I believe in servant leadership,” says Marcy Reyes, MS’14, with a passion so fervent that it can be felt through the phone. “Living in my authenticity is supporting my students however I can. I want to guide them and encourage them more than anything. I want them to come out with a ton of expertise and knowledge that peers in their field aren’t going to have. As they say, the juice is worth the squeeze.”

Reyes has always been the type of person who strives for what she wants in life. After a successful undergraduate career where she thrived academically and found her passion for finance, she set her sights on one of the country’s most prestigious M.S. in Finance programs at Northeastern University.

While earning her degree, Reyes was able to combine her professional interest in finance with her selfless worldview by learning teaching techniques for financial strategy. She took her first plunge into the world of education after graduation through a Northeastern alumni mentorship program. “I mentored a handful of Northeastern undergraduate students,” she explains. “I believe in giving back. It was important to me to stay involved and help some of the students after concluding my master’s program.”

Reyes makes it very clear that her career goals are rooted in servant-based leadership—an approach to leadership that focuses on serving others and empowering them to achieve their own success. She credits Northeastern with providing the tools that helped her shape these goals. “Northeastern played a really important role in my servant leadership style,” she says. “It had a huge impact. It gave me the confidence to embrace very complicated concepts, pull them apart, and build from there.”

Upon graduation, she entered the workforce and climbed the ladder at Commonwealth Care Alliance, ascending to a senior director position. Additionally, she has held adjunct professor positions at both Rhode Island College and Providence College, teaching personal finance, financial analysis, and financial concepts to undergraduate students. However, her true passion for teaching shines at Financial Literacy Youth Initiative—colloquially known as FLY—a nonprofit she founded to teach financial strategies and empower youths in underserved communities.

“My education at Northeastern led me to teaching undergraduates. Through those experiences, I began to identify gaps in access to financial literacy, which is where FLY came from,” she says. “I don’t think it’s fair that because I could afford it, I could embrace the big opportunities.”

Founded in 2017, FLY has now expanded from 300 students per year to an average of 2,500—with as many as 7,500 participating at any given time, and programming becoming available across the Northeast. Despite these large numbers, FLY still curates financial literacy curricula to reflect individuals’ personal life experiences, whether in financial planning, investing, insurance, or other related areas.

It’s very clear that Reyes is on a trajectory that will not only make a positive impact on her professional career, but also on the lives of thousands of people—and she’s only just beginning. “My confidence came from Northeastern,” she says. “It played a very important role in where FLY is today and what it is going to be. Without my education there, I don’t know if I would have been able to set up a nonprofit on my own or get it to where it is now.”

Meet Ashley DiLorenzo, AMD’25! About to embark on her professional journey with Disney Cruise Line, Ashley has seen both ends of the spectrum in the entertainment industry—from her time at the Huntington Theater to media giant NBCUniversal. We’ll talk about why she chose Northeastern, the skills she learned during her co-op experiences, and how she networked her way to Disney.

For many people, the term “muckraker” exists only in a U.S. history textbook—a relic of the Progressive Era that laid the foundation for modern investigative journalism. The term has all but disappeared from the American zeitgeist. However, deep into the 20th century, it still rang true in Cleveland, Ohio.

Roldo Bartimole, DMSB’59, declared by many to be the country’s last true muckraker, covered stories both small and large during his expansive journalism tenure. His work ranged from small-time mayoral corruption in his native Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Martin Luther King Jr.’s impactful visit to Cleveland in 1969. Guided by his instinctual determination to challenge the status quo and force accountability upon long-standing institutional powers, Bartimole’s storied career began at Northeastern where honed his craft and found the voice to speak the truth.

The Northeastern Spark

Bartimole first put pen to paper in 1955 when he arrived on Huntington Avenue as a first-year Northeastern student. “I learned quickly to adapt to Northeastern and Boston. They’re vibrant places that have a lot happening,” he recalls.

True to his word, plenty was happening on campus during the fall semester of 1955—so much so that one news story presented Bartimole with a professional epiphany, pointing him toward a career in journalism.

“There was a big to-do about the live Husky mascot,” he says. “The student newspaper had found out that the university had kept him in Boston instead of sending him to New Hampshire for the summer, as had been the practice. Well, the dog died, and after the story broke, the school clamped down on the newspaper.”

