As Commencement weekend draws nearer, the University of Massachusetts Amherst has announced 19 individuals who will be honored during ceremonies on May 14 and 15.
At the May 14 Graduate Commencement, Zhou QiFeng will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Administration degree. QiFeng earned both master’s and doctoral degrees at UMass in 1983. He later returned to China where he is a member of the State Council and the current president of Peking University.
On May 15, two undergraduate commencement speakers were chosen after a “rigorously competitive process,” said a press release from the UMass News Office. Mark Cerasuolo first attended UMass 40 years ago and will soon receive his bachelor’s degree in marketing anthropology. According to the release, Cerasuolo, a University Without Walls student, “has more than 30 years experience in the consumer electronics industry, including director-level roles in marketing, product-line development, business development and training.”
Emily Grund, a Commonwealth Honors College student from Rockport, was also selected to serve as a commencement speaker. Grund is a journalism major with a minor in psychology. After graduating, she has been nominated to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer and English teacher in Asia.
At the Undergraduate Commencement, several graduating seniors who “have demonstrated exemplary standards of achievement, initiative and social awareness” will receive 21st Century Leader Awards, said the release.
The 12 students who will be honored are Timothy Alden, a double major in accounting and economics from Charlton; Danielle Dean of Westford, a psychology and Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration major; Olga Deshchenko, a double major in journalism and legal studies from Brooklyn, New York; Peter M. Krafft, a mathematics and statistics major from Canton; Meghan Krupka, a civil and environmental engineering major from Medfield; Nicholas R. Morrison, a psychology major from Woburn; Martin Nolet, a psychology major from Quebec, Canada; Taryn O’Hearn, a psychology major from Sagamore Beach; David R. Paquette, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Westfield; Abigail A. Reardon, a double major in English and legal studies from Ashley Falls; Jeffrey A. Rothschild, a political science major and Judaic and Near Eastern studies minor from Worcester and Sahil Shanghavi, an electrical engineering major from Kolkata, India.
Seniors Stephen Adams and Timothy Alden will be honored as Jack Welch Scholars for “their leadership and executive ability,” according to the release.
In addition, two individuals will receive Distinguished Achievement Awards. Steven G. Richter, founder and president of MicroTest Laboratories in Agawam, is “being honored for his willingness to share his expertise as a microbiologist and entrepreneur with UMass Amherst students, faculty and staff,” said the UMass News Office.
Also receiving an award will be Paul G. Kirk, Jr., who served as interim senator of Massachusetts after the death of Edward Kennedy. Kirk, Jr. will receive the honor “for his political leadership and commitment” on Friday, said the release.
-Collegian News Staff
