. Biological Sciences. Milan plans to pursue a career on the business side of healthcare. Allison Jamie Black. Music. Allison is attending Towson University to earn a master's in music education. Kennedy Bohm. Communication. Kennedy is entering the working world and is excited to see where the future takes her. Mallory Jordan Brilliant. English. Mallory will be attending Temple's Beasley School of Law in the fall on a full tuition scholarship. Amanda Jane Caruccio. Fashion Merchandising and Management. After studying in three countries, Amanda will be staying at UD to earn her master's in the fashion and apparel studies program. Jessica Castro-Sandoval. History Education, Jessica's working as a social studies high school teacher in southern Delaware. Kylie Sabalo. Communication. Kylie is in UD's 4 plus 1 strategic communication program and will will be earning her master's in PR Strategic Communication. Criminal Justice. Marissa will be working at the Village Hall of Port Washington North as a Village Clerk. Lillian Cloyd. Political Science and Public Policy. Lily is moving to DC to work on Capitol Hill before going back to school for a graduate degree. Aaron Bailey Cohen psychology Aaron will be exploring roles and his administrative assistant in the DC metro area Ashanti Serena Craig cognitive science she plans to travel and will consider pursuing a master's degree in the near future Alex Malone Cully fashion design and product innovation Alex is excited to work backstage on the Cooking with Columary Sisters show and begin a career in costuming. Judah Benjamin Dietrich. Psychology. He will be continuing his work in sales. Phineas Delgado. Neuroscience. Phineas will earn his masters at UD in neurosciences 4 plus 1 program. Sarah Marie DeVenny, Biological Sciences. Sarah will be taking a gap year to work in a healthcare environment and then pursue further education. Sophia DePrima, Psychology. Sophia plans to pursue a master's degree in forensic psychology. Brooke Donahue, Cognitive Science. Brooke is pursuing a master's degree in speech language pathology at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. Owen Bruce Donnelly. Biological Sciences. Owen is attending Cindy Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Megan Emmerling. Communication. She will be working in the marketing and communication industry while traveling and spending time with family. Leolina Anna Annette Farinelli. Psychology. She is taking a gap year to explore opportunities in law and legal studies with plans to attend law school. Bailey Finneran. Cognitive Science. She is working for Ally Behavior in Columbia, Maryland as an Autism Behavior Technician. Samuel Victor Fogel. History Education. Samuel will be working as a social studies teacher. Gabrielle Frazier, Communication, Gabrielle has worked hard these four years and is looking for a job in fashion journalism film or television while earning a graduate degree at UD in strategic communication. Catherine Grace Gilroy, Music Education, she is searching for a music teacher or band director position close to home. Alison Catherine Glading, Mathematics, She will be interning for Senator Chris Coons this summer. Alondra Gonzalez. Music education. She will be staying at the University of Delaware to earn her master's in music. Communication and psychology. She will be earning a master's in sports business analytics here at UD. Alana Hubbard. Anthropology and global studies. She will be working at a lab in the university this summer and plans to work towards a graduate degree in urban planning. Trinity Chase Hunt. Communication. Trinity is moving to New York to begin her career as an associate at a public relations agency with plans to attend law school. Risha Inaganti. Communications and English. She is moving back to Philadelphia to pursue a career in journalism while also freelancing for chatterblast media and the delaware journalism collaborative cameron praveen epekji biological sciences he is pursuing an mba to work towards a career in healthcare business management while working with national dental as a dental assistant and intern madison jackson mathematics she is moving to philadelphia to work catherine jennings Psychology. Katherine will be working while preparing for law school in the fall of 2026. Margaret Johnson. Maggie's earning two honors degrees in psychology and human services. She is heading to Boston College to earn a master's of social work. Ian K. Psychology and communication. Ian is heading to the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice to earn a master's of social work with a clinical concentration. Grace Kearns. Communication. Grace is working for Waters Corporation as a social engagement and communications coordinator intern while earning her master's in strategic communication from UD. Cody Everett Kelly. Neuroscience. Cody is a semifinalist for an English teaching assistantship and Fulbright alternate. His future plans are to become an advanced practice nurse. Emma Knapp, International Relations and Philosophy. Emma is a Fulbright awardee and will be on an English teaching assistantship grant in Columbia. Elodie M. Naki, Ancient Greek and Roman Studies and Math. Elodie is moving to Madison, Wisconsin to start her professional career. Alana Morgan Levine. Applied Mathematics. She is attending the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee to earn a master's and Ph .D. in mathematics. Max William Lenz. Biological Sciences. Max is attending Temple Dental School. Olivia Leoniak. History. She is working for the Y and then going to Edinburgh, Scotland to attend graduate school. Elna is earning two honors degrees in cognitive science and psychology. She is pursuing a master's in clinical psychology. Physics. He is continuing to do research at UD on white dwarf stars. International relations. She is pursuing a career in conflict mitigation. Matthew Millan. Neuroscience. He is attending Cindy Kimmel Medical School