Patrick Sean Murphy Scholarship Recipients

Kevin Fleisher, 2024-2025

Catherine Irons, 2023-2024

John Wallace, 2022-2023

Taylor V. Kagie, 2021-22

Taylor is a fourth-year biomedical engineering student from Williamsburg, VA. She leads weekly Bible studies as part of a Christian organization on Grounds called The Navigators. She also enjoys rock climbing at Slaughter Gym, hiking, crocheting, and spending time with her friends. Her father, who was a pilot in the Airforce at the time of the tragedy, was deployed to patrol the skies immediately afterwards. He has told haunting stories about the empty skies and endless flights as he prevented further attacks. Taylor believes scholarships, such as this one, are very important for keeping the memories active of those who perished.

Alexandra (Lexy) E. Sjurseth, 2021-22

Raised in small southern Virginia town, Lexy was instinctively instilled with a passion for country and family. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, her family, recognizing the tragedy, decided to act. The Sjurseth family founded America’s 911 Foundation shortly after the attacks, and, because of this, Lexy grew up impacted by the tragedy of that day. Due to her passion for this, she now studies Foreign Affairs and Global Security and Justice at the University of Virginia. She will be working with the Department of Defense after graduation in 2022.

From UVA Today: Student, Family Pay Homage to Alumnus Who Died on 9/11 with Annual Motorcycle Ride

Sarah Elizabeth Lang, 2020-21

During her time at UVA, Sarah cultivated a passion for science, specifically satellite oceanography. She will be pursuing this passion in graduate school at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, where she will earn her M.S. in Oceanography before pursuing her PhD. She will be working on a project called NASA EXPORTS, a NASA-led field campaign to study the ocean’s carbon cycle and its role in the climate. The Patrick Sean Murphy Scholarship meant a lot to her and her family as they experienced much suffering due to the 9/11 tragedy. The scholarship supported her dreams of becoming a scientist, and she will always be grateful for it.

Alexandra Catherine Sullivan, 2019-20

Ali graduated from UVA in December 2020 and had the privilege to walk the Lawn in May 2021. She has continued to follow her passion for journalism and is now in Norfolk, Virginia as a reporter for local newspaper, The Virginian-Pilot.

Hannah Lass, 2018-19

Hannah graduated from the Commerce school in 2019 then moved to New York City to work as an associate at Level Equity, a software and technology focused private equity firm. She currently resides in the East Village and loves exploring New York City’s museums and restaurants. Hannah maintains her strong UVA connections through spending time with her fellow Hoos, traveling to nearby basketball games, and attending events at the UVA Club of New York. She also enjoys running, traveling, reading, and cheering for UVA and Boston sports.

Nicholas Paul D’Apuzzo, 2017-18

Samantha E. Fuller, 2016-17

Since graduation, Samantha has been studying to become a physician. She began by working in a local Emergency Department in New York as a medical scribe before entering medical school. She is currently a third-year medical student at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Being in medical school during a global pandemic has shown her just how much responsibility and risk there is in the medical profession, but this has made her extremely grateful for being able to play a small part in something much larger. She makes it a priority to find time to spend with family and friends and maintain the work-life balance that UVA fostered in her. Although she has not yet determined her specific medical field, she is looking forward to completing her clinical experiences.

Elishama G. Michel, 2016-17

Troy B. Kirwin, 2015-16

Troy Kirwin earned a B.S. in Commerce in 2016, with concentrations in finance and marketing. He currently lives in San Francisco, CA, where he helps lead mergers and acquisitions for Unity Technologies, the leading platform for creating real-time 3D content including video games, AR / VR content and more. Prior to Unity, he spent two years at Jefferies Investment Bank where he advised on transactions in the technology, media and telecom space. Troy enjoys skiing, golfing, tennis and traveling.

Brigid A. McDonald, 2015-16

After graduating with a degree in physics in 2016, Brigid continued her studies and is currently completing her PhD degree in Medical Physics at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Her research focuses on MRI-guided adaptive radiation therapy for head and neck cancers and the use of quantitative MRI to track response to radiation therapy. She has received a Kirschstein F31 Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health to support her research, as well as numerous scholarships from her graduate school including the Kopchick Fellowship and the Presidents’ Research Scholarship. Brigid plans to complete her residency in Medical Physics after her PhD is completed, then secure a faculty position at an academic hospital. Outside of her studies, Brigid enjoys hiking, skiing, playing the flute, and spending time with her dog, Eira. Brigid remains incredibly grateful for the support of the Patrick Sean Murphy Scholarship during her time at UVA and tries to honor the legacy of Mr. Murphy, her father, Joseph P. McDonald, and all those who lost their lives on September 11 through her personal and academic achievements.

Stephen Michael Simion, 2014-15

Camille E. DiFolco, 2014-15

Anthony Bucci, 2013-14

Daniel L. Marlowe, 2013-14, 2014-15

Daniel has worked at Eastman Chemical Company as a chemical engineer since 2015. In that time, he has worked in Process Design and Optimization, creating digital simulations of chemical plant processes to improve or debottleneck those processes. Later, he transitioned to a role in digital manufacturing where he converted plant information to digital formats that can be utilized in dashboards and metric calculations. These calculations and dashboards are designed to improve plant performance, operator safety, and to encourage the development of more sustainable processes. Daniel also volunteers his time as a member of the leadership team for Equality, Eastman’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, with the mission that all employees feel empowered to bring their whole selves to the workplace. In his personal life, Daniel enjoys spending time with his wife and son, and working in the yard.

Erin Boehmer, 2012-13

Erin graduated from UVA with a Computer Science degree and subsequently received her Master of Data Science degree from UC Berkeley in 2015. Afterwards, she accepted a Data Scientist position in Kampala, Uganda, with a solar energy startup. She was able to create products to replace candles and kerosene in countries across Africa including Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. She also spent many weekends white water kayaking on the Nile. She is now in New York City working as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Carta Inc., located in the Freedom Tower of 1 WTC. She has a stunning view from the top, but having grown up in New Jersey, those who lost their lives on 9/11 are never far from her thoughts. “And yet,” she says, “I choose to step into that elevator every day because our resilience is what allows Patrick’s legacy to live on.”

Julia M. Yuras, 2011-12

Evan L. Rabin, 2010-11

After graduating with a BS in Commerce, with concentrations in finance and international business, Evan worked in the Syndicated and Leveraged Finance Group at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.  He then moved to the Leveraged Finance Group at RBC Capital Markets. In September 2015, Evan joined PennantPark and serves as a vice president. At PennantPark, he is involved in originating, underwriting, executing, and monitoring investments for the firm.

Sarah M. Haviland, 2009-10

Leah S. Goldman, 2008-09

John W. Elliott, III, 2007-08

Katherine Smith Edmunds, 2006-07

After graduating in 2008, Katherine attended Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. She and her husband then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, for her to train in Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She continued her training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and is currently a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She has three children who keep them busy. Her family continues to gather yearly to remember her uncle, Lt. Col. Gary Smith, who died in the Pentagon on 9/11. She is grateful for the opportunities the Murphy Scholarship gave her, and thanks the Murphy family for their continued work to honor Patrick through this scholarship.

Michael Richard Ehmann, 2005-06

After graduating from UVA, Michael moved to New Orleans and earned two master’s degrees and a medical doctorate degree. Since 2012, he has lived in Baltimore where he is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Michael practices in the Emergency Departments of Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. He also serves as a program director for the Hopkins Emergency Medicine Residency Program and teaches the next generation of emergency physicians while caring for patients from Baltimore and around the world.