Honors Students & Alumni

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A D1 Women’s Soccer athlete, Amaya was passionate about ecology and evolutionary biology research, planning for a career in wildlife conservation genetics with a concentration in infectious disease or neuroscience. As the President of the Native American and Indigenous Student Association, Amaya worked with her executive team to bring awareness to Indigenous experiences and make room for their voices on campus. She was also a part of the Honors Program since her first year, and for her first Honors Contract, as part of her Human Sexualities psychology class with Dr. Fieto, she wrote and illustrated a children’s book about the daily life of a young girl with two moms, hoping the book could create more opportunities for children to encounter LGBTQIA+ concepts earlier in life. In her second contract, she attempted to create a working model of an atypical Shewanella Oneidensis glycine riboswitch in an independent study with Dr. Ruff. Amaya urges students to take advantage of the small community at SMC and to forge relationships with professors and classmates.

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An Integral major and Dance minor, Emily served on the Honors Student Commission for three years, including as Executive Commissioner for her junior and senior year. She had always wanted to serve on the Commission since the beginning of her Saint Mary’s journey, as she believed the Honors Program was the ideal option for students who wanted to further deepen their education. As a sophomore on the Events Commission, she loved being able to plan her own fundraisers, as well as social and service events, and as the Executive Commissioner, she was able to oversee the functions and status of the Commission as a whole. After graduation, she planned to have a long career as an attorney starting as a litigator in civil law field, such as corporate or business law. 

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A Biology major and Chemistry minor, Johnathan joined the Honors Program in his freshman year to be challenged to become more involved in campus activities and to advance his academic efforts. His first Honors Contract was on conducting research on frustrated Lewis pairs for Dr. Elizabeth Valentin as part of the 2023 Summer Research Program. The project focused on using microwave energy to make the reaction much more efficient in terms of yield, time, and energy while also providing data to better characterize the relatively newly discovered applications of frustrated Lewis pairs. This work awarded him “Runner Up” for the year’s Joseph P. McKenna Science Medal. On a normal week during the academic year, Johnathan was a stickler about attending every class, conducting research for Dr. Valentin's lab, and working as an EMT on the weekends. In his free time, he loved to read, spend time with friends, and go on hikes to explore the wonderful terrain behind campus.

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Joining the Honors Program her Sophomore year, Marie-Claire majored in both French and Art Practice and minored in Art History. After graduation, Marie-Claire planned to take part in the TAPIF Program where she would work as a Teaching Assistant in France while simultaneously developing her artistic practice. Working primarily through acrylics, printmaking, and mixed media, her creative process involved finding unconventional uses for these mediums as well as exploring their physical properties. The cyclical themes of genealogy, transmission, and erasure were the subjects of many of her works, which were on display in the Senior Art Capstone show. 

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A Psychology major (Clinical/Counseling) and Business Administration minor, Rianne completed her studies in three years after joining the Honors Program at the start of her first year to be challenged and meet people who were also academically driven. She participated in the Summer Research Program, working with Dr. McCauley on “Supporting Autistic Children and Parents in Bay Area schools,” where she surveyed nearly 200 parents, interviewing almost 20 about their experiences with their child’s education in the Bay Area and presenting her research at the Bay Area Annual Consortium at Stanford Research Park as the only undergraduate speaker. Rianne also received the Psychology Department's Frederick Whelan Award for her outstanding scholastic record as a psychology major, and made lasting connections with Psychology faculty and peers, facilitated a support group for neurodivergent students at SMC, served as the first student volunteer at SMC CAPS, and founded internship positions for future psychology students.

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Bella, a Biology major, ventured far from her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, to pursue her academic journey in California. With a fervent passion for genetics and a vision to become a genetic counselor for cancer patients, Bella's journey was marked by both academic accomplishments and a deeply personal connection to her chosen field. For two summers, Bella worked at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Dr. Webby's Infectious Disease lab, contributing to groundbreaking research on the influenza virus. In addition to her academic and research achievements, Bella's decision to join the Honors Program was underscored by her unique journey as a student far from home. Embracing the challenges of attending school in California, Bella recognized the Honors Program as more than an academic enrichment opportunity. It served as a supportive community, providing her with a network of like-minded peers and faculty who shared her commitment to excellence.