in Philadelphia. Talia Vered Miller. Communication and philosophy. Talia is moving to Vietnam to teach English as a Peace Corps volunteer. Afrin Mirza. Biological Sciences. She will be attending Cindy Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. . Spanish studies and political science. She is working as an associate director of admissions at Long Island University and hopes to simultaneously earn an MBA in global entrepreneurship. Music education. He is applying to music teaching jobs in the area. Grace Murphy. Grace plans to pursue a career in professional writing in her hometown of Howell, New Jersey. Communication. She is working for Buchanan Public Relations Three languages. She is looking to work for nonprofits to help her community in Queens. Political science. Laura will be working and applying to law school during her gap year. She plans to work in immigration law. Molly Elizabeth Oldham. Mathematics, she will begin job searching. Carrie Oliver. Actuarial Sciences, Carrie will be moving to Long Island to begin her career as an actuary. Maya Olson. Psychology, she will be doing community outreach and volunteer recruitment for the National Alliance on Mental Health in Delaware while applying to master's programs. Fashion Merchandising and Management, she'll be working as an assistant buyer for Ross in their New York City office. Hannah Parikh. Hannah is earning two honors degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology. She will be pursuing her Masters in Human Factors and Applied Cognition at George Mason University. Kelly Paramore, Mathematics and Economics. Kelly is moving to Virginia to work for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond as a research assistant. Milan Shalene Patel, Biochemistry and Accounting. He'll be working as an accountant pursuing his certified CPA license on the DAPR satellite mission. Biological Sciences. She is attending medical school at Sydney Kimmel Medical College. Political Science. Marissa is attending Villanova University's Charles Wigger School of Law. Anthropology, Political Science and Spanish Studies. Maxwell will be entering the public interest law field and intends to pursue a J.D. Biological Sciences. Kevin is taking a gap year, working as a scribe at Stony Brook University Hospital before pursuing further education. Biological Sciences. He will be working as a physical therapy clinic and applying to PT doctorate programs. Neuroscience. She will be attending Cindy Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Fashion design and product innovation. Jenna will be working as a design and product development intern at G2 Performance and working on her business, Makerware. Biological Sciences. She will be attending the University of Pennsylvania Dental Medicine. Samantha Wagner. Spanish Studies and History Education. She is seeking employment in southern Jersey as a secondary social science teacher. Griffin Michael Walls, Psychology. He will attend undergraduate combat systems officer training at Naval Air Station, Pensacola. Olivia Wayson, Communication. Olivia is pursuing a career in the film industry with the goal of working at a film studio. Maya Weaver. Anthropology. Maya will pursue a master's in genetic counseling at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. James Devon Wisely. Physics. James is attending the University of Delaware to earn an MS in quantum science and engineering. Erica Isabel Ray. Political Science, Erica will begin an internship with a litigation unit of her country's prosecutor's office and attend law school in the fall. Annalisa Franceschini, International Relations, Annalisa is taking a gap year before getting a master's overseas. Natalie Harvey. Neuroscience, Natalie is working in Pharmaceutical API in Wilmington. This concludes the honors degree candidates in the College of Arts and Sciences. Let's give them a round of applause. We will now recognize the honors degree candidates in the College of Education and Human Development. We are joined by Interim Dean, Rena Hollam. Elementary Teacher Education. Sydney will be earning a master's degree in art education while teaching at an elementary school. Nicoletta Goldberg. Human Relations. Nicoletta will be working at Moody's Human Resource Rotational Program in New York City. Kelsey Grace Hinderleiter. Elementary Teacher Education. Kelsey is attending SUNY University at Albany to earn a master's degree in reading education. Tara Kelly, elementary teacher education. Tara will be working as a special education teacher. Catherine Sophia Lilly, elementary teacher education. Kate will be completing an additional year at the University of Delaware to pursue her master's degree through the Autism and Severe Disabilities 4 plus 1 program. Grace McGinley, early childhood education. Grace is planning to get a job teaching on Long Island and going back to school to get her master's degree. Mary Novotny. Early childhood education. She is returning to her home state of Maryland to begin her career as an early childhood educator and pursue her master's of education. Ashley Tedesco. Elementary teacher education. Ashley is moving to Denver and plans to be a middle school social studies teacher. Mary Grace Wallace, Human Services. Mary Grace will be moving to Los Angeles in the fall to complete a year of service with the St. Joseph Workers Program and then will return to the East Coast to obtain her Master's of Social Work at Boston College. This concludes the honors recipients and the College of Education and Human Development. Let's give these students a round of applause. We'll now recognize the honors degree candidates in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and economics. We are joined by Dean Oliver Yau. Samia Agrawal. Management and business analytics. Samia is actively pursuing opportunities in consulting and business analytics with aspirations to work in strategic problem solving and data -driven decision