Olivia La Fiandra, Dean's Senior Scholar

Distinguished academic performance, leadership and community involvement.

Contratulations to linguistics major computer science minor Olivia La Fiandra, who has been named a Dean's Senior Scholar!

Olivia is one of only seven recipients of this prestigious annual award, which recognizes "distinguished and creative academic performance [and] promise of continued distinction in the discipline," as well as "leadership qualities and a commitment to community involvement." The award will be formally granted at the Fall Scholar Reception, on November 14, and will be announced again at Commencement. As an honors student in linguistics and computer science, Olivia was an active RA in our language acquisition lab – ultimately presenting joint work with former RA Nathalie Fernandez on the syntax of semantics of adjectives at Undergraduate Research Day last April, – and is currently writing an honors thesis under the supervision of both Nathalie and Naomi, in addition to working as an RA in her lab. Olivia is also President of Kol Sasson, a Jewish A Capella group at UMD, in which she performs as a soprano.

The Dean's Senior Scholar award has gone to Linguistics majors (only?) five times before: to Marisa Fried in 2019, Grace Hynes and John Mathena in 2016, to Neomi Rao in 2015, and to Sara McVeigh in 2013. We are proud to welcome another member to this elite group!