Hundreds of creative, curious, driven and accomplished McMaster students are crossing the stage this spring at convocation ceremonies, marking the culmination of years of work.  

Every one of these students has brought their individual strengths and perspectives to McMaster, and the university is proud to celebrate the immense breadth and diversity of their achievements.  

Here is a sampling of some of this year’s grads to watch from across the faculties. 

Scroll down or click for the Faculty of Health Sciences | Faculty of Humanities | Faculty of Engineering | Faculty of Social Sciences | Faculty of Science

Faculty of Health Sciences

Alador Bereketab | Health Sciences (Honours), Child Health Specialization 

A proud Mac moment: “One of my proudest moments at McMaster was serving as a Welcome Week Representative with the Black Student Success Centre. To witness such a strong and joyful Black presence on campus — and to be part of it — was a full-circle moment. It meant so much to show up, be present, and help create that sense of belonging for others.”

Click here to learn more about Alador Bereketab

Lily Brown | Nursing 

Making the future brighter: “As I pursue a career in emergency medicine, I hope to provide compassionate, life-saving care, and positively impact patients during their initial contact with the healthcare system, while establishing a path that fosters a positive experience as they navigate their care. Additionally, with aspirations to become an educator, I aim to inspire, and support the next generation of nursing students, empowering them to drive positive change alongside me. Through both roles, I hope to directly and indirectly contribute to meaningful advancements in health care.” 

Click here to learn more about Lily Brown

Faculty of Humanities

Lucas McDonald | Justice, Political Philosophy and Law 

A proud Mac moment: “One that stands out is the moment I called my mom after finishing my last exam. My brother and I are the first in our family to attend university, so reaching the end of this chapter was moving. It has been a chapter full of late-night study sessions, spontaneous walks to Westdale with friends in between classes, teamwork spurred on by the organizing club events, and much more. My journey was enriched by the environment created by those around me. As a result, watching my peers succeed, and supporting those who I have had the opportunity to mentor — both at McMaster and through Empowerment Squared — has been just as rewarding.”  

Click here to learn more about Lucas McDonald

Paige Hannan | Justice, Political Philosophy and Law 

A shout-out: “There’s a long list, but I’d begin with Dr. Stefan Sciaraffa. Dr. Sciaraffa is a leader in the JPPL program, but he has no bigger fan than myself. He has been hugely supportive in my development as a philosopher, and I attribute so much of my current standing to him. There are plenty of ‘if it weren’t for…’ instances here (seminars, our reading course, an invitation to a particular session of the speaker series, countless editing passes of my paper, etc), but suffice it to say that I have found my way thanks to him illuminating the path. Among a great deal of what I know about the discipline, I have learned what it looks like to be an exemplary mentor and instructor.”

Click here to learn more about Paige Hannan  

Faculty of Engineering

Annika Culhane | Chemical Engineering Co-op

Proud Mac moment: “My proudest moment was in my 4G03 optimization course this year, taught by Dr. Nease, where we had total freedom in our final project. My project partner and I formulated a match scheduling system to help facilitate a .22 rifle match between 5 Ontario universities, considering safety guidelines, equipment needs, resources, competitor preferences, and experience levels. This optimization program, uniquely applied in real life, led to a fantastic and exciting event that ran flawlessly. Mac Eng learning is broadly applicable, coming in handy when you least expect it. McMaster also took home the trophy, followed closely by RMC!”

Click here for more on Annika Culhane

Emily Nobes | Engineering Physics and Society; English and Cultural Studies

Making the world brighter: “I hope to contribute to engineering a brighter future by continually evaluating my work in an attempt to remain focused on advancing critical areas of human wellbeing. I believe it is our responsibility to engineer what we need rather than what we want in a sustainable and maintainable way, and I hope to keep that ethos in my work throughout my career.”

Click here for more on Emily Nobes

Paris Liu | Civil Engineering

Proud Mac moment: “The many moments where I saw compassion for people and planet result in lasting change: Ecosia implemented at Mills Library which funded the planting of over 1000 trees, and over 600 lbs of coffee grounds diverted from landfill thanks to the ingenuity of the Zero Waste McMaster team. Meals shared and friendships formed at the Pinky Lewis Community Food Program, thanks to the weekly dedication of the volunteers at LIFT Church. A grassroots student-led campaign that culminated in the creation of Canada’s most affordable student bike-share pass with a 94.5% vote in favour, made possible through the determination and hard work of the McMaster Students for Bike Share team.

I am proud to have been part of these teams – teams of passionate individuals who worked relentlessly for a brighter future.”

