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Spring 2025 Academic Honors Recipients

Congratulations to the following Mitchell College students named to the Spring 2025 Dean’s List (3.50+ GPA) or Commendable Scholars List (3.0-3.49 GPA). Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible:
  1. Must be a matriculated student.
  2. Part-time students are eligible for commendable scholar status for every 12 calculable credits completed.
  3. Must have a grade point average between 3.0 and 3.49 for the given semester (Commendable Scholar) or 3.50 and 4.00 for the given semester (Dean’s List).
  4. May not have any Incomplete, Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), Withdrawal or Failing grades for the given semester.

Dean’s List

Braiden Alaimo | Enfield, CT
Clarke Joslyn Alexander | New London, CT
Adrian Alicea | Miami, FL
Julia Alves | Portsmouth, RI
Nicholas Anderson | Madison, CT
Avery Appiah | East Haddam, CT
Chloe Athanas | Gaithersburg, MD
Jaileen Barber | Waterford, CT
Joshua Bar-Nadav | Narberth, PA
Jamya Beddoe | New London, CT
Samuel Bellos | Waterford, CT
Taylor Bialowas | Jewett City, CT
Jenna Blankenship | Virden, IL
Sabrina Bloise | New London, CT
Allison Blum | Garden Grove, CA
Nicholas Bracale | East Haven, CT
Daniel Brycki | Uncasville, CT
Grace Carey | Providence, RI
Rachel Casasnovas | West Haven, CT
Andrew Ceriello | Lincoln, RI
Andrew Champagne | Pawcatuck, CT
Ethan Chavez | New London, CT
Preston Cheng | Staten Island, NY
Brooke Clancy | East Haven, CT
Phillip Clark | Jensen Beach, FL
Jessica Cochran | Waterford, CT
Madison Cole | Westbrook, ME
Luis Collazo | Windsor, CT
Alexander Confarotta | Attleboro, MA
Ryan Cooper | Stratford, CT
Max Cooper | Chicago, IL
Eleanore Corson | Ithaca, NY
Karissa Cotoia | North Scituate, RI
Joseph Criscuolo | Branford, CT
Shaelene Dayap-Berrio | Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Olivia DeCicco | Haverhill, MA
Joseph DeLoria | New Hope, PA
Luke Demsey | Cheshire, CT
Chase Donahue | Shirley, MA
Kaylee Drago | Danbury, CT
Zhangir Dyussenov | New London, CT
Mahra Engdall | Waterford, CT
Jacob Faigel | Natick, MA
Michael Ficocelli | North Providence, RI
Isaiah Figueroa | Woonsocket, RI
Jameson Foster | Salem, CT
Crystal Gangi | New Fairfield, CT
Anissa Gardiner | New London, CT
Adam Gardner | North Charleston, SC
Joseph Garry | New London, CT
Christopher Gibbs | New Britain, CT
Joelle Goetz | Niantic, CT
Keeano Gonzalez | New London, CT
Marybeth Gonzalez | Waterford, CT
Katelynn Goodman | Virginia Beach, VA
Jack Green | Niantic, CT
Wilmer Grullon | New London, CT
Nicholas Gyra | Wenham, MA
Cameron Haefs | Cary, IL
Jared Hague | Cranston, RI
Benjamin Harrison | Yardley, PA
Malaki Hart | Milford, CT
Maren Harwood | East Lyme, CT
Joseph Hayes | Stonington, CT
John Hayes | New Milford, CT
Jonathan Hecker | Falls Church, VA
