Commencement Class Of 2021 Profiles

A series of family heartaches propelled Yoanna Ivanova to pursue cellular research tied to breast cancer. She credits her connections with fellow engineering majors in the Clark Scholars Program for creating positive experiences in and out of the lab. Read More

A tumultuous entrance into the world set Demetra Hypatia Hufnagel on a trajectory that would inspire her bright future and affect the futures of many young lives to come. Read More

As a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine officer, Ken Barnes built a strong operational and technical background. But he calls the concentration in health care he pursued at Owen Graduate School of Management the bridge to his next chapter. Read More

Will Reisner enjoys reaching new heights. The mechanical engineering senior is the vehicle team lead on the perennially top-ranked Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory rocket team. Read More

Student-athlete Myra Konte was drafted in January by the North Carolina Courage—her dream team—but will delay her professional soccer career temporarily to continue her education at Vanderbilt. Read More

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person clinical experiences for most nursing students nationwide, Vanderbilt School of Nursing master’s student Matias Massaro seized the opportunity to learn a new aspect of providing psychiatric-mental health care. Read More

The ink may not yet be dry on Ramon Ryan’s law degree, but his legal research is already gaining national attention. Read More

With a heart for serving others and an interest in the intersection of theology and social justice, Erica Johnson was drawn to pursue a master’s degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School while working at a social services center for victims of domestic abuse. Read More

When Mason Clark was in middle school, his beloved grandmother suffered a serious heart attack. She survived, thanks to the help of the local hospital, and the experience led Clark to his life’s purpose. Read More

Xuanxuan Chen is thankful for her memories of Vanderbilt's campus as she completes her senior year from home in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China—14 time zones away—as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

After graduating with a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Alissa Guarnaccia will begin a rare postdoctoral research position with health care biotechnology giant Genentech. Read More

A family legacy of fighting for civil rights fuels Chicago native Anana Upton, whose mission is creating positive change in underserved communities. Read More

At Vanderbilt, Anighya Crocker found the freedom to pursue all of his passions, double-majoring in voice performance and law, history and society. Next, he is looking toward law school and politics—and maybe a run for governor of Tennessee.      Read More

Ryan Boyette is using his Peabody master’s degree to further the work of the education nonprofit To Move Mountains, which he and his wife, Jazira, launched a few years before coming to Nashville. Read More

Identical twins Jade and Jazmyn Ayers have immersed themselves in literature and personal narratives for years, leading to majors in English as well as a creative way to pair storytelling with another of their passions: medicine. Read More