The 2025 Ryan Award was awarded to Olukemisola “Kemi” Abioye, a junior on the premed track.

When the biochemistry major first learned she had won the award, she was thrilled. “I was very excited,” she said. “It felt great to see that all the hard work I had put into my classes was being recognized.”

The Ryan Award is given to the student who has achieved the highest cumulative GPA over their first four semesters, during freshman and sophomore years. Abioye’s work ethic and ability to balance competing priorities are evident through her many extracurriculars while pursuing her goal to become a physician.

Growing up in Nigeria, Abioye saw the effects of an underdeveloped healthcare system. Seeing relatives try to navigate limited access to care left a lasting impression on her.

“It just made me think, I would like to be a person who's able to help people in such situations,” she said.

After spending several years in the U.K., Abioye moved to the U.S. in 2021,  just before starting college. Moving to a new country while beginning a demanding major wasn’t easy, but the faculty at UMass Boston provided her with support.

“I have had the most amazing professors who were able to guide me through all my classes,” she said. “As a freshman, it felt like so much. Since I had chosen biochem, there were so many lab classes, so many science classes where you can easily get lost, but I had the best professors.” 

She credits her academic advisor for guiding her on what classes to take and helping navigate the Honors College.

“Also, the campus community, my campus job, friends, everyone, has been really encouraging and helpful,” she added.  

Beyond academics, Abioye has built a community on and off campus. She works on campus as an events setup assistant and at the campus information desk, while also serving as the secretary of the African Student Union. “Google Calendar is my best friend at this point,” she said.

She also participated in Dana–Farber’s YES for CURE program which helps high school and undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in scientific research. Through this program, she got an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Throughout the program, she has gained firsthand experience in medical research.

“It's made me understand that without clinical research, medicine is going to be very hard because all of these advancements we have, the new drugs, new therapies, are all through research,” she said. “Just being able to work in a lab and learn all these techniques has made me even more inclined to medicine because I’m able to see what can be done.”

Abioye’s plans for after graduation include taking a gap year to work as a medical assistant or clinical research coordinator before applying to medical school.

When asked what advice she has for new students, Abioye suggested they stay organized. “Take it one step at a time,” she said. “I write out every single thing I need to do, then I split that up by day because it’s easier when you have smaller chunks that don’t overwhelm you.”

She also stated the importance of rest. “Obviously take breaks” she said. “Burnout is no one’s friend. Have fun with your friends, there's always events going on at campus: lake trips, ski trips, movie nights. Just sometimes take some time off, because if you're just going, going, going, it gets to a point where your brain gets tired and you're not able to  retain anything else.”

About the Ryan Award

The Ryan Award is named for John W. Ryan, who was the first chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston. He served from 1965 to 1968. It commemorates the first convocation of UMass Boston and recognizes excellence in the student body. The Ryan Award is given to the student who has achieved the highest cumulative average for four semesters in residence during the freshman and sophomore years. The first Ryan Award was granted in 1971.