Additional program information

The wand carried by the College Marshal is the gold-headed walking stick of the Rev. Dirck Romeyn (1744-1804), founder of Schenectady Academy in 1785 and a leader in the founding of Union College in 1795. The flags along the Library Colonnade are of the states in the Federal Union at the time of the establishment of Union College. The “Union” referred to in the College’s name, however, is not of the states but of the religious denominations in Schenectady, which joined together to secure a charter for a college. Union is the first college to be chartered by the Regents of the State of New York.

To end the ceremony, graduates will march through the Nott Memorial. The campus centerpiece is named for Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College from 1804 to 1866. One of America’s most dramatic examples of Victorian architecture, the 16-sided building is a National Historic Landmark.

Some degrees are awarded signifying levels of the graduates’ cumulative grade point averages. They are summa cum laude (at least 3.8), magna cum laude (3.65) and cum laude (3.5).

Established in 1873, Union University is a federation of independent undergraduate and graduate institutions consisting of Union College (1795), Albany Medical College (1839), Albany Law School (1851), Dudley Observatory (1852) and the Albany College of Pharmacy (1881). The President of Union College serves as Chancellor of Union University.

Gowns, caps and hoods comprise the distinctive dress of the academic profession. Originally
developed in the Middle Ages, they served to distinguish both students and faculty as members of the university.

The American academic costume follows a uniform code drawn up by a special commission in 1895. The cap, usually referred to as a mortar board, is black and has a long tassel attached by a button on the top. The tassel may be black for any degree, or it may be the color associated with the degree, or gold for the doctor’s degree and for governing officials of the institution.

The style of gown indicates the degree attained by the wearer. The bachelor’s gown has pointed sleeves and is worn closed. The master’s gown has oblong sleeves with a characteristic crescent cut in the sleeve. The doctor’s gown has bell-shaped sleeves with velvet panels down the front and around the neck. The sleeves have three bars of velvet, either black or colored.

The hoods show the degrees and the institutions awarding them. The hoods for bachelor’s,
master’s and doctor’s degrees are three, three and one-half, and four feet long, respectively, with the velvet border being two, three and five inches wide, respectively. The colored lining of the hood indicates the institution that awarded the degree.

Accessories

Some of the graduates at today’s ceremony are wearing accessories to signify membership in an honor society or academic program. The accessories, and their significance, are:

• Gold cord with gold tassels; worn by Union Scholars and Seward Fellows
• Braided royal blue and silver cords; Psi Chi, national honor society in psychology
• Red, white and black cords; Pi Sigma Alpha, national honor society in political science
• Green cords and tassels; Alpha Kappa Delta, national honor society in sociology
• White stole with embroidered gold society symbol; Tau Beta Pi, national engineering honor society
• Pink and sky blue cords; Phi Beta Kappa, national honorary, liberal arts and sciences
• Blue and white cords; Sigma Xi, national honorary for scientific research
• Purple and gold cords with tassels; Eta Sigma Phi, national honorary for Greek and Latin
• Blue and gold cords; Omicron Delta Epsilon, national honor society in economics
• Pink cords; Iota Iota Iota (Triota) national honor society for Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
• Black and white cords; Posse Scholars
• Black and gold strands; Nu Rho Psi, national honor society in neuroscience
• Maroon sashes with grey trim; AOP/HEOP Scholars
• Gold cord with gold tassels; Eta Kappa Nu, national honor society for electrical and computer engineering
• Gold and white cords; Order of Omega, leadership honor society for fraternities and sororities
• Garnet and silver, green and gold; Leadership in Medicine
• Gold and silver; Leadership in Medicine student association
• Light blue, white and black cords; Omicron Delta Kappa, national honor society recognizing leadership and scholarship
• Red and blue cords; Phi Alpha Theta, national honor society in history
• Purple and garnet cords; Writing Center tutors

Africana Studies
Eastwood Yeboah

Asian Studies
Elaine Du

Anthropology
Olivia Lael Bruursema
Elissa Marie Frederique
Elizabeth Rose Bentsianov
Ambrose Lynne Proctor
Shivani J. Modi
Rhiannon Kay Sobetzko

