Omo-Lamai, Rosenblum Named Class of 2020 Senior Class Marshals

The Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience has announced Serena Ogie Evah Omo-Lamai and Kyle Rosenblum as the Senior Class Marshals for the Class of 2020. As Senior Class Marshals, Omo-Lamai and Rosenblum will represent and lead their class during Syracuse University’s 166^th Commencement ceremony. Junior Emerson Womble, majoring in citizenship and civic engagement, economics and political science and minoring in Spanish in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, has been named Senior Class Marshal alternate.

Each year, Enrollment and the Student Experience leads the process to select two rising seniors to serve as the representatives for their class. Students are selected based on their academic achievement, campus and community involvement, and Orange spirit. In addition to leading their class at Commencement, marshals spend their senior year participating in University events and connecting with senior leaders to share their experience.

“The Senior Class Marshals exemplify what it means to be Orange as well-rounded leaders who have excelled academically and co-curricularly, all while engaging on campus and beyond through research, service and leadership opportunities. Serena and Kyle will be exemplary representatives for their class,” says Colleen Bench, associate vice president in Enrollment and the Student Experience and chair of the selection committee.

Serena Ogie Evah Omo-Lamai

Omo-Lamai, from Lagos, Nigeria, is a bioengineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, with a geography minor in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School. A student in the Renée Crown University Honors Program, Omo-Lamai is also a recipient of the 1870 Scholarship, the highest recognition offered by the Office of Admissions. She has also earned Dean’s List honors every semester.

Throughout her academic experience, Omo-Lamai has engaged in opportunities to conduct research and pursue entrepreneurial ventures. She has earned numerous recognitions as a researcher and scholar, including the Young Research Fellow Program Award from the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising, the University of Pittsburgh’s Pre-Ph.D. Scholar program and first place in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ poster competition in the food, pharmaceutical and biotech category. In the area of entrepreneurship, Omo-Lamai has earned the undergraduate excellence award at the 2018 New York State Business Plan Competition; first place in the 2017 Syracuse University Impact Prize competition; first place in the 2018 Syracuse University RvD iPrize competition; and the 2017 James Dyson International Award from International Top 20 Engineers Shortlist for her co-invention to address environmental microfiber pollution, which was developed through her participation in the Invent@SU invention accelerator.

Beyond her academic, research and scholarly pursuits, Omo-Lamai has been involved as a student leader across many student organizations. She has held leadership positions with the Engineering World Health chapter, the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Honors Advisory Board; serves as an Engineering Excelerator connecting with prospective students interested in the College of Engineering and Computer Science; and is a member of the Women of Color in Science and Engineering student organization.

Omo-Lamai has also been an active volunteer in the Syracuse community, volunteering with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the Northside Learning Center and Grant Middle School Engineering Ambassadors. In these volunteer roles, she has tutored and engaged refugee children in STEM education and English literacy.

This culmination of experiences in and out of the classroom has led Omo-Lamai to engage with countless students, faculty, staff and campus community members. Even so, she is looking forward to engaging even more campus community members in her role as Senior Class Marshal.

“Syracuse University is made up of innovative, driven individuals who are leaving their marks on the world in various ways,” she says. “I look forward to learning from the experiences of these individuals in my role as Senior Class Marshal and using them to leave a positive impact on our community.”

Kyle Rosenblum

Originally from Limerick, Pennsylvania, Rosenblum is earning a dual degree in psychology and policy studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School. He is also minoring in Spanish and information management and technology in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Information Studies, respectively.

Rosenblum is a Coronat Scholar who has earned Dean’s List honors every semester at Syracuse. As a Coronat Scholar, he is part of one of the most highly competitive programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, focused on students with outstanding intellectual curiosity, accomplishment and courage, as well as a commitment to serving others.

For nearly two years, Rosenblum has applied this strong curiosity and intellectual pursuit as a research assistant in a psychology research lab. He has conducted data analysis to assist Ph.D. candidates and the psychology graduate studies director in assessing academic interventions among third-grade students. He was also an undergraduate facilitator for the Social Skills Training Program, a weekly program through the Department of Psychology that helps children build important social skills.

In addition to his academic achievement and research involvement, Rosenblum is an active student leader. He currently serves as vice president of the Student Association. In this role, he has led key initiatives centered on students’ health and wellness, including planning and executing Mental Health Awareness Week and serving on the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence. He is also an orientation leader with the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs and a member of University 100, and has served as the OrangeSeeds programming chair, dedicating time to supporting first-year and transfer students in their transition to college life and Syracuse University.

This commitment to supporting others has extended beyond the University as well. Rosenblum began volunteering in the Syracuse community through the Young Scholars program at the Boys & Girls Club. He continues to volunteer at Nottingham High School supporting students in their academic success.

While Rosenblum has already worked to enhance the student experience in his various roles on campus, he looks forward to serving as Senior Class Marshal to further this work.

“I am most looking forward to forming new and strengthening existing connections throughout campus,” he says. “In my time here, I have found that each day brings opportunities to interact with new individuals vastly different from myself and that with each interaction I gain a deeper appreciation for Syracuse University and all those around me. The friends, mentors and role models that I have been so grateful to meet have emboldened me and inspired me, and I hope that through this position, I am able to have a similar impact on a campus that has given me so much.”