School of Business Dean Graziela Fusaro spoke at the “Upskilling Vietnam: STEM Study for Students and Workforce” event in Vietnam, sharing her insights with aspiring students considering future careers in STEM-related industries. The event was hosted at the National Innovation Centre in partnership with the US Embassy in Vietnam and Study Group, a global leader in international education prep.

DreamWorks Animation named Brett Wolfe ’23 one of 16 fellows across the nation for the 2025 DreamWorks Animation LAUNCH Fellowship program. The program offers eight weeks of personal mentorship from DreamWorks professionals, workshops on the art and business of animation, and speaker series covering the TV and feature animation pipeline. Wolfe, who studied screenwriting at LIU, has earned an award from the Kennedy Center and was recently recognized by the International Screenwriters’ Association.

With an 11-9 victory over Stonehill, the LIU Women’s LAX team and reigning NEC champions, clinched their spot in the NEC women’s lacrosse tournament. Goalkeeper Mylie Norton earned her eighth win of the season after stopping three shots as the Sharks clinched a spot in the NEC Tournament for the fifth straight season.

Marina Rodina ’01 was named Senior Vice President of Business Development at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare (MBH), a leader in trauma, addiction, and mental health treatment. Rodina has over two decades of experience in sales and behavioral healthcare leadership, most recently serving as Vice President of Business Development at Acadia Healthcare.

Umer Chaudhry, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine, co-authored research examining Diminazene, a drug frequently used to treat the parasite Trypanosoma Evansi. Resistance to the drug presents an emerging threat in grazing livestock, resulting in huge economic losses. The study, published in the journal Animals, aimed to develop a high-throughput strategy based on molecular approaches to improve the understanding of Diminazene resistance in Trypanosoma Evansi.

Baseball Head Coach Dan Pirillo ’08 achieved a major milestone with his 200th career victory at LIU, leading the Sharks to a 2-0 win over Mercyhurst. In his eighth season of his alma mater, Pirillo has guided LIU to three Northeast Conference Championships and was named Coach of the Year in 2022.

The New York State Legislature voted to appoint Felicia Thomas-Williams ’96 as Long Island’s representative on the New York State Board of Regents, the governing body responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the state. Thomas-Williams previously served for nine years as a special education teacher and 11 years as a principal in the largest school district on Long Island, the Brentwood School District, before retiring in 2024.

LIU beat Villanova in a 10-7 win that began with a dominating performance by starting pitcher Garrett Yawn. Yawn pitched five and a third perfect innings and kept the Wildcats scoreless through six. He picked up the win, pitching seven innings with three strikeouts while allowing just three runs, three hits, and one walk.

Six LIU gymnasts earned first- and second-team All-Tournament honors as the Sharks concluded their season with a 194.000 performance at the 2025 EAGL Championships in Philadelphia. Ellorie Cane’s outstanding performance on the beam earned a 9.800 and secured her a spot on the EAGL All-Tournament first team. Ella Barrington, Kaira Cartwright, Haleigh Welch, Caroline Kliewer, and Danyella Holmes each earned a second-team All-Tournament selection.