Biochemistry
Madeleine Yvonne Beaule
Ishika Chourasia
Thu Khai Pham
Owen Ronald Smith

Biology
Maya Nyvall Jones
Katharine Cantor Bennett
Anna Estelle Chapdelaine
Sienna Aspen Dunham
Ishita M. Khambete
Catherine Emma Lapham
Caitlyn Julia Lewis
Sophia Vanessa Pappas
Katherine-Jane Michelle Seymour
Paige Elizabeth Tromblee
Suzanna Peach Wright
Sinthia Xhabej

Biomedical Engineering
Molly Grace Bannon
Miranda Jeanne Bossi
Aaron Emmanuel Carretero Benites
Young Jun Chun
Kyle Christopher Collins
Sara Dewitt Davis
Ronni Elizabeth Flanagan
Caroline Grace Kelly
David Krimer
Elizabeth Louise Libby
Alexandra Irene Martinson
Morgan Marie Napier
Nolan Mark Randall
Zainab Ropri
Adelaide Frances Zimmerman

Chemistry
C'Lannye James
Shams Ahmed Qureshi
Daniel Lawrence Singer

Classics
Faith Marsolais Burroughs
Brendan Dirrane Cullen
Seamus Cross Foley
Emma Rose Kennedy
Catherine Emma Lapham
Kirsten M. Litchfield

Computer Engineering
Zuhair I. Z. AlMassri
Nicholas Joseph DeBaise
Muhammad Farooq Memon
Ashley Nicole Pontillo
Dylan Andrew Robichaud

Computer Science
Abylay Aitkazy
Kurtik Appadoo
Samuel Hooper Appleton
Thomas Ambrose Breimer
Aydana Djoroeva
Simon C. Gray
Matthew Warren Meek
Jeremy Perez
Aavasna Rupakheti

Economics
Muhammad Hassan Aamir
Ashley Amanda Adams
Abylay Aitkazy
Kurtik Appadoo
Juhi Bhuwalka
Viraj Vipul Brahmbhatt
William Beckler Buchanan
Justin Buchman
Grace Isabella Canepari
Christopher Michael Connolly Jr.
Peter James D'Agata
Wyatt Jonathan Goldfisher
Emma Lynn Hebert
Nicholas Hiltsley
Benjamin Eric Jacobs
Fatima Javed
Baruch-Haba Kiiza
Claire Kung
Andrew Murphy Lavin
Jennifer Lopez
Aiden Tenyson Markoff
Luke Patrick McHugh
Luke Ryan McVeigh
Sathvik Reddy Narayana
Benjamin Allen Neff
Dung Viet Nguyen
Suka (Linh) Nguyen
Anna Avery Nickman
Kristen O'Shea
Ella Corinne Palmer
Marcela Quiroga Vargas
Aavasna Rupakheti
Dina Ruth Saef
Trevor Alexander Smick
Madeline Claire Suitor
Guy Tallent III
Aurelie Maeva Amelie Truquet
Hunter Matthew Zienowicz

Electrical Engineering
Gabriella B. Acosta
Ethan Ryan Bechtel
Austin J. Gregory
Mayra Morales
Emma Catherine Watson
Michael Edward York Jr.

English
Gabriella Renee Baratier
Olivia Lael Bruursema
Patrick Clement Mulready
Aja Belle Schiller
Kasey Ann Walsh

Environmental Policy
Sophie Kilpatrick
Peter Frost Kip

Environmental Science
Grace Isabella Canepari
Noah Tyler Fahey
Fuka Kanesaka
Caroline Olivia Monaco
Emmett Samuel Parkerson
Bayley Burton Carlson Sbardellati

French & Francophone Studies
Amaia Arrese-Igor
Rebecca Brodney Folse
Caroline Olivia Monaco
Veronica Daniela Missura Salem
Ece Yenigun

Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
Kathleen Ella Cobb
Zachary Edmonds McConnell

