At Case Western Reserve University, students arrive with ambition and learn to turn it into impact. Throughout their time on campus, they engage deeply with their studies, contribute meaningfully to the community, and prepare to lead in their respective fields.
As the Class of 2025 prepares to receive their degrees during commencement ceremonies from May 14 to 18, we’re putting the spotlight on eight exceptional graduates—one from each school—whose achievements exemplify the university’s commitment to excellence and service.
Explore the full schedule of events and learn more about these outstanding graduates.
Basak Yavuz
College of Arts and Sciences
For new Case Western Reserve University students, finding mentors and engaging in activities is an excellent way to navigate new processes and challenges. Basak Yavuz—a neuroscience major from Iskenderun, Turkey—took full advantage of those opportunities when she arrived in Cleveland.
The native Turkish speaker had never learned Academic English before coming to the U.S. so had to learn it—quickly.
“I sought support from peers, made friendships and experienced a lot of different cultures,” she said, reflecting on her desire to explore different aspects of life. “There’s a huge difference between the person who I was on my first day and who I am now.”
Yavuz—who describes herself as “building from the ground up”—watched a lot of movies growing up and dreamed about doing the things she would see.
“I value the overall education here because I know that there are people who cannot pursue it and I’ve had an opportunity to do so much,” Yavuz said.
Founding and leading the Turkish Student Association has been particularly fulfilling for Yavuz, who—having served as a president, treasurer and now as vice president—considers the group her “CWRU family.”
“It brings us all closer together when someone in a leadership role mentors others,” Yavuz said. “I was supported during my initial years and now it’s my turn to answer questions.”
Yavuz also started her own podcast, How to Be. Part of the student-run production Just in Case: A CWRU Podcast, her show focuses on interviewing faculty and others in areas she doesn’t already know. She calls herself a “sponge” and is thankful for talking to people who she would not have had a chance to meet otherwise.
While she’ll graduate this week with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, Yavuz isn’t done learning and growing as a person.
“I am taking some time first, but I plan to pursue a post-baccalaureate focusing on pre-medical studies,” Yavuz said. “I hope to be a physician one day and I will continue to swing dance, take time for photography and maybe host another podcast.”
Henriette Mambe Tago
School of Dental Medicine
Rooted in resilience and compassion, graduating dental student Henriette Mambe Tago’s journey to dentistry is a story of perseverance and passion for making a meaningful difference.
Growing up in Cameroon, Mambe Tago dreamed of working in healthcare. But when she was placed in an arts and literature track instead of one for science in high school, she feared the less academically rigid path could impact her aspirations.
Mambe Tago refused to let go of her passion and moved to the United States to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota. After graduation, memories of home—where dental care was only sought after in extreme cases—motivated her to keep going.
After seeing loved ones suffer, she was determined to be part of the solution. However, her road to dental school wasn’t easy. She applied three times before receiving an acceptance letter, a moment that reaffirmed her determination not to give up along the way.
“When I received that acceptance letter from Case Western Reserve, I didn’t think twice before accepting the offer,” she recalled.
At CWRU, she found a dental program that not only aligned with her goals but also fostered a community of students and alumni making a tangible impact. Now in her final year, Mambe Tago’s passion for dentistry continues to grow.
“There is a combination of science, chemistry, physics and artistry in dentistry, and that is very interesting,” she said.
But beyond the technical skills, it’s the human connections that drive her. She loves restoring smiles, easing fears and giving patients back their confidence.
After graduation, Mambe Tago plans to complete a general practice residency and dedicate herself to serving underserved communities. Volunteering with organizations like MedWish, MedWorks and Remote Area Medical (RAM) has only strengthened her resolve.
“I have always been amazed to see hundreds of dental professionals providing free treatment with passion, and I always walk out feeling a sense of accomplishment,” she said.
For Mambe Tago, dentistry isn’t just about fixing teeth—it’s about changing lives. And with her passion and perseverance, she’s determined to do exactly that.
Rea Marfatia
Case School of Engineering
Between balancing life as a biomedical engineering student, conducting research, enjoying Greek life, working as a nursing assistant, holding several on-campus jobs, and serving two years as captain of the varsity volleyball team—which earned her an All-UAA First Team honor last season—Rea Marfatia has been very busy since arriving on campus in 2021.
Her schedule may seem overwhelming, but the native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, has viewed it as a fulfilling challenge.
“The things and opportunities you are afraid to pursue and the experiences that put you outside of your comfort zone are the ones that also make the CWRU experience memorable and allow for growth,” she said.
For Marfatia, such experiences led her to co-found and preside over the Asian, Desi, Pacific Islander Athletic Affinity Group; be named the Delta Gamma Director of Sisterhood; and work as a tour guide and teaching assistant for a biomedical instrumentation course. She also led research on a project in the Nanoscale Orthopedic Biomaterials Lab, presenting her findings at symposiums and conferences, and even traveled to Brazil last year with the volleyball team—an experience she views as her favorite memory from her time at CWRU.
