“An interdisciplinary marvel” is how Senior Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Student Experience, Khoury College of Computer Sciences Ben Hescott refers to Shannen Espinosa. She has worked in labs from Boston to London—focusing on neuroendocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital; exploring the role of quantum computing in international law at the UN office in Geneva; studying the development of universal coronavirus vaccines at Corbett-Helaire’s Harvard biomedical lab; and merging biomedical research with computational biology in a study of Alzheimer’s disease at Oxford University.

Back home in Boston, Shannen began entering computing hackathons because she wanted “to explore how quantum computing could support biomedical innovation.” She won first place at the IBM Challenge at MIT for creating an app to facilitate organ donation, leading her to receive the Social Impact Award and an invitation to represent the U.S. in April 2025 at the International Hackathon for Social Good in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

On campus, Shannen served as a teaching fellow for courses like neurobiology and advanced programming with data. She introduced young students to robotics at a local Spanish-English bilingual elementary school, and during the pandemic, she worked with the state’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination units. Further, she volunteered as a medical assistant with the Philippine Medical Association of New England, teaching English to Syrian medical students through the nonprofit Paper Airplanes.

Interning with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, she helped build a five-year plan to address the racial health equity gap in the state. Then she headed to Washington, D.C., as an intern for Congresswoman Lori Trahan, working on legislation that included the End Neglected Tropical Disease Act and topics such as the Disease X Act. Shannen was also nominated by the World Health Organization to serve as a working group leader at YOUNGA, the world’s largest global youth summit for social impact.

She is most proud of representing Northeastern in global quantum competitions. “I wouldn’t have even thought to mix quantum computing and humanitarian work if it weren’t for the United Nations DOC program I did through Northeastern two years ago,” she says. “It’s what kicked off this whole journey, and it’s what now drives my work on the XPRIZE in Quantum Applications, where our goal is to build something that could actually help solve a real-world, unsolved problem.”

A semifinalist for Fulbright Scholarship, Shannen will join the U.S. Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Switzerland as a Womanium Fellow after graduation, studying quantum benchmarking of Majorana fermion systems and exploring the implications for topological qubit architecture. She also plans to continue competing in the three-year global XPRIZE; her team is designing a fault-tolerant quantum framework capable of modeling a high-fidelity representation of the human cell.

Playwright, actor, songwriter, singer, scholar—that’s Ashley DiLorenzo in a nutshell. The multitalented, soon-to-be Northeastern grad has penned eight plays, co-produced two Off-Broadway developmental workshops of new musicals, won the 2021 Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and American Theatre Wing, and performed in front of many theatrical audiences.

Ashley has participated in various theatre department productions and capstone festivals since arriving on campus. She’s performed in six NU Stage productions and worked as mainstage assistant director and revue costume designer. Seven times she’s submitted 10-minute plays to Silver Masque, acting, designing, directing, and producing some of them. She founded Hear Your Song Northeastern, the university chapter of a national nonprofit that brings collaborative songwriting to kids and teens with severe health needs. Ashley considers it to be her most significant achievement. “Starting a club that meets the needs and standards of both the university and the national organization was no easy feat. Neither was recruiting the number of talented musicians that sit on our executive board today,” she says. “It merges my passions for music and giving back with my developing organizational leadership skills.”

Outside of Northeastern, Ashley volunteered with Disney VoluntEARS for the Warrior Games and Give Kids the World. In 2024, she was a trip services professional intern for Disney Signature Experiences, supporting high-profile guests and creating new databases for physical and digital inventory. She worked on co-op at the Huntington Theatre in Boston where she managed annual local equity principal auditions (EPA) for actors, wrote and edited character breakdowns, evaluated scripts, and more. Ashley was also a casting intern for NBCUniversal, curating casting news, compiling lists of upcoming premiere dates, representing the team at BFA acting showcases, and welcoming talent.

Academic excellence is also on Ashley’s growing list of achievements. She holds a 3.9 GPA, membership to the Huntington 100, is a National Hispanic Scholar, a two-time Communications Department Junior Scholar, and is on the Dean’s List.

“Ashley is the kind of student who not only excels in every endeavor she undertakes but also leaves a lasting impact on those around her,” says associate teaching professor Samantha Richert Boehm. “I am confident that she will continue to inspire and lead beyond her time at Northeastern and into the world as a distinguished alumna.”

