Program Awards

Pace Online presents awards to students with the highest GPA’s and impressive academic careers.  We recognize them for their outstanding academic achievement.

Dyson College of Arts & Sciences

Associate in Arts: General Arts & Sciences

Recipient: Libby Brown New York, NY

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Q&A with Libby

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My Kumeyaay tribe, Viejas, back home in San Diego, CA. As well as my wonderful partner, Alexa.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I enjoyed the flexibility and high-quality courses. Pace’s online learning was greatly accommodating and accessible.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I plan to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Professional Communication Studies through the Pace Online Degree Program.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I lost motivation for learning during the COVID pandemic, and I was scared to pursue college. However, I faced my fear and enrolled at Pace. I was provided with an excellent education, and I rekindled my spark for learning. I’m proud I saw my degree through and am continuing with my Bachelor’s degree

Bachelor of Science: Professional Communication Studies

Recipient: Cole Garbutt Linwood, NJ

Master of Arts: Communications and Digital Media

Recipient: Lucy Mitchell, Morristown, NJ

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Q&A with Lucy

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
Everyone in my life has been incredibly supportive and I am so grateful. Specific thanks to Connor (my fiancé), my family, the Bosworth family, the eDevelopment team and my work family, all of my friends, my professors throughout this program, and my thesis advisor, Dr. Fink.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
Many assignments centered on practical, real-world experience, which I felt deepened my understanding of the classroom material. I also appreciated the many alumni who participated in courses as guest lecturers.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I've been working in comms & digital media full-time throughout the program and was recently promoted, so I intend to keep working hard and continue to advance my career. Also on deck: marry the love of my life and adopt a dog!

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I'm very proud of the research I did with Dr. Pantic and fellow students for our study Generation Z in the Workplace, as well as my thesis project "DASHing Thru Life," which involved creating social media content about the DASH diet and attempting to grow a multiplatform following by applying skills and techniques I learned throughout the program.

Master of Arts: Homeland Security

Recipient: Mustapha Saintlouis, Nanuet, NY

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Q&A with Mustapha

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters are my wife, Francenette; my daughter, Kenette Dominik; my brother, Raoul Jean-François; my sister, Dr. Brunie Jean-François; my cousins, Dr. Patricia St-Louis, Thierry Saint-Louis, Angy Pierre, Weslay Bélizaire; and my friends, Junior Maillard, Slyve Jean, Kervins Alexis, Dr. Cassandra Osnac, Olrich Labbé, Myriam Vanéus, and Franck Vanéus, Esq. These incredible individuals are the driving forces that motivate my academic journey. 

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
 At Pace University, I have enjoyed the learning environment, which is enhanced by dedicated professors who are always available to assist and answer questions quickly.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
As part of my primary plan, I am seeking a role that aligns with my academic qualifications and provides opportunities for professional development and leadership advancement. Please get in touch with me if you have any suitable positions. Alternatively, I plan to pursue a PhD in foreign policy starting in Fall 2025 and have registered for classes if this primary plan does not materialize.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
As a student, I take pride in my commitment, attention to detail, and discipline, which are my most valuable attributes. I greatly appreciated my time at Pace University and am thankful to all my professors and others who contributed to the success of my experience at this esteemed institution. Keep up the good work!

Master of Public Administration

Recipient: Reeya Ramdeen, New York, NY

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Q&A with Reeya

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters while earning this degree was my family and friends. They have been supporting since the day I decided I wanted to go back to school and finish my degree I started a couple years ago. I am grateful to have such strong support  when the times got tough and I needed encouraging. Also, I do think that I, myself was a great supporter because I found that even my toughest times, I kept reminding myself that I was strong enough to always finish headstrong and constantly reminding myself of the goals I wanted to achieve on an academic and professional level. And lastly that professors I had each semester were great supporters with their encouraging thoughts and words and always having positive feedback on assignments.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
From the Pace Online experience, what enjoyed the most was the freedom and flexibility in completing assignments. I loved being able to coordinate and plan how I could best complete assignment deadlines in my own time and with other responsibilities from my work and personal life.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
Now that I’ve graduated, I’m excited to take the next step in my career and pursue opportunities in project management, where I can use my organizational and leadership skills to bring meaningful initiatives to life. I’m also looking forward to focusing on personal growth—taking time to travel, recharge, and explore new experiences that inspire me both personally and professionally.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
As a student, I am most proud of successfully completing my degree while conducting independent research for my capstone project. It was both a challenging and rewarding experience that allowed me to apply what I learned in a meaningful way. Taking ownership of a research project from start to finish gave me a deep sense of accomplishment and helped strengthen my confidence as both a scholar and a professional.

