May 18, 2026 Fifty-Fifth Convocation

Fifty-Fifth Convocation

May 18, 2026

Program

Master of Ceremonies

Stacy Jaffee Gropack

Academic Procession

Faculty Marshals

Anu Andrews

Paul-Neil Czujko

Rasheed Davis

Karen Dechello

Joy Kling

Participants

Platform Party

Faculty

Baccalaureate Graduates

Master’s Graduates

Doctoral Graduates

Ceremony Events

Presentation of Awards

Awards for General Excellence

Clinical Laboratory Sciences: Afrinash Ahamad, Clinical Associate Professor

Respiratory Care: Ann Cuccia, Clinical Professor

Applied Health Informatics: Asif Shaikh, Clinical Assistant Professor

Athletic Training: Madison Kolnsberg, Clinical Assistant Professor

Occupational Therapy: Sean Getty, Clinical Associate Professor

Physician Assistant Education: Lisa Kayser, Clinical Assistant Professor

Speech-Language Pathology: Renee Fabus, Chair and Associate Professor

Physical Therapy: James Pierre-Glaude, Clinical Associate Professor

Edmund J. McTernan Awards

Stacy Jaffee Gropack, Dean

Presentation of Degree Candidates

Stacy Jaffee Gropack, Dean

Closing Remarks

Stacy Jaffee Gropack, Dean

Recessional

Guests are asked to remain seated until the platform party, faculty and graduates have left the area. Please turn off all cell phones during the ceremony.

Keynote Speaker

Nicole Zeitzer Johnson is a mother, advocate, author, and rare disease leader who turned her daughter’s ultra-rare diagnosis into a global movement to change the future of rare disease, patient-led research, and disability inclusion.

When her daughter Josie was diagnosed at age two with FOXG1 syndrome, a severe and rare genetic brain disorder, Nicole was told there was no treatment, no research, and nothing she could do. At the time, Josie was believed to be only the 92nd person in the world known to have the condition. Nicole refused to accept that nothing could be done.

In 2017, she co-founded the FOXG1 Research Foundation, a parent-led nonprofit dedicated to advancing research and developing treatments for FOXG1 syndrome. Under her leadership, the Foundation has advanced a gene replacement therapy that has been cleared by the FDA to begin first-in-human clinical trials in June 2026. Through this work, the Foundation is pioneering a new model for rare disease drug development — one driven by families, powered by philanthropy, and built to create a path forward for some of medicine’s greatest unmet needs.

Nicole is also the author of the children’s book Joyfully Josie, written to help teach children about disabilities from a young age, and the founder of Live Joyfully Education, a program that brings disability inclusion, empathy, and social-emotional learning into classrooms across the country through student assemblies and online professional development courses for educators.

Nicole lives in Port Washington, Long Island, with her husband, Richard, their daughter Josie, and their son, Tanner.

Candidates for Degree

Bachelor of Science

Clinical Laboratory Sciences

• Elisha Gabrielle D. Bituin
• Chao Chen³
• Nikki Cheng^1,4
• Angelica Yoo Yoo Cho^2,4
• Angelina S Cho³
• Jack T De Vito^1,4
• Veronika Anna Deak
• Melissa Gail Dizon
• Zachary David Don
• Eason Dong
• Isabel Alejandra Hernandez Flores
• Melanie Garcia
• Elizabeth Lexu Hathaway²
• Alice Li¹
• Christina Mathew
• Oindrila Naha¹
• Judith Nicole Quiroga Nugra¹
• Nonso Nwigwe³
• Jakub Pawlak
• Jing Qiu²
• Maly Scarlet Rodriguez^1,4
• Aleksandra A Vragova
• Mia Ana Wattley
• Bethany L Williams
• Kenneth Wong
• Susan Zheng
• Cuiping Zhong^1,4

Respiratory Care

• Vanessa I Bonilla
• Stacey Chang
• Candy Chen
• Xiu Ling Deng
• Amadou Diallo
• David Leon Ford^3,4
• Tahsin Khan
• Matthew Stephan Krieger
• Chelsey Alyssa Singh⁴
• Stephanie Diana Toussaint
• Kevin K.W Wang
• Shaun Zafar
• Jessica Zheng

Master of Science

Applied Health Informatics

• Ezzah Asad
• Rozelle Baraot Thompson
• Marisa Caronna
• Nabiha Chaudhry
• Aima Chaudhry
• Cynthia Chen
• Xiao Hong Chen
• Blanca Elena Chimborazo-Reyes
• Carson O Chin
• Nawal Sajid Choudhry
• Avion Christie
• Aarav Desai
• Luke Joseph Duggan
• Melissa Thalia Espinal
• Equislaure Gabriel
• Emily Guadalupe Gallegos Navarro
• Zachary Alan Giannuzzi
• Breanna Hardy
• Angel Huang
• Wei Wei Jiang
• Tanveer Kaur
• Naira Khergiani
• Joe Li
• Jenny Lin
• Yu Lin
• Wan Yong Lin Huang
• Anthony Mapuyan
• Ashley Chantal Shanice McGowan
• Chinyere Nnenna Nwosu
• Rujula Devendra Patole
• Jaison Philip
• Katelyn Michelle Schlussler
• Hamza Sulemanjee
• Chenkun Xiang
• Kalin Yuen

