During the spring of 2020, Marist College students and faculty finished the semester virtually due to the pandemic. Marist invited those students back for full Commencement activities this spring. We’re taking the opportunity to reconnect with some of the Class of ’20 two years after their graduation.


Emmanuelle Farrell (left) and Mark Palmer (right)

Emmanuelle Farrell

Emmanuelle was the Marist Class of 2020 Valedictorian, majoring in psychology, with a minor in cognitive science, and also a member of the Alpha Chi and Psi Chi honor societies. Her research at Marist included the impact of social media on mental health, the quality of life of those on the autism spectrum, and the effects of mindfulness on student well-being. She also served as president of Best Buddies at Marist, an organization dedicated to the inclusion of individuals with special needs.

Earlier this month, Emmanuelle graduated from Rutgers University with a Master of Social Work degree and obtained a Rutgers’ Violence Against Women and Children Certificate, earned after specializing her studies on issues of violence against women and children. She is also part of the Phi Alpha Honors Society and received the Outstanding Student in the Clinical Specialization Award at Rutgers. She is passionate about providing therapy to survivors of trauma and individuals with other mental health diagnoses.

Mark Palmer

As a Marist undergraduate, Mark participated in the prestigious Tarver Summer Internship Program sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership. As part of this experience, he worked closely with Marist Upward Bound students on youth leadership development. During his undergraduate years, Mark was also an active member of the college community, having leadership roles in Student Government, Zeta Psi Fraternity, Marist Democrats, and serving on the Center of Multicultural Affairs student advisory board.

Mark now serves as Presidential Fellow (a Cabinet-level position) in the President’s Office at Marist, a job he began soon after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A native of Los Angeles, Mark is the fourth Presidential Fellow at Marist and is looking forward to completing his Master’s in Public Administration degree from Marist this fall. 


Daniel Creedon (left) and Dayna Eidle (right)

Daniel Creedon

As a 2020 graduate of the Marist College Physician Assistant Program, Daniel received the Award for Excellence in Physician Assistant Studies and was selected to be a member of the Pi Alpha National Honor Society for Physician Assistants. Prior to attending the Marist PA program, he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Marist in 2013 and was selected to be a member of the Sigma Zeta National Science and Mathematics Honor Society. During his undergraduate studies, Daniel interned with Washington’s NFL team, presented research at national conferences, and was published in the Journal of Athletic Training. Daniel is now an orthopedic surgery physician assistant at Hospital for Special Surgery and Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.

Dayna Eidle

Dayna graduated Summa Cum Laude from the 5-year Software Development program at Marist (’20/’21 MS). She was in the Alpha Chi National Honor Society as well as the Computer Society and was also a co-founder and member of the Women’s Club Lacrosse team. Dayna is currently an associate software engineer at Payscale. Her father David Eidle graduated from Marist in ’86 and his father, Bill Eidle, is a Marist Heritage Professor and Professor Emeritus.

This is a series featuring Marist graduates of the Class of 2020, who have been invited back to campus to celebrate Commencement on Saturday, May 28.