Madina Afzaly

Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Madina Afzaly is graduating with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. She was just one year away from completing her medical degree in Afghanistan when the Taliban seized control in 2021 and she was forced to flee the country abruptly. In Afghanistan, Madina spent two years working in the operating room as a surgeon's assistant and also conducted a year of breast cancer research. Upon arriving in the USA, she faced challenges in obtaining her official transcripts from Afghanistan and had to start over in getting her undergraduate degree. Madina diligently studied to become fluent in English and began her studies at Camden County College. After years of hard work, Madina is set to graduate and plans to apply to medical school to pursue her dream of becoming a surgeon. Madina's perseverance in the face of extreme adversity is truly inspiring, and she will no doubt serve her community well in the medical field.

Cassandra Blackford-Wadhams

Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Cassandra Blackford-Wadhams is graduating with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. After completing two years at Northwestern University and taking a two-year gap, she transferred to Rowan University. Cassie has a passion for studying flora and fauna, particularly through the lens of photography. She has developed an extensive portfolio showcasing microscopic plant and fungal structures. During the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Program, she investigated zooplankton ecology in local lakes under Dr. Grove's guidance and continues to contribute to this research. Additionally, she has made contributions to work published by Dr. Ruhl and to the Rowan Arboretum website. Following graduation, Cassie plans to work in the field of organismal and ecosystem biology before pursuing graduate studies.

Brett Boyle

Physics & Astronomy

Brett Boyle is graduating with a B.S. in Physics. He has held several leadership roles within the Physics & Astronomy Club, including Treasurer and Vice President, making significant contributions to the organization. Brett has conducted research with multiple faculty mentors at Rowan University and participated in a summer REU program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2024, he presented part of his research at a national conference and is the first author on an associated publication. Additionally, Brett has served as a Learning Assistant, helping introductory physics students. He is enrolled in a 4+1 program in Materials Science and will continue his graduate studies at Rowan University next year.

Alexa Gonzalez

Computer Science

Alexa Gonzalez is graduating with a B.A. in Computing & Informatics with Honors, a minor in Computer Science, and a Certificate of Undergraduate Study (CUGS) in Spanish. She has made significant contributions to the Rowan community, serving as President of ACM-W, Treasurer of Rowan Circle K International, founding member and Treasurer of the Hammocking Club, manager of Rowan’s NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Team, and Blast Mentor for the Honors College. Her accolades include being named a Rowan Scholar, receiving the Outstanding Treasurer Award, and earning Bronze, Silver, and Gold Certificates from Leadership Rowan. Alexa also completed a Computer Science co-op with the Tabernacle School District. She plans to pursue an MBA with concentrations in Data Analytics and Management.

Merlin Kirschenbaum

Mathematics

Merlie Kirschenbaum is graduating with a B.A. in Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics and a minor in Data Science. After earning her Associate's degree at Brookdale Community College, she joined Rowan University in 2023 as a Bantivoglio Honors student. At Rowan, Merlie has served as an Information Services Specialist at the Student Center, a tutor at the Math Learning Center, and the treasurer of the Math Team. She has significantly contributed to the Math Team by organizing events and managing its social media presence. Additionally, Merlie is involved in deep learning research with Drs. Thanh Nguyen and Hieu Nguyen. She has been accepted with full scholarships to Master's programs in Statistics at various institutions across the country.

Julius Leone

Computer Science

Julius Leone is graduating with a B.A. in Computing & Informatics with Honors and a minor in Computer Science (CS). He serves as a CS Tutor and Vice President of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Society, where he leads weekly LeetCode presentations. As the Web Team Manager, Julius coordinates the development of complex projects for the College of Science & Mathematics and the Department of Computer Science, including a course scheduler, research portal, and symposium planning application. He has been a featured speaker for the Association for Computing Machinery and regularly contributes to Freshman Orientation. After completing his CS co-op at RunSignup, Julius accepted an offer to return post-graduation as a full-stack developer.

Grace McGowan

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Grace McGowan recently with a B.S. in Chemistry. She transferred to Rowan University from a community college in her junior year and quickly proved herself to be an excellent researcher and a natural leader.

Despite spending only a little over a year in Dr. Hoy's lab, Grace demonstrated remarkable leadership within the research group. She took charge of her project while also supporting her colleagues in bringing their work to completion as well. This resulted in her being the lead author on a forthcoming publication, presenting at a regional conference, and receiving doctoral program admission offers from the University of Maryland and Penn State.

Thomas Sapanaro

Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Thomas Sapanaro is graduating with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. He transferred to Rowan and immediately stood out as someone who would go out of his way to help his peers learn, grow, and advance, while also excelling in his own right. With a small amount of computer programming experience, Thomas became an amazing contributor to the Data Science for Biologists learning community by helping monitor student questions in the online forum, resulting in students coming directly to him for assistance and praising him for being such an excellent resource. As a student, Thomas worked to support himself and his family and became certified in Basic First Aid. He plans to pursue a career as an emergency medicine physician.

Amy Senanayake

Psychology

Amy Senanayake is graduating with a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience, a Sociology minor, and a Certificate in Social Justice & Social Change. She is an active member of Psi Chi and the Sociology/Anthropology Club. Amy has made significant contributions as a research assistant in the Social, Emotional, and Affective Health Lab (SEAHL), taking on leadership roles and co-authoring several presentations and publications. She participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program twice with research interests in neurodivergence and sexual consent. Amy aspires to study OCD as a clinical researcher and is committed to making a meaningful impact through compassionate, evidence-based work.

Alyssa Singer

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Alyssa Singer is graduating as a double major with a B.S. in Biochemistry and B.S. in Biological Sciences.  Alyssa has been a valuable and accomplished member of Dr. Moura-Letts' lab for the past three years, where she has focused on discovering new chemical reactions for the construction of pharmacologically-relevant molecules. She has published three papers, with her first author paper currently under review in Organic Letters. Alyssa also presented at the Spring 2024 American Chemical Society national meeting in New Orleans. She plans to apply to Ph.D. programs for organic chemistry.

Ria Singh

Psychology

Ria Singh is graduating with a B.S. in Psychological Science with minors in Neuroscience and Anthropology, and an Honors concentration. Ria has excelled in the advanced research and statistics sequence, earning her the role as Learning Assistant in an advanced statistics course. Ria has worked in the Clinical Health and Social Experiences (CHASE) lab for the past two years examining the effectiveness of digital health tools for delivering healthcare. She participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program presenting a project based on publicly available data. Ria serves on the Psi Chi board and is the department’s first-ever Student Subject Pool Coordinator, handling questions with exceptional speed and professionalism.