Taking advantage of time outside the classroom, Merrimack’s Warriors found ways to keep themselves busy over summer break. Here are just a few instances where students worked to benefit their communities and themselves over the hot summer months.
Students embark on miles-long pilgrimage across Italy
In May, 10 students embarked on a week-long pilgrimage across Italy to the home town of Merrimack’s patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, in celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year.
“It was a challenging and rewarding experience,” said Fr. Dan Madden, who helped organize the trip. “The students challenged themselves with the walking portion. The whole experience allowed us to reflect on our faith journeys.”
The trek spanned from Spoleto to Assisi. Students visited Cascia during the feast day of Saint Rita of Cascia and Montefalco to learn more about the life and legacy of Saint Clare of Montefalco. It ended at the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi.
“We encountered saints that caused us to think about our lives and purposes,” said Fr. Dan. “The physical journey gave us much time for conversation and reflection.”
At the end of the week, students visited Rome for a tour of the Vatican, a visit to the Augustinian headquarters, and a papal audience where they heard from Pope Leo XVI.
Engineering and computational science student research projects reach completion
Students with the School of Engineering & Computational Sciences worked hard on their personal research projects over the past summer.
Lydia Melaschenko ’26, a mechanical engineering major, worked on large-scale molecular dynamics simulations to reveal how scandium influences solidification behavior and strengthens itself.
“I dedicated 10 hours per week to simulations, analysis, and collaboration with Prof. Avik Mahata,” Melaschenko explained. “I will be presenting my findings at two major materials science conferences such as, MRS Fall at Boston in December 2025 and at The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 2026 Annual Meeting & Exhibition in San Diego in March.”
Five students under computer science professor Zach Kissel worked on projects in two separate fields – Samantha Cook ’26 and Dylan DiPessa-Servan ’25 researched computing with authenticated data. Alexander Elguezabal ’25, Ciara Ryan ’26 and Wander Brito-Martinez ’27’s projects deal with privacy preserving machine learning.
Emma Leute ’26’s “Personalized Nutrigenomics: Predicting Nutrition Responses with AI” and Michael Plescia ’25’s “Quantum AI-Powered Assessment of Cognitive Decline Using Deep Learning” were completed under the guidance of Prof. Don Roosan. Meanwhile, Justin Featherstone ’26 and Nayeli Villa ’26 developed dietary assistant apps with assistance from Christopher Stuetzle, professor and academic dean of computer sciences.
Neuroscience major trains Boston youth in track and field
As a runner in high school, Athena James ’26 spent her summer passing down her love for all things track and field to a new generation of student athletes.
James worked in the Summer Track and Field Program for Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a nonprofit organization offering sports-based youth development and leadership programming for Boston children and teens. In her role, she supervised children between the ages of 5 to 13.
“I spontaneously volunteered as a teen coach during my nephews practice because they were down a few volunteers,” James explained. “This year I was an Activity Coordinator overseeing practices at Moakley Park in the South End and English High School in Jamaica Plain.”
Now, James is gearing up to return to her studies as a neuroscience major with minors in mathematics and philosophy. She is also part of the Austin Scholars program, an RA and participates in many club sports. One day, she hopes to attend medical school and become a hematologist.
“YES is an amazing company to work with, especially with their range of opportunities for both children and volunteers,” she explained. “It’s so rewarding to see the excited kids running to their groups week after week, as well as the parents getting to know each other. YES is an all around amazing way to spend a summer.”
Merrimack pitcher joins summer collegiate league
After sitting out last summer due to an injury, Michael Bradshaw ’27, pitcher for Merrimack’s baseball team, knew he needed to get back out on the diamond while school was out.
In order to hone his pitching skills further, he joined the Upper Valley Nighthawks of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
“This year was my first year playing summer collegiate baseball. It was really fun – there was a lot of great competition. There are a lot of people there who are really talented and know a lot about pitching and the game in general. I felt they helped me get a lot better.”
Over the season, Bradshaw pitched 17 innings over nine games. In total, he earned 10 strikeouts. Out of the five games he closed out, he won three and lost two. In the one post-season game the Nighthawks played, he pitched two innings and struck out two batters.
“I definitely got more comfortable when the season went on,” he said. “Being able to pitch in some big spots was really fun. Being able to strike out some hitters that are better than I’ve ever seen before really got my confidence up early on.”
With the season over, Bradshaw is now putting his focus back on school. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in finance and sports management.
“We have a lot of great players coming back this year and a lot of new players as well,” Bradshaw said of this upcoming Merrimack baseball season. “We know we have a lot of talent and we definitely think we’ll be able to compete.”