making. Mohammed Khalid Salim Elhamdani. Finance. He will be an advisory consulting associate at PwC Middle East. Anusha Antala, Hospitality Business Management. Anusha will be working for Compass One Health Care as a Patient Experience Manager in Connecticut. Avery Hirsch, Marketing and Operations Management. Avery plans to continue her work with the Philadelphia Phillies and grow her career as a musical artist. She also plans to move to Hawaii for a few months. Caroline Bog. Marketing. She will be starting her career at British Petroleum working with the Castrol brand in their business sales and marketing rotational program. Carly Brunke. Finance. Carly is working for Lumen Technologies as a financial analyst. Emma Caitlin Chase. Marketing and management information systems. Emma is currently exploring opportunities with companies that share her values and offer options for growth. Edward Weston Colley. Management and sport management. He is interning for Wilmington Youth Rowing Association through the summer. Shannon Conway. Management information systems and business analytics. Shannon is working for Sunoco as a business analyst in their Business Development Division. Blaine Davis. Accounting and Operations Management. You'll be working for Falkhausen CPA in Dover. Jack Daniel Dunning. Finance and Business Analytics. He is working to get a job. Marissa Edelstein. Management Information Systems. Marissa is working for Winston Retail as a systems analyst. James Patrick Facey. Finance and Management Information Systems. James is excited to be starting work this summer in Philadelphia. Cooper Feeney. Economics. Cooper is attending University of Delaware to earn a master's degree in water science and policy. Bryce Franklin. Accounting. He will be working at Santora CPA Group starting in August. Lewis Fevrin. Finance and business analytics. Lewis is planning to work in the financial services industry. Megan May George. Marketing. She will be pursuing a career in photojournalism. Gabriela Gioli. Marketing. Gabriela is continuing to interview for full-time roles. Jared Matthew Greenberg. Finance and Business Analytics. Jared is moving to Arlington, Virginia to work for Deloitte. Emma Randall Holt. Finance. She is working for Adapt Health as a financial planner and analyst. Harrison Horn. Accounting. Harrison is working as an audit associate for KPMG in Philadelphia. Raymond Vincent Infusi IV. Finance, Raymond is pursuing a career in corporate finance. Jack Wolf Jablonski. Finance, after graduation, you will be moving back home and working for a company called Freedom Mortgage. International Business Studies and Marketing, she'll begin working at JPMorgan Chase as a Leadership Development Program Analyst. Cara Kemos. Management. She'll be working in France as an English teaching assistant. Sarah Klimo. Accounting. Sarah is pursuing her CPA license and will be working for Grant Thornton as an audit associate. Caitlin Sophie Kurniawan. International Business Studies and Marketing. Katie is living the digital nomad dream as a remote digital media associate for People First Marketing. This November, she's off to visit the Philippines and Singapore. Ian LaDuke Accounting and Business Analytics Ian will be working for Ernst & Young in Boston He also plans to earn his CPA license Audrey Lemon Accounting She is going to start her career in KPMG's New Orleans office as an audit associate Matthew Arstark Finance and Business Analytics Matthew will be attending NYU Stern to earn a master's degree in accounting International Business Studies and Marketing. She'll be working in tech sales in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Economics. Keegan will be moving to Arizona to work in the public sector for economics before attending either graduate school for economics or law school. Paige Colleen Metzler Marketing and Operations Management Paige is currently interviewing for opportunities in the Philadelphia area Christian Miller Finance and Management Next year he'll be completing his master's degree in finance at UD Owen Murphy Economics and Management Information Systems He is moving to Washington, D.C. to work for Deloitte Consulting as an analyst Sarah Musica Marketing and management. After graduation, Sauer is working as a manager in the hospitality industry. She plans on attending law school in September, 2026. Marciano O'Malley. Finance. She is moving back to New York to pursue her career in finance. Hannah Pasch. Operations management. Hannah is moving to Pittsburgh to work for BNY Mellon as an operations analyst. Finance and Economics. She is working at UBS as an Investment Banking Analyst in New York City. Marketing. Upon graduation, Nick will be entering the workforce. Accounting and Finance. Joseph will be attending Notre Dame for next year for grad school, getting a Masters in Accountancy there. David Bevier Jacob Robinson. Marketing, he'll be working as a technical recruiter at Tech Systems in Conchahokan. Nicole Elizabeth Samarco. Marketing and Operations Management. Nicole is moving to Boston to work for Dell Technologies. She's dedicating her medal to her late father, Gary. Owen Schneider. Finance and Management Information Systems. He is working for Epic as a project manager in Madison, Wisconsin. Nathaniel W. Solomon, Finance, Nathaniel is moving to Salt Lake City to work for Goldman Sachs as a funding analyst. Emily Sposato, Hospitality Business Management, she is exploring diverse opportunities in hospitality with a particular interest in event planning. finance and business analytics james is planning to work as an equities analyst katherine strothman marketing and business analytics she is pursuing a career in marketing analytics in boston katherine trupia marketing and operations management she is working for Verizon as a Digital Marketing Analyst. Economics and Finance. After graduating, David will continue working as an Economic Analyst at Prudential Financial. Accounting and