After graduation, Ashley will rejoin the Disney Signature Experiences team as a rotational associate in marketing strategy.

Sebastian Caicedo has demonstrated leadership and integrity in both his native Texas, in Boston, and at Northeastern. He is devoted to making the world a better place and taking on the plight of immigrants and the underserved.

In Texas, Sebastian interned with Dia de la Mujer Latina, a community health organization, and helped inform the public about COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic. He also interned with CollegeCommunityCareer, which helps first-generation and low-income students pursue higher education.

Within the Boston community, Sebastian volunteered with Community Servings, a nonprofit that tackles food insecurity, where he packaged medically tailored meals for people with chronic conditions. He also served as a teaching assistant at Immigrant Family Services Institute, helping Haitian American immigrants practice their English language skills.

While maintaining an impressive 3.985 GPA at Northeastern, Sebastian, as an EMPOWER Student of Collective Fellow at the Social Justice Resource Center, initiated programs that address the needs of underrepresented students. As a SQUAD coordinator for EMERGE, he mentors 24 first-generation low-income students. Since starting his academic career at Northeastern, Sebastian has worked with the Center for Intercultural Engagement, maintaining its day-to-day functions and hosting events concerning student wellness. He is also a sexual violence prevention education at the Office of Prevention and Education.

Sebastian instituted a university-wide career fair for 15 Black/African American and Hispanic/Latin American students to get connected with co-op, internships, and full-time opportunities. This, he says, is his most significant achievement. Unforeseen challenges arose leading up to the event, so he had to manage the budget, supply orders and personnel logistics. “I learned how my resilience and courage enable me to persevere and confront difficult, uncertain situations head on,” he says. “I also discovered my passion for empowering others, especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds via identity-centered work dismantling access barriers.”

A recipient of many scholarships, awards, and grants, Sebastian will pursue his PlusOne Master of Public Health degree from Northeastern.

Teaching Professor and Undergraduate Program Director of Bouvé College of Health Sciences Samantha Barbers, PhD, says, “In the current complex environment, the world needs more Sebastians who are committed to doing hard work to implement and improve evidence-based practices that benefit multiple constituencies.”

“Clara Barsoum is the definition of leadership, service and volunteerism, academic integrity, and commitment to Northeastern,” says Kelliann Henry, associate director of undergraduate student engagement at CSSH. “While Clara is a student I have supervised, I also consider her a colleague in the work of social justice leadership on campus and beyond.”

Since arriving on campus, Clara has been instrumental in the work of the FUNL (First-Generation, Undocumented, Low-Income) Network at Northeastern. She researched the impact of academic probation policies on FUNL students and presented recommendations to the Persistence Advising Network, a collective of Northeastern professional advising staff. As a direct result, many of the advising teams updated their academic probation notification letters, language, and approaches to better align with research-based recommendations to best support student success.

A double major in political science and communication studies and philosophy with a 3.85 GPA, Clara is also an active member of the Politics, Philosophy and Economics Club, the Empower Student of Color Collective, and the Arab Student Association. Additionally, she has been a peer mentor in the CSSH department and a program assistant co-op in the Massachusetts Governor’s Office of Access and Opportunity. She has also held roles within the Center for Intercultural Engagement and the Social Justice Resource Center. Within the larger community, she has served as assistant director of the Boston Intercollegiate Government’s DEI Committee and has volunteered for Boston Cares and the Boston Outdoor Preschool Network.

Besides her involvement in social justice, Clara is an artist who collages, draws, and makes jewelry. She organized the creation of five murals for community organizations, hosted Northeastern’s first-ever Art Social, and collaborated with the Social Justice Resource Center and EXP Makerspace to host an Art as Resistance workshop.

Clara is also the recipient of several awards: the Dean’s List, the Political Science Honors Society, the Leaves of Growth Award, the Communication Studies Department Distinguished Scholar Award, the PEAK Award, the First-Generation Social Justice Advocacy Award, and the Huntington 100.

Henry says, “Clara’s accomplishments highlight that it is possible to excel in one’s own academic and professional development while also maintaining a commitment to serving others and advocating for social justice, representing the very best of Northeastern students.”