Click here to learn more about Paris Liu

Sheel Ayachi | Chemical and Bioengineering

Proud Mac moment: “I’ve always enjoyed planning events, whether for the Chemical Engineering Society, research socials and poster fairs, or Welcome Week. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the community come together and enjoy them.”

Click here to learn more about Sheel Ayachi

Anthony Turco | Electrical Engineering

Making the world brighter: “I want to continue learning throughout my life the wonderful science and engineering behind the complicated technologies we take for granted every day, and those that we soon will. There are many promising frontiers in my field in the way of AI, medicine, and communications. I hope to continue advancing these technologies for the betterment of society. I am also passionate about teaching, and believe that the best way to contribute to a brighter future is by passing along my knowledge and beliefs to others who may go farther than I ever could.”

Click here to learn more about Anthony Turco

Taylor Wilson | Bachelor of Technology – Power and Energy Engineering

Proud Mac moment: “Finishing my degree while working full-time was a major personal achievement, especially as I was able to apply what I was learning directly to real-world energy and sustainability challenges. I’m also proud that I could support some friends and classmates along the way – whether it was sharing study tips or just helping each other stay motivated. That mutual support created a real sense of camaraderie, and being part of a group that pushed through challenges together made the journey that much more rewarding.”

Click here to learn more about Taylor Wilson

Mariyam Arief | Bachelor of Applied Science in Honours Computer Science Co-op

Making the world brighter: “I want to help build a brighter future by creating products that solve real problems and make everyday life easier. With my passion for tech and leadership experience, I’m excited to make STEM more fun and accessible, inspiring others to lead and bring their own creativity to the table.”

Click here to learn more about Mariyam Arief

Alexander Greengrass |Materials Science and Engineering

Proud Mac moment: “I will always be proud to look back on the capstone project I completed with my group. Working with industry partners at Patriot Forge, my team and I were able to use all of the technical knowledge and lab experiences that we gained throughout our degree to help solve a real industry problem. Presenting our findings at the Mac Eng Capstone Expo was the perfect way to close my undergraduate journey at Mac, and it is something I will never forget.”

Click here to learn more about Alexander Greengrass

Gertrude Henneh | Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering

Proud Mac moment: “My proudest moment came at the end of this year as I concluded my term as President of the National Society of Black Engineers. While conducting interviews for the incoming executive team, I was blown away by the stories applicants shared about how NSBE—and this year in particular—had impacted their lives. We received a record number of applications to join the team, with students sharing powerful testimonials about finding community, mentorship, and belonging. It was incredibly fulfilling to know that the love and support we fostered had made such a meaningful impact on the lives of students at McMaster.”

Click here to learn more about Gertrude Henneh

Mackenzie Keeler | Mechatronics & Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences

Making the world brighter: “I hope to contribute by innovating sustainably and uplifting others in the field. Driven by a passion for creative design and problem-solving, I strive to apply my skills to real-world challenges by developing lasting, impactful solutions with a strong focus on long-term sustainability.

Just as importantly, I want to support others in their journeys. I didn’t get here alone, I was mentored by several inspiring women whose support and belief in me shaped my confidence and my career. I hope to pay that forward by being a supportive presence for other women in engineering. I also aim to serve as representation for the LGBTQIA+ community, because who we see in these spaces truly matters. To me, building a brighter future means making sure more people feel empowered, welcomed, and seen within it.”

Click here to learn more about Mackenzie Keeler

Samuel Khzym | Software Engineering

Proud Mac moment: “My proudest Mac Eng moments are the track testing trips that we did on the McMaster EcoCAR team in Oshawa and at the final competition in Arizona. Seeing the autonomous features like adaptive cruise control and lane centering working in our Cadillac Lyriq is incredibly rewarding. This has taken years and many people to develop, and I am very proud that been a part of the team that turns these dreams into reality.”

Click here to learn more about Samuel Khzym

Ansh Kuckreja | Electrical and Biomedical Engineering

Making the world brighter: “My goal is to apply engineering to the medical field in any capacity. This could be through designing innovative surgical tools, developing softwares to improve imaging technology, or working with brain-computer interfaces to better understand human consciousness (though that last one might be influenced by my recent Black Mirror re-binge).”

Click here to learn more about Ansh Kuckreja

Mohamed (Fikry) Morad | Mechanical Engineering and Management

Proudest Mac Eng moment: “As an international student, after six long years of education, co-op, sleepless nights, and way too much coffee, receiving the Iron Ring was the moment when it all felt worth it. To me, it symbolized everything I experienced and observed… lessons that are now “locked in” with me for good, carried forward as part of who I am.”