Elda Hernandez | Groton, CT
Melanie Hintz | Bristol, CT
Christina Housley | Virginia Beach, VA
Juliana Huber | Columbia, SC
Nadya Hudson | Greenfield, WI
Zoe Hull | Quaker Hill, CT
Genna Hyde | Cypress, TX
Jade Hypolite | Rosenberg, TX
Ava Iwasko | Sterling Heights, MI
Oscar Jacquot | Brooklyn, NY
Noah James | New London, CT
Collin Jefferson | St. Lucie West, FL
Jesse Jenkins | Windsor, CT
John Jerrild | Fairfield, CT
Joshua Jones | Hampstead, NH
Liam Kane | Waterford, CT
Ronnie Keays | Salem, NH
Sarah Keefe | Cheyenne, WY
Oliver Kerrigan | West Hartford, CT
Sean Khan | Wethersfield, CT
Anna Kochansky | Bronxville, NY
Emma LaBreck | Rollinsford, NH
Matthew Ladd | Griswold, CT
Gemma Landry | Lewiston, ME
Ethan LaRoche | Potomac, MD
Mia Larson | Sutton, MA
Luca Laurence | Greenwich, CT
Brandon Lee | Stockton, CA
Julia Lent | Miller Place, NY
Alessio Liberti | Glen Rock, NJ
Yesenia Lovaton | New London, CT
Kyrsten Lucas | Manchester, MD
Dylan Lucey | Lebanon, CT
Marissa Luna | Houston, TX
Gillian Mathre | Council Bluffs, IA
Jenica Mccauley-Logan | New London, CT
Lindsy McFarlane | Plainfield, CT
Shamus McLean | Groton, CT
David Meiliken | Rye, NY
Salvador Morales | East Hartford, CT
Chloe Morrissey | Hingham, MA
Gaia Mourad | Venice, CA
Alexander Nardone | Wellesley Hills, MA
Shaylla Neto | Groton, CT
Max Netto | Derby, CT
Kristina O’Hanlon | White Plains, NY
Timothy O’Hayre | Hull, MA
Jose Pacheco | New London, CT
Diamara Pagan | Norwich, CT
Luke Pavia | Bolton, MA
Jennifer Peck | Glastonbury, CT
Hannah Penn | New Fairfield, CT
Autumn Pepin | Jewett City, CT
Steven Peralta | Paterson, NJ
Inonda Peterson | Missouri City, TX
Tyler Powell | Middletown, CT
Thomas Progano | East Hampton, CT
Emily Reynolds | Somers, CT
Liam Robb | Rockaway, NJ
Santiago Rodriguez | Old Lyme, CT
Cassandra Roman | New London, CT
Maeve Ronan | Fairfield, CT
Charlotte Rowley | Bedford, NY
Jared Russo | Lebanon, CT
Fernanda Sanchez | Houston, TX
Guiseppie Satti | New London, CT
Alysson Schuyler | Gales Ferry, CT
Matthew Schwartz | New City, NY
Thai-ler Sestokas | Danbury, CT
Trezhon Smith | Burlington, NC
Adam Soliman | Milford, CT
Emma Stahl | Waterford, CT
Arrianna Stark | Schenectady, NY
Colin Steinberg | Wellesley, MA
Brooke Taylor | Uncasville, CT
N’Tai Teague | Richmond, TX
Haley Tedeschi | Mystic, CT
Cole Terni | Oakdale, CT
Charles Terni | Oakdale, CT
Marissa Thiel | Killingworth, CT
Micheal Thompson | Rio Rancho, NM
Luna Torres | Gales Ferry, CT
Duneshka Vazquez | Westerly, RI
Orville Walgern-Byfield | White Plains, NY
Haley Westfal | Lakewood, CA
Brittney Wheeler | Southbury, CT
Brooke Whitmarsh | Portsmouth, RI
Jordan Williams | Taftville, CT
Theodore Wolf | Bayonne, NJ
Molly Wordell | East Haddam, CT
Aliyana Wright-Thomas | New London, CT
Jacob Yoensky | Groton, CT
Francesca Zamarripa | Lithia, FL
Cassidee Zollinger | Roy, UT

