New Student Members – 2012
The following students were inducted as new members of The College Key during Commencement Weekend.
Allie Beaulieu, from Swampscott, MA, is a Biological Chemistry Major and Women and Gender Studies minor. She will be captain of the women’s basketball team next year and has been named to the NESCAC All-Academic Team the previous two years. During the summer months, Allie runs her own basketball clinic and coaches middle and high school players. Next fall, Allie will be working with Professor Glen Lawson on her thesis where she will be examining the enzyme kinetics of 3C protease, an enzyme involved in a protein degradation pathway in picornaviruses. In her limited spare time, she volunteers in the oncology department at St. Mary’s and has initiated Bates involvement in a ride share program for cancer patients in the Lewiston/Auburn Area. Allie plans to attend medical school in the near future.
Alysé Bigger, from Boston, Massachusetts is a proud Sociology major with a concentration in Dance. Her senior thesis explored the dynamics of the racially charged issues of citizen-police relationships. For the past 3 ½ years she has remained dedicated to building new relationships the Lewiston community. The Bonner Leadership Program has been a vital source in the development of her leadership skills. She plans to attend law school in the fall of 2013 to obtain a dual JD/ MSW degree. Her future objectives are to become an advocate for underserved populations, start a non-profit for inner-city teen girls, and to run for office on a local level. Recently, Alysé was awarded the 2012 Harward Center Award for Outstanding Community Volunteerism and Student Leadership.
Reid Christian from Pownal, ME is an Economics Major and was a co-captain of the men’s basketball team. He participated in the Hughes Summer Scholars Program prior to his first semester and minored in Asian Studies, traveling to China for a Short Term class. He served on the Career Development Center Director Search Committee, is a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and the Senior Gift Committee. Through the Ladd internship program and the gracious support of Bates alumni, Reid interned with TM Capital and RBC Capital Markets and will be working full-time for Symmetric Capital in Waltham, MA upon graduation. Reid finds helping underclassmen with their transition into college very rewarding. As a result he has led an AESOP orientation trip, served as a Junior Advisor in Smith Hall and worked as a Career Peer at the Bates Career Development Center. Reid looks forward to the opportunity to be a part of the larger Bates community upon graduation.
Lauren Dobish, from Chambersburg, Pa, is a Psychology major and Sociology minor. She wrote her thesis on “The Collective Impact of the Dud Effect and the Appearance-Change Instruction on Eyewitness Confidence”, which she presented at the American Psychology-Law Society conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was a three-sport varsity athlete as a member of the soccer, basketball, and softball teams. She was tri-captain of the basketball team and co-captain of the softball team for two years. Lauren says that the relationships she has made by playing sports has truly made her experience at Bates so memorable. She is also a NFCA Academic all-American as well as a member of the Bates Scholar Athlete Society.
Catherine Elliott, a transplant to Maine from Edina, Minnesota, is a double major in politics and studio art. She came to Maine to go to Bates, but she stayed at Bates because of the opportunity to connect with people in the Lewiston-Auburn and broader Maine communities through community engaged learning, folk music and dance, and a variety of other activities. She will move south to Portland in June to work for Pine Tree Legal Assistance, a legal aid clinic.
Dhariana Gonzalez, from Lawrence, Mass, is a Politics and Spanish Double Major with a Minor in Religious Studies. She is interested in migration and diaspora studies. She wrote a Spanish Honors Thesis titled “Redefining Dominicanness from the Diaspora: The Literature and Historiography of Junot Diaz.” Dhariana presented her research on “Discourses that Affect the Immigrant Body” in a panel at the Mount David Summit. She worked as a research assistant in the Politics Department. Dhariana was one of the lead organizers for the first month-long celebration of Women’s History Month at Bates College. She also developed programming and a support system for students that needed additional help transitioning into college and was a part of Latinos Unidos and Women of Color. After graduating, she will continue her research on how Diasporas can help build their country of origin, and she will work at Seyfarth Shaw in Boston, Mass as an immigration paralegal.
