Financial aid opens doors to meaningful experiences for the leaders of tomorrow.

At UMass Amherst scholarships change lives.

They create possibilities that were once unavailable or unthinkable. They are vital keys that unlock educational opportunities and pave the way for broader advancement. They transform, break down barriers, foster empowerment, and enable dreams that once seemed unattainable.

This month in Flagship Focus, we are spotlighting the experience of Gabrielle Walczak ’24 (Mathematics, Information Technology) and the ways in which the O'Neil Family Scholarship has supported her success at UMass Amherst.

FF: How has the scholarship you received helped aid your studies?

Gabby: The scholarship has provided financial support, allowing me to succeed in my academics and pursue opportunities that I may not have participated in had money been a significant stressor during my time at UMass. For instance, I am completing my senior honors thesis, which has allowed me to dive deeper into biostatistical research and learn things I wouldn't usually learn in the classroom.

In addition, last semester, I worked on The Opportunity Project with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, where my team members and I developed an AI-based tool that addressed energy inequity amongst overburdened populations during power outages.

FF: Could you tell us more about your participation in The Opportunity Project?

Gabby: My peers and I created an AI-based tool for utility emergency response teams that maps geography over energy-overburdened populations to help address energy inequity during power outages. Using a supervised learning exercise, we predicted energy overburden based on social vulnerability indices from large federal datasets.

We had the pleasure of attending meetings with user advocates and data stewards affiliated with The Opportunity Project to help us gain insight into the issue. Additionally, we delivered a team concept pitch during Justice Week 2023 at the Department of Energy headquarters. There were about 15-20 other teams from some of the top universities in the country, such as Tufts, Columbia, and UC Berkeley, with many students in graduate programs.

FF: Has your scholarship allowed you to participate in additional programs you might not have had time for otherwise?

Gabby: A certificate program that I was able to join that is unique to UMass Amherst is the iCons (Integrated Concentration in STEM) program. I have been part of the program since freshman year, and throughout the years, I have engaged with real-world problems on renewable energy in interdisciplinary teams. This program also got me into The Opportunity Project, so it has indeed introduced me to new opportunities and provided me with the resources to get into research.

UMass Amherst is proud to have students like Gabby pursuing research with implications for the common good. Without scholarship support, she and her classmates might not be able to dedicate all their time on campus to academics and co-curricular activities that put them in position for success after graduation. The UMass Foundation wishes Gabby the best of luck at Duke University, where she will be working towards an MS in Biostatistics starting this fall. 

This story was originally published by the UMass Amherst Foundation.