May 15, 2023
Three women share top rank in Class of 2023 at Providence College
By Vicki-Ann Downing
Three women are the top scholars in the Class of 2023 at Providence College, having achieved perfect 4.0 GPAs for four years, the equivalent of an A in every class:
- Samantha Rose Furtado ’23 (New Bedford, Massachusetts), a double major in political science and economics
- Riley Jane Lusk ’23 (Pittsford, New York), a health policy and management major
- Maggie Catherine Sullivan ’23 (Taunton, Massachusetts), a biology major
They will be recognized at the Academic Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 20, at 11 a.m. in Peterson Recreation Center. Furtado will present the class oration.
In the academically talented Class of 2023, there were 18 students with GPAs of 3.97 or above. Of the 1,000 undergraduate students, 524 graduated with honors and 452 were members of academic honor societies. There were 99 students in the honors program.
Samantha Rose Furtado ’23
Finishing college with a perfect 4.0 GPA is always an achievement, but especially if you work 30 hours a week to pay for your education.
Samantha Rose Furtado ’23, from New Bedford, Massachusetts, majored in both political science and quantitative economics while working as a data manager for Alexander’s Uniforms in Cranston, Rhode Island. During her junior year, she worked in PC’s Office of Financial Services and at Urban Outfitters in Providence.
She is the first in her family to attend college. Furtado credits the Department of Political Science, particularly professor Anthony D. Affigne and associate professor Joseph P. Cammarano, with helping her secure resources to remain a full-time student when her financial circumstances changed after her sophomore year.
As a student at Bishop Stang High School, Furtado always thought she would attend college in a faraway region of the country. But two Stang teachers who were Providence College alumni, theology teacher Gregory Hurst ’14G and English teacher Elizabeth Farley ’96G, convinced her to apply to PC. Something clicked on a campus tour, and she knew the college was the right choice.
Her experience as captain of the high school debate team developed her affinity for politics, and she planned to major in political science at PC. During her first year, she took a course in microeconomics “for fun” and found it so interesting she added a major in quantitative economics. The mathematical, statistical, research side of economics interests her most.
She was a member of Student Congress for three years, serving as class secretary during her first year and her junior year, and was treasurer of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society.
Furtado arrived at PC with a goal to become class valedictorian, something she’d dreamed of from a very young age.
“Between all the hours working and studying, I may not have had the typical college experience, but I think that’s totally OK,” Furtado said. “Sometimes life throws things at you that are out of your control. It’s better to celebrate how you overcame those things rather than dwell on what life could be like if they never happened.’”
She will move outside New York City later in the summer to work as a data analyst while considering dual Ph.D./J.D. programs.
Riley Jane Lusk ’23
Riley Jane Lusk ’23, a health policy and management major from Pittsford, New York, will move to Boston after commencement to work as a health and benefits analyst at Mercer. She secured the position in the first semester of senior year through connections she made at the college’s Career Expo.
Lusk attended the event at her father’s insistence. She was unsure whether she would find employers interested in her academic background, but to her surprise, she applied for three jobs, received two offers, and accepted one. Gregory Hendrickson ’09, a principal at Mercer, attended the Expo and helped guide her application.
“I am a Career Expo success story,” Lusk said.
After her first year at PC, when Lusk saw that she was among the top students in her class, it became her goal to say there.
She came to college undecided about a major, an unsettling feeling.
“I’m a planner through and through. I always have to have a planner to fill out,” Lusk said. “I tried my best not to just pick the first major I found. I took an exploratory class, Health Policy and Management 101, with Dr. Deborah Levine. It’s a history-based class on healthcare systems and I found the subject so interesting. She is my advisor now.”
Lusk held two internships and was among the first students to study abroad after the pandemic, in Copenhagen during the fall of 2021.
“What I am most proud of was my ability to prioritize both social life and school while in college,” Lusk said. “I wanted to meet as many people as I could, on and off campus. I wanted to be able to walk through campus and recognize friends as I passed. I’d like to think I spent as much time with friends socializing as I did in the library.”
With the help of 12 credits achieved through Advanced Placement courses in high school, she finished her degree requirements in the fall and is enjoyed electives in theatrical design, piano, sign language, and women’s and gender studies.
“I used a lot of different parts of my brain this semester,” Lusk said.
She also worked as an Admission Ambassador and played intramural volleyball.
Her brother, Nolan Lusk ’25, is a management major.
During the 2020-2021 academic year, when students were restricted to living and socializing in small groups to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Lusk lived in Aquinas Hall.
“It was a special time, honestly,” Lusk said. “I’ve never had that much time with my friends. We were basically locked into being together, ate all our meals together, watched movies together. We loved Aquinas lawn. We’ll all be missing Aquinas lawn any time the sun comes out for the next 10 years.”
Maggie Catherine Sullivan ’23
For biology major Maggie C. Sullivan ’23, the experience of being a Friar was condensed into two short years, but she made the most of them.
Sullivan, from Taunton, Massachusetts, transferred to PC from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as a junior. She was a top 10 student in her high school class, where she took five Advanced Placement courses and captained three sports. Her choices for college eventually came down to two — PC and UMass Amherst.
“I chose the larger school because of my personality,” Sullivan said. “I’ve always been shy and I thought it would be easier for me to make friends there.”
But Sullivan felt overwhelmed during her first year when her classes were all large lectures with hundreds of students and limited access to professors. In mid-March, she was sent home with other students because of the pandemic. She also spent her entire sophomore year at home, taking her UMass classes remotely. Despite the circumstances, she managed As in all her classes.
One day her mother sat her down and urged her to fill out a transfer application to PC, knowing it would be a better fit.
After she was accepted, Sullivan reached out to friends from high school who were PC students to become more familiar with the campus and meet new people. Her junior year was grueling, with two semesters of the Development of Western Civilization to complete, along with requirements in courses such as theology and philosophy.
“I was worried about not graduating on time, but the college made sure that it would work out for me and my hard work wouldn’t go to waste,” Sullivan said. “Grades have always been very important to me. I study a lot. I put in a lot of time, but I tried not to make studying my life. I didn’t want to just live in the library.”
Sullivan played intramural kickball, basketball, flag football, softball, and volleyball. She lived off campus this year in an apartment on Tyndall Avenue with a group of friends. She looks forward to Senior Week and the formal at Foxwoods.
“Every weekend there’s a different event here,” Sullivan said. “I love it.”
Sullivan especially enjoyed courses with Laura E. Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
“I feel very supported at PC. I can go to my teachers and they actually care,” Sullivan said.
After graduation, she will return home to work at a summer camp while considering her next career steps, which could include medical school to become a radiologist.
Watch the Academic Awards ceremony
The Fund for Providence College furthers the pursuit for academic excellence, as demonstrated by these three exemplary students. Your gift provides resources that are vital for all students to seek and achieve more.