Click here to learn more about Mohamed Fikry Morad

Abigail Richardson | B.Eng, Mechanical Engineering Co-op

Proud Mac moment: “My proudest Mac Eng moment was being elected president of the McMaster Society of Mechanical Engineering (MSME). When I joined the MSME my Mac Eng experience began to feel complete and validated by being a part of something bigger than myself. I knew I wanted others to feel the encouragement and inspiration that I felt from the leaders before me. Proving to myself that I was capable of doing just that was one of my biggest accomplishments at McMaster.”

Click here to learn more about Abigail Richardson

Sarah Woods | Chemical Engineering & Management

Making the world brighter: “I hope to use my engineering knowledge and experience to contribute to a more sustainable future by applying chemical engineering principles to develop innovative, environmentally responsible solutions. This means addressing pressing environmental challenges, promoting sustainable practices, and exploring alternative technologies that lessen environmental impact and protect both people and the planet.”

Click here to learn more about Sarah Woods

Faculty of Social Sciences

Elisa Mata | Social Work 

A Mac moment: Organizing events as part of the Social Work Student Collective to build connection and community. “It felt like we were all in this together, trying to figure out this complex thing that is social work. We were all moving towards one collective goal, with a big emphasis on community. Placements can be quite heavy, and doing those alongside school can be quite a lot, so it was important for me to create spaces where we could come together. Not only for students, but also for faculty to come and share their wisdom. That was a really important thing for me, especially in my last year, having the experience I had in second and third year. Knowing how much I relied on my peers, I wanted to make sure other students coming through could experience the same.”

Click here to learn more about Elisa Mata

Abigail McMunn | Environment and Society

Making the world brighter: “I am very excited to start at Osgoode Hall Law School this fall. While the future is bound to be a bit uncertain, I look forward to using my passion for advocacy to guide me. I am open to any possibility for my future, but I would love to work with underrepresented groups within the Greater Toronto Area and maybe even beyond! Wherever I end up, my main goal is to engage in something challenging and meaningful. I hope to spread my passion to others along the way and see what impact I can have on the upcoming political change and barriers that Canada will certainly face.”

Click here to learn more about Abigail McMunn

Zimo Wang | Sociology and Political Science

Making the world brighter: “As a Political Science student aspiring to work in government, I believe it is crucial to engage with elections firsthand. Experiencing the democratic process beyond theory, through direct participation in voting and election administration, helps deepen my understanding of how our electoral system functions in the real world. It was an honour to serve as the Social Sciences undergraduate representative [to the university Senate]. Representing thousands of my Social Sciences classmates was a privilege.”

Click here to learn more about Zimo Wang

Stephen DeCordova | Political Science

Proud Mac moment: “Co-founding Blackprint, a community for Black men, by Black men. There wasn’t a huge support system tailored to the needs of Black men. It felt like we were falling between the gaps. Our first major success was an event called the Shop. We offered free haircuts from student barbers with structured discussions on topics like mental health, with support from a psychiatrist from the Black Student Success Centre. We were dedicated to creating a safe space for deep, meaningful conversations, and even though around 70 people showed up, people still felt safe enough to share and cry together. I think that’s really a testament to what we created.”

Click here to learn more about Stephen DeCordova

Faculty of Science

Ava Colangelo | Physics

Ava Colangelo is the first in her family to go to university. “In my family, you do what you’re good at. If you’re not good at something, you stop doing it. I wasn’t good at physics in the beginning but I really enjoyed it.”

She asked professor Miranda Schmidt for advice. “Prof. Schmidt told me that failing is a part of learning and reassured me that my marks would improve. The most important thing was that I enjoyed physics.”

So Colangelo kept at it. “I dreaded going into a classroom and seeing a physics problem waiting on the whiteboard. But now, I’ll happily spend an entire day in Hamilton Hall working through a single problem. My friends will head off to class and take a break and come back six hours later to find me in the same seat, working on the same problem. It’s so rewarding to see all the hard work pay off.”

Click here to learn more about Ava Colangelo

Akudo Eze-Onuorah | Life Sciences

Akudo Eze-Onuorah will deliver the valedictorian address at the June 19 morning convocation ceremony, in front of her peers and her parents, who are flying here from Nigeria. A few weeks after that, Eze-Onuorah will join a biomedical startup in Mississauga.

Her mentor, cancer biologist Juliet Daniel describes Eze-Onuorah as an “international student who wasn’t going to let COVID-19 and virtual hybrid meetings limit her access and network-building to achieve her dreams. It was refreshing to meet a student who knew exactly what they wanted and what they needed to do to get there.”

