Watertown students earned degrees from Tufts, UMass Amherst, and University of Wisconsin. Local students also earned honors from Tufts, Holy Cross, UMass Amherst, and Wisconsin.
The following information was provided by the colleges and universities:
Graduates
Tufts University
More than 3,600 students across all schools graduated from Tufts University on May 17 during a university-wide commencement ceremony that featured the awarding of honorary degrees to a number of academic, business, and civic leaders making a positive impact on the world. The following students were among those who graduated:
Leyla Mandel of Watertown (02472)
Eraste Talla Ngoualadjo of Watertown (02472)
UMass Amherst
Approximately 7,000 students received bachelor’s degrees in over 100 majors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Undergraduate Commencement on May 15, 2026 at the McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
Below is a list of students from your area that received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst:
Watertown, MA
Philip Richard Centola
Levon Gukasyan
Benjamin Harrison Heep
Olivia Juliet-Mei Hoover
Deion Adam Howe
Duncan Alexander Lepera
Sophia Lucille Noble
Gregory Steven Venizelos
University of Wisconsin-Madison
More than 9,100 students, including students from your area, earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2026. The university held its Spring 2026 Commencement ceremony for doctoral, MFA, and medical professional candidates at the Kohl Center on Friday, May 8 and its ceremony for undergraduate, law, and other Master’s degree candidates at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, May 9.
UW-Madison was ranked the #2 public university in the United States by Time magazine in 2026. With public service as its guiding principle, UW-Madison’s students, staff, and faculty engage in a world-class education while solving real-world problems. For more information, visit http://www.wisc.edu.
Local degree recipients include:
Watertown, MA
Eleni Hum, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Arts, History, Philosophy
Delanie Lombard, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Political Science, Social Welfare
Nikolay Mesropyan, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Neurobiology
Dean’s List
Tufts University
Tufts University recently announced the dean’s list for the spring 2026 semester. Dean’s list honors at Tufts University require a semester grade point average of 3.4 or greater. The following students were named to the dean’s list:
Sandra Alnamous, Class of 2027, of Watertown (02472)
Claire Bernstein, Class of 2028, of Watertown (02472)
Leyla Mandel, Class of 2026, of Watertown (02472)
Nina Paquette, Class of 2028, of Watertown (02472)
Eraste Talla Ngoualadjo, Class of 2026, of Watertown (02472)
Holy Cross
Lori Avakian of Watertown was named to the College of the Holy Cross Spring 2026 Dean’s List.
A member of the Class of 2029, Avakian was named to the Dean’s List for outstanding academic achievement during the spring semester of the 2025-26 academic year.
To qualify, students must pass four or more letter-graded courses with no failing grades during the semester and earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
UMass Amherst
The following students were named to the Spring 2026 Dean’s List at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Students are appointed to the Dean’s List at the end of a semester in which they have completed a minimum of 12 graded credits and have earned a grade point average of 3.500 or better.
Watertown, MA
Ariana Rose Aufiero
Noah Geoffrey Broadstone
Philip Richard Centola
Riley Francis Donlan
James Barrett Erickson
Levon Gukasyan
Benjamin Harrison Heep
Daniel Montgomery Heep
Deion Adam Howe
Alyce Judge
Nikolas Anargiros Karalis
Elena Mae Kiani
Anastasiia Kolesnikova
Andrew Yuvin Kwak
Selina Nebiye
Sophia Lucille Noble
Ruari Byrne O’Sullivan
Joseph Anthony Parmley
Pirada Pochaithong
Vasundhara Prasanth
Katherine Addison Radlinski
Rosha Jalalian Saeb
Oscar Robinson Shepard
Adelle Sheynkman
Mason Thomas Smith
William Glenn Stevens
Benjamin Roubik Surenian
Gregory Steven Venizelos
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has recognized students named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Students who achieve at a high level academically are recognized by the dean of their school or college at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction.
To view an online listing, visit https://registrar.wisc.edu/deanslist/.
Here are the students from your circulation area who have received this honor.
Watertown, MA
Eleni Hum, College of Letters and Science, Dean’s List
Ashley Leal, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, Dean’s List
Nane Mesropyan, School of Business, Dean’s List
Nikolay Mesropyan, College of Letters and Science, Dean’s List