Geosciences
Christopher George Brandreth
Xander Nelson Forsyth
Andrea Lynn Kaufer
Keith Nicholas Lawless
Kirsten M. Litchfield

History
Gabriella Renee Baratier
Nadim Zachary Bazhod
Atticus Bennett Cooper
Aislinn Petrovic Dailey
Aliyah Mary Hoffman
Faith Adeline Potter
Ariana Sylvia Catherine Rogowski
Ethan Silverman

Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Gisselle Hernandez
Jennifer Mendez

Managerial Economics
Caiden F. DeMarco
Max Lucas Gluck
Alisa Motiwala
Samuel William Strazza

Mathematics
Audrey Han-Na Benson
Grace Marie Newcombe
Jacob Hayden Schuckman
Janak Subedi

Mechanical Engineering
Jaqueline Nicole Anderson
Lauren Haley Armstrong
Francis Fan
Maren Louise Friday
Brendan Robert Long
Aaron Christopher Rueter
Miles Tien Teng-Levy

Music
Aspen James Morris
Matthew Thomas Parr
Faith Adeline Potter
Yutong Wu

Neuroscience
Quincy Marian Brown
Rafaella Atina Cassidy
Connor James Cavanaugh
Cat Dacey
Sarah Jeanne DeRosa
Aydana Djoroeva
Katie Marie Gibbons
Shaelyn Rose Kelley
Katie Roff
Claire Anne Snyder
Karly Elizabeth Willson

Philosophy
Samuel Adam Zuckerman
Riley Elizabeth Callahan

Physics
Jayson Tyler Bromberg
Hestia Elizabeth Doud
Devin Matece Ramos

Political Science
Gabriela Maria Balakier
William Beckler Buchanan
Ashley Killeen Cirilla
Ryan Matthew Cudworth
Peter James D'Agata
Fatima Javed
Andrew Michael Jones
Patrick Joseph Jotz
Jackson Daniel Maher
Tatum Leigh Perkins
Alexander M. Rosenberg
Anabel Jennie Sollinger
Michael Stavros Stanco
Hunter Matthew Zienowicz

Psychology
Ashley Amanda Adams
Mitchell James Ashton
Juhi Bhuwalka
Olivia Grace Bowser
Gabriella Elizabeth Gatto
Rebecca Juliette Gerdis
Kristen O'Shea
Trishikha Kiran Rao
Jordan Marie Whittier

Science, Technology & Society
Naya Alani
Luke Vinciguerra

Sociology
Mitchell James Ashton
Olivia Grace Bowser
Rebecca Juliette Gerdis
Paige Alison Greco
Mary Alphonse Kelley
Sophie Joanna Harriet Mullen
Jessica Jane Rooney
Ethan Silverman
Abby Grace Wilder

Spanish & Hispanic Studies
Elissa Marie Frederique

Theater
Jolita Brettler
Brian Geoffrey Rusk
Spencer Laura Newman

Visual Arts
Georgia Ilene Baer
Cray Simon Case
Ashley Killeen Cirilla
Victoria Davison
Allison Brooke Gowern
Aspen James Morris
Anna Avery Nickman
Ambrose Lynne Proctor
Lily van Baaren
Caroline Rose Werner
Suzanna Peach Wright

A number of national honor societies are represented at Union. The societies and elected graduates are listed below.

Alpha Kappa Delta
Mitchell Ashton
Olivia Bowser
Rebecca Gerdis
Mary Kelley
Jessica Rooney
Ethan Silverman
Abby Wilder

Delta Phi Alpha
Miles Fee
Patrick Jotz
Ishita Khambete
Devin Ramos
Miles Teng-Levy

Eta Sigma Phi
Patrick Allen**
Melanie Brody
Faith Burroughs
Jason Colagreco-Knight**
Brendan D. Cullen**
Aislinn Dailey*
Seamus Foley
Emma Kennedy**
Catherine Lapham
Kirsten Litchfield**
Kendall McCann
Jonathan Rust

