Honors Alumni Archive

Major: Education Studies
Minors: Psychology, Sociology, Mild Interventions
Certificate: Behavior Analysis and Techniques

Biography:
Bridget Bane was a senior at Purdue Fort Wayne majoring in Education Studies and minoring in psychology, sociology, and mild interventions. She was also earning a behavior analysis and techniques certificate upon graduation in spring of 2024. Throughout high school, Bridget was involved in clubs and groups that connected students involved in both general education and special education. Because of that, she developed a passion for spreading the message of inclusivity and breaking down stereotypes that reinforced the continuation of ostracizing those with a physical, psychiatric, or intellectual disability. Throughout her college education, Bridget gained experiences in multiple educational settings that served a variety of needs. She saw and worked with children, students, and adults at an autism clinic, an alternative school, and a recreational therapy center, which inspired her honor’s project focused on creating inclusive community spaces. After graduation, Bridget planned to obtain a master’s degree in school counseling to pursue her dream of becoming an elementary school guidance counselor. Her honors project was special to her because she knew it would follow her throughout her life. No matter where she went, her ability to foster community with individuals who were similar and different from her would continue to grow her awareness and appreciation of unique stories and lives. She was thankful for the opportunity to share her program, developed based on research, with the goal of fostering community between neurodivergent teens. Bridget believed this was just the beginning of her ability to help cultivate an inclusive community throughout Fort Wayne and was excited to further develop her program after graduation. She expressed special thanks to her family and friends who had greatly impacted her life, supporting her throughout her education and inspiring her to continue pursuing her dreams.

Major: English
Concentration: Writing
Minors: French, Public Relations, and Women’s Studies
Certificate: International Studies

Biography:
Karen Chaparro was an English Major with minors in French, Public Relations, and Women’s Studies. She was an aspiring author who wrote short stories and poetry in her free time. Karen was born in Mexico and raised in the United States in a bilingual household, where her cultural heritage was very important to her. She spoke fluent Spanish, French, and English, and often experimented with language in her writing. Karen was an avid reader whose favorite genre was fantasy. She also enjoyed reading poetry, with Rosario Castellanos being her favorite poet. A creative person, Karen loved creating things through writing and cross-stitching, especially cats. She was detail-oriented and became deeply engrossed in any work she undertook, though she was also a daydreamer who came up with many story ideas this way. During her time at Purdue, Karen took language and culture-related courses and participated in many multicultural events on campus. She was fortunate enough to study abroad at the Université de Caen in France. Karen grew as a person thanks to the talented and kind individuals she met at her university, and she was excited to apply what she learned during her time at Purdue to her future career plans.

Majors: Popular Music-Recording/Production and Music Industry
Minor: Business

Biography:
Hailey Ewer was born and raised in Peru, Indiana. She graduated from Peru High School at the top of her class and maintained a 3.9 GPA throughout her collegiate career. Hailey’s interest in music began at a very young age. She started taking basic music lessons at 18 months old, which turned into piano lessons a few years later. From that time on, Hailey participated in music classes and performed as a vocalist. At Purdue Fort Wayne, Hailey participated in multiple shows and concerts, as well as recording workshops. She was featured in an art exhibition in partnership with the Visual Arts programs that explored the art of the LP, one of the highlights of her time at Purdue Fort Wayne. Hailey worked in various roles in the music industry and planned to continue her career at Sweetwater Sound, where she had worked for almost three years. She hoped to continue finding joy in creating music and sharing it with others as she transitioned into the professional world.

Major: Biology
Associates: Chemical Methods

Biography:
Makaylah graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne in May 2024 with a Bachelor’s in Biology, an Associate’s in Chemical Methods, and an Honors Certificate. She continued her studies at Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian. During her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, she served as an officer for the Biology and Pre-Vet Club and was an active member of Delight Women’s Ministry, Tri-Beta Honor Society, and Dr. Mustafa’s research lab. Makaylah achieved Dean’s List or Semester Honors each semester. When not focused on academics, she volunteered at Gigi’s Playhouse as a cheerleading coach, worked part-time as a veterinary assistant, and wrote poetry. Makaylah earned certifications in wildlife conservation, diversity equity and inclusion, and advanced life support for cats and dogs. She also started a non-profit youth cheerleading program and a small thrifting and upcycling business to promote sustainable shopping. After veterinary school, Makaylah planned to work at an emergency clinic and volunteer at local animal shelters and wildlife conservatories.