Athletic Training

• Emma Miranda Burns⁴
• Isabella Donin⁴
• Jason Michael Friia
• Anthony Giovanni Guiffre-Oliva
• Juan Bautista Lamarche
• Maya Mangual
• Grace McKendry
• Abigale Raye Morin
• Lucas A Plaia
• Samantha Rutkowsky

Occupational Therapy

• Kimberly Marie Arena
• Katherine Veronica Buchler
• Christina Rose Cambria
• Jordan Chen
• Zihua Chen
• Pui Ka Chow
• Jessica Crawford
• Ahkayla Starr Davies
• Marissa Nicole DeQuarto
• Grace Doherty⁴
• Kaitlyn Rose Doyle
• Kimberly M Gabriele
• Brooke Gallagher
• Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin⁴
• Julia Rose Hardstone⁴
• Gabriela Herrera
• Courtney Morgan Hole
• Jasmine Hope Irani⁴
• Olivia Danielle Kropf
• Megan Lee
• Gregory McDonald
• Damiano Milana Jr.⁴
• Rebecca Nussbaum
• Mirren Katie O'Mahony
• Micayla O'Sullivan
• Kerri Kathleen Radomski⁴
• Petros-Emmanouil Rizkalla
• Micaella Elize Singayan

Physician Assistant

• Zuha Ahmed
• Nicole Constance Ayvas
• Victoria Bennett
• Cheryl Ann Berger⁴
• Emily Berinato
• Hannah Michelle Blanscet⁴
• Claudia Naomi Bosque
• Leanna Brown
• Brandon Robert Carbone
• Rachel Chan⁴
• Rebecca Jiae Chang
• Anna Chen
• Jun Hyeok Choi
• Olivia Connolly
• Sarah Marie Connors
• Jaclyn De Armas
• Truc-Nhi Do
• Hannah Doiron⁴
• Noah Kyle Dunn
• Rana N Fadah
• Caroline Marie Farrell⁴
• Peter Joseph Forgione⁴
• Angelina Fucile
• Daniel Gaft
• Katherine Julia Hardy
• Paige Hile⁴
• Tasmim Hoque
• Dawson John Hoxer
• Vesta Iranzamini
• Keerthana Karthikeyan⁴
• Nicholas Kelliher
• Candace Veronica Kharitonov
• Jennifer Mary Kokotis
• Illeana Lanese⁴
• Antony Lee
• Taylor Agnes Levy
• Mengxin Li
• Cindy Lin
• Zhen You Lin
• Hailey Marks
• Andrea Lucia Meyer
• Ume Kalsoom Mukhtar
• Angelina Ng
• Lauren Ng
• Naomi Jing Wen Ng
• Rachel D Nguy
• Teresa Tam Nguyen
• Alexandra Mae Nieto
• Daniella Rana
• Samuel Gacias Refuerzo
• Safa Riaz
• Ariba Rizvi
• Catherine Marie Rotelli
• Kayla Sameshima
• Christiana Jean Santucci⁴
• Emily A Smith⁴
• Olivia Monira Smith
• Summer Smith
• Mackenzie Grace Stahl
• Samantha Tina Stordeur
• Hannah Margaret Tette⁴
• Jenny Thi Truong
• Puja Upadhyaya
• Gianna Marie Vessey⁴
• Meimei Weng
• Wenjie Xu
• Hongli Zheng
• Jessica Zhou

Speech-Language Pathology

• Helena Angelakis⁴
• Melissa Monika Blackmore
• Kelly N Blauvelt
• Meghan Bowden
• Tatyana Janae Davis
• Olivia Marie Dawson
• Sophia Dominique Ermmarino⁴
• Hailey I Fajardo
• Laura Michele Falk⁴
• Kaitlin Rose Fitzgerald
• Harrison Fiumaro
• Janay Franklin
• Gabrielle Catherine Freund
• Maya Kristina Garcia Kozeliski
• Samantha Giordano
• Jessica V. Guardado
• Hailey Elizabeth Horowitz
• Jennifer Grace Hummel
• Alyssa Indelicato
• Saadiyah Ishfaq
• Elizabeth Janowitz
• Maya Klatsky⁴
• Vanessa Loccisano
• Jenna Mackey
• Grace Elizabeth Papile
• Kate Elisabeth Reddin
• Nuvha Samad⁴
• Cheyenne Smothergill
• Michelle Nicole Tallini
• Emma Thurston
• Caitlyn Taylor Valone
• Hayley Paige Weltner