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In an fascinating essay about jury selection in connection to racial injustice, Cassandra worked with her forensic psychology professor, Hiroko Nakano, to study several cases where the defendant was a person of color, and yet the jury of their peers was all white. Coming up with the idea as she flipped through the pages of her syllabus, she was drawn to this topic of justice, or lack thereof, and decided that she wanted to learn more about it. While balancing her job at the Stem Center on campus, as well as her participation in Psychology club, Cassandra managed her time well and for her Honors Contract wrote an in-depth analysis of cases and trials on the subject of jury selection. 

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Chloe Jarrin was a Health Science major and Communication minor who went on to pursue a master’s degree as a physicians assistant after graduation. Chloe was a part of the Honors Program since her first year at Saint Mary's and loved the sense of community, diligence, and diversity the program provided. For her third Honors Contract, Chloe conducted in-depth research on intercultural communication in immigrant healthcare. She was passionate and determined to make a difference in healthcare, and this research was the first step. 

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David majored in Applied Mathematics and minored in Data Science, and was a member of the Honors Program since his first year. David joined because he found his studies to be relatively easy and thought it would be interesting to engage with like-minded students. David found enjoyment in hosting his own colloquia to share his interests with peers, and Honors also gave him the confidence to participate in Saint Mary's 2023 Summer Research Program. Studying under Dr. Satbir Malhi, he fostered a strong appreciation for using numerical analysis to solve challenging partial differential equations. This work felt satisfying, and it has also inspired him to want to go to graduate school to get a Doctorate in Applied Mathematics. David hoped to start a career developing tools to make advanced mathematics more accessible and to predict the effects of real-world issues like climate change or the distribution of pollution. He appreciated the resources the Honors Program provided to help build confidence.

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Demetri was a Politics major with two minors in economics and law & society, as well as an Honors student and a member of the Honors Student Commission, who also served as the President of the Macken Speech & Debate Club, Showing Up for Racial Justice, and the Fishing Club. He also worked as a research desk worker at the Library and was the Resident Advisor for the Honors Program Living Learning Community in Aquinas Hall. 

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Emily majored in Psychology and always found Shakespeare to be an impactful and inspiring influence. For this reason, she decided to dive further into his infamous work Macbeth for one of her Honors Contracts, meticulously analyzing the depictions of power and the gender dynamics between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Emily then created drawings of several scenes, using colors, clothes, backdrop, fire, and physical position, as well as many more details to highlight what she thought were the most important points in this scene. She also produced a comprehensive essay which analyzed her own drawings and explained her artistic choices while referencing Shakespeare’s scenes. Emily enjoyed the freedom for creativity that this project allowed, as painting and drawing were both hobbies she enjoyed. While Emily originally joined the honors program wanting the extra challenge that this academic-minded community would offer, she never imagined how much fun she would have with it. 

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A Biology and Music Major, Emily knew once committing to Saint Mary’s that she wanted to participate in two key features of the SMC Experience: the Honors Program and the Summer Research Program. Unifying these two experiences, she added an Honors Contract to her summer research project working on finding safer alternatives to insecticides. In this 10-week program alongside Emma Cardinale and Dr. Kai Blaisdell, Emily worked with aphid pests and the viruses transmitted to barley plants right here on Saint Mary’s campus. Her research showed that Salicylic Acid can be applied topically to the leaves of barley plants both to reduce the amount of aphid feeding and reproduction as well as maximize the plant’s photosynthetic capabilities. After presenting her experiment in the form of a talk and a poster, Emily was a runner-up for the Joseph P. McKenna Award for the best research project in the program. Her passion for the scientific process reaffirmed, Emily continued to feel called to find new ways of solving big issues that pose a threat to our world.

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Emma joined the Honors Program to be involved in campus events and meet motivated students like herself while also wanting to be a good role model for the school. She always had a passion for science, so when she participated in the Summer Research Program alongside Emily Hancock and Dr. Kai Blaisdell, being able to apply her knowledge in a laboratory setting proved to be very rewarding. She worked with the aphid species Schizaphis graminum over the summer, viewing her research through the lens of climate change and connecting her results to impacts on agriculture, food supply, and economics. Emma was pleasantly surprised both by her perseverance in her work and by the skills she gained in transferring her research into visuals and presenting her findings in various ways. To Emma, being a researcher over the summer was a big commitment, but it was well worth it, because she not only learned so much about herself, but she was deeply inspired by those around her and made so many great connections along the way. 

