Worcester State University honored six of its highest-achieving students with Lt. Col. James F. Sheehan ’55, USMC Ret., Academic Excellence Awards on April 22, as part of the annual Academic Achievement Awards ceremony.
The Sheehan Awards recognize the student or students with the highest GPA in each undergraduate class. The prize’s namesake, who passed away in 2016, was the most generous benefactor in Worcester State’s history, sharing $4.5 million to benefit students and faculty.
We checked in with this year’s winners to learn more about their experiences, interests, and goals.
Senior Academic Excellence Award
Liam Walsh ’26, Grafton, Mass.
Majors: Criminal Justice and Psychology
Liam Walsh
What’s been your favorite part of your Worcester State experience? The students and faculty here are so genuine. They all seem like real people; they work jobs, and not a lot is just handed to Worcester State students. And everyone, students and professors alike, have made me feel comfortable, like I’m welcome here. They’re all just so personable, down-to-earth, and easy to talk to.
What motivates you to excel academically? I’ve always felt like I need to try my best at whatever I’m doing. My education is setting me up for the future, and I want to build the strongest possible future for myself that I can. At Worcester State, I also had this great opportunity to double major, thanks to MajorPlus. Coming into college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study: criminal justice or psychology. Worcester State brought me to the realization that I could do both.
What are your career aspirations? I’m in ROTC. When I graduate in May, I’ll be doing military police training for four and a half months. I’ve also secured my spot in law school for the fall of 2027, which I’m really excited about. Eventually, I want to be a lawyer of some kind. On the business side, the criminal side, I’m not too sure yet. But I definitely want to become an attorney.
Junior Academic Excellence Award
Larissa Granger ’27, Hudson, Mass.
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Larissa Granger
What’s been your favorite part of your Worcester State experience? I really like the small class sizes. You get a really personal experience here with the professors, who are all so passionate about what they teach. That makes a huge difference for me as a student, to know the professors are as engaged in the material as we as students are expected to be.
What motivates you to excel academically? I’ve always tried to do my best in school. I love learning about new things, and when I really enjoy a subject, I tend to get really absorbed in my coursework. Now in my third year, I’m looking forward to taking exciting elective courses. There’s an animal behavior class I’m really interested in. Balance is also really important. I don’t like to study past a certain time of night. I prioritize rest, and that helps to minimize stress and keeps me fresh for my exams.
What are your career aspirations? I’m definitely leaning towards something in the sciences. I’d like to possibly do something where I can work with wildlife or animals. I’m not exactly sure where I’ll end up. I’ll hopefully pursue my master’s degree, and that will help me continue to narrow my focus and really decide what I want to pursue.
Sophomore Academic Excellence Awards
Anthony Burgess ’28, Tewksbury, Mass.
Major: Biotechnology
Minor: Pharmaceutical science
Anthony Burgess
What’s been your favorite part of your Worcester State experience? You can tell all of the professors are very passionate about what they teach. I’ve learned a lot from all of them. I’m currently taking a genetics course, which is probably my favorite class I’ve taken so far. Learning about the transition of genes from generation to generation has been awesome. I’ve also loved my experience on the baseball team. It’s really special to build these bonds with a group of guys who have my back, and who I’ll know for the rest of my life.
What motivates you to excel academically? I have a lot of intrinsic motivation, knowing I want to have a good career, and that starts with succeeding in college. My family is also always pushing me to be the best person I can be. I want to make my family proud, because they’ve done so much to help me get here. Finally, my baseball coach, Coach Price, is always pushing the importance of academics on the whole team.
What are your career aspirations? I definitely want to go into the biotech field. Last year, I did an internship in clinical operations. This summer, I have an internship lined up in regulatory chemistry, manufacturing, and controls. My hope is to go through my internships and feel out which part of the biotech field I like most. Depending on job opportunities after graduation, I’m also strongly considering pursuing a master’s degree.
Gaetcheena Cyril ’28, Cambridge, Mass.
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Gaetcheena Cyril
What’s been your favorite part of your Worcester State experience? My favorite part has been meeting new people. I’ve met so many people from different backgrounds and cultures. I’ve also built great relationships with professors. I see them not only as professors, but as people I can reach out to, now and in the future, for personal and professional advice.
What motivates you to excel academically? I think education is a privilege. So if I have the chance to enjoy that privilege, I feel strongly that I should give all my best to it. I graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA. Accomplishing that, I proved to myself that I could overcome any challenge that might come my way. That knowledge has helped me continue to succeed academically.
What are your career aspirations? I’m currently in pre-med. I’m thinking about going to physician assistant or medical school after I graduate. I’m more on the PA side, but we’ll see. Either way, one of the many things that drew me to Worcester State was how strong the university’s science and medical programs are.
First-Year Academic Excellence Awards
Allyson Coulsey ’29, Abington, Mass.
Major: Occupational therapy
Minor: Disability studies
Allyson Coulsey
What’s been your favorite part of your Worcester State experience? I was first drawn to Worcester State because, after graduating, majors in occupational therapy can go straight into a master’s program. That’s an amazing opportunity. Now that I’m here, I’ve also loved the small class sizes. I’ve had the chance to get to know all of my OT peers really well. The teachers, too, really make an effort to get to know us all individually.
What motivates you to excel academically? I love working with my friends. We have a tight friend group in OT, and we all work and study together. We motivate and challenge one another. On a personal level, I dealt with a series of head injuries that impacted me in school at an early age. So I’ve had to learn to adapt and understand the ways I learn best. That’s also a reason I want to go into OT—to help people who may be going through similar issues.
What are your career aspirations? I’ve always wanted to work with kids. OT professionals work in many different settings, whether in hospitals, schools, or in private practices. I’ve always wanted to work in a school, because of my own background. In schools, you also work with such a wide range of students, and that appeals to me, to be doing something different all the time.
Erin Gallant ’30, Rutland, Mass.
Major: Business
Minor: Communications
Erin Gallant
What’s been your favorite part of your Worcester State experience? I would definitely say the smaller classes. It’s been great, because I’ve had the chance to really connect with my professors. And my classes have been awesome, too. I took principles of management last semester. That was eye opening, as far as helping me understand what it takes to be a small business owner. Worcester State is also closer to where I grew up than my high school. So I know a lot of people here.
What motivates you to excel academically? I’ve always been very academically driven. My parents have always supported me and I want to make them proud. That definitely motivates me. I think hard work pays off.
What are your career aspirations? I want to own my own business. Hopefully something in the animal field—a dog day care or something like that. I went to a trade school for high school and studied animal science, so I’m a certified veterinary assistant. I was considering veterinarian school, but I’m more drawn to entrepreneurialism. The communications minor aligns with that pretty well. I’ve been learning a lot about advertising, knowing I’ll have to wear many hats as a small business owner.