After graduation, Clara plans to work in the nonprofit sector for a year or two before attending graduate school.

“When I think of students who best embody the values of Northeastern and in particular the ideas of these awards, I think of [Gabrielle Bailey]” says Tim Lannin, her professor and associate chair for undergraduate affairs in BIOE. “A great purpose drives Gabi—that of helping people.”

Gabrielle has proven that countless times during her years at Northeastern. Deeply engaged in Jewish life on campus, Gabrielle is vice president of social programming of Hillel. Her initiatives have brought students together and fostered a lasting sense of community. She chaired the Tikkun Olam committee during her junior year and built partnerships with service organizations across Boston. For example, she organized cooking nights for On the Rise, a women’s shelter, and cookie baking with developmentally disabled adults. Associate Director of Hillel Jen Stone says of Gabrielle, “Her ability to seamlessly manage logistics while ensuring that all voices are heard and valued speaks to her interpersonal intelligence and leadership maturity.”

Gabrielle also volunteers at Hebrew Senior Life, where she paints residents’ nails, visits them in their homes, and helps with community events. She is particularly proud of the intergenerational dances she arranges there. “A live band consisting of Northeastern, Brandeis, and MIT students performed oldies for a dancing crowd of student volunteers and senior residents,” she says.

Academically, she also excels. Gabrielle has a 3.98 GPA and has impressive research and clinical experience. Her capstone project was to design, prototype, and evaluate processes to improve the efficiency of algae as a biofuel. She was the second author of The Influence of Experimental Environment on the Mechanical Properties of Porcine Iris Stroma Using Micro-Indentation through the Laboratory for Soft Tissue Biomechanics. Fred Sebastian, PhD, mentored Gabrielle on this project and says, “She mastered MATLAB efficiently, coding essential components with precision and initiative. Gabi was not only eager to learn but also consistently sought out new ways to contribute, often anticipating project needs before they arose.”

In 2024, Gabrielle was a research intern at the Marcus Institute for Healthy Aging Research, Hebrew Senior Life, and a full-time inpatient nursing assistant at BIDMC—Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center—in Boston. “On a bustling cardiology floor, I learned that true character is a conscious, often challenging choice,” she says. She endured log hours and physical exhaustion, still choosing “compassion over convenience.” She says, “This intense experience underscored my desire to help patients and left an indelible mark on my approach to both care and research.”

After graduation in May 2025, Gabrielle plans to take two gap years as she applies for medical school. She will work as a clinical research coordinator at a Boston lab studying delirium prevention in older patients with insomnia.

“He has demonstrated the core values of leadership, volunteerism, and academic integrity throughout the past four years and is a natural leader that knows what it means to give back and is empowered to be involved in activities that benefit others at Northeastern.”

-Annalisa Onnis-Hayden, Teaching Professor and Vice Chair for CEE Undergraduate Studies, and Jessica M. Ormsby, Associate Co-op Coordinator and Faculty Advisor for Engineers without Borders

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

Some of my hobbies and interests include soccer, basketball, cooking, volunteering, gardening, reading, building puzzles, listening to music, and spending time with my family and friends!

What are some examples of your involvement in the Northeastern community and the community at large?

Within the Northeastern Community, I have been involved with a number of organizations and projects. First and foremost, I have been extensively involved with Engineers without Borders, serving as a university representative, design lead for the Uganda program, and most recently, president of the organization. I have also served as the vice president for the New England Water Environment Association at Northeastern. Other clubs that I have been involved with include the Alliance of Civically Engaged Students, the U.N. Millennium Fellowship as a campus director, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Sustainable Transportation at Northeastern club. Outside of clubs, I have participated in research on-campus throughout all four of my years at Northeastern, examining the feasibility of using sustainable, biologically-inspired solutions—plants and fungi—to remediate drinking water of the harmful contaminant PFAS. Finally, I have enjoyed playing intramural soccer, volleyball, and broomball with my friends at Northeastern as well!

Describe some of your achievements at Northeastern

Some achievements during my time at Northeastern would include organizing and co-leading our first trip back to our community partner in Uganda for EWB since the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving nominations for the Rhodes, Marshall, Knight-Hennessy, and Udall Scholarships from the URF department at Northeastern, having the opportunity to represent the Civil and Environmental Engineering student body at the Industrial Leadership Night for Northeastern CEE partners, and creating a manuscript for an academic journal that will hopefully be published in the coming months.

