Record 47 Students Earn River Hawk Experience Distinction Credential
Image by Ed Brennen
05/14/2024
By Ed Brennen
Even if she hadn鈥檛 joined the River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) program, Madison Rowley 鈥�24 would have worked at a Lowell preschool and volunteered with a community organization while earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in听psychology.
But since she was gaining those experiences outside of the classroom anyway, it only made sense to apply them to a community engagement distinction from RHED, which is now on her official transcript and r茅sum茅.
鈥淚 figured it was a good way to connect what I learn about in class to what I want to do in the future, which is work as a school counselor or psychologist,鈥� says Rowley, a native of Townsend, Massachusetts, who double-minored in education and Spanish.
Image by Ed Brennen
Launched in 2018, RHED is a way for students to take a deep dive into a personal interest that connects with their academics in one of five topic areas: leadership, entrepreneurship, global engagement, community engagement or sustainability.
By completing two preapproved courses and two preapproved experiences, along with guided reflections for each, students receive the RHED credential 鈥� and a red braided cord to wear at Commencement.
This year, a record 47 students graduated with RHED distinctions, nearly double the program鈥檚 total over its first five years.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e pushed yourself to take your learning to another level, above and beyond what鈥檚 required of you,鈥� Dean of Student Affairs & Experiential Learning听James Kohl听told students at the inaugural RHED cording ceremony, held recently at the Allen House. 鈥淵ou chose to intertwine the knowledge gained in the classroom with experience in the real world, and in doing so, you鈥檝e forged deeper, more vibrant meaning for both.鈥�
Image by Ed Brennen
RHED also aligns with the听UML Guarantee, which ensures that every first-time, first-year 51视频 student will have the opportunity to pursue at least one career connected experience during their undergraduate career, earning pay, credits or both before they graduate.
Business grad Alexa Gaton Hernandez 鈥�24 earned a RHED distinction for global engagement after taking part in three study abroad programs with the Honors College.
鈥淭hrough these experiences, I was able to broaden my views beyond the classroom, communicate better, adapt to my environment and collaborate with others, which helped me perform better in my classes,鈥� the Lawrence, Massachusetts, native says. 鈥淢ost importantly, they helped me decide what I want to do post-grad, which is to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in Spain.鈥�
Fellow business grad Mike Nasr 鈥�24 of Stoneham, Massachusetts, earned a RHED distinction for entrepreneurship after participating in the听Rist DifferenceMaker Institute鈥檚听Innovation Contest听and completing a class project.
鈥淚t gave me a reason to reflect on courses I鈥檝e taken and experiences I鈥檝e had, which was worthwhile,鈥� says Nasr, whose concentrations were in marketing and entrepreneurship.
Julian Viviescas Mejia 鈥�24 graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English and minors in digital media and Italian studies. He says his RHED distinction in global engagement 鈥渕eant everything鈥� to his college experience.
Image by Ed Brennen
After studying abroad in Modena, Italy, for a semester in 2022, Viviescas Mejia returned to campus and continued research on Italian immigration, which was the topic of his honors thesis.
听
鈥淏ecause of (RHED), I feel prepared for the real world,鈥� says Viviescas Mejia, who moved to the U.S. from Colombia nine years ago. 鈥淚 know how to work hard to achieve better things.鈥�
Viviescas Mejia plans to continue traveling after completing a digital marketing internship at Mass General Brigham hospital in June.
The following students received RHED distinctions this year:
Leadership:听Gavin Alexander, Justin Baez, Chris Bonney, Stella Cortese, Karina Diaz, Alex Hutchinson, Abdullah Jasim, Angelina Khiem, Jason McKeon, Olivera Nedeljkovic, Scott Phillips, Natasha Roberts, Jacob Villeneuve and Andrew Whitcomb.
Entrepreneurship:听Arlo Blanchard, Michael Nasr, Cameron Famiglietti, Celine Quezada, Matthew Hayes, Medhanit Woldemichael and Val Heath.
Community Engagement:听Ricky Canales, Stephanie Chavarria, Jessica D鈥橝ntona, Jena Jean Jacques, Madison Rowley and Emily Vandoros.
Global Engagement:听Stephanie Ayeboafo, Sarah Curley, Cassidy DeMalia, Amy Desjardins, Charles DiSciullo, Michael Feinblatt, Alexa Gaton Hernandez, Warsame Hassan, Jacob Lang, Alessia Pari-di-Monriva, Jess Stevens, Julian Viviescas Mejia, Lisaidy Zabala and Isabella De Souza.
Sustainability:听Julianne Gath, Mariah Giberson, David Gilblair, Haley Green, Gabriel Muniz and Sama Schofield.