Management Information Systems. He is working for PwC in Philadelphia as an External Auditor. Leah Walter. Economics and Finance. She'll be moving to New York City this summer where she'll be working at Goldman Sachs in Asset Management. Benjamin Weiss. Economics. Benjamin will be pursuing a career in Financial Analysis. Gemma Williamson. Marketing. Gemma will be working at TA Instruments on the Global Marketing Team. This concludes the honors recipients in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. Let's give them another round of applause. We will now recognize the honors degree with distinction candidates in the College of Engineering. Dean Pam Norris will join us as well as Dr. Roland Dow. Suda Anilkumar. Biomedical Engineering. Suda is joining the NIH as a research fellow and will apply to MD-PhD programs. Nikos Dimitrio. Biomedical Engineering. He is seeking employment in the drug delivery and discovery field and hopes to continue his passion for research. Zachary Dixon. Zachary is earning two honors degrees, Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science and Biology. He is attending MIT to earn a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Aiden Gensher. Chemical Engineering. Aiden is pursuing a PhD in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Iowa State University. Charlotte Gatia. Chemical Engineering. Charlotte is moving to Chicago as a field service engineer for Honeywell and will be a technical advisor for petrochemical manufacturing plants around the world. Malika Iyer. Computer Science, Malika is working as a software engineer in Texas. Tanmiyi Joshi. Biomedical Engineering, plans to pursue a career in the medical device industry. Andrew Kallai. Computer Science, Andrew is attending the University of Delaware to earn a PhD in Computer Science. Genevieve Crowell. Chemical Engineering. She is moving to Chicago to work for Honeywell as a Global Field Service Engineer. Gabriel Ma. Biomedical Engineering. He'll be working as a medical assistant and traveling during his gap year before attending medical school. Ryan McMahon. Civil Engineering. He is staying at UD in the four plus one for a Master's of Civil Engineering with a concentration in Transportation and Civil Infrastructure. Alex Mulrooney. Electrical Engineering. Alex is attending University of Delaware to earn a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Russell Perdue. Mechanical Engineering. He will be continuing at UD to earn a Master's in Mechanical Engineering. Chemical Engineering. She will be attending the University of Michigan to earn a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Biomedical Engineering. She is earning a Ph.D. through the Lampy Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the North Carolina Chapel Hill and North Carolina State Universities. Chemical Engineering. He is attending Arizona State University to earn a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. Environmental Engineering. Jackson is pursuing a Master's in Environmental Risk Engineering at Duke University. Laura Weinstein. Biomedical Engineering. She is pursuing a Ph .D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Buffalo to achieve a career in academia and scientific publishing. Charles Wilton. Mechanical Engineering. He is attending the University of Illinois Urbana -Champaign to earn a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Hannah White. Chemical Engineering. Hannah is attending Northeastern University to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Makai Williams. Chemical Engineering. Makai is attending Northwestern University for a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Avery Wolverton. Biomedical Engineering. Avery plans to work as an EMT and volunteer in her community for a year before attending medical school. Catherine Zuccaro, Biomedical Engineering. She is attending the University of Delaware to earn a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. And this concludes our honors degree with distinction recipients in the College of Engineering. Let's give them a round of applause. Benita Abraham, Computer Science. She is working for JPMorgan Chase in Wilmington as a software engineer. Georgia Angela Takas, Environmental Engineering, Georgia is pursuing a master's degree in water science and engineering at a university in Germany with the help of the Federation of German American Club scholarship. Arvind Arunachalam, Chemical Engineering, he'll be working for applied control engineering as a controls engineer. Altaf Bacchus, chemical engineering, Altaf is attending the Georgia Institute of Technology to earn a PhD in bioengineering as an NSF GRFP recipient. Cameron Baines, mechanical engineering, he is working as a fixed equipment and reliability engineer at the Delaware City Refinery. Natalie Barcia, Biomedical Engineering, Natalie will be working at Abbott as an Associate Clinical Specialist. Emily Barniak, Computer Science, she is working for W.L. Gore and Associates in Digital Sales and Marketing. Michael Bryant, Civil Engineering, he will be entering the workforce as an Entry -Level Engineer. He is working on his master's in robotics at the University of Delaware. Logan Butler. Mechanical engineering. Logan is entering the work force as a mechanical engineer working at Stanley Black & Decker. Kira Byers. Biomedical engineering. She is working on his master's in robotics at the University of Delaware. She is working for Abbott in Philadelphia as the clinical associate assisting health care professionals with electrophysiology projects. Jillian Camp. Computer science. Jillian will be working for W.L. Bohr and Associates as a software developer in the Bohr Performance Solutions Division. Bryce Carlson. Electrical engineering. Bryce is attending the University of Delaware to complete his master's in electrical engineering. Lucas Castle. Mechanical engineering. Lucas is working towards a master's in mechanical engineering