Outside of class, Marfatia gained hands-on clinical experience as a patient care nursing assistant at Cleveland Clinic. CWRU’s close proximity to major hospitals in Cleveland was one of the most appealing aspects in her college search.
“That job helped me realize that I am motivated by playing a direct role in a person’s healing journey, and that combining my engineering education with medicine as a physician is my career goal,” she said.
Despite her busy involvement on- and off-campus, Marfatia maintained a strong academic-athletics-work-life balance, thanks to her supportive network.
“I have had amazing opportunities to connect with my coaches, professors, faculty and students throughout my time at CWRU,” she said. “My family has also been incredibly supportive of me pursuing diverse opportunities.”
Marfatia will be attending Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine this fall.
Obasi Ndukwe
School of Law
Over the last few years, law student Obasi Ndukwe has learned the importance of staying open to opportunities—including, in his case, the possibility of becoming a lawyer. At the time he enrolled, the Cleveland native wasn’t quite sure where his career would lead.
“When I first became a law student, I didn’t know exactly what type of law I wanted to practice, or in what capacity, but law was always something that I was interested in,” he said.
Ndukwe was already familiar with Case Western Reserve University, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2020 before entering the workforce as a cloud systems specialist for Hyland Software. Feeling unchallenged in that career, he remembered the words of one of his undergraduate professors and decided to switch paths.
“I had a professor in one of my undergraduate classes who said she thought I would be a good lawyer based on the way that I asked questions,” he recalled.
After enrolling at the School of Law, Ndukwe continued surprising himself. He engaged beyond the classroom, joining the Black Law Student Association Mock Trial team and becoming president of the Student Bar Association.
“It wasn’t something I planned, but previous student leaders reached out and encouraged me to go for it,” he said.
The mock trial team allowed Ndukwe to explore a new experience of trying cases, which he found to be surprisingly exciting. The opportunity also introduced him to his coach, Diane Russell from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, who was integral in his securing a job in the office after graduation.
This experience and others have taught Ndukwe the power of effective communication, understanding and empathy.
“A lot of issues arise due to poor communication or a lack of communication,” he said. “I think people have multiple sides to them and the more you talk, the more you’re able to understand and see where others are coming from.”
Reflecting on his law school experience, Ndukwe hopes to encourage other students to be similarly flexible and to give themselves grace.
“Everyone who is here is here for a reason. They’re smart, they know what to do,” he said. “Be willing to take detours because you never know where your life will take you.”
Kenny Wallace
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Kenny Wallace came to Case Western Reserve to make a difference. What he didn’t expect was how deeply his clients—and his fieldwork—would change him in return.
Wallace, a dual-degree social work and law student, worked as a certified legal intern with the Human Trafficking Law Clinic as part of his second-year field placement under the guidance of the School of Law’s Maya Simek, a dual-trained social worker and attorney.
“Watching Maya navigate complex cases while showing up fully for her clients was inspiring, and a reality check,” he said. “To see that kind of strength and resilience up close, and to be trusted by her in their most sensitive moments, is something I will never forget.”
He also will never forget a guiding philosophy Simek instilled in him: Simply begin again.
“By knowing that we will suffer losses and setbacks from time to time—and affording ourselves the grace and self-compassion to embrace the day ahead as a clean, new slate—we can accomplish great ends for ourselves, and by association, others,” Wallace reflected.
His work at the clinic centered on expungement cases, supporting human trafficking survivors as they worked to clear their records and move forward. While Wallace has learned an invaluable amount from his public interest work and client interactions, he also believes in bringing change to the legal profession from the inside out.
As part of the Mandel School’s Leadership Fellows program, he proposed an evidence-based practice framework that begins during a students’ first year of law school and focuses on improving the mental health, substance use and wellbeing challenges law students and attorneys often face. His dream is to turn that proposal into real-world policy—using his social work lens to advocate for a healthier legal profession.
The Mandel School has provided him with the space and support to connect systems-level thinking with hands-on practice.
“The Master of Social Work program helped me turn abstract goals into tangible tools, and gave me the experience to actually use them,” he said.
After graduation, Wallace will head west to North Dakota to begin work as an associate attorney at a full-service law firm. But his deeper mission is already clear—to build a healthier, more humane legal profession, starting with the people who serve it.
Jacqueline Shaia
School of Medicine
As a person with a rare disease herself, School of Medicine PhD candidate Jacqueline Shaia is grateful to be thriving—and inspired to help countless others who are not as fortunate.
“When you add up all the rare diseases in the United States, a lot of very different diseases are impacting a huge portion of our population,” said Shaia. “My goal is to bring awareness and help find the cause and treatments doing clinical research.”
