Students from Watertown earned honors at Lasell and Wisconsin, and graduated from Stonehill, and Texas.
The following information was provided by the colleges and universities:
Honors
Lasell University
The Spring 2025 Dean’s List includes students who have completed at least 12 credits as a full-time student in that semester and have achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Georgy Arshakyan of Watertown MA
Kayleigh Dore of Watertown MA
Alicia Karunaratne of Watertown MA
Theo Jacobs of Watertown MA
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Phi Kappa Phi, Chapter 021, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, initiated 101 students and 3 honorary members into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society this year, including Watertown’s Cecelia Maillis.
The 105th Phi Kappa Phi Induction Ceremony, was held on April 27 in Tripp Commons; Evjue Centennial Professor Douglas McLeod was the keynote speaker speaking on “News Coverage of Social Protest in a Polarized Political Landscape.”
Honorary membership was granted to three UW-Madison faculty/staff: McLeod of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Pete Keys, Associate Director for Admissions & Engagement for the College of Letters & Science Honors Program; and Diana Rodriguez-Gomez, Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy.
Phi Kappa Phi recognizes the achievements of the most outstanding students in every school and college at UW-Madison. The UW-Madison chapter of Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1920 and has had a continuous presence on this campus ever since.
Each fall invitations are sent to the top 10 percent of graduate students, the top 10 percent of seniors and the top 7.5 percent of second-semester juniors in each school and college.
Graduates
Stonehill College
Ryan Webber of Watertown, MA, was one of 614 students to process at Stonehill College’s 74th Commencement, held on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
During the ceremony, former Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione gave the keynote address. He also received an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree alongside Elizabeth (Fox) Hayden ’76, a member of Stonehill’s Board of Trustees.
Visit Stonehill College’s website for full coverage of the ceremony.
University of Texas at Austin
Whitney Besetzny, of Watertown, graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Texas at Austin in spring 2025.
Besetzny was one of more than 9,000 students who received an undergraduate, master’s or doctoral degree.
UT Austin celebrated its 142nd graduating class during Commencement ceremonies on May 10. Taylor Sheridan, the creative force behind television blockbusters such as “Yellowstone” and “Landman,” was the featured Commencement speaker.