Margaret Harrison, from Yarmouth, ME, is an English and French double major. She wrote an English thesis on poetic influence, studying the similarities between Sylvia Plath and Sharon Olds’ poetry. She wrote her French thesis on the importance of writing as a means to both find oneself and record history. She has been a Student Caller at Bates College for four years and now works as a Student Calling Supervisor, helping to raise money and encourage support of the College. She has also volunteered for the Senior Gift Committee, extending her interest in philanthropy at Bates. She has worked reunion weekend and has also been a writer for the Bates Student, as well as, the school’s literary magazine, SEED. While in France, Margaret taught English to French high school students, expanding her knowledge and grasp of the French language. Being a student at Bates College has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experience of Margaret’s life. She plans to pursue a Ph.D in English in the hopes of one day becoming an English Professor and continuing her adoration for the academic atmosphere.
Romina Istratii, from Athens, Greece is an Economics, Politics and Chinese triple major. She wrote three thesis, two of them honors, focusing on international cooperation and cultural tourism. During her time at Bates, she volunteered at the Longley Elementary School as a Bates Buddy and mentor and also as a hip hop instructor at St. Dom’s High School. Romina also took on leadership roles as head of the Women’s Committee in Model United Nations and acting President of the Bates Students Against Poverty. She was also a top ten varsity track and field team member. Romina is a recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowshipand will be spending a year in Africa investigating aspects of resource scarcity around the world. Her fellowship is the result of this multi-faceted academic learning, combined with her three month Freeman Fellowship in Taiwan, a Stangle Grant in Economics and Law, and joint projects with the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center at the University of Tennessee.
Ian Mahmud, from Duxbury Massachusetts, is an Economics Major. His thesis was titled “Pieces of the Capital Structure Puzzle: Testing Theoretical Predictions for Cash Flow and the Value of Physical Assets as Determinants of Leverage.” Ian served as President of the debate team his junior and senior year. The team ranking rose from 23rd in the nation to 7th. He was ranked 10th in the nation this year and started at Bates with no debate experience. Ian also served as President of the Investment Club his senior year. As a member of the investment club, he recommended and purchased equity worth $16,000. Ian worked in the peer writing center as a course assistant and spent his summers interning in the financial sector. Ian is graduating Phi Beta Kappa and is joining the Investment Banking division at Barclays Capital.
Colby Maldini, from Portsmouth, NH, is a Biological Chemistry Major. His thesis was entitled, “The Use of Interfering RNA to Evaluate the Ubiquitin-Mediated Degradation of the EMCV 3C Protease in vivo.” While at Bates, he was an active member of residential life program; he worked with residents as a Junior Adviser and later, as Residence Coordinator. Colby was a tutor and teaching assistant for a number of biology and chemistry courses. In addition, for the past three years he has been the coordinator at the Lewiston High School Science Fair.
Sangita Murali, from Dartmouth, MA, is a Neuroscience major who presented at the 2012 Mount David Summit and the Second Annual Maine Neuroscience Meeting at the University of New England on “The Therapeutic Potential of Vitamin D for Multiple Sclerosis.” She finds serving as Co-President of the Class of 2012, Vice President of Student Clubs, and Chair of the Organizational Review Board for the past three years to be most rewarding. This year she is an executive member of the Senior Gift Committee and Co-Chair of the Baccalaureate Planning Committee. Sangita is also an Arata Scholar and a member of Sigma Xi. She was a math tutor, worked in the animal care facility for the Biology department, played for the Varsity Women’s Tennis team her freshman year, and played for the Women’s Club Ice Hockey team since freshman year. Sangita is a Co-Coordinator of Club Med and will be attending an MD program at St. George’s School of Medicine in the fall.
Mikey Pasek, from Ardmore, PA, has a self-designed major in political psychology, and a minor in religious studies. He wrote a Senior Honors Thesis titled “In Defense of Israel: How Social Context Affects Jewish American’s Moral Reasoning.” He serves as a co-class president for the class of 2012, in addition to holding multiple student government positions including advisory posts to the Dean’s and President’s offices. In 2010, he was one fo four students who helped to rewrite the Bates College mission statement. Since his junior year, Mikey has served as the president of Hillel. This past year, he served as the regional co-chair for New England of J Street U, a national political movement working towards a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just his past month, he launched the first ever College Night in Town, which attracted nearly 20 local businesses and 400 students to celebrate and improve the relationship between town and gown. In honor of this event, he recently received an official mayoral recognition for his efforts to strengthen the relationship between Lewiston/Auburn and Bates. He is also proud to be the class of 2012’s recipient of the Benjamin E. Mays, Class of 1920, Award. Mikey will be moving to Washington, D.C. in August where he will spend the year as a legislative assistant with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a political non-profit which advocates for progressive policies.