Shaia is already making a difference through her research at Cleveland Clinic, screening over 4,000 patients suspected of having Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), a vision-threatening disorder that primarily affects women of reproductive age and causes unexplained high brain pressure. While it was thought to be a rare condition, Shaia’s research shows it is much more common than thought.
By creating a prediction algorithm, Shaia speculated which patients would have a poor visual outcome at diagnosis. This work is critical for accelerating treatment for those at risk for rapid vision loss within days of symptom onset.
“I am grateful to my mentors at Case Western Reserve and Cleveland Clinic who have supported and encouraged me,” Shaia shared about those involved in the Clinical and Translational Science program offered through the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences. “The professors and the program’s structure teach you how to conduct the best possible research using methodology, biostatistics and epidemiology to be successful and offer incredible opportunities to conduct studies.”
After graduation, Shaia is excited to start her postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University where she will study rare colon cancers that affect young adults.
In addition to her studies and research, one of the most special things that happened during Shaia’s time at Case Western Reserve was meeting her fiance, Marc Ferrell, who is graduating from the Medical Scientist Training Program in May. They are excited that he will be joining her in Nashville as a pediatrics resident at Vanderbilt. She also takes pride in being a university legacy, as both her father and twin sister graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Katrina Oschmann
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
For Katrina Oschmann, nursing is about finding the balance between connection and care.
“I always want to ensure that I can provide my patients and families with a sense of comfort and familiarity,” she said. “Patient and family education is one of the most important roles of a nurse and can truly ease the stress of a hospital stay. Knowing that my focus on clear, compassionate care provides support for my patients and families is one of the most rewarding parts of becoming a nurse.”
That passion for connection extends beyond the hospital. A lifelong dancer, Oschmann has pursued a dance minor alongside the demanding nursing curriculum—flexibly fitting in dance courses between nursing clinical hours and performing regularly with the Department of Dance.
“Dance helps me feel grounded. It’s a space where I can focus on myself, which helps my life feel more complete,” she said. “It’s the best kind of self-care.”
During her time as an undergraduate student at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Oschmann embraced every opportunity to grow, from working as a supplemental instruction leader for second-year medical-surgical nursing students to holding positions as a clinical technician at the Cleveland Clinic and completing an intensive care unit internship at University Hospitals. These hands-on experiences have shaped her clinical judgment and confidence.
“With nursing, you learn everything on the job, and CWRU stood out because students start clinicals right away and have so many hours in high-quality clinical settings,” she said. “The real value is in what you put into those experiences—asking questions and being curious and observant taught me so much.”
After graduation, Oschmann will begin her nursing career in Cleveland Clinic’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. While the work will be intense, she’s prepared—and she knows she has dance to help her stay centered.
“I love and value my experiences as a healthcare student, but it’s imperative that nurses have something outside of the hospital to focus on,” she said. “Nursing can be overwhelming, but my passion for dance gives me balance. Dance keeps me grounded and focused on being the best version of myself, which benefits my patients as well.”
Alejandro Carrillo-Rodriguez
Weatherhead School of Management
When Alejandro Carrillo-Rodriguez was just 8 years old, his family left behind everything familiar in Colombia to pursue a future in the United States. His parents, both accomplished civil engineers, gave up their professions to ensure Carrillo-Rodriguez and his brother would have every opportunity to succeed.
Their new reality was tough—involving nine people crammed into a two-bedroom apartment—but in that small space, Carrillo-Rodriguez learned the power of community and hard work.
“My parents made a big sacrifice to come here for a better life and for me to get a good education,” he said. “It wasn’t always easy, but people helped us.”
Those influences ultimately led him to Case Western Reserve University, as its size and diversity matched his values of connection and belonging. On campus, Carrillo-Rodriguez found the reliable support system he was looking for.
“I was unsure about my major, but CWRU gave me the freedom to explore,” he said. “The supportive community, access to professors and the opportunities outside the classroom helped me find my path and prepare for the future.”
As a resident assistant, volleyball player and La Alianza treasurer, Carrillo-Rodriguez thrived on connection. His mother’s advice—that “there’s a time for everything, but do your homework first”—taught him balance, helping him succeed in both academics and extracurriculars.
“Obviously school is about going to classes, studying hard and getting good grades, but I wanted the full college experience,” he said. “I wouldn’t have crossed paths with many of the people who have influenced me along the way if it weren’t for the clubs I’ve been involved with. I’m going to miss those a lot.”
After graduating with a dual degree in accounting and business information technology Carrillo-Rodriguez will join KPMG in Dallas this fall as an audit data engineer—a decision driven by gratitude to Case Western Reserve and a desire to honor his parents’ sacrifices.
“One of my biggest motivators now is proving to my parents that their sacrifice was worth it,” he said. “Everything I do honors their hard work and applies what I learned at CWRU to build a meaningful future.”