
Impact Stories
Accelerate UMass
Discover how our community of alumni, faculty, students, parents, and friends are making a lasting difference. Explore their stories and see how you can contribute to the UMass legacy.
- Revolutionize Access
From Pointe Shoes to Planet-Saving Fashion
Alumna Jillian Clark ’08 is using her Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) to tackle the textile waste crisis.
- Magnify Impact
- Graduate School
From Mentees to Mentors: Two UMass Alumni Pay It Forward on the West Coast
When Anne Soon Choi MA’00 and Mariappan “Jawa” Jawaharlal PhD’94 discovered they shared the connection of being UMass Amherst Graduate School alumni, it wasn’t at a reunion in Massachusetts, but during a…

- Revolutionize Access
- Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences
Building A Culture of Giving
This year, a group of student ambassadors from the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) stepped up to publicize the opportunity to support their college through UMassGives.
- Revolutionize Access
- Graduate School
Shaping Leaders through Graduate Education
Finalists from the Graduate School’s Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition talk about the opportunities for both academic and professional development at UMass Amherst.
- Revolutionize Access
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Elevating First-Generation Voices
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) RISE Fellow Leandra Mageski ’26 created a podcast to help first-generation students navigate college life.
- Magnify Impact
- College of Natural Sciences
Illuminating the Health Effects of ‘Forever Chemicals’
UMass Amherst researchers are studying the myriad ways PFAS chemicals affect human health—and pursuing strategies to mitigate their harm.
- Grow Investment
- Graduate School
- College of Natural Sciences
Chemistry Doctoral Student Wins 2025 Three-Minute Thesis Competition
Cristina Hirschbiegel, a doctoral student in chemistry, was named the winner of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for her presentation, “Nanozymes for Smarter Cancer Treatment”.
- Revolutionize Access
- School of Public Health and Health Sciences
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Accelerate in the Nation’s Capital
The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum hosted the UMass D.C. community for a night of bold ideas and meaningful connections.
- Revolutionize Access
- Fine Arts Center