The world was a much different place when the Class of 2023 entered UVM in the fall of 2019, and with the advent of a pandemic in the spring of their first year, they learned to adjust to rapid change and contribute to UVM’s successful response to the crisis. Since then, they’ve met new friends, expanded boundaries, gained and created new knowledge, and made contributions to their communities both on campus and beyond.
Now, they’re each one of the more than 3,000 graduates receiving baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the university. Read on to meet just a few of this year’s outstanding undergraduate and graduate students and learn more about how UVM will celebrate their success at Commencement 2023.
Paying it forward
Franky Bahati's youth mentoring experiences through the DREAM Program opened her mind to possibilities that changed the course of her life.
“Being exposed to the UVM campus as a kid incited something inside that inspired me to explore what life would be like if I went to college,” recalls the senior who will receive her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree at commencement. “Being the first to graduate college is the highest honor I could bring to my Burundi family.”
Throughout her upbringing in the Winooski and Burlington area, Franky often found herself connecting with people and places related to UVM. And with help from the Catamount Commitment that removes financial barriers for Vermonters to attend, her dream became a real possibility. “When I found out that I got accepted, I was overjoyed to know that I was going to learn from professors who care about every student's well-being and success. I have felt very supported, loved, and cared for in my time here.”
Though social work wasn’t Bahati’s first major when starting out at UVM, she says the pandemic made clear it what her career path should be. After earning her BSW, she plans to pursue a Master of Social Work degree and become a youth and family therapist. – Reporting by Doug Gilman
Read more about Franky and other CESS 2023 graduates
Seeing the forest, and the trees
Jon Lewis’s successes in the classroom and in the field added up to a job offer from the U.S. Forest Service before his final semester began. After spending his first year as an undergraduate studying finance at another school, he yearned for a major in which he could work outdoors, and he found it in Forestry at UVM. Once he got to know his faculty advisor, Professor Tony D’Amato, who directs the Forestry program, he knew he had chosen the right major.
“Tony has been an amazing mentor and resource,” said Lewis, who with D’Amato’s encouragement was inducted into the Xi Sigma Pi National Forestry Honor Society.
After his sophomore year, Lewis applied for a summer internship in Idaho. With just one year of a UVM Forestry education and a successful interview, he got offered the position with Potlatch Deltic, a private timber company that manages forests to produce wood products over many years. Although he learned a lot from his experience in private timber management, Lewis resonated more with the public forestry style of land management, which he found in a summer job with the U.S. Forest Service, closer to home in Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.
The Forest Service hired Lewis in December of his senior year. He is excited to be returning to Idaho after graduation, this time as a public forester on the Payette National Forest, where he will practice silviculture and fire restoration work. – Reporting by Shari Halik
Following her passion
When Maddie Henson applied to UVM, the Nashville native had never been farther north than Pennsylvania. But she liked what she saw when she visited the campus and thought, “Why not?”
That open-to-adventure approach is one Henson, a neuroscience major and international politics minor in the College of Arts and Sciences, applies throughout her life. It’s the reason she joined the Student Government Association (SGA) during her very first week on campus—a decision that has shaped her university experience. “I am a second-generation college student and am passionate about Indigenous issues,” Henson said. With SGA’s help, she organized the placement of a plaque in the library to honor Indigenous people and survivors of eugenics and secured the funding to create an interactive art piece designed to provide a communal space for Indigenous-identifying members of the UVM community. Separately, she co-founded the Indigenous People’s Collective, a campus group dedicated to bringing Native students together.
This past year, Henson served as president of the SGA. “The beautiful thing about the organization is that we’re asked to serve on all sort of university committees,” she said. “That has allowed me to build relationships and learn about fields I never would’ve imagined, and I want to go into leadership policy work because of it.” After graduation, she’ll take some time off to plan her next steps, knowing she eventually wants to work on Native American public policy. Wherever she lands, though, it’ll probably won’t be anywhere warm. “I love the South,” she says, “but I really want snow.” – Reporting by Su Reid-St. John
Making a difference in food systems
Lilah Krugman was inspired to study Food Systems at UVM through her prior involvement in her high school’s community farm program. Throughout her time at UVM, Krugman became active in the on- and off-campus communities. She is the current president of UVM’s Food Recovery Network chapter, an organization with over 200 locations at universities across the nation. At UVM, the club focuses on reclaiming food from dining halls to reduce food waste and improve food security in the surrounding community, sharing what it reclaims with Rally Cat’s Cupboard.
