Saint Mary’s College will honor two valedictorians for the Class of 2024 at the College’s 177th Commencement on Saturday, May 18 at 12 pm, on Le Mans Green.
Margaret (Maggie) McNabb is from Chicago, Illinois. Maggie is completing her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Religious Studies & Theology and Spanish, and a minor in Social Work. While completing her studies at Saint Mary’s, Maggie participated widely in retreats, liturgies, service opportunities, and events through the Center for Faith, Action, and Ministry. Her junior and senior years she served as a Ministry Assistant in Le Mans Hall through that same office. She has also worked as a Spanish tutor in the Modern Languages department for three years. Maggie is a proud member of the Band of the Fighting Irish, serving as a section leader for the clarinets her senior year. In the spring of 2023, she received the Tiefenthaler Student Research Award, conducting research in theology under the direction of Jessica Coblentz, PhD. Maggie’s work focuses on biblical women, analyzing interpretations of them both critically and constructively with an eye toward contemporary women’s depression. She is currently working toward publication of this research. After graduation, Maggie will embark on a year of service in Portland, Maine with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and she is excited to see where God is calling her. She is indebted to the support of her family, near and far, in all that she does and dreams.
Nadia Rebecca Muniz is from Saint Joseph, Michigan. Nadia is completing her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a concentration in neuropsychology and a minor in Biology. While at Saint Mary’s, Nadia volunteered her leadership skills as Treasurer of La Fuerza, managing the budget and organizing outreach activities during the 2021-2022 school year. She also volunteered through Beyond the Belle program in a kindergarten classroom. Nadia was also a biology laboratory teacher’s assistant and is also a member of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society. For the past three years, Nadia has been a dedicated biology subject area tutor in Saint Mary’s Writing and Tutoring Center. Nadia studied abroad in Seville, Spain in the summer of 2022. The following summer, Nadia was awarded a National Science Foundation REU Fellowship at the University of Notre Dame where she studied regenerating zebrafish retina in David R. Hyde’s lab in the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. As part of Senior Comprehensive Project, Nadia researched the lack of ovarian hormones on performance in divided attention tasks in female rats. Upon graduation, Nadia has accepted a position as a Research and Development Rotational Associate at Pfizer in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She will be a part of Pfizer’s early talent pipeline for diverse R&D leaders through their “R&D Rotational Program” for pharmaceutical drug discovery and development.