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29 Who Shine Award Winners:
State University Students

Melissa Brulotte
Bridgewater State University

Melissa Brulotte is a chemistry major whose cancer research was presented at an international chemists’ conference in Germany this past March. She has won multiple research grants and scholarships in recognition of the importance of her work, which is focused on the mutation of cancer cells. Melissa is president of the Biochemistry Club at Bridgewater State University (BSU) and student chapter president of the American Chemical Society. Additionally, Melissa mentors BSU freshmen through STREAMS (Student Retention Enhancement Across Mathematics and Sciences). Upon graduation she plans to obtain a Ph.D. in biochemistry.

Eric Gregoire
Fitchburg State University

Eric Gregoire served as president of the Fitchburg State University (FSU) Student Government Association and also served as the elected student representative to the university’s Board of Trustees. He has been active in campus efforts to promote student safety and combat sexual assault and dating violence. He served as the state university student representative to the Student Healthcare Program Steering Committee, where he played a major role in expanding health insurance coverage for Massachusetts students. Last summer Eric interned at Akerman Senterfitt LLP in Washington D.C., where he worked on public higher education policy issues. He plans to continue policy studies at the graduate level.

Danielle Leigh Farmer
Framingham State University

Danielle Leigh Farmer is an honors student active in both student government and peer tutoring at Framingham State University (FSU). Her campus tutoring experience led her to apply for the Teach for America program where, after three rounds of interviews, she was accepted. Danielle will join the Eastern North Carolina Corps this summer and teach two years of high school math before returning home to Massachusetts. “Framingham State introduced me to some of the most inspiring programs and people,” says Farmer. “That’s why I am so passionate about Teach for America and why I had the confidence to apply.”

Roseanne Strott
Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Roseanne Strott is an artist and community activist who has played multiple leadership roles within the MassArt community. In addition to serving in student government, she has also helped further the goals of the Gay Straight Artist Union on campus and helped to plan community art events in Mission Hill. Rosie was instrumental in MassArt’s collaboration with youth and veterans’ organizations to present a collaborative art exhibit highlighting the similarities between combat and urban violence. She plans to continue living and working as an artist in Boston.

Anita Esperanza Parker
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Anita Esperanza Parker is a biology major at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA). She founded a campus club called “Bio Buddies.” This peer mentoring program guides students enrolled in the biology program to ensure their academic success, while also providing opportunities for them to take part in community service. Under Anita’s leadership, “Bio Buddies” students have participated in fundraising and promoted awareness of autism. Anita also served as vice president of the “Colleges against Cancer” chapter at MCLA, which hosted the “Relay for Life of Berkshire County All College” event last year. Anita’s leadership was cited for the campus receiving an award from the American Cancer Society. This Peruvian native has volunteered abroad with ProWorld and hopes to purse a nursing degree.

Michael G. Doren
Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Michael G. Doren is Mass Maritime’s class valedictorian. He has worked tirelessly both inside and outside of the classroom, serving as 5th Company Commander with responsibility for 170 cadets while also volunteering with the Raytheon Company’s “Math Moves U” program to tutor middle school students in math and science. Mike has represented Mass Maritime at the International Association of Maritime Universities Conference in Busan, South Korea. His nominators at MMA also note that he turned down an opportunity to study through Shanghai Maritime University’s exchange program in order to remain in Massachusetts, work part time and help his family pay bills. He has been offered and accepted a job with Raytheon and hopes to eventually pursue an MBA or law degree.

Mark Wheeler
Salem State University

Twenty-eight-year-old Mark Wheeler is a former Marine who graduates this spring from Salem State University (SSU) with a degree in biology. His studies have focused on lipid biochemistry and biomedical adaptations of striped bass. After spending last summer at a marine laboratory in Maine, Mark presented his research findings on the acclimation of striped bass to warm and cold temperatures at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Salt Lake City. Mark has been accepted into the Ph.D. neuroscience program at Purdue University.

Kristina Marie Norris
Westfield State University

Kristina Marie Norris “blossomed academically, socially and personally” at Westfield State University (WSU), according to her WSU nominators, having struggled academically in high school following a late diagnosis of dyslexia. At Westfield State Kristina made the dean’s list every semester and gained admission to the Commonwealth Honors program. As a College Ambassador she worked with Birthday Wishes, Inc., a non-profit group that provides birthday parties for children living in homeless shelters. A criminal justice major with a minor in political science, Kristina discovered a passion for victim advocacy at WSU. Her honors thesis examines the obstacles and limitations of the Clery Act and its impact on WSU students. She is already introducing policy issues for campus consideration based on her research and study. She hopes to study law and work on policy reform in the area of women’s rights and victim advocacy.

Maureen Carroll
Worcester State University

Maureen Carroll of Worcester is a dual major in geography and urban studies at Worcester State University (WSU), where she has demonstrated academic excellence, effective campus leadership and service to the greater Worcester community. She is a dean’s list scholar and the recipient of several awards for academic excellence. She also serves as president of the Gamma Theta Upsilon Geography Honor Society. Maureen volunteers at the Empower Biodiesel Cooperative where she helps identify restaurants willing to contribute waste vegetable oil (WVO) to be refined into biodiesel. She also serves as an intern at Neighborworks, an organization working to help families caught in the foreclosure crisis, an issue that has affected Maureen personally.