Commendable Scholars List 

Aidan Acor | Gales Ferry, CT
Fatimah Alkubaisi | New Haven, CT
Flavio Alvarado | New London, CT
Kiara Ampuero | New London, CT
Gabriel Ansani | Trumbull, CT
Gabriela Aquino | New London, CT
Catherine Ayer | Nottingham, NH
Walker Baillargeon | Norwich, CT
Harry Bernard | Goleta, CA
Solomon Bockler | Old Bethpage, NY
Chase Bonnin | Colchester, CT
Aubrey Borden | San Jose, CA
Corbett Brassaw | Mansfield Center, CT
Paige Broadbent | Binghamton, NY
Sean Brooks | New London, CT
Olivia Bump | Columbus, OH
Jadon Canelli | Northford, CT
Wilton Causey | Worcester, MA
Andrew Colwick | Plantsville, CT
Kevin Connelly | Scarsdale, NY
Lauren Cordero | Selden, NY
Paige Cornetta | Huntington, NY
Christopher Costa | Bayport, NY
Nathan DaCruz | Seymour, CT
Thomas Daly | Wethersfield, CT
Luisa Delgado | New Haven, CT
Katharine Dell | Ridgefield, CT
Oliver Delmonte | Silver Spring, MD
Ryan Dennis | Enfield, CT
Jacob Ditscher | Danbury, CT
Sebastian Duffy | Groton, CT
Madison Dunn | Brooklyn, NY
Jordan Epstein | Reisterstown, MD
Matthew Fingal | Port St. Lucie, FL
Logan Finn | Cohasset, MA
Aidan Fontaine | Mystic, CT
Mauricea Francis | Windsor, CT
Amya Gibbs | Middletown, CT
Charles Gragg | Stamford, CT
Jillian Grossbach | Purchase, NY
Madeline Hill | New York, NY
Jayden Hines | New London, CT
Chelsea Jackson | East Hartford, CT
Aidan Jacobson | Branford, CT
Halie Jennings | New London, CT
Casey Johnson | New London, CT
Matthew Keatley | Waterford, CT
Mehr Khattar | Avon, CT
Gavin Kovacs | Wallingford, CT
Sean Kresge | Waterford, CT
Sarah Latch | Hampstead, NH
Cassandra Lattarulo | Bristol, CT
Miller Lichtenwalner | Ventnor City, NJ
Evan Lipski | Melbourne, FL
Dev Mahesh | Westport, CT
Nathan Mahoney | Stonington, CT
Stephen Mallaney | Madison, NJ
Abdul Mansaray | Ponte Vedra, FL
Hunter Martocchio | Riverton, CT
Andrew McKenna | Essex, MA
Nikolas Misiaszek | Granby, MA
Thomas Moynahan | Fairfield, CT
Matthew Mullaney | Salem, MA
Owen Murphy | Milton, MA
Savier Paige | Wethersfield, CT
Jonathan Parra-Tobey | New London, CT
Ileana Perez | North Arlington, NJ
Morgyn Perkins | Bristol, CT
Ethan Petrowski | Gales Ferry, CT
Juan Pina | Hollywood, FL
Hannah Pogoda | Boston, MA
Erik Portillo | Taftville, CT
Sofia Prada | New York, NY
Jacob Quiles | Wallkill, NY
Justin Radford | Hamden, CT
Emily Rizzo | Southbury, CT
Mason Rockmore | Westfield, NJ
Mason Rodriguez | Danbury, CT
Joshua Scamman | Rochester, NH
Ta’Naya Shaw | Edgewater, NJ
Declan Shea | Williston, VT
Gabriel Stanton-Catallo | West Hartford, CT
Jordyn Streitmatter | Dennis Port, MA
Nicholas Strojny | Woonsocket, RI
Grant Swick | Houston, TX
Casey Tichy | Easton, CT
Melissa Tucker | Wilton, CT
Adam Vartanian | Cumberland, RI
Cole Verrelli | Beacon Falls, CT
Ricardo Williams | Bridgeport, CT
Robert Zirlis | Clinton, CT

Seafood, Sparks & Scholarships Returns

Support Mitchell College students by watching New London’s premier fireworks display—the Mashantucket Pequot Thames River Fireworks Extravaganza— from a private viewing area on Mitchell Beach at Mitchell College’s 2nd Annual Seafood, Sparks & Scholarships on Saturday, July 12.

The last day to purchase tickets is July 8. For more information and to register, go here.

The event takes place from 5:30–9 p.m. and features a memorable evening outdoors—lawn games and cocktails, a delicious multi-course seafood dinner and dessert, and fireworks over the Thames River (beginning at 9:15 p.m.).

A portion of the proceeds from the event goes to the North Star Scholarship Fund, helping Mitchell students discover their brilliance and reach their goals during college and beyond.

Last year’s event sold out, so buy tickets now!

