Each year, Northeastern University honors nine exemplary seniors with the Compass Award, presented by the Office of Alumni Relations, based on commitment to a core set of values including: leadership, volunteerism, and academic integrity. Students who demonstrate these values are seen as having potential to provide leadership in Northeastern’s alumni community. An aspect of the program involves uniting the recognized student leaders with distinguished alumni.
Christina McMahon, a spring 2012 graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting Management program from the College of Professional Studies (CPS), received this award for her leadership in the classroom, workplace and community. While pursuing her degree, McMahon was selected for a leadership development group at her company which manufactures test equipment to evaluate the mechanical properties of materials and components. The group required additional work outside of her job responsibilities and schoolwork, but helped lead to a promotion from accounting manager to assistant controller and propelled her involvement in implementing a worldwide enterprise resource planning system replacement while driving business improvements and efficiencies. McMahon credits her College of Professional Studies degree program studies with providing the foundation for her success as a leader within her organization.
McMahon’s leadership extends into her community where she plays an active role in the company’s Community Connection Committee, supporting fundraising for a variety of local causes. Additionally, she has been a volunteer for the Astronomical Society of Southern New England, educating children about astronomy.
The nomination for McMahon for the Compass Award noted “Christina is not only one of our highest-ranking students in the Class of 2012, but she is also a great example of the type of student of whom Northeastern University should be proud.” McMahon has made the Dean’s List each term since fall 2009, was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society in 2010, and will be inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society in April. Read more about the Compass Awards.
Read about last year’s winner in CPS 2011 Graduate, Kadeen Tyndale, Acknowledged for Outstanding Leadership.
More about graduation
To read about graduation, visit Northeastern University College of Professional Studies graduates largest class to date.
To read about Teaching Excellence Award recipient, Dr. Amy Lantinga, visit Dr. Amy Lantinga honored with Teaching Excellence Award for focus on student success.
To read about Teaching Excellence Award recipient, Dr. Kristen Lee Costa, visit Dr. Kristen Lee Costa honored with Teaching Excellence Award for depth of knowledge and engaging teaching style.
To read about the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, the first phase of the celebration of the completion of doctoral studies, visit Northeastern University’s Newest Doctorates Receive Doctoral Hoods in Ceremony.
The College of Professional Studies celebrates two graduations, fall and spring, in keeping with the College’s flexible approach to education offering an array of options to students including part-time and full-time studies, Fast-Track, online, and hybrid formats. Graduates earned diplomas in 61 different degree programs at the associate, bachelor, master’s, and doctoral levels.
To learn more about graduation, visit our 2012 graduation web page.
Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies (CPS) is committed to providing career-focused educational programs that are designed to accommodate the complex lives of motivated learners. Offered in a variety of innovative formats, CPS courses are taught by accomplished scholars and practitioners who have real-world experience. The result is an educational experience founded on proven scholarship, strengthened with practical application, and sustained by academic excellence.
Northeastern University is a global university with a tradition of partnership and engagement that creates an innovative, distinctive approach to education and research. Northeastern integrates classroom studies with experiential learning opportunities in 70 countries, and pursues use-inspired research with a focus on global challenges in health, security, and sustainability.