Following a flurry of resignations by newspaper staff protesting the university’s administration, Bartimole seized the opportunity to join The Northeastern News as a first-year student and quickly ascended to sports editor. His coverage of the Huskies’ athletic accomplishments landed him a co-op position at The Boston Globe—which gave him the foundational experience he needed for his first professional role back in Bridgeport.

Finding His Voice in Bridgeport

Over the next few years, Bartimole pinballed back and forth between Bridgeport and the Haverhill Gazette on Massachusetts’ North Shore. His final role at the Bridgeport Post was as assistant editor, where he published stories on the city’s impending housing crisis and poverty-stricken streets.

“Eventually, I was told no more of those stories. I became very, very upset,” he recalls. “Lee Danenberg, the editor of the Bridgeport Herald, called me up and said that he heard they had a gag on me. He said to come over and talk to him.”

The Bridgeport Herald was a Sunday paper that had earned a reputation as the arbiter of the city’s underbelly, representing stories of people who rarely received coverage from the Post. Bartimole and his passion for this storytelling style fit like a glove.

Over eight months, Bartimole turned over every stone in Bridgeport pursuing stories that connected with readers on the fringes of the city’s power circles rather than the elites at the center. His reporting soon caught the attention of larger papers across the country, including The Washington Post and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.

Covering Cleveland’s Changing Landscape

After moving to Ohio, Bartimole covered the overarching story of how Cleveland had become a “changing city.” “There was a large population that the city paid no attention to,” he says. “I was tasked with going out and doing stories on different neighborhoods. I did stories about poverty and different communities that had been ignored before.”

Around 1967, Cleveland elected Carl Stokes to the mayorship—the first African American elected to this position in any major city. Bartimole was in Akron “caught up in the Civil Rights movement,” but returned to Cleveland at the Plain-Dealer’s request following this monumental and historic election.

“There was a new energy in the city, and a lot of people watching. I was tasked with working a poverty and welfare beat. Well, eventually, The Wall Street Journal came inquiring,” he recalls.

At the time, The Wall Street Journal maintained a Cleveland bureau in part to cover major corporations like Republic Steel and Standard Oil. After eight months of writing about the connections between these companies and city council members, Bartimole left the Journal in pursuit of “doing something more.”

Establishing Point of View

Bartimole had his finger on the pulse of Cleveland’s political atmosphere, and by extension, the nation’s. As things became “hot” around the country in 1968—through endless protests, rising tensions in Vietnam, and an impending presidential election—he decided to start his own newsletter. Aptly titled Point of View, the independent publication discussed how these variables impacted local Cleveland communities.

For 32 years, Point of View was circulated weekly and became a cornerstone of alternative journalism as well as the local bastion of the counterculture sweeping the nation at the time. However, this came at a price—he lived a frugal lifestyle in exchange for his journalistic freedom.

Point of View covered what has been described as Cleveland’s “bigwig triad”: business, politicians, and the news media. His reporting included everything from the urban affairs conference held a day after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination to forced tax hikes on county residents—with a forced removal from City Hall in 1969 thrown in for good measure.

What helped Bartimole make that leap of faith to leave media giants and ascend to the top of grassroots journalism? He credits his Northeastern experience. “Northeastern gave me confidence,” he says. “My father was a butcher. I wasn’t planning on college until I was drafted for the Korean War. But Northeastern gave me the confidence to get an education, and it gave me the key to unlock the door for my career and understanding people.”

An Ongoing Legacy

Bartimole’s work is still celebrated in Cleveland. Forbes called Point of View a newsletter that everyone “read in private, yet ignored in public.” That sentiment no longer rings true—this past year, Cleveland State University archived every copy of Point of View in celebration of his contributions to journalism and to the city’s history.

Despite what the textbooks say, muckraking was alive and well in Cleveland, Ohio for decades. With Bartimole’s fearless storytelling as inspiration, it will influence generations of journalists to come. “I learned certain things and I made certain sacrifices,” he says reflectively. “I’ve led a different kind of lifestyle looking for the truth. It’s been a hard goal, but I’ve enjoyed it.”

Meet Samuel Akinin, E’16! An accomplished entrepreneur, Samuel’s businesses span across the country of Namibia, providing Namibians with everything from easy bank access to affordable housing. Hear how his Northeastern experience influenced him to become an entrepreneur and shaped his business acumen! 