here at UD through the four plus one program. Gavin Caulfield. Computer science. He is attending Dutchess Congressional College in Electro -Engineering. Amanda Ciaramella. Biomedical engineering. She is hoping to work in the medical device industry. If you or anyone else you know is hiring, please let her know. Ryan Cole. Mechanical Engineering. Ryan is looking for work in product design. John Henry Cooper. Computer Science. He is pursuing a master's in data science through UD's 4 plus 1 program. Genevieve Cordero. Environmental engineering. She is moving back to Boston to work as an engineer in potable water consulting. Alexandra Croci. Computer science. She'll be an associate software engineer with SciTech and continuing her ballroom dancing at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Lamberville. Devon Cummings. Computer science. He is returning to the University of Delaware to earn a master's degree in computer science. Andrew Dalton, chemical engineering. Andrew is joining the manufacturing industry in the New York City metropolitan area. Saki Desai, computer science and finance. Saki will be working at JPMorgan Chase as a software engineer while earning her master's degree in computer science from the University of Delaware. Lauren DeSantis, mechanical engineering. Lauren is entering a rotational leadership program in mechanical engineering with Stanley Black & Decker. Caitlin Doan. Mechanical engineering. Caitlin is looking for employment in engineering testing and analysis. Marcos Dewey. Mechanical engineering. Marcus is moving to Maryland to work for Boeing as a flight test and evaluation engineer for military aircraft. David Alejandro Esquivel. Mechanical Engineering. He'll be working for Avent in Birmingham, Alabama. Justin Farquhar. Mechanical Engineering. He is continuing at the University of Delaware to earn his master's in business administration. Owen Ferron. Mechanical Engineering. He will be a nuclear engineer for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Aiden Fleishocker. Mechanical Engineering. Aiden plans on being happy. Mark Allen Forster. Mechanical Engineering. Mark is working in industry. Caroline Gilliard. Environmental Engineering. She is working for Pannoni as a water resource engineer in Baltimore, Maryland. Samantha Glover. Computer Science. She is moving to New England to work for Liberty Mutual Insurance as a software engineer. Envita Gontina. Chemical Engineering. She'll be working for DuPont as a process engineer. Katia Isabeau-Hain. Mechanical Engineering. She'll be returning to UD next year to attend the 4 Plus 1 program and earn her master's in mechanical engineering. Joseph Paul Hooper. Computer science. He is moving to Maryland to work for the federal government as a software developer. Maximas Iacono. Chemical engineering. He'll be working as a controls engineer for applied controls engineering in Newark, Delaware. computer science, Taylor will be working for Hilton as a software engineer. Ashley Callen, chemical engineering. Ashley will be working at Eli Lillian company in Indianapolis as a process development engineer. Khan Karatesh, mechanical engineering. He is attending business school in Barcelona to earn a master's degree in international management. Electrical Engineering. He is attending the University of Delaware to earn a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering. Caleb Lawson. Chemical Engineering. Caleb is obtaining his master's in biopharmaceutical sciences while working at AstraZeneca. Noah Leslie. Mechanical Engineering. Noah is moving to Raleigh, North Carolina to pursue work. Elizabeth Manning. Environmental Engineering. She plans to work in environmental remediation in Philadelphia. Joshua Martinez. Computer Science. Joshua is moving to San Francisco to work for Google as a software engineer. Connor McCleary. Mechanical Engineering. Connor is in the graduate program at Yale University where he will continue research in electrochemical energy storage devices. Melanie Heider. Material Science and Engineering. Melanie is attending Johns Hopkins University to earn a PhD in Material Science and Engineering. Electrical engineering. He is pursuing a master's degree in electrical engineering. Computer science. Joy is working as a sophomore engineer at Google in San Francisco. Sindhu Narayan. Biomedical Engineering. Sindhu plans to attend UD to pursue her master's in biopharmaceutical sciences. Liam Naughton. Civil Engineering. He is working for TPD as a highway design specialist. Christopher James Ogorman. Chemical Engineering. He is focusing on attaining his professional engineering license. Robert Oratorio. Robert has two degrees in chemical engineering and computer science. He is planning to work in software engineering. Neurali N. Parikh. Chemical engineering. She is seeking a job in cosmetic chemistry. Computer Science, she is attending Mapua University to earn a master's in Information Technology. Chemical Engineering, he will be attending the University of Florida to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Christopher Peters, biomedical engineering, he is pursuing a career in the medical device industry. Gavin Redgrave, mechanical engineering, Gavin will spend the summer traveling across Europe over 15 countries in 45 days and then plans to enter the workforce. Nicholas Regal, Electrical Engineering. Nicholas is still weighing his options in the embedded engineering field. Nathaniel Real. Electrical Engineering. He was awarded a research assistantship to earn an MS in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Delaware. Ryan Robison. Mechanical Engineering. Ryan is pursuing an MBA from Delaware through the four plus one program. Computer Science. She will be joining JPMorgan Chase as a sophomore engineer in Wilmington. Tyler Salmon. Mechanical Engineering. Tyler works for Air Products in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Evan Kai Scott, chemical engineering. Evan