Click here for more about Akudo Eze-Onuorah

Jonathan Scholtens | Environmental Science

Making the world brighter: Scholtens is part of a campus project to protect birds, organizes hikes around campus, carries out stewardship projects, delivers classroom and outdoor learning programming, rids the campus of invasive plant species and monitors the spread of invasive insects.

“This has been my dream job from day one,” says Scholtens, who will continue to work with Nature@McMaster until December, and who hopes to continue working in ecology and habitat restoration.

Click here to learn more about Jonathan Scholtens

Yiyao Li | Environmental Sciences

“You just have to dig deeper within yourself and find the courage to reach out for big opportunities.”

Li is heading to the University of California in Lost Angeles, where she was offered direct entry into a PhD program in Geography, based on her impressive accomplishments as an undergrad at McMaster. After studying peatlands in Hudson Bay and the forests around Turkey Point, Li hopes to study how climate change is affecting tropical forests.

A shoutout: “Dr. [Alemu Gonsamo] was such a supportive and patient mentor. He makes time for everyone in his lab and respects our efforts.”

Click here to learn more about Yiyao Li

Grace Lamont | Kinesiology

A proud Mac moment: “I’d always been a creature of habit and I shied away from stepping out of my comfort zone. Change was never my favourite thing. But when the opportunity to volunteer at PACE came along, I went for it and it’s been an amazing experience.”

Everyone at the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence knows Lamont. She  joined PACE as a volunteer halfway through her first year in Kinesiology and never left.

“You can have a million things going on but if you love what you’re doing, you’ll find a way to make it all happen.” And it helps if you get to see the people you love a couple times every week on campus.

Click here to learn more about Grace Lamont

Arnav Mahajan | Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour

Fun fact: Arnav Mahajan cannot, will not, drink coffee.

As head TA for Intro to Psych, Mahajan led tutorial operations and team coordination for one of Mac’s largest undergrad classes, and got to know the students. But not over coffee: As a kid, Mahajan conducted an experiment about the health impacts of drinking caffeine: After recording his blood pressure in class, he drank a jumbo-sized thermos full of black coffee in one go, then retook his blood pressure to show how much and how fast it had spiked.

To this day, he hates the smell and taste of coffee.

Click here to learn more about Arnav Mahajan

Lindsay Wilson | Kinesiology

Proud Mac moment: Reciving the Alan J. Smith Award for excelling academically and been involved in Athletics and Recreation and within kinesiology. “That was one of my favourite moments at McMaster — being recognized for my contributions while surrounded by my Kin family. There’s no one else I would’ve rather shared that moment with — it’s a memory I’m going to cherish forever.”

Click here to learn more about Lindsay Wilson

Abby Eaton | Neuroscience

A Mac moment: Three simple words for you: Bird. Poop. Island. Abby Eaton spent four months with professor Emily Choy on Middleton Island, 130 kilometres off the coast of Alaska. For company on the uninhabited island she had a handful of fellow researchers and thousands of shrieking sea birds, which cover everyone and everything with a barrage of poop and vomit.

“I’m an adventurer at heart,” Eaton says. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Next up for her is graduate school, as a researcher in Choy’s lab and studying stress levels in the rhinoceros auklet, a close relative of the puffins.

Click here to learn more about Abby Eaton

Ishaan Bhathal | Biology

Making the world brighter: In part shaped by his own childhood illness, Bhathal has always been interested in gut health. Working with professor Emily Choy, he examined how pollution changes the gut microbiomes of tree swallows. That research showed changes in nestlings as young as 10 days old. Bhathal’s work became the the basis of his senior thesis and an award-winning 12-minute talk at the Biology Undergraduate Symposium.

Bhathal, who was struck by his own doctors’ empathy and kindness when he was a kid, hopes to go on to medical school. “The entire team was such a huge inspiration — they were like detectives figuring out evolving mysteries and making people’s lives better. I knew right then that I wanted to someday do the same for other families.”

Click here to learn more about Ishaan Bhathal

Jessica Yemen | Biology

Making the world Brighter: Life at university was markedly different from Yemen’s years growing up in a small town, going to schools where everyone knew everyone and looked out for each other. “Growing up, there was such a strong sense of community. I was really nervous about finding my place at Mac.” But she soon found her place — running cross-country, doing undergraduate research, and being a part of the student club Best Buddies.  The club pairs Mac students with adults in the community who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. It’s part of a national charity that promotes inclusion by creating one-to-one friendships. “I was welcomed into so many communities at Mac and Best Buddies was a way to return the favour.”

Click here to learn more about Jessica Yemen