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Each year, ������ɫ highlights outstanding students as part of our Commencement celebration. From their courage in the face of adversity to their hard work and determination, explore the inspiring stories of 14 remarkable graduates from the Class of 2025.

Kayla Buccellato-Singer
Master of Business Administration
School of Management

Buccellato-Singer relished every opportunity to gain valuable marketing experience, which drew her to internships with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit branch of Sesame Street, and SiriusXM, where she drove new marketing tactics and promoted initiatives that highlighted value for customers. As an assistant in the School of Management’s Career Services office, she has also provided fellow students with feedback on resume-building, mock interviews, guidance on job searches and showed them how to build transferable skills.

There’s tremendous value in showing the customers that you’re aware of how much they’re using your product and being clear that you want them to feel rewarded for being so loyal. At the same time, something I really like about marketing is that what works one week might not be successful the next.

Read Kayla’s ������ɫ story >

Nicole Burek
Bachelor of Science, Sociology and Statistics
Minor, Geographic Information Systems
Harpur College

Burek combined academic research with community engagement, using data to advocate for more just and equitable cities. That passion guided Burek’s honors thesis, for which she won the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. She also took on leadership roles as campaign manager and treasurer for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), where she advocated for housing justice in ������ɫ.

I’m excited to keep learning and growing. I want to keep using data, research and community engagement to help build cities where everyone cannot only live, but thrive.

Read Nicole’s ������ɫ story >

Ashanté Concepcion
PharmD
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Life doesn’t always go as planned. In fact, it rarely does. Yet, it’s how we adapt and overcome adversity that shapes our lives and who we are. For Ashanté Concepcion ’25, graduating would have seemed impossible just a few years ago after she suffered a massive brain bleed that left her at death’s door. Now, after years of therapy, grit and perseverance, she has overcome the odds and is getting ready to walk at graduation to accept her PharmD degree from ������ɫ.

Whether it’s a life-changing health issue or someone telling you you’re not good enough, don’t let that be the end of your story. Keep pushing, keep going. You’ll surprise yourself with what you can accomplish when you fight for what you believe in. You’re here for a reason — don’t forget that!

Read Ashanté’s ������ɫ story >

Michael Fasching
Master of Science, Information Systems
Watson College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

The Austrian native started graduate school in Seattle, but wanted to transfer to a school more focused on research. Without even visiting ������ɫ first, he packed up his tiny Fiat 500 and made the five-day drive from the Northwest to the Northeast. After picking up his master’s degree, he will stay to pursue his PhD in computer science this fall.

The connection I have with the professors in my master’s program is very valuable and has helped me to understand what research is and how to approach it.

Read Michael’s ������ɫ story >

Robel Kebede
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science

Kebede navigated the demands of rigorous coursework while balancing campus involvement and part-time work, and he credits these experiences with shaping his resilience and adaptability. Outside the classroom, he balanced his studies as a mechanical engineering major with hands-on work as a bowling alley mechanic at the Union, making sure the lanes ran smoothly for students and visitors.

Between late nights in the lab, solving problems with my teammates and the satisfaction of seeing something you helped design actually work, it’s been worth every moment.

Read Robel’s ������ɫ story >

Robert Kwortnik
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
School of Management

Following his graduation, Kwortnik will work with Royal Caribbean International’s Food and Beverage Operations as an equipment and island support analyst, following a career path similar to that of his father and grandfather. After transferring into the School of Management, he discovered how leadership and consulting presented him with opportunities to become a “jack-of-all-trades.”

I want to be good at a lot of things, rather than great at one thing. That’s also how I landed on the trifecta — business administration, leadership and consulting concentration, with a health and wellness minor.

Read Robert’s ������ɫ story here >

Julian Marshall
Bachelor of Science, Biology
Harpur College

Julian Marshall has experienced a side to campus that often escapes notice: the unseen threads of fungi lacing through the soil, a chorus of returning warblers, the industry of ants in redistributing the seeds of native wildflowers. The biology major’s ������ɫ experience has centered on the Nature Preserve, as a source of research, solace and social connection.

In addition to working on an honors thesis on the role ants play in seed dispersal, he has undertaken a separate project in mycology. He has also helped organize the Ecoblitz and serves as president of the campus chapter of the Audubon Society.

After working at an Illinois arboretum over the summer, he’ll never forget the feeling he had when he returned to campus — and, of course, the Nature Preserve.

“It just felt comforting. It’s a familiar place that I know better than most places I’ve been. It just kind of felt like I was hugged by the woods.