Iota Iota Iota (Triota)
Mitchell Ashton
Faith Burroughs
Kathleen Cobb
Sienna Dunham
Samantha Friedman
Emma Kennedy
Zachary McConnell
Sarah Murphy
Katherine-Jane Semour
Lily van Baaren

Lambda Alpha
Elizabeth Bentsianov
Olivia Bruursema
Elissa Frederique
Shivani Modi
Ambrose Proctor
Rhiannon Sobetzko

Nu Rho Psi
Quincy Brown
Cat Dacey
Sarah DeRosa
Aydana Djoroeva
Katie Gibbons
Emily Hamilton
Katie Roff
Claire Snyder
Karly Willson

Omicron Delta Epsilon
Samuel Ahern*
Kurtik Appadoo*
Katharine Bennett
Juhi Bhuwalka*
Viraj Brahmbhatt*
William Buchanan*
Justin Buchman*
Grace Canepari*
Christopher Connolly Jr.
Peter D'Agata*
Caiden DeMarco*
Jordan Fogarty*
Miguel Garduno
Max Gluck*
Wyatt Goldfisher*
Nicholas Hiltsley
Benjamin Jacobs*
Fatima Javed*
Baruch-Haba Kiiza*
Andrew Lavin*
Madison Mack*
Aiden Markoff*
Luke McHugh*
Liam Moran*
Sathvik Narayana
Emery Nelson*
Suka (Linh) Nguyen*
Anna Nickman*
Kristen O'Shea*
James Partridge
Grace Penna*
Dina Saef*
Samuel Strazza
Huyen Tran
Aurelie Truquet*
Hunter Zienowicz*

Omicron Delta Kappa
Naya Alani
Gabrielle Baker
Luke Baumgartner
Faith Burroughs
Grace Canepari*
Ryan Cudworth*
Sarah DeRosa
Katerina Dimacopoulos*
Sienna Dunham**
Ronni Flanagan
Jordan Fogarty
Xander Forsyth*
Elissa Frederique
James Gaskell
Allison Gowern*
Andrew Jones**
Kunsopheary Kang*
Mary Kelley*
Baruch-Haba Kiiza*,
Catherine Lapham**
Jamie Larkin
Caitlin LeSage*
Aiden Markoff
Jennifer Mendez
Morgan Napier**
Grace Newcombe
Anna Nickman*
Lena Nowell
James Partridge
Miriam Rojo Gutierrez
Dina Saef*
Katherine-Jane Seymour
Claire Snyder
Sage Stinson**
Christopher Suter
Keelin Virgulto**
Eastwood Yeboah**
Samuel Zuckerman

Phi Alpha Theta
Gabriella Baratier*
Nadim Bazhod*
Anna Colavecchio
Atticus Cooper
Aislinn Dailey
Cullen Ferguson
Ella Glucksman
Aliyah Hoffman*
Sarah Murphy*
Spencer Newman
Faith Potter*
Katie Roff
Ariana Rogowski**
Ethan Silverman *
Michael Stanco*
Aurelie Truquet
Kristina Valenti
Kasey Walsh

Phi Beta Kappa
Mitchell Ashton
Gabriella Baratier
Elizabeth Bentsianov
Juhi Bhuwalka
Olivia Bowser
Olivia Bruursema
Brendan Cullen
Gabriella Gatto
Wyatt Goldfisher
Emma Hebert
Aliyah Hoffman
Emma Kennedy
Trishikha Kiran Rao
Claire Kung
Catherine Lapham
Caitlin LeSage
Caroline Monaco
Julia Mooradian
Aspen Morris
Patrick Mulready
Sarah Murphy
Grace Newcombe
Alexander Ottavio
Shams Qureshi
Devin Ramos
Ariana Rogowski
Aavasna Rupakheti
Zayna Shaikh
Daniel Singer
Trevor Smick
Aurelie Truquet
Joshua Vaidman
Kasey Walsh
Jordan Whittier
Abby Wilder
Samuel Zuckerman