plans to enter industry. Adrian Sukhan, chemical engineering. He will be pursuing a master's degree in material science with the University of Delaware's 4 plus 1 program. Dia Shah, computer science. Dia is working as a sophomore engineer in New York City. John Shaw. Computer Engineering. John is attending UD for the 4 plus 1 Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Aman Singh. Computer Science. He will be completing his Master's in Computer Science here at UD. Abigail Spangler. Chemical Engineering. She will be attending the University of Michigan to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Makana Steinmetz. Biomedical Engineering. She will be getting a Master's in Biopharmaceutical Science through the University of Delaware while working at Bristol -Myers Squibb. Alexandra Morgan-Swanek. Biomedical Engineering. She is pursuing a career in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on advancing women's health. Justin Michael Swing. Chemical Engineering. Justin is currently searching for employment and considering taking a gap year. Timothy Charles Talbot. Mechanical Engineering. He is working for Atlantis Industries in Georgetown, Delaware. Kylie Taylor. Mechanical Engineering. She is moving to Philadelphia to seek employment in the engineering field. Jason Gabriel Vera. Mechanical engineering. Jason will be attending the University of Delaware's four plus one program for a master's in mechanical engineering. Nihal Walia. Chemical engineering. He is uncertain about his future, but has goals for big pharma. Thomas Weeks. Electrical engineering. He will be working for the Delaware Electoral Cooperative in Greenwood, Delaware as a grid resilience engineer. Jesse Wiener. A medical engineer. Jesse will be working for Cayence Cooperative in Colorado. Ava West. Computer Science. She is working as a software engineer while continuing her research on the intersection of computer science and chemistry and expanding outreach efforts to inspire younger students. Joshua Whitehead. Chemical Engineering. Joshua is fully funded to be in UD's MS, Chemical Engineering Biopharmaceutical Sciences Program. Ruth Wilhelm. Biomedical Engineering. Ruth is working as a Medical Device Engineer for W.L. Gore and Associates in Elkton, Maryland. Ella Wilkins. Computer Science. Ella is working for MasterCard in Manhattan. Kayla Annette Wolf. Chemical Engineering. Kayla will be an engineer for Merck & Company as part of their Technical Operations Rotational Program in West Point, Pennsylvania. Grace Wooten. Environmental Engineering. Grace is moving to Baltimore to work for EA Engineering Science and Technology as a Site Characterization and remediation engineer. Benjamin Logan Yarrow, mechanical engineering. Benjamin is getting his master's next year at the University of Delaware. Edward Yu, mechanical engineering. Edward is working in the areas of mechanical design and ergonomic innovation based off of environmental sustainability. And this concludes the honors degree recipients in the College of Engineering. We will now recognize the honors degree with distinction candidates in the College of Health Sciences. Dean Bill Farquhar will join us as well as Dr. Roland Dow. Alexa Harrison. Nutrition and Dietetics. Alexa will be staying at UD to earn her master's degree in human nutrition. Elena Lin. Health Behavior Science. Elena is staying at UD and getting her Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology. Samantha Alexandra Musa. Nursing. Samantha will be working as a registered nurse and is actively pursuing publication of her honors thesis on quality of life in high school students with congenital heart defects. Bridget O'Donnell. Health Behavior Science. She'll be working as a dietetic assistant with Atlantic Health System at Morristown Medical Center. This concludes the honors degree with distinction recipients in the College of Health Sciences. Let's give them a round of applause. Neola Ajayi. Human Physiology. During her gap year, she'll work in clinical research and study for the MCAT as she prepares to apply to medical school. Eric Aquino. Exercise Science. They plan to apply to physical therapy schools in the fall. Camille Victoria Bello. Health Behavior Science and Human Services. Camille will be working as a missions director at the River Church and also as a direct care worker at Zoe Ministries. Alexis Bento. Exercise Science. Alexis will be attending University of Delaware to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Catherine Victoria Brechtbill. Nursing. She is pursuing a nursing career in women's health. Pauline Christine Brilouet. Human Physiology, Pauline will be living in Long Beach, California for a gap year before attending a Physician Assistant graduate program. Matthew Carr. Human Physiology, Matthew will be attending medical school at Sydney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Human Physiology, she'll be attending Temple University to earn a Master's in Physician Assistant Studies. Kinesiology, Julia will be attending St. Joseph's University to pursue her doctorate in Occupational Therapy. Ryan Disco, Kinesiology, Ryan will be continuing his education at West Chester University where he will be obtaining a master's degree in physician assistant studies. Eve Doyle, Nutrition and Dietetics, Eve is continuing her education at University of Delaware through the 4 plus 1 human nutrition program to obtain her master's degree. Abigail Marie Fisher, Kinesiology, she'll be attending the University of Connecticut to earn her master's degree in athletic training. Elizabeth Fowler, Medical Diagnostics, Elizabeth is taking a gap year while applying to physician assistant programs. Gabriella Girardi, Nutrition and Dietetics, Gabriella will continue her education at the University of Delaware while she where she will earn a master's degree in human nutrition with a focus in health coaching once a registered dietitian she hopes to begin her