The LIU Honors College and Conolly College of Liberal Arts & Sciences announced that Xonhane Medina has won the prestigious J.K. Watson Fellowship which will take her on three summer-long, paid internships with leading companies and NGOs throughout the world and in New York City. Medina is an Honors student majoring in biochemistry and minoring in psychology, a member of the women’s water polo team and the director of membership enrichment for Zeta Tau Alpha.

GradReports announced that Long Island University is among the best colleges in New York based on the salary that alumni earn after graduating. LIU ranked in the top 25 overall for post-graduate salary potential, while four specific programs ranked in the top 10: educational leadership master’s degrees, speech pathology master’s degrees, library science master’s degrees, and special education master’s degrees.

Men’s lacrosse goalie Will Mark was added to the watch list for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the top male and female student-athletes in NCAA Division I lacrosse. The award is viewed as the preeminent honor in college lacrosse, and Mark has been a force in the net for the Sharks. Mark leads the nation in saves per game, ranks third in save percentage, was named Northeast Conference defensive player of the week for four consecutive weeks, and was named a mid-season All-America honorable mention by Inside Lacrosse.

LIU Global students made an impression at the 2021 Southern Regional Model United Nations conference, earning two prominent awards and a committee recognition. Kaya Edwards and Matthew Sporrer were named as best delegates on the World Food Program Committee; LIU Global was named as one of the delegations with the highest composite score on position papers; and Hailey Landry and McKenzie Elim were mentioned for an internal recognition as the most diplomatic by the General Assembly Plenary Committee.

Immuneering Corporation, a leader in drug discovery fueled by bioinformatics, announced the appointment of Biren Amin ’00, as chief financial officer. Amin joins Immuneering from Jefferies Financial Group Inc. after having spent nearly two decades on Wall Street building an impeccable track record as an equity research analyst covering small and mid-cap biotechnology companies focused on oncology, central nervous system disorders, ophthalmology and rare diseases.

The LIU women’s water polo team moved to 3-0 with an impressive win over Villanova University, led by freshman Paola Dominguez’s six-goal performance. In the program’s second year in existence, the Sharks currently sit atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings and will host their first-ever home match in Brooklyn on April 17 against Virginia Military Institute.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation awarded Dr. Gemma Moya-Gale, assistant professor in the Communication Sciences & Disorders Department, with a $157,681.59 grant to continue her groundbreaking Parkinson’s disease research. The grant will fund the development of an app to help speakers with Parkinson’s disease monitor their speech intelligibility changes over time, improving their ability to effectively communicate and foster their independence during their treatment.

Long Island University is one of the ‘Best Music Colleges in New York in 2021,’ according to the respected Best Value Schools ranking organization. The Department of Music at LIU is recognized for its conservatory-style program that brings a diverse array of performance and academic opportunities to showcase students’ skills and talents on campus and at major concert halls in New York City and abroad.

The Westchester County Board of Legislators honored Dr. Angela White ‘81, for her work as an educational leader and advocate for children with disabilities by designating Wednesday, March 24, 2021, as “Dr. Angela White Day” in Westchester County. Dr. White is the superintendent of schools and executive vice president for education services at Rising Ground, an award-winning human services organization. She previously served as an assistant superintendent and school principal in the Ossining School District, and held various positions in District 75 in New York City for 15 years.