Of the above examples, which do you consider your most significant achievement and why?

I believe the most significant achievement from the above examples is the EWB trip to our community partners in Nakyenyi, Uganda. This trip installed a submersible pump, solar panels, tank, tap stands, and tank stand for our partner community of about 4,000 people to use. This trip re-established our connection with the community, provided an opportunity for invaluable water quality testing and land surveying to be conducted, and most importantly, included house-to-house surveys that allowed for community input to be included in the design of the final distribution system—to be installed in coming trips. Through this trip, we understand the severity of the issue of water scarcity in our community and learned that our system could directly work to save lives and prevent drowning deaths in our community from members of the community trying to collect water from dangerous nearby open sources of water.

What honors or awards have you received during your time as a student?

Some awards and honors I have received during my time as a student include being named in the 2023 Huntington 100, receiving an honorable mention for the Udall Scholarship for environmental leadership, being named to the Dean’s List, and participating in the Northeastern Honor’s Program throughout my time in college. Additionally, I was nominated for the Rhodes, Marshall, and Knight-Hennessy scholarships on behalf of Northeastern University. Some scholarships I’ve been awarded while at Northeastern include the Scranton Fund Scholarship, the Richard and Joy Gilbert Scholarship, the Vincent D. Barletta Scholarship, and some other CEE-related scholarships!

“This is an exceptional case of a student capitalizing on all the resources and paths of study that Northeastern offers, to excel, but more importantly, identify a passion of study that goes on to make real world impact.”

-Daniel Adams, Director, School of Architecture, and Sara Jensen Carr, Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs Coordinator, School of Architecture

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

[Some of my hobbies are] brewing coffee and visiting local cafés, exploring the many Boston-area green spaces and trails, watching films and listening to vinyl records, cycling and rock climbing, and Boston’s DIY hand-poked tattoo scene.

What are some examples of your involvement in the Northeastern community and the community at large?

[I am involved in the Northeastern and local Boston community through] co-leading ASLA Adept, project-managing for the Boston Society of Landscape Architects to create a Cool Black installation, serving on the School of Architecture Dean’s Advisory Board, serving on CAMD’s Dean’s Advisory Board, TAing for urban design and landscaping architecture studios for two years, and co-organizing the first coffeeshop union in Massachusetts at Pavement Coffeehouse while working as a barista and supervisor.

Describe some of your achievements at Northeastern

[My Northeastern achievements include] co-teaching and developing materials for an anti-displacement urban planning research studio with Professor Lily Song, leading participatory mapping workshops with local youth groups to design maps that better reflect lived experiences and memories, co-writing academic journals about the importance of culturally-response mapping and planning, facilitating workshops with community organizations to advocate for increased climate resiliency, and qualitative coding/compiling visual materials to analyze community-generated data in historically underserved urban neighborhoods.

Of the above examples, which do you consider your most significant achievement and why?

Working in the urban planning sphere on the side of academic work—[this is my] most significant achievement because of the tactile impact of work and the ability to merge my knowledge as a lifelong Massachusetts resident, transit advocate and architecture/urban planning student, as well as the ability to expand skills in graphic design, community engagement and cartography to bolster knowledge learned in Northeastern classwork.

What honors or awards have you received during your time as a student?

[I was on the] Dean’s List and [in the] University Honors program.

“Ryan’s Northeastern story is both impressive and inspirational—precisely what it means to be a Northeastern University Husky. Hard-working, professional, high-achieving, passionate, [and] highly-successful.”

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

Spending time with my wife and kids. I also enjoy watching movies and listening to podcasts. I like helping to develop young athletes into better players and, more importantly, better people.

What are some examples of your involvement in the Northeastern community and the community at large?

I have spent years volunteering with Portsmouth, Rhode Island’s “Challenger” Little League, helping children with disabilities play the game of baseball. Additionally, when I was playing for the Red Sox, I spent time in the Dominican Repulic at orphanages, just spending time with the local children. I have been coaching baseball at the collegiate level for over four years while also running a youth developmental baseball organization, with teams aged from 11 years old to 18.