In the spring semester of her junior year, Krugman began the first of her two internships with the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), creating outreach material and working within their prescription CSA Farmacy: Food is Medicine program.
Krugman’s analysis of ACORN’s program is being used by the organization to develop promotional and fundraising material in support of the program. After completing her two internships with ACORN and subsequent honors thesis, Krugman continues to work part-time with the organization, moving to full-time once she graduates in May, with the potential idea of entering graduate school on the horizon. – Reporting by Nick Gayton
Engineering connections
Tinkering with gadgets has been something Alexander Runci has loved for as long as he can remember. But when the East Greenwich, Rhode Island, native joined the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences’ Electrical Engineering program, he discovered just how transformative his passion could be when collaborating with others. “UVM has fostered a very positive and encouraging learning environment that pushed me to work hard and develop strong connections with my classmates and instructors alike,” he says.
Those connections have led to very rewarding projects and growth for Runci, who also made time to compete on the UVM Sailing Team and serve as a Teaching Assistant in his department during his undergraduate career. His team's senior project, building two fully autonomous scale model race cars that can navigate a custom-built track, will help to test algorithms and further automotive engineering research on campus.
After graduation, he’ll be joining Raytheon Technologies in Tewksbury, Mass., as an electrical engineer on the company’s Radar Controls Team. – Reporting by Geeda Searfoorce
Community learning
Keegan Bliss G’23 says his interest in teaching links to back to his experiences in school when he was growing up. “When I decided to study the field of teaching, I told myself that if I could make one student look back later in life and say, ‘Mr. Bliss changed my life’–as I say about a few of my teachers from growing up–then it would all be worth it.”
The accelerated master’s degree pathway in special education gave Bliss an opportunity to continue his educational journey working full-time as a special educator on a provisional license in the Winooski School District while completing courses and internship requirements. “I’ve gained incredible knowledge through countless experiences in grades K-12,” he says. “My work and schooling have shown me what it takes to be a committed educator and learn strategies to reach students from all walks of life. ‘Grateful’ doesn’t do justice the way I feel about my time in this program.”
On his way to earning his B.S. in Physical Education in 2022, Bliss took an introductory class in special education that sparked his interest to pursue the graduate program. His goal is to work in an adapted physical education program.
Taking on a full-time job as a special educator was the most affordable way to pursue the master’s degree, he says. “I am grateful that I made the decision to complete the internship in this way because it allowed me to gain so many more experiences and connect with so many more students, staff, and educators. I feel like I am a part of the Winooski community and would not trade the experience I’ve had here for anything.” – Reporting by Doug Gilman
Read more about Keegan and other CESS 2023 graduates
A wider field of view
When she arrived at UVM, Wing Yin "Ellie" Cheung planned to "just study hard and graduate after four years." But things didn’t turn out as expected.
“I was invited to help plan a networking event for students of color,” recalls the medical laboratory science major from Hsinchu City, Taiwan. “I am grateful for that event because, after that, I found the importance of participating in different activities and expanding my interests.”
Cheung still prioritized study time but immersed herself in extracurricular activities. She became a residential advisor, peer mentor, and student ambassador, hosting four prospective students who identified as members of marginalized communities. She joined the Center for Student Conduct’s academic integrity council, served as co-president of the Tower Society, and helped plan the Relay for Life event for Catamounts Against Cancer – all while working on her Honors College thesis about how impaired blood flow in the brain affects physiological and neurological functions that may lead to dementia. Cheung spent the final semester of her program in a clinical rotation at the University of Vermont Medical Center, which gave her a focused view of her future in medical laboratory science. After four years on campus, she's set to graduate and earned the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean's Award for outstanding undergraduate achievement.
“Fortunately, I learned there is so much more than just academics,” said Cheung. “The ability to help others, explore different ideas and focus on self-improvement brought me a lot of growth. I ended up being able to do so much more than I would have ever imagined.”
Cheung begins her career as a medical laboratory scientist at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center this spring. – Reporting by Sara White
From campus networking to community giving
When he arrived at UVM, Zach Dunn had a goal of networking with peers and professors to gain professional experience in a field of interest. It was in a Leadership & Organizational Behavior course at the Grossman School of Business where he found unexpected inspiration. The President of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) spoke about the issue of homelessness in Vermont, which resonated with Dunn.