Read Julian’s ������ɫ story >

Olivia Medeiros
Bachelor of Science, Nursing
Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Olivia Medeiros is a trilingual Brazilian native who arrived at ������ɫ to pursue her dream of working in family or internal medicine. After earning dual bachelor’s degrees in business administration and hotel management/tourism in Brazil, Medeiros traveled to the U.S. and discovered an interest in caring for others while working as an au pair for a family that included a child with Type 1 diabetes. She decided to become a nurse and despite financial challenges, language difficulties and some unhelpful advice from a college counselor, Medeiros persevered and earned both an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Being a [family nurse practitioner] is something I’ve thought of since I first graduated from the [associate degree in nursing] program.

Read Olivia’s ������ɫ story >

Richard Quiles
Master of Science, Human Rights
College of Community and Public Affairs

Richard Quiles, ������ɫ’s coordinator for diversity education, found his passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in sociocultural anthropology. Now a graduating master’s student, Quiles works to advance DEI initiatives at ������ɫ. His life experiences have helped him understand diverse perspectives, which he applies in his current role. Despite challenges in the field, he remains committed to advocating for marginalized communities and fostering equity. Quiles plans to further his education with a higher degree and hopes to continue his DEI work in a larger city, all while reflecting on the growth he’s experienced through his time at ������ɫ.

I know there’s a lot of push-back, yet our overall goal stays the same. We will be here every day doing the work that needs to be done. It’s important to be understanding of different backgrounds and cultures and how to have tough conversations with people about our differences, and that’s the heart of DEI.

Read Richard’s ������ɫ story >

Itzel Robles Valdez
Master of Music, Vocal Performance
Harpur College

Itzel Robles Valdez, a soprano and Master of Music student at ������ɫ, came to the U.S. to study under Brenda Iglesias, inspired by her approach to vocal pedagogy. Overcoming financial struggles and performance anxiety, Robles Valdez has become a standout performer and voice teacher. She’s grateful for the support she’s received and plans to return to Mexico to share her knowledge before eventually pursuing a doctorate.

I started reading more of this science-based pedagogy — how we can teach it — and it became my dream. It inspires me to share this information in Mexico someday. It’s like a musical revolution for me, and I want to be part of that revolution.

Read Itzel’s ������ɫ story >

Meredith Smith, Master of Public Health
Elizabeth Smith, Bachelor of Science, Nursing
Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences

The desire to help others inspired sisters and ������ɫ alumnae Meredith Smith ’11 and Elizabeth Smith ’24 to pursue further degrees at Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Meredith’s passion for serving others, especially the desire to make a significant impact on large populations, led her to Decker College in 2023 to pursue a graduate degree in public health after the COVID-19 pandemic intensified her interest in the field.

From a young age, Elizabeth was inspired to pursue a career in nursing after watching nurses care for her grandmother in the hospital. Weeks after earning her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences in 2024, Elizabeth returned to the classroom as part of Decker College’s accelerated nursing program.

Public health allows me to address systemic health challenges and advocate for policies that improve community well-being.

Meredith Smith

Read Meredith and Elizabeth’s ������ɫ story >

Shawn Stowe
Bachelor of Social Work
College of Community and Public Affairs

When Shawn Stowe’s position was eliminated due to cutbacks, she knew she was ready for something new. She also knew that if she pursued a degree, it would be at ������ɫ, despite the 200-mile round-trip to attend classes in person.

Although her husband and family supported her new role as a full-time student, returning to school after a 31-year break presented its own set of challenges.

It was difficult to relearn how to study and write papers. Fortunately, I had a supportive cohort that really helped boost my confidence and empower me. They were always there to lift me up when I felt overwhelmed or doubted my abilities.

Read Shawn’s ������ɫ story >

Mo Walts
PharmD
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Thanks to the ������ɫ School of Pharmacy, Mo Walts ’25 has learned how to use their voice to implement a positive change and help others along the way. Their dedication and advocacy to the LGBTQ+ community have helped them gain local and state-wide recognition, and they were recently honored by the New York State Senate and Senator Lea Webb. Walts is leaving behind a legacy of advocacy at ������ɫ. They have used their voice to help others and believe there is no reason why the students following in their footsteps can’t do the same.

My advice to future students is to use your voice. Whether it’s in class or in your personal life, speak up and ask questions. You have to be an active participant in your own journey — don’t wait for opportunities to fall into your lap. If something’s missing or not working, make the change yourself. You have more power than you think.

Read Mo’s ������ɫ story >