Lubin School of Business

Bachelor of Business Administration: Business Studies

Recipient: Svetlana Fiumara, Kew Gardens, NY

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Q&A with Svetlana

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters during my time at PACE University were undoubtedly my family—especially my little son and my husband. Their constant love, patience, and encouragement gave me the strength to keep going and ultimately helped me achieve my goal of graduating."

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
What I enjoyed most about my Pace Online experience was the flexibility it offered, allowing me to balance my studies with family responsibilities. The supportive faculty and interactive learning environment made me feel connected and motivated, even from a distance.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
Now that I’ve graduated, I plan to continue advancing my career at Morgan Stanley, applying the knowledge and skills I gained during my studies at Pace to grow professionally and take on new challenges.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I’m most proud of being able to successfully balance my responsibilities as a mother, wife, and student, all while maintaining a high GPA. It was challenging, but incredibly rewarding.

Master of Business Administration: Business

Recipient: Philip Gazzara, Astoria, NY

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Q&A with Philip

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters were my mom and my girlfriend. Their encouragement and belief in me made all the difference.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I enjoyed the material and the immense growth in knowledge it gave me. It deepened my understanding of the business and financial world and gave me the confidence to engage in higher-level conversations professionally. Most of all, it showed me that I’m ready to take the next step in my career.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
To continue leveling up in my career and stepping into more impactful roles. I’m ready for the next challenge.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
Maintaining a 4.0 GPA while earning a promotion and leading my market at work, all in under a year. In just over a year at Pace, I’ve grown tremendously, both academically and professionally.

Master of Science: Accounting

Recipient: Grace Chan, Staten Island, NY

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Q&A with Grace

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My family gave me greatest encouragement. My nephew was one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout the program.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
The flexibility of online learning and the ability to study at my own pace

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
Preparing to obtain the CPA license to gain the credentials needed for my new role in managerial accounting.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
The discipline I’ve built through balancing full-time work with my studies. Also developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

School of Education

Master of Arts: Higher Education Administration & Student Affairs

Recipient: Jenny Dantone, Rockaway Park, NY

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Q&A with Jenny

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters while earning this degree were my husband and two children. Going through college alongside my adult children has been wonderful, we began supporting and encouraging each other during this process. My husband has truly been amazing as well as he held up some of the household responsibilities while I accomplished this long-time goal to achieve my master's degree.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I enjoyed the networking opportunities and the engaging discussions and debates that I had with other likeminded students while completing this online program. Some of my professors and colleagues have turned into lifelong friends during this experience.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I can't wait to explore more opportunities in the academic advising field in higher education and working more closely with students. I would like to get more involved in student community involvement here at Pace and continue to see improvements and advancements. I have learned so much about the other aspects of a university as well. In addition, I have been an American Sign Language Interpreter/Teacher in the past and now that I have this degree, I am pursuing a new role as an ASL professor at the undergraduate level.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I am extremely proud that I did not give up on this dream to obtain my master's degree. I proved that at any age you can accomplish your goals, and it is never too late. It was also great to come back to Pace after many years had passed since I obtained my undergraduate degree here as a business student. I am now a Pace Alumni once again. It is very special to me to have obtained both degrees at Pace.

Master of Education: Literary Specialist

Recipient: Amanda Amiano, Valhalla, NY

Q&A with Amanda

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My family was a strong support system while earning my degree. They were patient and understanding when I prioritized coursework. In addition, my students and their families were also great supporters as well. I appreciate my students and their families for allowing me to try new strategies and practices in my first grade classroom.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
My favorite aspect of the Pace online experience was the diversity and flexibility in courses. Each course was important, yet served a distinct purpose. Some classes were synchronous, while others were asynchronous. No matter the format or content, the Pace professors and my colleagues were able to effectively communicate, collaborate, and learn from one another.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I am looking forward to using all that I have learned through the MSEd Literacy Specialist program to enhance my teaching of literacy in my first grade classroom. Over my four years of being a first grade teacher, I have realized how paramount a child’s first grade year is in regard to developing literacy abilities. First grade is the age where students make the most growth in reading, entering as emergent readers and leaving able to read beginner chapter books! I am excited to apply the new skills, strategies, and pedagogical practices to my instruction to help all my readers grow. I am especially excited to implement interventions and plans to support my struggling readers. In the future, I hope to use my experience as a classroom teacher, in conjunction with the knowledge I have gained from this program, to pursue a Literacy Specialist, Coach or Interventionist position.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I am most proud of my final semester here at Pace, where I engaged in two courses: Student Teaching Seminar and Teacher as Researcher. In Student Teaching Seminar, I participated in a practicum experience where I wrote lesson plans and video taped my delivery of the lesson plans. While this seemed to be a treacherous task at first, it was an eye opening experience to watch my own teaching. I remember recording myself during my first student teaching experience and enjoyed seeing how much I have grown as a practitioner since then. It was interesting to view my teaching from a different perspective and reflect on my language and practices. Furthermore, I am also proud of my action research project that I completed for the Teacher as Researcher course. I researched the key differences between a balanced and structured literacy approach in the elementary classroom, particularly with a focus on encoding (spelling). In this project, I utilized my district’s decision to switch curriculums as an opportunity to explore and compare both approaches to teaching literacy. My research and findings were pivotal in helping me to discover the best literacy practices to utilize in an elementary classroom.

