Keep Looking Forward
Michelle
Morrissey ’97
That’s how Dana Hamel, one of the most steadfast and generous supporters in the university’s history, viewed his life experiences — from growing up and going to college to his successful career and beloved family. It was just one piece of advice that he often liked to pass on to the UNH students and alumni he met at UNH. But as Hamel himself would say, his real legacy exists in the futures of the students that his philanthropy supported. When he passed away in September 2025, the UNH community paused to consider his impactful legacy — from his gifts to create and build the Hamel Scholars Program and the Hamel Honors and Scholars College, to his support for undergraduate research and the popular Hamel Recreation Center. Hamel talked often about making a difference at UNH through his support. “I’ve always said that when you invest in scholarships, you’re investing in the life of that student and everything they’ll accomplish well beyond college throughout their life. This is the reason why my investment in the students in the Hamel Scholars Program is the best investment I’ve ever made in my life.”
To honor his impact, UNH Magazine is following his advice: looking forward with four Hamel Scholars Program alumni, who are living the lives Dana had so hoped they would: doing good in the world, following their passions and making a difference.
Katie Rocci ’17
Hometown: Newmarket, New Hampshire
Currently: Postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Merced
Ever since attending a conference on global warming in sixth grade, Katie Rocci has known that she wanted a job fighting climate change.
And today she’s doing just that — as a dedicated research scientist with aspirations of becoming a professor. Rocci traces several milestones along her journey to the Hamel family’s generosity.
“My research broadly looks at how soils will respond to climate change, and whether they can help us or hurt us in the fight against climate change. Soils take up carbon from the air naturally through plants, and the question is whether they’ll keep doing that at the same rate under climate change. My research is trying to figure that out,” she explains.
“Dana and the Hamel family were essential to my UNH experience and shifted the course of my career. Growing up in Newmarket, I was hesitant to attend college so close to home, but being awarded a Hamel Scholars scholarship for all four of my college years made choosing UNH a no-brainer.
“As I floundered in my first year deciding on a major, I came upon earth sciences and professor Julie Bryce, who recommended I apply for the Research Experience Apprenticeship Program (REAP). This program introduced me to the world of research and the possibility of being a science professor, a career I never imagined for myself before.
“Little did I know, REAP and the whole research center at UNH were strongly supported by Dana and his family — again, they altered the course of my life in a positive way. I was fortunate to benefit from the Hamel family’s generosity again when I received the International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) award to do research in subarctic Sweden for a summer. This experience solidified my desire to be a professor who could do climate change research and teach the next generation — a path I pursue today after finishing my Ph.D. in 2022 and pursuing postdoctoral research since then.
“Importantly, the support from the Hamel Scholars scholarship meant I could pursue this path debt-free, which allowed me to directly pursue graduate school, rather than first working to pay off college loan debt.”
Dylan Wheeler ’20
Hometown: Bow, New Hampshire
Currently: Software engineer, BlueCargo
“I think Dana was absolutely right: His investment in students created ripple effects far beyond what any financial investment alone could achieve,” says Dylan Wheeler ’20. “By enabling students to focus on their studies, develop as leaders and pursue meaningful opportunities, he was investing not only in individuals but in the future impact they would make in their communities and careers. I am living proof of that.”
Currently a software engineer at BlueCargo, a startup focused on modernizing freight and logistics to make global supply chains more efficient and fair, Wheeler is also the co-founder of Wild Capital, a small real estate investment partnership. While at UNH, he co-founded ecoText, a digital platform aimed at making college textbooks more affordable.
Last semester, Wheeler came to campus to host an entrepreneurship workshop with current Hamel Scholars. It focused on coming up with “the big idea” — or what Wheeler called the exercise of “taking a big hairy challenge that after billions of tries, still hasn’t been solved” — and trying to solve it. Students split into groups based on their interest in particular issues: health care, education and climate change among them.
That exercise highlights the throughline between Hamel Scholars past and present: the idea that the program encourages imagining beyond the day-to-day of classes and campus. Rather, it’s designed to have students looking ahead.
“Beyond the financial support, the program gave me the encouragement to think big about how I could contribute to the world, because I was surrounded by a community of motivated peers and mentors, and I could take advantage of opportunities that shaped who I am today.”