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Migue Darcera knows what he wants to do long term—become a physician-scientist focused on infectious diseases while advocating to advance STEM education equity and global vaccine accessibility. Everything he has done in his college career is leading up to that.

Set to graduate summa cum laude with a 3.91 GPA, Migue is “a role model for undergraduate students here at Northeastern,” Associate Professor of Biology Yunrong Chai says. “He is highly motivated and devoted in STEM research. He has a passion in helping others and has contributed effortlessly to the communities, both on and outside of Northeastern campus.”

Migue says that within the Northeastern community, he can compartmentalize his involvement into three categories—research, leadership, and service. He was a research assistant for Dr. Emily Clough in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and helped create a database for philanthropic grants from around the world. For Dr. Yunrong (Win) Chai’s lab, he investigated the development of biofilms, multi-cellular communities of bacteria ubiquitously found in nature. Dr. Chai said Migue “has the potential to make interesting discoveries.” Because he was interested in public health, he became a health equity intern for the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, exploring the effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship programs in Ghana.

His leadership is also admirable. He has been a resident assistant for three years and has been vice president of TriBeta—the Biological Honor Society—and secretary of the Biology Club. He says, “I founded and led Paging Ahead, an initiative that enhanced educational opportunities for children in the Philippines through the distribution of books.”

Migue has served Northeastern and the Boston communities as a volunteer peer mentor for BIOL1000, College of Science ambassador, teaching assistant for American Chinese Christian Educational and Social Services, senior health educator for Peer Health Exchange and a student volunteer for Citizen Schools. He’s been a conference assistant for Northeastern’s External Events and Conference Program, a teaching assistant, and is host of “The Adobe Mix” on WRBB Radio in Boston, one of the city’s few stations regularly playing Filipino music.

The training and mentorship he received at Northeastern have enabled Migue to grow as a scientist and researcher. He’s presented his work at regional and national conferences, co-authored a research article in the Journal of Bacteriology and was honored in the Undergraduate Poster Competition at ASBMB’s DiscoverBMB. His most significant achievement, he believes, is “the profound scientific growth I experienced through my research endeavors in the Chai lab. I have grown from a timid, inexperienced researcher into a fearless, independent scientist unafraid to as and pursue questions, big and small.”

Not surprisingly, Migue has garnered many awards and honors, including the Schafer Research Scholarship and more than $15,000 in PEAK Awards to support his research. In addition, he received the RA of the Year, 2025 award and was selected for the Huntington 100.

Scholar. Leader. Researcher. Innovator. Humanitarian. That’s Donté Lewis, whose major is cell and molecular biology. He might also add bookworm, food enthusiast, nature observer, and chef to the list.

Donté is deeply involved in Northeastern’s culture. He’s vice president of the College of Science Student Leadership Council; vice president of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; president of the Biology Club; treasurer of Northeastern’s National PanHellenic Council; member of the College of Science Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Committee; community guide for the First-Gen Low-Income Office; and trip leader for two alternative Spring Break trips through the Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement.

During a sample management co-op at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Donté piloted a capability model to highlight the hindrances and cost efficiencies for in-lab quality control chemists and microbiologists. He is a dean’s research fund scholar at the Sive Laboratory at Northeastern and was a research assistant at Hope Lab of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the National Institutes of Health.

Denise Douglas, program coordinator of the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, says of Donté, “His academic record alone reflects an unyielding pursuit of knowledge.” His first research project explored the neurochemical interactions between gut bacteria and addictive behaviors. His second provided novel insight into hippocampal involvement in addiction relapse.

Donté was a key organizer for the 2025 Black in Science speaker series. “His leadership in this initiative has created a space for mentorship, networking, and inspiration for students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM,” Douglas says. Donté considers being a fall 2024 initiate into the Beta Alpha Chapter for Phi Beta Sigma, Inc., to be his greatest achievement. “Being able to be a part of something greater than myself while serving my community is everything I strive to stand for,” he says.

During his time at Northeastern, Donté has been honored with a PEAK Ascent Award twice, named to the Huntington 100, served as a Torch Scholar, and was a COS Science Connects to Innovation Award recipient.

After graduation, Donté plans to work for in biotechnology while pursuing a master’s in the life sciences. Later, he will apply to graduate schools to pursue a doctorate.

“He is the kind of student who brings his full self to every space, merging academic brilliance with a deep sense of purpose and community,” says Douglas.