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Izzy was a history major and public history minor from Fresno, CA, who was in the Honors Program since freshman year. A very active member of the Saint Mary's community, she was involved in sports band, la hermandad, and pride club, and worked in the Admissions Office as a Student Ambassador for over three years. She truly loved that she was able to represent her school in such a positive way and she loved that the Honors Program allowed her to research topics that she was passionate about, then present it to her fellow classmates and colleagues. Her first Honors Contract involved collecting oral histories of students on campus and her last Contract involved creating a blog on fandom spaces and how these spaces address the ideas of feminism. She enjoyed meeting all of the wonderful people in the Honors Program and making lifelong friends at SMC. After graduation, Izzy planned to pursue a master's degree in Library Science and eventually work at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. 

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Having gotten a glowing recommendation by her older sister to join, Kira enrolled in the Honors Program for an extra challenge in college. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Kira was pleasantly surprised by the close-knit and welcoming community in the Honors Program. Extremely integrated in school extracurriculars, being the marketing officer for Gael Women and Business, working for the RHA, applying to be an RA, and on the executive team for the Middle Eastern Cultural Night, Kira also decided to take on an extra project to further enrich her academic experience. With the help of her business-comm professor Jake Cowan, she was able to find popular movies throughout various decades in history, and analyze the treatment of women in the workplace within a movie review she wrote for each film. Posting her reviews on Letterboxd, she would then discuss each film with her professor in an effort to debrief and fully comprehend the progression of how women were treated in the workplace.

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A Politics major and a Data Science minor, Madeline found the Honors Program to be an excellent opportunity for personal and academic growth. Not only did she have the chance to meet new people, but she also had got to learn about an array of interesting topics through colloquia. Through interning in the House of Representatives in Washington D.C., she gained priceless insight into the legislative process and the opportunity to meet an array of noteworthy forces inside and outside the political sphere. Through her internship in her California congressional office, Madeline worked on multiple legislative projects relating to natural resources and labor. To learn more about how she found this great internship, join her colloquium, Life on Capitol Hill!

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A first-gen college student and SMC’s first-ever English and Computer Science double-major, Mary was nominated for the Honors Program her freshman year, and at the end of her junior year, she completed an Honors Contract, optimizing code and improving visualization in the Biochemistry department, which grew her interest in programming and of the possibilities within interdisciplinary research. Despite  the pandemic, she founded The English Underground, a club that promoted community and networking in the English department, and was also President of the Tech Club, which held a collaborative event with Honors that taught students programming. Mary was also a member of GaelSisterhood, La Hermandad, the Rock Climbing Club, the Dean’s Honors List, and was a Lead Adviser at the Center for Writing Across the Curriculum. Mary’s greatest advice is to get involved on campus; go to as many events as possible, apply for every research opportunity, and attend games, club meetings, and shows, because you’ll be crossing that graduation stage before you know it!

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A Track and Field athlete for Saint Mary‘s and a Psychology major with Chemistry and WGS minors, Molly was a part of the Honors Program since her first year and loves the resources and connections available to those in the program. Advocacy and community were important aspects of their passions and extracurriculars, and as a D1 athlete, she made a point to involve herself in Title IX work. After helping with Title IX at Saint Mary‘s, they were inspired to join Voice in Sport to make her voice heard. From 2021 to 2022, Molly led a team that researched, drafted, and presented an amendment to fix systemic issues that hindered Title IX’s efficacy. After meeting with over 30 House and Senate members, they secured two sponsors in Representative Alma Adams and Senator Chris Murphy, and on the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Molly and her team announced the bill on Capitol Hill which marked change for equity in athletics. The experience taught Molly how much her voice matters, and has inspired them to continue advocacy in order to bring more equity to medicine in the future. 