Pi Delta Phi
Amaia Arrese-Igor
Rebecca Folse
Caroline Monaco
Veronica Missura Salem
Ece Yenigun

Pi Sigma Alpha
Muhammad Hassan Aamir
Gabriela Balakier
William Buchanan
Ashley Cirilla
Ryan Cudworth
Peter D'Agata
Fatima Javed
Andrew Jones
Patrick Jotz
Caitlin LeSage
Alexander Rosenberg
Haydn Russell
Anabel Sollinger
Michael Stanco
Hunter Zienowicz

Psi Chi
Mitchell Ashton
Juhi Bhuwalka
Olivia Bowser
Katrina Coffey
Julia Cole
Casey Davidson
Rebecca Gerdis
Trishikha Kiran Rao
Liam Moran
Kristen O’Shea
Katherine-Jane Seymour
Gianna Talarico
Margaret Turck
Jordan Whittier
Eastwood Yeboah

Seward Fellows
Baibhav Barwal
Aaron Carretero Benites
Ryan Cudworth
Livi Gwinnett
Aliyah Hoffman
Caroline Kelly
Dylan Robichaud
Michael Stanco
Chau Tran Minh
Elias Valore-Caplan
Eastwood Yeboah

Sigma Delta Pi
Elissa Frederique
Giselle Hernandez
Mary Kelley

Sigma Pi Sigma
Olivia Anderson*
Jayson Bromberg*
Jacob Danziger
Hestia Doud*
Colin Farrell
Devin Ramos**

Sigma Tau Delta
Georgia Baer
Gabriella Baratier
Quincy Brown
Olivia Bruursema
Hannah Casalena
Aiden Markoff
Julia Mooradian
Sophie Mullen
Patrick Mulready
Sarah Murphy
Haydn Russell
Aja Schiller
Mariel Silpe
Kasey Walsh

Sigma Xi
Lauren Armstrong
Thomas Breimer
Jayson Bromberg**
Young Jun Chun
Anthony Condemi
Bennett Cooney
Sienna Dunham
Trishikha Kiran Rao
David Krimer*
Sundee Kroyer
Yenely Payano Lora
Aryan Mayor
Matthew Meek
Chau Tran Minh*
Andrew Mitchell
Sophia Pappas
Thu Khai Pham
Shams Ahmed Qureshi
Devin Ramos**
Nolan Randall
Daniel Singer**
Owen Ronald Smith
Margaret Turck
Sinthia Xhabej

Tau Beta Pi
Jaqueline Anderson
Ethan Bechtel
Aaron Carretero Benites
Sara Davis
Austin Gregory
David Krimer
Taryn LaFontaine
Elizabeth Libby
Nolan Randall
Dylan Robichaud
Miles Teng-Levy
Michael York
Adelaide Zimmerman
Zuhair AlMassri
Chiharu Mamiya

Union Scholars
Muhammad Hassan Aamir

Abylay Aitkazy

Jaqueline Anderson

Mitchell Ashton

Gabriella Baratier

Madeleine Beaule

Bennett Beaulieu-Moulder

Thomas Breimer

Jayson Bromberg

William Buchanan

Grace Canepari

Peter D'Agata

Nicholas DeBaise

Aydana Djoroeva

Sienna Dunham

Jonathan Fischman

Maren Friday

Rebecca Gerdis

Katie Gibbons

Wyatt Goldfisher

Maya Jones

Mary Kelley

David Krimer

Catherine Lapham

Caitlin LeSage

Kirsten Litchfield

Chiharu Mamiya

Caroline Monaco

Aspen Morris

Alisa Motiwala

Ammara Nazir

Anna Nickman

Jeremy Perez

Minh Pham

Devin Ramos

Nolan Randall

Katie Roff

Ariana Rogowski

Aavasna Rupakheti

Miles Teng-Levy

Kasey Walsh

Abby Wilder

Karly Willson

Michael York

*inducted as a junior
**inducted as a sophomore

Students were honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance at Prize Day, held on Saturday, May 10 in Memorial Chapel. View the list of winners here.