Doctor of Physical Therapy

• Hannah Rose Ahmed⁴
• Shahriar Mohammed Alam
• Haris M. Ali
• Kristina Casandra Limos Almiron
• Vincenzo Amato
• Olivia Lyn Auriemmo
• Emily Baird
• Maya Kiara Beltran
• Molly Elizabeth Boyd
• Alek Matthew Brown
• Tyler James Buckley
• Brianna Butler
• John Paul Calisi
• Emily Marie Caron⁴
• Gary Chen
• Janet Chen
• Susan Chen
• Kevin Cioni
• Joseph David Cohen
• Kathryn D'Angelo
• Nicholas D'Esposito
• Devon Andrew Delarosa
• Giana Demeo
• James Christopher Denara
• Anthony Steven DiCrescento
• Samantha Drew
• Humza Faiz
• Violet Ferraro⁴
• Steven Ray Gengo
• Stefanie Marie Gera
• Samantha Rose Gerbasio⁴
• Kaitlyn Michelle Giaccone
• Shannon Veronica Giddens
• Iris Grima
• Kayla Nicole Grosso
• Amy Guo
• Ella Morgan Gurney
• Kelly Dean Horan
• Brian Hsiao⁴
• Anthony Jacabacci
• Brittany Nichole Kani
• Alexis Jordyn Kessler⁴
• Nicole Kielan
• Meaghan King⁴
• Michelle Danielle Kinney
• Kirsten Kraker
• Gabrielle Monique Lewin⁴
• Kelly Michelle Madden⁴
• Holly Jean Maggio
• Kyle Ian Mai⁴
• Jaclyn Margaret Malloy
• Connor J McMurray
• Patrick Dominick McStay⁴
• Mehran Mohammad
• Alyssa Moritz
• Christopher Steven Ng⁴
• Shauna Christine Nuss
• Adekemi Oluyole
• Michael Joseph Palazzo
• Leonel Paul
• Ermita Petit-Frere
• Angela Concetta Porcelli⁴
• Justin Qu
• Isabella-Rose Quaranta⁴
• Erick Alexis Quezada Calle⁴
• Casandra Ramdeo
• Eamon Andrew Reagan
• Nicomedes Rivera
• Rachel Maria Rogers
• Kaitlyn Ryan
• Margaret Ryan
• Puneet Singh
• Andrew Minkyu Song
• Brooke Sparacio⁴
• Mathew James Stollow
• Annie Ruth Cajigan Trousdell
• Ethan Harry Valentin
• Travis James Vaughan
• Jason Mitchell Velez
• Virginia Anne Wight
• Ashley Hannah Youssefi

Honors Designation

• ¹ Summa Cum Laude
• ² Magna Cum Laude
• ³ Cum Laude
• ⁴ Alpha Eta

School of Health Professions criteria for Graduation with Honors for undergraduate degree candidates - at least 60 credits with an HSC cumulative grade point average as follows:  Cum Laude 3.6; Magna Cum Laude 3.75; Summa Cum Laude 3.85.  Please note: All honors are based on the current grade point average at the time of publication.  The actual honor awarded may be different as it is based on the FINAL grade point average, determined after finals are completed.  The actual honor will appear on the final transcript and diploma.

In 1982, the School of Health Professions established a chapter of Alpha Eta, the National Honor Society of the Allied Health Professions.  Faculty review student records and nominate those students who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement (a grade point average of at least 3.5 for baccalaureate degree candidates and 3.8 for graduate degree candidates) and dedication to their chosen profession.  This honor is extended to not more than twenty percent of any graduating class.

Awards

Edmund J. McTernan Honor Awards

Applied Health Informatics

Blanca Elena Chimborazo-Reyes

Athletic Training

Emma Miranda Burns

Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Nikki Cheng

Occupational Therapy

Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin

Physical Therapy

Brian Hsiao

Physician Assistant

Hannah Margaret Tette

Respiratory Care

David Leon Ford

Speech-Language Pathology

Tatyana Janae Davis

Henry and Marsha Laufer Scholarship

Applied Health Informatics

Blanca Elena Chimborazo-Reyes

Athletic Training

Emma Miranda Burns; Jason Michael Friia

Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Angelica Yoo Yoo Cho; Judith Nicole Quiroga Nugra; Maly Scarlet Rodriguez

Occupational Therapy

Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin; Kerri Kathleen Radomski

Physical Therapy

Virginia Anne Wight

Physician Assistant

Claudia Naomi Bosque; Brandon Robert Carbone; Olivia Connolly; Caroline Marie Farrell; Peter Joseph Forgione; Illeana Lanese; Ariba Rizvi; Christiana Jean Santucci