This experience led him to launch his own business, Painting with Purpose, a professional residential and commercial painting business that donates 33 percent of its profits to CVOEO to support individuals looking to break the cycle of people experiencing homelessness. With the help of the Catamount Innovation Fund, Dunn was able to develop his pitch for the Grossman School of Business Pitch Competition and receive initial funding for his business.
Dunn's experience serves as a reminder that sometimes, unexpected opportunities can lead to the greatest success. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? Seek out the resources available on their own campus. By being open to new ideas and taking advantage of available resources, UVM students can turn their passions into meaningful ventures that benefit both themselves and their communities by doing business for good. – Reporting by Amanda Anderson
See more about Zach on New England Cable News
A family calling
As a child in Ethiopia, Lud Eyasu admired how her father, a physician, and mother, a nurse, took care of people in the community. From a young age, she set her sights on becoming a doctor.
At age seven, Eyasu’s family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where her father works as an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control. Her mother is a nurse at Emory University Hospital. After college at Emory, attending Larner College of Medicine was an easy choice: “It was the people, how they catered to me at my interview, they were so kind and humble, and they wanted me to see what was great about LCOM,” she recalled.
At UVM, Eyasu participated on the Medical Student Council as community service chair. She was president of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and served on LCOM Cares Service Corps, which facilitates volunteer opportunities. Her fellow classmates named an award in her honor, the Lud Eyasu Community Service Award, to support future medical students seeking to address local, unmet needs.
“I can’t imagine having done my medical education anywhere else,” Eyasu said. “I made friends that I will call at least once a week for my lifetime. I feel so grateful to have had this experience.”
After commencement, Eyasu will do a residency in general surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “I chose surgery because it’s as intimate as medicine gets. There’s a certain level of trust when a patient hands their life over to you. I want to be the best doctor I can be,” she said. “It was my father’s calling, and I have that calling, too.” – Reporting by Janet Essman Franz
Connecting with local schools
As he finished up his final requirements to a earn a degree in secondary education within the College of Education and Social Services (CESS), completing a full-time internship at Burlington High School, Colin Henke gained a deeper understanding of the power of relationships across his personal and professional life. Getting involved with education links back to Henke’s childhood experiences. “I was fortunate enough to have some amazing teachers and coaches,” recalls the senior from Oak Bluffs, Mass.
Henke sought out opportunities before college to get into classrooms and work with kids, including several internships in high school that led him toward his current career path.
After a semester at another college, Henke transferred to UVM seeking out opportunities that life in the Burlington area offers. “What drew me here is the relationships our university has with the community, especially the connection between the local schools and CESS,” he says.
After graduation, he plans to work over the summer for the Foundation for Underway Experiential Learning (FUEL), an experiential learning program for children based on a 108-foot wooden schooner based out of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Next fall, he will attend the IYRS School of Technology and Trades in Newport, Rhode Island to focus on Marine Systems. “My hope is to combine my teaching skills with the trade skills I will learn and work on semester-at-sea programs with high school and college students,” says Henke. – Reporting by Doug Gilman
Read more about Colin and other CESS 2023 graduates
Making sustainability fashionable
As a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, Emma Wardell took a Science of Sustainability class in which she had to develop a hypothetical proposal for the Sustainable Campus Fund. The environmental studies major (with a sociology minor) chose to focus on creating a permanent thrift store on campus. She became so inspired by the idea that she reworked her proposal and presented it to the Fund—and came away with funding for an internship and a two-year capstone project to work toward making the store a reality. “A big influence on the focus of my project was the article I wrote for UVM’s Headwaters Magazine in 2021 titled, `A Double-Edged Sword: The Paradoxes of Fast Fashion,’” Wardell said. “It provided deeper insight into the garment overconsumption crisis that my capstone is confronting.”
Environmental responsibility has been a steady theme throughout Wardell’s time at UVM. She worked as a team leader in the campus Eco-Reps program, served as a student representative on the Socially Responsible Investing Advisory Council, participated in the Climate Communication, Action, and Literacy Lab, and took part in the Climate Catalysts Program, a year-long community leadership initiative. It’s no surprise, then, that Wardell recently received the Environmental Citizen Award from UVM Student Life.
Post-graduation will be a time of rest and reflection so Wardell can explore more about herself and the world—but she likely won’t veer far from the path she began forging at UVM. “My goal is to end up in an environmental career, specifically one focused on waste systems in the fashion industry,” she said. “I would love to be part of an organization that’s focused on repurposing and reusing what already exists.” – Reporting by Su Reid-St. John