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A Biology major with a minor in Data Science, Sahiba was passionate about biomedical research, with hopes to pursue a career in genetics, immunology, or neuroscience. She enjoyed academics, especially when they encourage her to think outside of the box, so she joined the Honors Program to continue to challenge herself throughout her time at SMC. Her first Honors Contract was through the Summer Research Program, working with Dr. Kai Blaisdell on aphid vectors and plant viruses. An exciting result of the research was the discovery of plant viruses such as Cereal Yellow Dwarf Virus and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus in the Redwood grove. In her second Honors Contract, she wrote a paper on the genetics of a rare disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis and the key developments that led to a groundbreaking treatment called Dupilumab. She was honored when her professor nominated her paper for the Spectrum Award and when the paper was chosen as a finalist.

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Amanda was a double major in Politics and History and a member of the Saint Mary’s Women’s Lacrosse team since freshman year, serving as both President and Captain. She also coached at True Lacrosse, a girls’ club lacrosse program based out of Danville, where she traveled around the country with players to showcase all of their hard work and skill in hopes that they would someday play at the collegiate level. On campus, Amanda was also a supervisor and lifeguard at the campus recreation center and served as an intern for both the Politics and History Departments. Her favorite memories at Saint Mary’s included spending quality time with her friends at the recreation center and traveling to Denmark and Sweden for Jan Term.  Her post-graduation plan was to attend law school and eventually pursue a career in public interest law. 

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Transferring into a new school can be intimidating, especially as an upperclassmen. However, Madeline - a junior transfer student - used this new beginning to get more involved by joining the Honors Program as a way to meet new people. Once settled at Saint Mary's, Madeline set her sights on an ambitious project in the form of a nutritional cookbook for student athletes. With the help of her Kinesiology 107 professor, Derek Marks, Madeline tirelessly worked to research and develop new recipes that provided student athletes with healthy options that consisted exclusively of ingredients available at Trader Joes. Having made each of the recipes herself to ensure each meal was perfected, Madeline put in around 50 hours of work completing this her cookbook. 

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Mariella’s Italian heritage was always of interest to her, and through the Honors Program she was able to learn much more about her family’s past than she had ever imagined. First joining as a sophomore based on a recommendation, she felt like Honors supplied her with a “good mix of academic and social life.” Working with Italian 4 professor Maria Grazia, Mariella created a 50-page canva document throughout the semester including pictures and information about her heritage. She also wrote an essay discussing the artifacts she found going through her grandparent’s memorabilia from Italy. Even though she added in the extra step of reading books about Italian history which she used to connect to her family’s personal experience, Mariella never felt like this project overwhelmed her as she struck a good balance of working and relaxing throughout the semester. 

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Nash was a Global and Regional Studies Major with a minor in Theology and Religious Studies. He served as president of the Native American and Indigenous Student Association (NAISA), vice president of Saint Mary's Phi Kappa Phi Chapter, a Liberal Arts Bridge Ambassador, a Social Justice Advocate at the Intercultural Center, and was an involved student on campus. For one of his Honors contracts, he wrote a paper and held a presentation in applying religious studies analytical theories to Judaism and then critiquing their accuracy of interpretation. In 2025, he received his master’s degree in leadership from the Kalmanovitz School of Education in order to further social justice and sustainable development with nonprofits.

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Taylor was a Justice Community and Leadership Major with a double minor in Mathematics and Psychology who served as president of the SMC Women’s Rugby Team and the ASL Club. Taylor was in the Honors Program since her freshman year, when she joined to get more involved around campus and push her academic work forward. For one Honors Contract, she wrote and illustrated a children’s book on how science and religion are closely tied together. The book was influenced by a TRS class on the topic, and she spent a lot of time making the information clear and concise enough that a child would be able to understand it easily. Taylor hoped to go to graduate school to become a social psychologist, specializing in conducting research. One piece of advice Taylor would give to people starting in the Honors Program is to take advantage of colloquia and familiarize yourself with the resources available to you. Reach out to professors as many of them have connections and can get you some experience before you graduate.

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Although Tsianna joined the Honors Program initially for social involvement, she soon discovered the professional skill development that Honors also offered her.

The Honors Contract that Tsianna eventually proposed on the psychology behind D1 athletes, was unlike anything she had researched before. Sending out a detailed Google survey, she assessed several personality traits and how they correlated with success in sports, eventually finding that D1 athletes scored lower in neuroticism than non-D1 athletes. Though she was also working two jobs and was involved in Expressions of Blackness, Tsianna had support from her Personality Psychology professor, who helped her balance her workload throughout the semester.