Throughout Chinonso Morsindi’s five-year academic journey, she has achieved academic excellence, inspired leadership, and exhibited professional development. Chinonso is set to graduate from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business with a 3.77 GPA.

Chinonso is president of the Black Business Student Association (BBSA), and planned the group’s inaugural Black Professionals Conference, a landmark event that fostered connections between students and industry leaders. She has been a peer mentor for the Office of Student Engagement, Affinity, and Inclusion; a Summer Bridge leader; and a BUSN1102 mentor. As a legacy peer mentor at the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, Chinonso helped increase retention and graduation rates for students of color by providing academic and professional mentorship.

“Establishing BBSA’s Inaugural Black Professionals Conference was one of the biggest highlights of my college career,” says Chinonso. “It dedicated a space for students from around Boston to connect with leaders that look like them, while also helping them explore various pathways to breaking into their desired profession.”

Last year, Chinonso presented her international affairs capstone research project, “Harnessing Africa’s Growing Influence on the 21st Century Global Stage,” at the RISE Expo. She received the 2024 Srinivasan Grant for Projects in Emerging Markets to develop and publish her findings. Chinonso’s global experiences include six months at the IÉSEG School of Management in Paris in 2023, and a field study on sustainable energy in Denmark in March 2025 that culminated in a presentation of a case study on CarbFix, an Icelandic carbon capture company.

Chinonso participated in a strategic tech partnership and project management co-op with Boston Consulting Group, and a case team assistant co-op with L.E.K. Consulting. She was an ESG reporting analyst for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York, a corporate venture capital analyst with HP Tech Ventures, and a corporate banking summer analyst for HSBC USA. Chinonso’s passion for technology and innovation led her to join the Break Through Tech AI Fellowship at MIT, where she and other students developed an algorithm for the startup hedge fund Cashew Capital. The project enabled her to bridge the gap between AI and business.

The consensus from the Dean’s Office at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business is that Chinonso’s experiences shaped her into dynamic leader, scholar, and changemaker. There is a level of confidence that upon graduating in May, she will leverage her knowledge, skills, and leadership to drive innovation and create equitable opportunities in academia, business, and society.

Before beginning her PhD program in August through the Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics and Structural Biology Track at Yale University, Diana Turrieta will continue to help and support minority students. This summer, she will be a TA in chemistry and algebra for high school students in the Mathematics and Science for Minority Students Program at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, a program she took part in during high school.

Diana has been active in Northeastern’s PODER (Prosperity Ownership Determination Empowerment Resilience) Early Arrival Program. She directed a five-day early arrival program that assists first-generation, Latinx and/or undocumented/DACA students for a successful transition to university life. This, Diana says, is her proudest achievement.

“I have mentored a number of students, built community, and helped students become leaders,” she shares.

Diana has also held several positions in Northeastern’s Latin American Student Organization, helping to strengthen the group through positive relationships and management. As a FUNL program assistant, she organizes events and develops resources for the Latinx community.

With all her community involvement, Diana has kept on top of her studies. She will graduate with a 3.974 GPA and has won research awards, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) in 2025; the Genetic Information Honorable Mention Poster at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Annual Conference; ASBMB’s Student Chapter Travel Award; the Huntington 100; the Princeton University 2024 MolBio Scholars; and the Northeastern University Garnet Award.

Diana participated in the AJC Merit Research Scholar co-op with the Dr. Tovah Day Laboratory at Northeastern, and the Prime Editing Platform co-op at Prime Medicine, Inc. Diana is “outstanding in the classroom, in the laboratory, and as a member of our community. She has an impressive trajectory,” says Day. “Diana has grown to operate at the level of a graduate student in my lab, and has made remarkable contributions. She’s singularly clear-headed, presents with confidence, clarity, and insight, and brings an entrepreneurial spirit,” Day adds.

Diana has also served as a biochemistry peer mentor and a Campus Crossroads information attendant.

Biochemistry Program Director Professor Kirsten Ferteck says, “Diana is a highly energetic, curious, and empathetic student who has been serving as an ideal role model for our students. She is an accomplished biochemistry researcher with an impressive academic record, and is also a recognized champion of the underserved communities that she is passionate about,” says Ferteck.

Most people go to college and then grow into their careers. Chisako Oga-Cunningham is not like most people. She already has a lucrative career as a principal dancer with the Boston Ballet, and will soon be a Northeastern University graduate.

