Commencement Spotlights

Much of the class of 2024 began their college career remotely during the height of a global pandemic. But unprecedented times created adaptive, resilient, and tenacious students, who found ways to make the most out of their college experiences.

By studying abroad, founding student clubs and organizations, advancing to graduate school, and opening a new Esports lab, the class of 2024 has embodied UMass Dartmouth's mission to serve as an intellectual catalyst for economic, social, and cultural transformation.

Valleri Rami, MFA student at UMassD's College of Visual and Performing Arts
Valleri Rami '21: Art & leadership

Artist Valleri Rami talks about the CVPA’s rigorous MFA program & developing her confidence through leadership roles.
Cachelle Johnson Lewis, UMassD College of Engineering student
Cachelle Johnson-Lewis '21 joins Dell EMC

Networking & pursuing professional development + leadership opportunities helped prepare Cachelle for her full-time position as a project/program management analyst at Dell EMC.
Osamah Farasat Maqsood, UMassD alum
Osamah (Sam) Maqsood '20: Building a network

Networking, leadership roles, & the supportive UMassD community helped Osamah define his career endeavors.
Melanie Luperon
Melanie Luperon '21: Gaining real-world experience

Melanie, a computer engineering major, says real-world experience, collaborative research projects, & extracurricular activities prepared her for her full-time position as an analyst with Dell EMC.
Larain Taylor
Larain Taylor ’21: An entrepreneurial mind

Blending community service work, networking, and exposure to big business is part of Larain’s strategy for inventing her future as an entrepreneur.
Abderahmane Naidjate, UMass Dartmouth College of Engineering student
Abderahmane Naidjate '21 joins Dell EMC

Abderahmane Naidjate '21, who graduates next month with his BS in Computer Engineering, talks about how UMassD has fostered his career path and helped him segue into a full-time position as a project/program manager at Dell EMC.
Psychology major, Honors College student
Commencement Spotlight: Catherine Pope '21

Psychology major Catherine Pope creates a resource manual for survivors of domestic violence that demonstrates new APEX research experience developed by the Honors College

James Tooker, graphic design student at UMassD
James Tooker '21: Exploring color spectrum

An awe-inspiring glimpse of nature led James to create "Interspectral," a CVPA senior capstone project in which audiences of all ages can interactively explore the color spectrum.
William Holman
William Holman '21: The art of collaboration

William, a physics major, talks about having a well-rounded academic experience due to his involvement in collaborative research projects & student organizations.
Devin Cannistraro, UMassD College of Engineering student
Devin Cannistraro '21: Preparing to lead

Devin talks about understanding the balance between leading and following as he prepares to enter the real world.
Alexander Moulton, Veterans Assistant
Alexander Moulton '21: Becoming a leader

Alexander, a UMassD veterans assistant and former senator for the Student Government Association, discusses the importance and benefits of embracing leadership opportunities.
Brooke Lowman at IMS Symposium
Brooke Lowman '21: The value of studying at SMAST

Brooke talks about the value of her experiences & the return on her investment as a PhD student at SMAST.