career in clinical pediatric nutrition Anna Riley Greenstein medical diagnostics Anna is taking a gap year to work on getting her patient contact hours she'll be working as a phlebotomist and then applying to PA school Beatrice Grace Guarino medical diagnostics she is currently applying to PA school and taking the summer to gain new life and healthcare experiences. Jumaris Hernandez. Human Physiology. She's going to work in the medical field and is planning on going back to medical school later on. Kayla Jean Jackson. Exercise Science. Kayla will be working as a physical therapy assistant in an outpatient clinic. Jennifer Kung. Nursing. Jennifer will be joining Christiana Care as a registered nurse in their postpartum nurse residency program. Jessica Lee. Nursing. Jessica will return to Long Island where she plans to sit for the NCLEX and begin her career as a registered nurse, hoping to specialize in neonatal or pediatric critical care. Raquel Sophia Levin. Human Physiology. She'll be working in Philadelphia doing clinical research during her gap year before attending medical school. Lauren Elaine Maransky. Nursing. Lauren is moving to Philadelphia and working as a registered nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Isabella Pudeta Marcus. Exercise Science. She's working for a biotechnology company in New Jersey with plans to pursue a PhD. Jessica Mori, kinesiology. Jessica is attending the University of Delaware's physical therapy program to earn her doctorate in physical therapy. Madeline Olivia McWatters, medical diagnostics. She'll be attending West Chester University to obtain a master's degree in physician assistant studies. Erin Elizabeth Morrissey, Medical Diagnostics, she'll be moving to Rehoboth to gain professional experience before starting physician assistant school next year. Nutrition and Medical Sciences, she'll work as a clinical research coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Nutritional Science and Medicine. After this experience she plans to apply to medical school. Nursing, Emma will be working as a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit at Christiana Care through their critical care nurse residency program. Human Physiology, she is attending Illinois College of Optometry to earn a doctorate in optometry. Human Physiology, she is attending the Sydney Kimmel Medical College to pursue an M.D. Nursing, she is currently working at ChristianaCare Hospital as a student nurse extern and is planning to continue working there as a registered nurse. Human Physiology, Avery is planning to apply to medical school during the 2026 application cycle. In the meantime, she is moving to New York City to pursue research. Megan Redding, Kinesiology, she is headed to Northeastern University to pursue her doctorate in physical therapy. Anna F. Reilly, Nutrition and Medical Sciences. Anna is planning on taking a gap year in preparation for medical school. In the meantime, she'll be working as an orthopedic medical assistant. Abby Bay Skeena. Human Physiology. She's starting this summer at the Sydney Kimmel College of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University to earn her M.D. Gina Smythe. Kinesiology. Gina is pursuing clinical researcher positions while applying to industrial design schools for sneaker design and development. Exercise science. Shane is pursuing a master's degree in health care informatics. Nursing. She is pursuing a nursing career in oncology. Medical diagnostics. She is continuing to work as an EMT as she applies to physicians assistant master's programs. Anna Marion Thomas. Anna is earning two honors degrees, a BS in human physiology and a BA in Spanish studies. Anna is taking a gap year and working as a dental assistant at her local dentist's office and she is currently applying to dental school. She's looking forward to spending time with family and friends and sleeping at least eight hours a night. Daniel Armstrong Thorpe. Exercise Science. Daniel is planning on taking a gap year to get additional work experience, after which he plans to apply to sports science, strength and conditioning graduate programs along the East Coast. Percival Tran. Applied Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. He is working for QPS after graduation to gain experience about biotechnology and industry. Michael Anthony Vigiani, Exercise Science, he is working as an EMT before applying to Physician Assistant Master's programs. Benjamin Wells, Health Behavior Science, he will be attending Boston College to pursue a Master's in Nursing. toward becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Ava Williams. Kinesiology. She'll be attending Baylor College of Medicine to earn a master's degree in orthotics and prosthetics. Jessica K. Wu. Nursing. She'll be working as a nurse. Audrey Elise Zierden. Nursing. She is going to be working as a transplant ICU nurse in Pittsburgh. This concludes the honors degree candidates in the College of Health Sciences. Let's give them another round of applause. We will now recognize the honors degree with distinction candidates in the Biden School of Public Policy. Interim Dean Joseph Traynor will join us, as well as Dr. Roland Dow. Jenna DeMayo. Jenna is earning two honors degrees, economics and public policy and political science. Jenna will be attending Georgia State University to pursue a joint J.D. Masters of Public Administration. Grace Mahoney. Public Policy and International Relations. Grace will be attending Georgetown University to earn her master's in foreign service while taking elective courses in refugee studies and humanitarian practice. Olivia Grace Ferrier. This concludes the honors degree with distinction recipients in the Biden School of Public Policy. Olivia Ferreira. Public Policy and Political Science. Livia plans to pursue a career of public interest law and be working with incarcerated individuals as a case manager at George W. Hill Corrections Facility. Caleb Mathis. Public