Chisako is currently one of the best in the world in her profession. She is also a realist, aware that a career in dance has a short timeline. Her leadership in the classroom has given her a promising second career. Chisako is on track to receive a B.S. in finance and accounting management, and hopes to pursue graduate studies and earn her Certified Management Accountant (CMA) credential. In the meantime, she plans to fully dedicate herself to dancing while also seeking internship opportunities to gain valuable on-the-job experience.

Chisako served as an ambassador for the partnership between the Boston Ballet and Northeastern, providing testimonials for donors, guiding prospective students, and sharing insights with dancers. Outside of Northeastern, she’s taken on leadership roles that align with her values, mentoring two ballet students through a program between the Boston Ballet and the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. She was also a union delegate for the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), advocating for safer and fairer working conditions.

“Pursuing a degree through Northeastern has been a dream realized,” Chisako says, “I’ve worked hard to ensure that my academic performance reflects the same level of commitment and discipline I bring in the studio.” She is most proud of balancing a rigorous professional ballet career with academics and assures others that it’s possible to balance a career and education.

Chisako has performed major roles in countless ballets and has been lauded for her talent. She received a bronze medal at the 2018 USA International Ballet Competition, was listed among the 25 to Watch by Dance magazine in 2018, and received a silver medal at the 2016 Shanghai International Ballet Competition.

Veronica Horne, the Boston Ballet’s company manager says, “Chisako is a textbook role model for her colleagues, making Boston Ballet proud of her continued accomplishments on and off stage.”

Chisako says, “The partnership between the Boston Ballet and Northeastern has opened the opportunity for me to continue my education. Not only does it make it possible for me to earn a bachelor’s degree while working full-time as a dancer, but the scholarship helps me to do so while feeling financially stable.”

Mya Leonardo, who will graduate with a 4.0 GPA in biology, is narrowly taking a break before she starts attending Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine in July 2025. This pace is not unusual for Mya, as she has been a powerhouse on campus and in the community throughout her time on campus.

Since 2022, Mya has chaired the Student Philanthropy Council, helping educate the student body on philanthropy’s power and its role in shaping students’ experience on campus. “Mya has shown remarkable resilience and dedication,” says Director, Student Engagement + Philanthropy C. Hawkins. “She led through the natural growing pains of a new organization—navigating shifts in member engagement and leadership—while never losing sight of the council’s purpose.” She’s also proud of the way she has grown SPC. “I developed a whole new perspective on the values that encompass Northeastern and why certain things on campus are carried out the way that they are.” That helped her inform the student body of the importance of donations—and donor’s choice.

Mya has been a tutor and gala committee member for EVkids and a Husky Ambassador. For Miss America Opportunity, she has volunteered more than 600 hours at various community events. She’s committed to helping children and has tied that into her plans to become a dentist. She hosts free oral hygiene workshops for after-school programs and schools across Massachusetts. She also hosts the Smart Smiles Toothbrush Drive, collecting and donating more than 800 toothbrushes plus toothpastes for schools and shelters across the state. In addition, she also published her first children’s book, Maggie and Her Powerful Braces. “Maggie’s story has helped kids across the Commonwealth find confidence through their smile and not letting the bullies’ negative words overpower you.”

Mya has not yet begun dental school, yet she has become a licensed dental assistant, earning about 2,000 clinical hours assisting procedures in general dentistry, pediatrics, orthodontics, periodontics, and dentistry for patients with special needs. “Providing care for patients with special needs brought so much joy to me,” she says, “because it was all about having patience and being adaptable to provide for the patient in a way that was geared to their needs.”

In addition to becoming a dental assistant, Mya is certified in CPR, AED, radiology and infection control. A member of Northeastern TriBeta Biological Honor Society, Mya is a member of the ASDA Pre-Dental Advisory Committee, and debate team member, as well as the public relations chair and mentor of Northeastern University Pre-Dental Association. She is founder of EMPOWER and EMPOWER Workshops in Dartmouth,  and holds weekly “Mindsets with Mya” podcasts and blog postings to help spread inclusion and a positive mindset.

Hawkins says, “Her leadership, volunteer spirit, academic integrity, and deep commitment to Northeastern are undeniable. She is exactly the kind of student who becomes a lifelong ambassador for the university.”