Advanced Certificate: Literary Specialist

Recipient: Christin Concannon Manhasset, NY

College of Health Professions

Master of Science: Health Informatics

Recipient: Brihanna Samaroo, Jamaica, NY

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Q&A with Brihanna

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters were my family, especially my parents and fiancé, who consistently encouraged me throughout this journey. I’m also thankful for the professors and classmates who inspired and supported me.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I really appreciated Pace Online's flexibility and structure, which allowed me to balance my coursework with my professional responsibilities. The engaging curriculum and supportive faculty made the experience even more rewarding.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
Now that I’ve completed my degree, I’m looking forward to advancing in the healthcare field by applying data-driven solutions to improve patient outcomes. I’m exploring opportunities that combine health informatics, research, and patient-centered care.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I’m most proud of how I was able to balance work, school, and life responsibilities while staying committed to my academic goals. I’m also proud of applying what I learned in real time to my work, making meaningful contributions while still a student, was incredibly fulfilling.

Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems

Associate of Science: Applied Information Technology

Recipient: Robert Muniz, Odessa, DE

Bachelor of Science: Professional Technology Studies

Recipient: Kharyi West, Portchester, NY

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Q&A with Kharyi

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporters were my family, especially my son, Kai, who gave me purpose and motivation every day. I’m also grateful for my professors and mentors, and the PepsiCo S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship team for their encouragement and belief in my journey.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I appreciated the flexibility and support that Pace Online offered, which allowed me to balance school, work, and fatherhood. The program’s structure and real-world focus made it easy to stay engaged and apply what I was learning directly to my career.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I’m currently working full-time as a Strategic Planner Analyst at PepsiCo, where I’m focused on strategy pillar of Data, Analytics & AI. I plan to continue growing in the cybersecurity and data analytics space and hope to take on more leadership opportunities in the future.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I’m most proud of staying committed and finishing strong despite the challenges of working, parenting, and studying all at once. Graduating while balancing so much has been a powerful reminder that perseverance truly pays off.

Master of Science: Computer Science

Recipient: Henry Kim, Hollis, NY

Master of Science: Cybersecurity

Recipient: Brian Slinn, Perry Hall, MD

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Q&A with Brian

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My sister! We attended Pace University simultaneously, so we continuously motivated each other to push through semesters.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
Definitely the flexibility. I could complete schoolwork and study when it was most convenient for me week to week.

What are your plans now that you've graduated?
Spend time with family and celebrate before returning to Baltimore.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
Successfully juggling my job, schoolwork, social life, and staying active.

Master of Science: Data Science

Recipient: Ryan Kelly Middle Village, NY

Master of Science: Information Technology

Recipient: Nicholas Fontanez, Yorktown Heights, NY

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Q&A with Nicholas

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My greatest supporter was my wife, who encouraged me every step of the way, all while writing her own novel, The Legendary Guardians: Reunions. Her strength, patience, and belief in me were a constant source of motivation.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I truly appreciated learning from instructors who were experts in their fields. Their depth of knowledge and real-world experience brought each course to life. That kind of exposure is rare, and it made my learning experience incredibly enriching.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I plan to keep learning. IT is a field that evolves quickly, and staying ahead means being a lifelong learner. The foundation I built at Pace has set me up for continued growth and success.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
I’m especially proud of my Capstone Project on the transformative role of AI in Cybersecurity. I had the privilege of collaborating with a fantastic cohort: Dawn, Neal, and Sukhpreet, and together, through long hours and dedication, we created something we’re all proud of.

Master of Science: Software Development & Engineering

Recipient: Ashley Persaud, Floral Park, NY

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Q&A with Ashley

Who were your greatest supporters while earning your degree?
My parents were my most incredible supporters. They believed in me and kept pushing me to succeed in this program.

What did you enjoy most about your Pace Online experience?
I loved how convenient it was to complete my schoolwork at my own pace. I was able to study more efficiently.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
I will be job searching and spending more time with my family.

What are you most proud of from your time as a student?
Despite how challenging the coursework was, I never gave up.