Describe some of your achievements at Northeastern

I was recently selected to the Northeastern University Huntington 100 this past year.

Of the above examples, which do you consider your most significant achievement and why?

I believe my work with children with special needs has been my most significant achievement and was the most rewarding. Among many other things, I believe this shows my passion for baseball, a willingness to help others in any way I can and using my platform and past experiences to benefit people in any situation.

What honors or awards have you received during your time as a student?

I have maintained a high GPA at Northeastern and have been on the Dean’s List numerous times. As mentioned above, last year I was named to Northeastern University’s Huntington 100.

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

[Some of my hobbies and interests are] running, theater (acting), music (violin), camping, and cognitive health research.

What are some examples of your involvement in the Northeastern community and the community at large?

[At Northeastern, I was involved in] the Student Philanthropy Council, a Resident Assistant, NU Emergency Medical Services, NU Running Club, and Rehabilitation Game & Extended Reality Lab. [In Boston, I was] a Tufts Medical Center inpatient visitation volunteer and a Beth Israel Post-Anesthesia Care Unit patient assistant volunteer.

Describe some of your achievements at Northeastern

I was one of the founding board members of NU Student Philanthropy Council which promotes and oversees philanthropic efforts towards student organization on campus. We have developed the council to work with Alumni Relations, coordinate with student organizations to publicize fundraisers, and organize unaffiliated opportunities for students and faculty to donate to a cause of their choice. As a member of the ReGame-XR lab’s Exerbike project, we published our paper “Integrated Aerobic Exercise into Adult Second Language Learning in Virtual Reality Game” in the journal IEEE. Our research centered around the potential of second language learning via a physically active VR game among older adults to slow age-related cognitive decline. We also presented our preliminary findings at Northeastern University’s RISE Expo.

Of the above examples, which do you consider your most significant achievement and why?

Publishing with ReGame-XR on older adult cognition is something I am incredibly proud of. With this paper, the start of a field that has had no prior research is being started. Using modern technologies such as VR is proving to offer solutions in the realm of preventative medicine to combat cognitive declines in memory, focus, and spatial visualization. Our research is a small step, but it shows potential to expand research and resources towards this field which could make event greater leaps towards combatting the saddening reality of age-related cognitive decline.

What honors or awards have you received during your time as a student?

[I was on the] Dean’s list

“Michelle’s achievements inside and outside of the classroom represent some of the best that NU has to offer, making her an excellent candidate for the Compass Award.”

-Todd M. Alessandri, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, D’Amore-McKIm Business School

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

[My hobbies are] lifting weights and working out, cooking new recipes, trying new restaurants, cafes, bakeries, etc., with friends, and reading.

What are some examples of your involvement in the Northeastern community and the community at large?

[I am the] co-director of outreach WISE Summit, the previous NUMA Consulting executive director, and the previous DMSB social media ambassador.

Describe some of your achievements at Northeastern

[Some of my achievements include] sourcing 17 speakers with my co-Director of outreach for WISE Summit (ex: Eva Goicochea, Kati Fernandez), being one of the first DMSB social media ambassadors and featuring in the #QuestionsontheQuad video series, and sourcing the five startups as the executive director of NUMA Consulting. [I also worked] on uplifting new businesses, especially those with a focus on impact.

Of the above examples, which do you consider your most significant achievement and why?

One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is sourcing the speakers for the WISE Summit, a conference for women and underrepresented genders who would like to build an innovative mindset. With my team, I secured speakers from many industries, professions, and ages while simultaneously ensuring diverse representation so all participants could find someone they resonate with. Some notable speakers include Eva Goicochea, the founder of Maude and one of only 10 Latinas in consumer goods to have raised over $10 million in venture funding, and Kati Fernandez, director of content strategy at ESPN. Besides sourcing speakers, I developed the workshops, lightning talks, and keynotes directly with speakers meaning I had an executive decision in deciding the Summit’s content. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience to watch my hard work come to life on March 23 and work with such a passionate, warm, and incredible team. It was so amazing to be able to impact over 250 participant’s lives on that Saturday.

What honors or awards have you received during your time as a student?

[I have been on the] Dean’s list for all four years [and am a member of] the Beta Sigma Gamma Honor Society.