Wheeler recalls the times he met Dana Hamel and members of his family — several times during his UNH years and a few times after graduating in 2020.
“What struck me most was Mr. Hamel’s positivity and genuine interest in each student. He didn’t just provide resources; he gave his time, his encouragement and his optimism. He had a growth mindset and always emphasized looking ahead with hope. Those conversations made a lasting impression on me!”
Alyssa Mixon ’12
Hometown: Bedford, New Hampshire
Currently: Doctor, social media influencer
Alyssa Mixon ’12 is a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor subspecializing in cancer rehabilitation at the University of Virginia, where she is also associate program director for the university’s residency program.
Mixon recently spoke with current Hamel scholars and told them that, as a classics major, she learned that the term “school” means “free time” in ancient Greek. Thus, she gave them a call to action: “This is your time to think, explore, delve into things and be curious, to continue writing your own story.”
Mixon is also a content creator on social media and a member of several advisory boards, including Forbes Health and the World Health Organization’s Fides network, working to prevent the spread of medical misinformation and ensure accurate medical reporting.
She traces the difference she’s making today with her time at UNH.
“There’s an old Latin saying, ‘Dum spiro, spero,’ that I wore on my UNH graduation cap. … It means ‘While I breathe, I hope.’ It is the motto of those who refuse to quit, of those who, in the face of adversity, still commit to persevere. … This is something my time at UNH taught me and [that] has continued to play a meaningful role in not only my career trajectory but my story as a whole.”
Mixon was told she couldn’t study abroad as a premed student at UNH, but thanks to professors and the Hamel Scholars Program, she did it — in England, the Netherlands and Italy. She was also told she couldn’t enter pageants as a med school student. She did it anyway — and last year competed for Miss Virginia USA, promoting her platform Healthy Habits and publishing her first children’s book, “An Apple A Day: Unraveling Online Myths For Kids.” As a resident physician, she was told she couldn’t be on social media. She does it — using @doctor.cole — to educate and advocate for health care professionals and STEM disciplines.
She’s also earned her MBA and, during the pandemic, partnered with an apparel company to create Alice Hamilton antimicrobial gloves.
Mixon believes Dana Hamel’s legacy will live on in the impactful legacies that each generation of Hamel Scholars create for themselves.
As she told current scholars recently, “Your story may never truly end, and that is the whole point of being a Hamel Scholar. The scholarship prepares you to seek out opportunities, [to] learn to say yes as much as possible but recognize that it is also okay to say no, to make an impact and leave a legacy so that your story continues into the future for the next generation.”
Eden Suoth ’18
Hometown: Somersworth, New Hampshire
Currently: Social studies teacher, Oyster River High School, Durham
When Eden Suoth thinks back to when he met Dana Hamel for the first time as a Hamel Scholar, “I remember he was very soft spoken, but as he shook my hand, he said, ‘Stay in New Hampshire, make sure you stay in New Hampshire.’”
That moment, and that heartfelt request, is something Suoth thinks about a lot now.
At UNH, Suoth was focused on international experiences: He traveled to his family’s native country of Indonesia twice, thanks to the State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship; received a Fulbright award to study there again and was a finalist for the Marshall Scholars program.
Today, Dana’s plea from nearly a decade ago seems to have turned into prediction: Suoth is back in New Hampshire, where he teaches high school social studies.
“Teaching is wonderful; the thing I love about teaching is building relationships with my students, and I like that when I teach social studies, we’re talking about cultures and philosophy, so kids get to talk about their own lives and the questions that keep them up at night — it’s very, very real.”
He says the Hamel scholarship gave him many meaningful opportunities, but perhaps most importantly, it allowed him time to get to know himself and understand his community better, “and that’s something I could not have bought for myself.”
With his background in philosophy, Suoth finds a lot of his “teaching moments” happen outside the classroom — in study hall, or during flex time or in an advisory period. “That’s where education happens — really getting to know these students at a legitimate deeper level.”
So what does he see when he looks ahead — and what kind of teacher does he hope to become? “I’m hoping for the people in my community, I’ll be able to see that I had a stake in their formative years and development. It isn’t just the subject material; it’s learning how to be in this world — how to feel a little bit more free, more at home, in this world.”