
Sisters overcome poverty, prejudice to become first-generation graduates
Egyptian sisters Yasmin and Ayaa Elgoharry will each graduate from the Warner School with master’s degrees in education leadership, becoming the first in their family to earn college degrees.

Making their mark: Meet the Class of 2017
Meet five members of the graduating class who are ready to make their communities—and our world—ever better.

Senior scrapbook: Class of 2017
They arrived in the fall of 2013 and soon will take their leave as members of the University of Rochester graduating class of 2017. Here is a collection of photos…

Stephanie Venturino: Becoming a 21st-century musician
“The thing that really stands out most to me about my time at Eastman has been the amazing community that the school offers,” says the double major in classical saxophone performance and music theory.

Anis Kallel: ‘I want to make a difference’
“I was given something most people wouldn’t dream of receiving,” the computer science and business dual major says. “That comes with some responsibility. Whatever potential Rochester saw in me, I wanted to live up to it.” Meet the Class of 2017.

Charlisa Goodlet: An advocate for diversity, community
Goodlet graduates with a degree in political science and African-American studies. “We know that the number of minority students going into faculty work is low, so how can we get students of color to actually pursue the pipeline of becoming a faculty member?”

Crystal Colon: Finding a passion for education
Colon will pursue her master’s degree in teaching and curriculum as she works to become a high school English teacher. “Younger students need to see that there are people who went through the city school district who are minorities and are now in college and accomplishing things,” she says. “They can do it as well.”

Sam Borst-Smith: Excelling on the court
After graduating with a degree in English—and earning social media fame for his viral buzzer-beating shot—Borst-Smith will be playing basketball professionally in Europe, something he says is both “exciting and nerve-wracking.”

A laughing matter: students form comedy club
Karan Arul ’17 and Ali Hashim ’18 are standing up for comedy as cofounders and copresidents of UR Standup Comedy, officially certified by the Students’ Association last fall and already counting 40 members.

A night to write
May 1 marks the third annual UR Night to Write. Writing consultants, tutors, and research librarians are on hand at Rush Rhees Library to help answer student questions or share strategies if a writer feels stuck.