Respiratory Care

Vanessa I Bonilla; Xiu Ling Deng; Amadou Diallo

Speech-Language Pathology

Helena Angelakis; Kelly N Blauvelt; Olivia Marie Dawson; Sophia Dominique Ermmarino; Hailey I Fajardo; Laura Michele Falk; Hailey Elizabeth Horowitz; Saadiyah Ishfaq; Kate Elisabeth Reddin; Nuvha Samad

Program Awards

Athletic Training

Backbone Athletic Training Student Award: Samantha Rutkowsky

Debbie Whittemore Memorial Award for Academic Excellence: Emma Miranda Burns

Stuart B. Cherney Outstanding Athletic Training Student Award: Emma Miranda Burns

Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Carlos Vidal Memorial Scholarship: Judith Nicole Quiroga Nugra

Lori R. Brickman Scholarship: Judith Nicole Quiroga Nugra; Bethany L Williams

Occupational Therapy

Academic Achievement: Marissa Nicole DeQuarto; Grace Doherty; Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin

Excellence in Fieldwork Experience: Kimberly Marie Arena; Damiano Milana Jr.

Jacqueline Barrera Distinguished Student Award: Petros-Emmanouil Rizkalla

Outstanding Service Award: Grace Doherty; Kaitlyn Rose Doyle; Kimberly M Gabriele; Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin; Jasmine Hope Irani; Damiano Milana Jr.

Sherrie Glasser Mayrsohn Metro Occupational Therapy Scholarship: Marissa Nicole DeQuarto; Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin

Vera Jean Clark-Brown Leadership Award: Grace Doherty; Jasmine Hope Irani

Physical Therapy

Community Service Award: Emily Baird; Ermita Petit-Frere

Distinguished Student Award: John Paul Calisi; Mehran Mohammad; Mathew James Stollow

Leadership Award: Giana Demeo; Nicholas D'Esposito

Professional Service Award: Mehran Mohammad; Mathew James Stollow

Sherrie Glasser Mayrsohn Metro Physical Therapy Scholarship: Virginia Anne Wight

Respiratory Care

Award for Excellence in Community/Professional Service: Stacey Chang; Candy Chen; Chelsey Alyssa Singh

Award for Excellence in Polysomnographic Specialty Option: Matthew Stephen Krieger

Award for Excellence in Respiratory Care Clinical Practice: Xiu Ling Deng; Amadou Diallo; Jessica Zhang

Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Practice: David Leon Ford

Nancy Cohen Respiratory Care Student Scholarship: Vanessa I Bonilla; Xiu Ling Deng; David Leon Ford; Shaun Zafar

Speech-Language Pathology

Advocacy and Outreach Award: Melissa Monika Blackmore; Laura Michele Falk; Harrison Fiumaro

Capstone Award: Laura Michele Falk; Gabrielle Catherine Freund; Samantha Giordano; Hailey Elizabeth Horowitz; Elizabeth Janowitz

Clinical Excellence Award: Helena Angelakis; Maya Klatsky

IPE Certificate Award: Sophia Dominique Ermmarino; Maya Kristina Garcia Kozeliski; Alyssa Indelicato

MVP Award: Sophia Dominique Ermmarino

New York Speaks Scholarship: Jessica V. Guardado

Professionalism Award: Elizabeth Janowitz

Sherrie Glasser Mayrsohn Metro Speech-Language Pathology Scholarship: Kelly N Blauvelt

Students with 4.0 GPA Recognition Certificate: Helena Angelakis; Kelly N Blauvelt; Tatyana Janae Davis; Sophia Dominique Ermmarino; Laura Michele Falk; Gabrielle Catherine Freund; Jennifer Grace Hummel; Maya Klatsky; Michelle Nicole Tallini

Honor Societies

Lambda Tau

• Nikki Cheng
• Angelica Yoo Yoo Cho
• Jack T. De Vito
• Elizabeth Lexu Hathaway
• Alice Li
• Oindrila Naha
• Jing Qiu
• Judith Nicole Quiroga Nugra
• Maly Scarlet Rodriguez
• Cuiping Zhong

Phi Theta Epsilon

• Jordan Chen
• Pui Ka Chow
• Jessica Crawford
• Marissa Nicole DeQuarto
• Grace Doherty
• Kaitlyn Rose Doyle
• Rachel Gabrielle Gmelin
• Julia Rose Hardstone
• Courtney Morgan Hole
• Damiano Milana Jr.
• Micayla O'Sullivan

Iota Tau Alpha

• Emma Miranda Burns
• Isabella Donin
• Jason Michael Friia
• Anthony Giovanni Guiffre-Oliva
• Maya Mangual
• Abigale Raye Morin
• Lucas A. Plaia
• Samantha Rutkowsky