$85 per guest includes:

  • Reserved parking
  • Private, tented event
  • Deck overlooking the Thames River
  • Seafood dinner and dessert
  • One free signature cocktail, plus cash bar
  • Private fireworks viewing from Mitchell Beach

 

 

 

Psychology Majors Sweep Commencement Achievement Awards

Psychology majors from the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences “swept” the awards for highest academic achievement at the 2025 Commencement ceremony, with Isabella “Bella” Avalos named Valedictorian, and Allison Blum and Thomas Progano tied as Salutatorians.

Bella and Allison talked about their career goals and how they will use their favorite psychology courses to advance their professional lives.

Forensic Psychology and Rehabilitative Justice

Bella, who minored in criminal justice, hopes to pursue a doctorate in forensic psychology and work as a licensed clinician for incarcerated individuals in corrections and reentry programs.

“I am interested in studying behavior and the factors that guide it. There are many fields where psychology is used, and it intersects with criminal justice, another interest of mine. When I chose my major and minor, I wanted to understand how they are used together within the justice system,” she said.

Bella has a long-term goal of working in therapy in the justice system but also conducting research on rehabilitative justice for the corrections community. She currently interns in probation in Orange County, California, where she works with incarcerated youth in a rehabilitative capacity.

“This work is something I value greatly and a core reason for me wanting to pursue a career in forensic psychology.”

She cited the Mitchell College courses that she will draw from in her work in psychology and her day-to-day life.

“Psychology of Well-Being was one of my favorite courses at Mitchell. Psychology focuses a lot on abnormalities and dysfunction, but this course provided different principles to living a fulfilling life that I found helpful not only for my career but also personally. I also enjoyed Behavioral Statistics because it gave me the foundational knowledge to discern and interpret data that was extremely helpful with my research at Mitchell for my Honors Program thesis, ‘An Analysis of the School-to-Prison Pipeline.’ One of my career goals is to contribute to the growth of my desired field through research. This class provided good preparation.”

Marriage and Family Therapy

Allison will start graduate school in the fall to work on a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy.

“Mental health is so important to me, and I love helping others feel good about themselves. I have been in therapy for a long time, and it’s been so helpful to me. My hope is to help others in the same way,” she said.

One of her favorite Mitchell psychology courses will inform her work in graduate school.

“In my Family Systems course, I loved taking a deeper dive into each family dynamic and how it affected the person. I found the course to be very helpful because I was introduced to the research of psychologists Drs. John and Julie Gottman. I admire the Gottman Institute and their view on how relationships work. I like looking at the bigger picture when it comes to the person and why they are the way they are.”

Allison examined relationships for her Honors Program thesis, “Power Dynamics in a Coach Athlete Relationship.”

She also found her Grad School and Beyond class helpful as she prepared to apply for graduate school.

Allison looks forward to pursuing her goal of earning her master’s degree and becoming a licensed therapist.

“In the future, I hope to have an established practice helping others, especially those who are married with children. I would love to help people be great parents who help create wonderful children who will grow into wonderful people.”

Class of 2025

While the Behavioral and Social Sciences faculty celebrated the spotlight on this group of students from their program this year, the graduating class of 2025 distinguished themselves academically across all programs:

  • 44 were Honor Society members
  • 28 graduated cum laude
  • 35 graduated magna cum laude
  • 4 graduated summa cum laude

In the above photo, l-r: Professor Jen Mauro and Dr. Joanna Gentsch, professors of psychology, Allison Blum, Bella Avalos, Thomas Progano, and Dr. Nancy Parent, chair of Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Middle School Healthcare Academy Program Launches Summer 2025

Mitchell College invites New London County residents entering grades 6–9, with an interest in science, health, and wellness, to enroll in a summer program on campus, July 7–18.

HCA Rising, a pre-academy program designed to foster an early interest in healthcare fields, is part of the Mitchell College Healthcare Academy (HCA) for New London County high school students.

HCA Rising offers middle school students an opportunity to explore the connection between STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and healthcare careers through fun and engaging activities:

  • Hands-on science experiments
  • Fun physical activities like dance, theater, and athletics
  • Field trips to Mitchell Woods and Mitchell Beach
  • Small group sizes for personalized learning
  • Engaging weekly themes like ‘Sensory Science: The Five Senses & Environmental Science & Wellness’

 

Mitchell College is committed to addressing our state’s workforce needs and diversifying the healthcare employment pipeline, and to making education more accessible while serving the needs of our community. As part of this effort, the HCA will provide students with unique opportunities to learn about pathways to healthcare careers, including Mitchell’s new Nursing program leading to a BSN.

