Meet the Class of 2018

Publication Date

As their time at Union comes to a close, take a look back at the Class of 2018 and their impact on the College.

The class set a new record for applications to Union. 5,406 students applied, making it the most competitive admissions year to date. (The new record for applications has since topped 6,701.)

Total graduates: 494, representing 25 states and 13 countries

Awards, fellowships and accolades:

It was a booming year for Fulbright honorees at the College. Olivia Britton, Elizabeth Donlon and Sharifa Sahai were all extended offers for Fulbright research grants. Four members of the Class of 2018 received Fulbright Student English Teaching Assistantships. Gianluca Avanzato, Hannah Rayhill, Abigail Salamone and Jenna Salisbury were all recognized. Union was again recognized among some of the top higher education institutions as a top producer of Fulbrights.

Bretta Beer and Garrett Maron were honored with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals to study, live and work in Germany.

Britton, along with James Boggs, were awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships to continue their studies after Union.

William Garner and Elena Pettiford were both named to the Teaching Assistantship Program in France.

Luke McCaffrey, Arielle Singer, Lakhena Leang, Vera Marsova and An Nguyen were all named University Innovation Fellows during their time at Union. The highly selective program is designed to foster entrepreneurship and innovation amongst students nationwide.

Gianluca Avanzato and Andrew Cassarino were the winners of the College Distinction Awards at Union’s annual Prize Day celebration.

Academics and research:

175 students are graduating with academic honors, with economics as the most popular major for the Class of 2018. Mechanical engineering, biology, political science and neuroscience follow closely behind.

More than 250 seniors presented their research at this year’s Steinmetz Symposium Day. Just a few of the projects included:

  • Abadie Ludlam discussed “Decompression and Heating Induced Amphibole Breakdown on Dominica, Lesser Antilles”
  • Kimberly Wellington presented “Agent-Based Modeling to Analyze the Effect of the 2009 Government Stimulus Package on the Labor Market.”
  • William Garner presented “Education as Activism: Classroom Interventions by LGBT Organizations in Contemporary France.”

As part of the day’s dance performance, student choreographers, such as Ayanah Dowdye, Megan Wells and Brendan Coleman, presented their work.

Sara Covelli, Luke Dyer, A.J. Hubbard and Kevin Jordan were recognized for their work in the Environmental Action Media Lab. Along with their classmates, they created films to move people to take action on pressing environmental issues.

Sam Hoyt, an engineering student on the Diving Team, built and tested a sparger system at the College’s pool. The system releases air to create a cushion of bubbles for divers as they’re penetrating the surface of the water.

Students in the news:

Sophie Rosen exhibited STORIES in the Wikoff Student Gallery. The photography show asked students "What would you talk about if asked to tell a personal story?"

Also at the Wikoff, Ari Bennett, Steven Apolo, Emily Dahlstrom, Emily Fiore and Josh Price showed work in "Color Principle: Painting in Oil."