2016 Senior Spotlights

Rich Holy Cross experiences have prepared graduating seniors for whatever comes next and to make a positive difference in the world. 

Armed with a liberal arts education, members of the class of 2016 will be entering the work force in a wide range of fields including the arts, communications, foreign affairs, education, marketing, medicine, military, politics, and science. Others will go on to graduate school, or take part in service work.

Read about the experiences of nine members of the graduating class, and where they are headed next. 

Christopher Morgan Hometown: Gloucester, Va. Areas of study: Economics and Africana studies	Emily Conn, valedictorian Hometown: Melrose, Mass. Areas of study: English	Oswaldo Subillaga Hometown: Ozone Park, N.Y. Areas of study: political science
At Holy Cross, I have grown academically, athletically, and spiritually into a person who wants to leave a mark on my community. As a member of the basketball team, I am proud to have been a part of school history, winning the Patriot League Tournament and a March Madness NCAA Tournament game. I am excited to now join the Ocean Spray Cranberries team as a buyer and am forever grateful for my experiences as a Crusader.	To learn about the city I would call home, I participated in the Worcester immersion trip my first year. I, along with eight other students, spent five days living at Concordia Lutheran Church, visiting and volunteering at various locations, experiencing the religious, cultural, and socio-economic diversity of the city. I learned invaluable lessons about faith and humanity, altered my understanding of myself, my education, and my relationship to the world, inspiring me now to participate in a year of service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.	Our professors are mentors, advisors, research supervisors, and friends. As a first-generation college student, I initially struggled to adjust to life on the Hill, but quickly found comfort in conversations with my advisor, professor Eggemeier. He helped me reflect on why I wanted to pursue pre-med, but most importantly, he pushed me to think about social justice differently and to look at my beliefs and assumptions critically, which has inspired my career path going forward.
Garabed Koosherian Hometown: Warwick, R.I. Areas of study: economics, Spanish	Jacob Medina Hometown: Avon, Conn. Areas of study: economics, peace and conflict studies	Victoria Paulino Hometown: Worcester, Mass. Areas of study: peace and conflict studies, political science
As an interviewer in the admissions office, my interactions with prospective students has allowed me to reflect on every aspect of my college experience — from why I chose my major to what it was like going abroad — and showed me how much I have grown. After graduation, I will take with me the inquisitive nature, the internal need to ask questions and to seek answers that I have learned at Holy Cross into any professional field I enter.	What stands out about my time at Holy Cross is how well it has prepared me for experiences off the Hill. While here, I interned at Kids in Need of Defense in Washington, D.C., spent two summers at J.P. Morgan’s investment bank in New York City where I will be working after graduation, and co-founded the non-profit Student Empowerment Program in our Worcester community. Holy Cross has given me the integrity, sense of purpose, and direction to succeed anywhere.	As a senior, I had to start thinking about what would come next, but like many, I ignored that graduation was just a few months away. This all changed after a meeting with a representative from Teach for America — thirty minutes changed my life. I spoke with a passion for education I didn’t realize I had, explaining how my public education experience made me want to give back. Months later, I am now preparing to teach middle school history through TFA.
Sarah Valente Hometown: Basking Ridge, N.J. Areas of study: chemistry, visual arts	Anthony John Hometown: Port Chester, N.Y. Areas of study: Latin American and Latino studies, religious studies	Zhenxi Qi Hometown: Beijing, China Areas of study: sociology, international studies
My interest in exploring the relationship between art and science developed when investigating paint pigment chemistry in professor Herrick’s lab. That summer I conducted research on a set of deteriorated murals by Jenne Magafan at Worcester East Middle School. The research led to Nicole Landry ’16 and I founding the Magafan Mural Project to restore and raise awareness about the historic murals. Continuing these interests, I now look forward to teaching art and science at Worcester’s Nativity School.	I spent my first two years navigating the physical and social sciences, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year that my humanities courses reoriented my interests on the interplay between Catholic theology and colonial/modern Latin America. Because of the theologically-enriched education I received, my semester in Argentina, and research on Argentine Catholicism, I will be attending Harvard Divinity School with a well-rounded perspective on global theologies.	Holy Cross never rushed me to define the kind of person I want to become; the community believed in me and encouraged me to pursue my passion. I am grateful for the mentorship I received, my year abroad in Scotland, immersion trips, internships, thesis writing, among many other aspects. As I prepare to move to Tokyo, Japan, I believe the values instilled and experiences from Holy Cross will carry me through my future career.

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