policy and political silence. Caleb is obtaining a master's of public administration through the 4 plus 1 Biden School program. And this concludes the honors degree recipients in the Biden School. Let's give them a round of applause. We'll now recognize the honors degree with distinction candidates in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. Dean Fabrice Verone will join us, as well as Dr. Roland Dow. Maya Feinstein. Environmental Science. Maya will attend Rutgers University to pursue a PhD in oceanography. She will be working to improve the prediction of extreme weather events and understand the coupled ocean atmosphere system. Alyssa Wenzel, Tara Meadors. Environmental Science. Tara plans to work in the GIS field before pursuing a graduate degree in soil science. Alyssa Wenzel. Alyssa is earning honors degree, a degree in marine science and public policy. She will be applying to PhD programs. Amanda Winton. Marine science. Amanda will be spending the summer as a sea turtle educator in North Carolina and then moving to New Jersey to work for Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. This concludes the honors degree with distinction recipients in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. Andrew Callahan. Environmental Science. Andrew is funded for a master's degree at the University of Delaware in the Geography Program. Shana Demick. Environmental Science. Shana is attending Johns Hopkins University to pursue a master's in environmental health. Julia Robin Diamond. Marine Science and Biological Sciences. Julia is taking a gap year to work in shadow while applying to veterinary school. Madison Gayle Holt. Environmental Science. Madison plans to join the workforce in an environmental science position. We're not sure what her plans are. She plans to pursue graduate school in atmospheric climate science, potentially after gaining additional experience. Sean McCarthy, Environmental Science. He is working for Maryland Environmental Service as a GIS specialist. Flavia Moore, Marine Science. Flavia is currently pursuing higher education in environmental science and climate resilience. Madeline Naslerod, Environmental Science. Maddie will be taking a gap year to serve as a Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps member before continuing her education in a master's program. Rachel Schiff. Marine Science. Rex plans to work focusing on field work data collection and research support and eventually join a PhD program centered on coastal ecosystems and the impacts of climate change. Priya Thambaraj. Environmental Science. Priya will be working for the University of Salzburg in Austria as a resident assistant for American students studying abroad. She hopes to stay in Austria to pursue further education. And this concludes the honors degree candidates in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. Let's give them a round of applause. Thank you, Donna. Congratulations to all of our graduates. graduates. Every year I am overwhelmed by how much these graduates have accomplished and by the amazing next steps in their career that they have shared with us. Let us give one final round of applause to our honors degree and degree with distinction candidates. As we close out our ceremony, let me share some final thoughts. I know that each of you are different than the person who became a Blue Hen just four years ago. I saw tremendous transformation in my children who both graduated from UD recently and I am sure that if you ask those close to you they will tell you how proud they are of the person you have become. Like the 49 UD honors classes that have graduated before you, as we all just saw and heard, the class of 2025 is truly remarkable. Some of you are headed to medical school, law school, or graduate school at the very best institutions in the country. Others are off to work for some of the nation's most prestigious employers, and I am pleased to see how many aspiring teachers and nurses we are sending out into the world. As Dean of the Honors College, I could not be more proud of you. At commencement on Saturday morning, you will graduate and become Honors alumni. In advance of that event, let me welcome you to our network of more than 12 ,000 honors alumni. Please join our LinkedIn network so you can connect with some of those 12,000 alumni. And let me be the first to extend an invitation to join us at our annual honors alumni reception on Saturday, June 7th from 3 to 5 right in front of the honors building. And even if you can't make it this year, please don't forget about us. There are many ways to remain engaged with UD Honors, and to help the next generation. Many people who came before you have helped to make this day possible for you, and I hope that someday you will do the same for future Honors Blue Hens. Finally, since one of today's themes has been gratitude and appreciation, I want to say thank you to all of the Honors staff and volunteers that made today's event possible. Will those people please rise, and will you please join me in thanking them? We will close the ceremony with a recessional, but before we do, please join me in welcoming Noah Mummert, who will lead us in the singing of the alma mater, which I believe will be shown on the big screens. Hail to thee, proud Delaware, in loyalty we stand. we give thee thanks for glory. Thank you Noah. All right final part the platform party and the honors graduates will now process through the back doors from which we entered. Family and guests please remain at your seats until we have left the field house. Once that has happened you can leave through the front doors or the side doors to my right and meet up with your students outside. I wish you a wonderful rest of the day and a great commencement on Saturday and other convocations to follow. Thank you all. Congratulations.
2025 Honors Medal Ceremony
From Jason Hinmon May 28, 2025
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