Students can enroll in HSA Rising for one or two weeks for $100 per week, July 7–11, July 14–18, or both. Aftercare is available for a nominal fee. Deadline to register extended to June 30, 2025.

For details and registration visit Mitchell.edu/Healthcare-Academy.

 

Mitchell Partners with High Hopes to Offer Equine-Assisted Wellness Course

For the Spring 2025 semester, Mitchell College students from diverse majors had the extraordinary opportunity to travel weekly by school van to an equine facility in Old Lyme to work with Rolex, Blessing, and several other horses for a new general education course.

“Equine-Assisted Wellness: Bridging Ability and Wellness,” offered in partnership with High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc., immersed students in an experience that promoted wellness through the unique human and horse bond. As an organization, High Hopes uses equine-assisted services to support individuals with emotional health challenges, learning or developmental disabilities, and other neurodivergent challenges.

Working regularly with the horses in the barn, in the arena, and outdoors, the students developed an understanding of disability, learned practical skills in horsemanship and therapeutic techniques, and explored the principles of holistic wellness, focusing on mental, emotional, and physical health. Student majors comprised early childhood education, exercise science, criminal justice, communication, and psychology.

Students explore the grounds of High Hopes Therapeutic Riding.

Students explore the grounds of High Hopes Therapeutic Riding.

Marci Bender, High Hopes equine operations director and PATH Intl. certified master therapeutic riding instructor, CTRI, led the course with assistance from Kim Severance, CTRS, High Hopes program coordinator, PATH Intl. certified therapeutic riding instructor and PATH Intl. equine specialist in mental health and learning.

Prior experience with horses was not a prerequisite for the course, although some students brought it with them

Melanie Hintz, a communication major, has ridden horses for 10 years and volunteered at another therapeutic riding facility in Connecticut for five years. She said one of her favorite activities was creating an obstacle course for the horses in the arena. Using the obstacle course to build trust, the activity mimicked what it is like for horses to experience the world with limited sight.

“Three of us had to partner and walk the course with the horse. One person was the leader, one person was blindfolded, and one person assisted. Horses can’t see everything and must trust humans to lead them in many situations. When I was blindfolded, it was scary, but I trusted the person who was leading me to keep me safe. It can be challenging to trust and rely on teamwork in life, but I realized the importance of having an open mind and viewing life from different perspectives,” said Melanie.

Instructor Kim Severance said the activity also taught the students how to work together and how to connect and communicate with the horse.

“As students experienced things, they could settle into what to expect,” she said.

Chloe Athanas, a criminal justice major who has worked with horses since she was 7, said she loves building bonds with horses and other people and learning new things.

“My favorite activity from class is when we groomed the horses. We had to use our voice and body language to communicate with them so they could trust us and feel comfortable. I learned that body positions and facial expressions are the key methods of communication between humans and horses,” said Chloe.

For a horse, yawning can be a sign of releasing tension, sniffing can show curiosity, alert and moving ears display an awareness of the environment, and ears pulled back or shifting weight can indicate unease.

Instructor Marci Bender stressed that observation is how we learn to connect with horses and that behaviors are important.

“Understanding what horses are experiencing helps with our work at High Hopes. It’s like putting a puzzle together through observation. You think through what you see, then evaluate the possibilities, Marci said.

Melanie agreed: “Horses communicate through body language, which requires us to pay close attention and try to understand what emotions they are feeling, whether it’s calmness, anxiety, or discomfort. I aspire to adopt this mindset, focusing on using all senses to observe and understand subtle details in life, rather than just relying on our usual senses.”

“I know how therapeutic riding can transform lives. This class deepened my knowledge of horses and provided me with a greater understanding of different approaches to training and therapy. My classmates all had the same enthusiasm for horses, and I enjoyed learning with them,” Melanie added.

The class is slated to be offered again in Spring 2026.

Brushing Rolex, the horse

Rolex is one of the horses that participated in the course.

Brusing Blessing, the horse

Blessing also worked with the students.