UMass Lowell graduate Mubarak Ayinla, left, of Lowell, received a Chancellor’s Medal for Community Service from Chancellor Julie Chen. / BILL McCORMACK photo for UMass Lowell
LOWELL – UMass Lowell honored the outstanding members of the Class of 2025 at the university’s annual student awards celebration Friday, May 16, as part of weekend-long Commencement festivities.
Student recipients of this year’s Commencement Awards were recognized for their scholastic and athletic achievements, service to others, and their efforts to foster a welcoming experience, both on campus and in the community. The award winners, along with student government leaders and student Commencement speakers, were recognized at an event held at UMass Lowell’s University Crossing.
This year, 64 awards were presented. Eleven students received the Trustees Key for completing all four years of their undergraduate career at UMass Lowell with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. Their hometowns and fields of study are:
- Agawam: Sarah Ross, plastics engineering
- Braintree: Samuel Sailesh, biology
- Lancaster: William Lefebvre, environmental science
- Lowell: Carolina Cabral, criminal justice
- Lowell: Alex Fitzner, mechanical engineering
- Lowell: Anna Screaks, history
- Seekonk: Stephanie Letourneau, political science
- Tyngsborough: Samantha Cooke, business administration
- Wakefield: Anthony Amatucci, political science
- Westford: Andrew Barsch, business administration
- Mount Airy, MD: Feriel Tin-Hinan Boudif, biology
Each of the Trustees Key recipients also received a Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Academic Achievement, which honors bachelor’s degree recipients who have attained the highest GPA in each of UMass Lowell’s colleges. Other graduates who received this medal are:
- Boxford: Layne Busch, liberal arts
- Dennis: Kimberley Parker, psychology
- Dracut: Ryan Saadah, computer science
- Framingham: Elowyn Carlyle, psychology
- Haverhill: Corey Kummel, education
- Lowell: Michelle Ly, computer science
- Lowell: Thom O’Shields, civil engineering
- Lynn: Craig Christophel, information technology
- Methuen: Noelle Karl, psychology
- Natick: Lindsey Rennick, psychology
- Stoneham: Emily Lauretano, exercise science
- Tyngsborough: Sophia Paolillo, psychology
- Westford: Caroline Shirley, psychology
- Cumming, Ga.: Manford Gayhart Jr., information technology
- Bedford, N.H.: Jennifer Kalies, electrical engineering
- Londonderry, N.: McKenna Blake, computer science
- Nashua, N.H.: Andrea Garcia, graphic design
- Windsor, Maine: Matthew Vogel, English
- Roscommon, Mich.: Mary Ellis, English
- Vancouver Island, B.C.: Cyrus Aquilini, mechanical engineering
Chancellor’s Medal for Student Service award winners were recognized for their exemplary contributions to campus life. The eight honorees are:
- Brockton: Jamia Andrade, biology
- Franklin: Collin Gallagher, business administration
- Lowell: Kuldeep Sinh Derola, mechanical engineering
- Lowell: Angel Mokelumne, business administration
- Melrose: Casey McCauley, criminal justice
- North Andover: Abigail Mastromonaco, plastics engineering
- Wakefield: Anthony Amatucci, political science
- Gibbsboro, N.J.: Catherine Kleeman, environmental science
Six students received the Chancellor’s Medal for Community Service in recognition of their significant contributions to the public good. The honorees are:
- Lowell: Mubarak Ayinla, chemistry
- Lowell: Tony Braxton, sociology
- Methuen: Kadey Vanned, biology
- Peabody: Sydney O’Donnell, business administration
- Raynham: Amee Patel, nursing
- Westford: Carrie Shirley, psychology
The university recognized six students for their achievements in fostering a sense of belonging on campus and throughout the community. The recipients of the Chancellor’s Medal for Diversity and Inclusion are:
- Fitchburg: Olamide Bambusa Abiodun, business administration
- Harwich: Victoria Ainsworth, physics
- Leicester: Hailey Appiah-Opoku, business administration
- Revere: Christine DeLano is, psychology
- Tyngsborough: Sandi DeRuntz, liberal arts
- Washington, D.C.: Adriana Mendez, business administration
Sarah Ross, who also received a Trustees Key and Chancellor’s Medal for Academic Achievement, was also named the university’s 2025 Scholar-Athlete. The honor recognizes the athlete who attained the highest grade-point average among students who have participated in varsity sports for all four years of their undergraduate career. Ross was a member of the UMass Lowell women’s cross-country/track and field team.
