Three Exemplary Seniors Recognized at Commencement

University of Hartford graduating seniors Jaileene Arriaga, Aaliyah Booker, and Destynie Medeiros were recognized on Sunday, May 19, as winners of University awards for exemplary students.

Jaileene Arriaga’19 is the recipient of the John G. Lee Medal that is awarded annually to a senior from one of 30 designated towns in Greater Hartford who demonstrates academic excellence and community service. Arriaga, who is from Hartford, is a double major in sociology and politics and government with a minor in gender studies and has a 3.89 GPA. She entered UHart with 12 advanced placement credits earned at the Greater Hartford Academy of Aerospace and Engineering in Hartford. Her honors thesis at UHart focused on felon disenfranchisement and her politics and government capstone project focused on the gender voting gap. She also presented research on the body image of women of color at the Association for Women in Psychology conference in 2018. Arriaga is a member of the Women for Change student organization and served as the club’s social media and public relations chair and as co-president in her senior year.

Aaliyah Booker ’19 has been named the 2019 John G. Martin Scholar,an award that supports two years of graduate study at the prestigious University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Booker is a music, violin performance major with a 3.89 GPA. She has been on the Dean’s and President’s lists every semester while performing with the Hartt Orchestra, the Beth El Temple Orchestra, and chamber ensembles. In addition to maintaining a rigorous performance schedule and working at the University’s Center for Student Success, Booker served as music minister and as treasurer for the Newman Club and taught at Sharps and Flats Music Conservatory in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Destynie Medeiros ’19 is the recipient of the Belle K. Ribicoff Prize that is awarded annually to a senior who has demonstrated academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, originality of thought, and a commitment to extracurricular activities and community service. As a biology major at UHart, Medeiros discovered a passion for neuroscience. She led a research project“The Effects of Probiotics on Alzheimer’s Disease Progression: Assessing Cognitive and Cellular Markers” and presented her research findings at various conferences including the prestigious National Conference on Undergraduate Research. She also received a Faculty for Neuroscience Travel Award to travel to the Society for Neuroscience international conference. She was a teaching assistant and tutor, events coordinator for the Pre-Medical club, an Ambassador in A&S, and undergraduate chair Brain Awareness Advisory Committee. After graduation, Medeiros will pursue a doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.