Bates College announced on May 29 that it is celebrating its graduating seniors by highlighting the diverse next steps of 14 students as they move into new academic, professional, and service opportunities.
Among those featured is Tomas Alberola, an economics major from Miami, Florida. Alberola will move to New York City to continue developing a skincare business focused on treating skin damage and will begin a master’s degree in global sport at New York University. He said, “The Bates network was really amazing throughout my time here.”
John Campana of Plymouth, Michigan, who majored in religious studies with a minor in Spanish, will attend Harvard Divinity School to study religions of South Asia. Campana credited his Short Term abroad experience in Ladakh, India, for shaping his perspective: “Alison and Eric taught me how to act appropriately as a guest in another’s culture and the importance of relying on my peers for support.”
Gail Curtis from Rockport, Maine, will join the Peace Corps as an English teacher at a university in Mexico before pursuing further education. Curtis highlighted mentorship received from Senior Lecturer Jessica Anthony: “She has guided me with incredible skill, kindness, and generosity through the experience of writing a novel for my thesis.”
Other graduates are heading into fields such as medicine—Yuleibi De Los Santos will pursue biomedical sciences at Tufts University; McKayla Kendall joins Tufts’ Maine Track medical program; Aleisha Martinez Sandoval starts research at Boston Children’s Hospital; James Hillers works at Harvard Medical School—and journalism or law—Mary DeWitt enters Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism while Matthew Peeler heads to Yale Law School.
Several students cited faculty mentorships and campus programs like STEM Scholars or Bobcat Ventures as instrumental during their time at Bates. Experiences ranged from international study opportunities to involvement with student clubs such as WRBC radio or Bates EMS.
As these graduates prepare for roles across education, healthcare research, city planning, music performance, language immersion programs abroad, entrepreneurship in non-alcoholic beverages, or geology fieldwork overseas—as shared by Lucy Whitelam—they reflect on community connections made during their years at Bates. Many expressed gratitude for supportive professors and peers who helped shape their paths.
