News 2015: UMass Dartmouth ready to welcome new class of promise and excellence inside and outside the classroom

Class of 2019 made up of 1,460 students from 235 Massachusetts communities, 18 states, and 34 countries

UMass Dartmouth will welcome its newest Corsairs in the coming days with move-in day scheduled for this Sunday, August 30 and the Convocation Ceremony celebrating the start of a new academic year scheduled for Tuesday, September 1.The UMass Dartmouth Class of 2019 is made up of 1,460 students from 235 Massachusetts communities, 18 states, and 34 countries.

The UMass Dartmouth Class of 2019 includes:

Victor Ahdaji, of Springfield, MA

Victor recently received the 6th Annual Ahadi Youth Award from the African Hall Subcommittee of the Springfield Museusms. The Ahadi Youth Award is presented to an African American young person who demonstrates strong character, leadership, academic achievement, and future potential (Ahadi means "promise" in Swahili). Victor finished in the top 5 percent of his class at Springfield's High School of Commerce. Victor will study mechanical engineering with a focus on aeronautics.

Nathaly Guerrero, of Charlestown, MA

Nathaly is a recipient of the 2015 Partners HealthCare Charlestown Merit Scholarship. She graduated from Charlestown High School, where she served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the school’s BUILD entrepreneurship program. Nathaly will major in biology in preparation for a degree in medicine.

Mackenzie Chabot, of Acushnet, MA

Mackenzie, alongside a fellow student from Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, earned the gold medal at the SkillsUSA state competition for web design. Mackenzie went on to compete in the national competition this June. As part of the competition, Mackenzie helped create a website from scratch in five hours. He plans to study computer science.

Jared Dahlstrom, of Charlton, MA

Jared, who will major in marketing this fall, was chosen to represent the Charlton American Legion at the 2014 Massachusetts Boys’ State Conference, where he joined rising high school seniors from across the state for a week-long camp to participate in classes and lectures on the inner workings of government and the legal system. Jared also served as an elected delegate for the Central Mass Student Advisory Council, which advocates for the interests of all K-12 students in Massachusetts.

Briana Flaherty, of Franklin, MA

Briana, who will also study business at UMass Dartmouth, is a first generation college student. She played four years of varsity softball at Franklin High School. Briana was named a 2015 Softball All-Scholastics All-Star by The Boston Globe. Additionally, she volunteered and helped organize a softball clinic for young girls.

Mateus Felipe, of Freetown, MA

Mateus, who will major in management, earned a 4.0 GPA and was in the top 10 percent of his graduating class at Apponequet Regional High School. He is also a first generation college student. Mateus, who is a dual citizen from Brazil, was a varsity soccer standout and four year member of the high school DECA team.

UMass Dartmouth distinguishes itself as a vibrant, public research university dedicated to engaged learning and innovative research resulting in personal and lifelong student success. The University serves as an intellectual catalyst for economic, social, and cultural transformation on a global, national, and regional scale.