Profiles
Flash Focus: Rushitha and Ruhitha Chinchalapu
Meet Rushitha and Ruhitha Chinchalapu, twins from India, both pursuing their master's in business analytics. As they are in the same graduate program, the sisters reflect on how being twins has contributed to their experience at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.
Could Iron and Zinc Be the Missing Key to Cleaner Rivers and a Healthier Lake Erie?
A new study led by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s David Costello finds that trace metals — not just nitrogen and phosphorus — frequently limit biological productivity in freshwater streams, with implications for waterways across Northeast Ohio and beyond.
Flash Focus: Tatiana Placer
Meet Tatiana Placer, a graduate student pursuing her master’s in architecture and design at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. Placer was born in Germany on a U.S. military base and was raised mostly in Orlando, Florida. Growing up in a Puerto Rican household, her upbringing was deeply rooted in the Puerto Rican diaspora.
Flash Focus: Lettie Friona
Meet Lettie Friona, a senior integrated social studies major with a concentration in history and minors in classics and mild to moderate special education from Steubenville, Ohio, whose leadership positions have helped shape her experience at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.
A Rwandan Police Officer Journeys From Kigali to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, Earns His Degree and Returns Home to Pay It Forward
In December 2025, Francis Rubagumya, 37, walked across the stage at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's commencement with a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language — and a plan to take every lesson he had learned back to the country he loves Rwanda.
Flash Focus: Lily Stenroos
Meet Lily Stenroos, a member of the Honors College pursuing an environmental studies degree with minors in sustainability, environmental justice and political science, from Mayfield Village, Ohi0, whose academic path was forged from deep relationships between the natural world and humans.
POV: 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Hospitality Students Gain Real-World Experience Through Cleveland Club Partnerships
Former club manager turned 51³Ô¹ÏÍø instructor Mandy Ulicney explains how cultivating partnerships with Greater Cleveland industry leaders gives hospitality students the same passion and real-world experience that shaped her own career.
Flash Focus: Karissa Wahl
Meet Karissa Wahl, a member of the Honors College and a second-year public health major with junior standing from Mansfield, Ohio. She has a concentration in allied health and also minors in psychology, disability studies and community inclusion.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø Professional Pilot Major Ashanti Mallit Navigates Challenges as She Soars Toward Goals
As a professional pilot major, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø junior Ashanti Mallit's immediate goal is to earn her instrument rating. She's one review flight away from completing the practical portion of her instrument check ride, having already passed the oral examination.
Flash Focus: Antajuan Hightower
Meet Antajuan Hightower, a member of the Honors College and a human resource management major, from Boardman, Ohio.