Hannah Barrett is a Commonwealth Honors College student and a psychology major with a particular interest in stigma and stereotyping. Her senior thesis focused on the social and psychological well-being of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, an area of psychology that has been relatively understudied. Hannah has been awarded a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship to conduct research related to hearing loss at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. She says, “My thesis and the research I plan to conduct will, I hope, contribute to improve the experience of those with hearing loss here in the Commonwealth and throughout the country.”
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Susan Whitbourne, Professor, Psychology
Taylor Gagnon is passionate about community health and specifically the prevention and treatment of obesity. An exercise science major, Taylor graduates with a GPA of 3.9. Taylor has extensive community volunteer and work experience; she coached indoor soccer and ice skating, and also worked as an EMT. On campus, she volunteered at GoKids Boston, UMass Boston’s unique research- and practice-based center working to treat and prevent childhood obesity. This semester, Taylor interned for Mass in Motion in New Bedford, which is part of a 14-city initiative to prevent obesity-related chronic diseases. She also recently founded Get Up & Grow Yoga, a yoga program for children and teenagers. Upon graduation, Taylor plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health.
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dana Commesso, Undergraduate Program
Director and Lecturer, Exercise and Health Sciences
Peter T. Schock is a finance major who earned a 4.0 GPA in his major and a 3.91 overall GPA. Active in student government throughout his UMass Dartmouth career, Peter was elected by students as their representative to the UMass Board of Trustees. Peter overcame serious health setbacks at a young age and has been very active in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, serving on the National Youth Leadership Council and participating in the organization’s fundraising and political outreach efforts. Peter has been hired by EMC Corporation into its finance training program. He also intends to remain active on behalf of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and Children’s Hospital in Boston, where he was treated for his illness.
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Michael Anderson, Professor, Finance
Marck-Arthur Clerveau is a resident adviser and first-year student adviser for UMass Lowell Residence Life. He also served as president of the Association of Students of African Origin (ASAO) and was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Men Achieving Leadership Excellence and Success (MALES), and the UMass Lowell Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council. Marck has also been a UMass Lowell Student Alumni Ambassador, a UMass Lowell Conduct Board volunteer, and the local ad manager for the student newspaper, the UMass Lowell Connector. Marck’s studies in engineering have focused on green energy and power electronics. Accepted into the UMass Lowell Manning School of Business, he will pursue a master of science degree in innovation and technological entrepreneurship.
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Brenda Evans, Associate Dean of Students,
Student and Community Engagement
Abraham Jaffe is a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, awarded to individuals dedicated to addressing the health needs of underserved communities. Abraham helped design and open a free health clinic for the African immigrant community in Worcester. Abraham has volunteered at the African Children’s Education Program as a tutor, served on the UMMS Student Body Committee, and helped raise over $10,500 for local charities. He was president of the International Student Interest Group and led a group of 11 medical and nurse practitioner students on a medical mission to Guatemala. Abraham has also worked in Mali, where he helped to organize and run the country’s first pilot program for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, and he completed a clinical rotation in general surgery at a hospital in Lima, Peru. An Arlington native, Abraham will continue his residency at the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Michael Hirsh, MD, Professor of Surgery and
Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Surgery and Trauma
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