The recipients of this year\u2019s awards for outstanding School of Professional Studies (SPS) students and faculty were announced as part of Clark University\u2019s Commencement celebrations. The event included undergraduate and graduate honorees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognize the excellence of our students and faculty, and the positive influence they have on our campus and in our community,\u201d said John LaBrie, dean of the SPS and associate provost for graduate studies and international programs.<\/p>\n
The newest members of the\u00a0Alpha Epsilon Lambda Graduate Honor Society<\/strong> were inducted at the ceremony. (The full member list is available below). Certificates for outstanding academic performance were presented to students with the highest GPA in their major or program, as well.<\/p>\n Rachael Romain, MPA \u201925 <\/strong>was recognized with the Fern Johnson Award, which is given annually to an Accelerated Degree Program student who has excelled in academics and who has also positively influenced their community.<\/p>\n Raj Nayan Sheth, MSPM \u201925 <\/strong>received the Laura Myers Community Service Award, which is given to a graduate student who has made significant contributions to the local community through their time, actions, talents, and dedication.<\/p>\n Lilo Altali <\/strong>earned the Fiat Lux Award, which honors an up-and-coming faculty member who embraces new ideas and approaches to teaching. Lilo Altali is an award-winning product innovator, serving on the faculty at Clark University for the past year, where he teaches Project Economics and is developing a new curriculum in AI and Product Development. Known for his hands-on teaching style, he brings learning to life with games, LEGO, role-play, and simulations. Outside the classroom, he\u2019s the Leader of Product Design and Strategy at MVP Health Care, where he drives healthcare innovations to market.<\/p>\n Andrea Jaskulski <\/strong>was recognized with the Jonas Gilman Clark Award, which is awarded to a seasoned faculty member for effectiveness and creativity in teaching. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Information Systems & Analytics from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Science in Database Management and Business Intelligence from Boston University. With over seven years of experience in digital security and fraud business intelligence, Andrea has worked in both e-commerce and financial industries to design data-driven solutions that detect and prevent fraud.<\/p>\n Dr. Khald Aboalayon <\/strong>received the Semita Vitae (Path of Life) Award, which recognizes an instructor who has proven to be an extraordinarily conscientious, supportive, and inspiring mentor to advisees. Dr. Aboalayon is the Academic Director of the MS in Data Analytics and Applied Artificial Intelligence programs at Clark University. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Bridgeport. His research centers on leveraging machine learning, deep learning, and statistical methods to build advanced models for image and signal processing, with a focus on addressing real-world challenges in human health. Drawing on extensive experience in AI and Data Science, Dr. Aboalayon teaches courses such as Applied Machine Learning, Linear Regression & Time Series, Data Visualization & Storytelling, and mentors capstone projects that equip students to solve practical, industry-relevant problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The recipients of this year\u2019s awards for outstanding School of Professional Studies (SPS) students and faculty were announced as part of Clark University\u2019s Commencement celebrations. The event included undergraduate and graduate honorees. \u201cWe recognize the excellence of our students and faculty, and the positive influence they have on our campus and in our community,\u201d said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":655,"featured_media":3603,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"topic":[],"displayed_author":[],"media_contact":[],"media_type":[],"class_list":["post-3602","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/schools\/professional-studies\/www-content\/uploads\/sites\/310\/2025\/05\/graduate-student2-1024x497.jpg","yoast_head":"\n