David Pless, class of 2013, from Atlanta, Georgia. David is a philosophy major, with a minor in History. He has been on Bates Residence Life Staff for two years as a Junior Advisor and Residence Coordinator and will continue as a Residence Coordinator next fall. He is Co-captain of the NESCAC Champion Bates Track and Field Team. As a member of Track and Field, David is a four time all American and has won two NCAA Division Three National Championships in the shot put, including a NCAA national meet record. He was recently voted Best Male Athlete at Bates College. He credits his success to the close-knit community of athletes and coaches on the Track and Field team.
Maggie Reilly, from Wellesley, MA, is an Environmental Studies major with minors in Economics and Mathematics. She wrote her senior thesis on “Willingness to Pay for Fair Trade Coffee: A Hedonic Study.” She has been a four-year letter winner for the Women?s Lacrosse team and has been named NESCAC All-Academic and will be inducted into the Scholar Athlete Society. She has also been consistently named to the Deans List and last year she was a Ladd intern and worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency. This year, she has dedicated much of her time and energy to the Senior gift as one of the Co-chairs. This experience has helped realized how much Bates means to her, but she looks forward to new memories as an alum next year when she will be in Boston working for an economic consulting firm, Analysis Group.
Parker Repko, from New Canaan, CT, is a Classical and Medieval Studies Major. He wrote his thesis on The Fall of the Roman Republic: The Gracchan Revolution, an endeavor he completed due to the guidance and support of his adviser. Parker played four years on the Men’s Lacrosse Team, and enjoyed every moment of representing his college in the most competitive league in the nation. Parker also served as the vice-chair of participation on the senior gift committee. He will be teaching Latin and History next year while coaching Lacrosse.
Monica Rodriguez, from Stamford, CT, is a Chinese Language and Politics double major with a minor in Rhetoric. Her thesis added to the literature on the art and politics of China by explaining the relationship between contemporary art and creative censorship in Beijing. She is the Co-Chair of the Senior Gift, an Admissions Student Blogger, and President of Latinos Unidos. Monica was the recipient of a Barlow Thesis Grant which supported research she conducted while abroad in Beijing and was also awarded the 2012 Henry W. and Raymond S. Oakes Fellowship which is awarded to one or more of the best-qualified seniors who intends to continue their education in the study of law. She has worked closely with the Bates Career Development Center and has held many internships with the help of the College working at the New York State Comptroller’s Office, two law firms, and a White House internship.
Mackenzie Ross, from North Yarmouth, ME, is a Developmental Psychology major with a concentration in children, adolescents, and school, and law and society. She worked with a local non-profit organization (THRIVE) and the Maine state juvenile justice system on her community based thesis titled: Implementing a Trauma-Informed System of Care in Maine’s Juvenile Justice System. A four-year varsity athlete, Mackenzie played defense for the Bobcat’s field hockey team, and is well known for her role as Student Employment Coordinator, a position she has held since her freshman year. Mackenzie has also served as the Reunion BatesStar Coordinator for the past two years where she is responsible for hiring, training, scheduling, and overseeing 35 Bates students before and during Reunion Weekend. A volunteer at McMahon Elementary’s Day Treatment Center, she assisted in the 5th/6th grade classroom helping children who have learning, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Through athletics, meetings with professors, interactions with staff, working on-campus, and volunteering in Lewiston/Auburn, Mackenzie appreciates her experience as a member of the Bates community and is thankful for the people at Bates who made her time here memorable.
Andrew Scichilone from Sandwich, MA is a Biochemistry Major who presented at this year’s Mount David Summit on his yearlong lab research titled “Genetic Variation Within A Single Vernal Pool Population of Ambystoma jeffersonium”. Andrew was a 4-year varsity football player and Senior Captain. During his sophomore year he volunteered at St.Mary’s Hospital. He is the Co-Chair of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, which allowed him to help create the Bates Allies pledge and become a two-year organizer of Field Day. He plans on spending a year working in a hospital to gain experience before applying to some form of medical graduate school.