Major: History
Minor: Political Science
Certificates: Peace & Conflict Studies and International Studies

Biography:
Marian Masson was a history major with a minor in political science and certificates in peace and conflict studies and international studies. Her research focus in history was on public memory of World War II, with a specific emphasis on the Holocaust. Other interests included the study of 20th-century genocides, international human rights law, and nuclear energy history. Marian hoped to work as a museum curator or director, educating the public on history in a way that promoted critical thinking and engagement. Outside of her academic and career aspirations, Marian loved reading fiction and nonfiction, collecting stationery for journaling and scrapbooking, and spending time with her two cats and dog. She also enjoyed discussing history and politics with her father and volunteering with GLSEN of Greater Fort Wayne.

Major: General Studies
Minor: Sociology

Biography:
Branden was a General Studies major with a minor in Sociology. A non-traditional student, he served honorably in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Afghanistan. After his military service, Branden returned to civilian life and enrolled in Purdue Fort Wayne to become a Veteran Service Officer. Balancing school and work as a VSO in DeKalb County, Branden maintained a 4.0 GPA while supporting fellow veterans. He also volunteered at the Veteran Treatment Court and raised chickens for a sustainable lifestyle. His goal was to earn a master’s degree and further his education in sociology to help others more effectively.

Danh Ngo was a senior student at Purdue University Fort Wayne, graduating in Fall 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and a minor in Hotel Management. She had the opportunity to study abroad at Ewha Women’s University in South Korea and shared her experiences through social media marketing. Danh was involved in the TRIO club, worked as a student peer advisor for the Purdue Study Abroad Office, and helped at her family’s restaurant, Kim Vu Vietnamese Cuisine. She also played an active role in the local Korean community and worked as an assistant director for the K-pop Showcase at the 2023 Korean Festival. Danh was a determined first-generation student who overcame many challenges to pursue her education.

Major: Music Performance: Flute and Vocal
Faculty Mentors: Dr. John Romey (Music) and Professor Luke Fitzpatrick (Music)

Biography:
Katherine Marx was graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Flute and Vocal Performance from Purdue University Fort Wayne in Spring 2024. She studied with Luke Fitzpatrick and Ashlee Bickley McCrory and was honored with an Honors Certificate and the College Exemplar Award. Katherine performed as a flute soloist and held principal positions in several ensembles, including the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. She planned to attend the Eastman School of Music to pursue an Artist’s Diploma and a Master of Music in flute performance. Katherine enjoyed solo and ensemble performance and was passionate about teaching music. Her favorite pastimes included knitting, reading, outdoor adventures, and playing with her two cats.

Majors: Business Economics, Money and Banking
Minors: Finance, Mathematics

Biography:
David Bresnahan was a senior at Purdue University Fort Wayne graduating in the spring of 2024. During his time at PFW, David participated in undergraduate research, presented at conferences, served as vice president for both PFW’s Finance Society and Economics Club, and competed twice for Purdue University Fort Wayne’s College Fed Challenge Team, helping the team place as semi-finalists in 2022. David graduated with majors in Business Economics and Money and Banking alongside minors in Finance and Mathematics. He worked as a credit analyst at Community State Bank, a community bank located in Auburn, Indiana, where he helped assess the creditworthiness of entities seeking commercial loans and performed loan underwriting. David had also worked as a research intern at the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, where he assisted in data analysis and provided information to strategic partners across Northeast Indiana. In the future, David planned on attending graduate school and pursuing a master’s degree in data science, a field he was passionate about. He also served as a small group leader for Grabill Missionary Church’s Young Adult Ministry and volunteered at Community Harvest Food Bank when time allowed. In his free time, David enjoyed going on weekend drives, learning new skills, and spending time with his fiancée, Grace, with whom he planned to marry in August of 2024.

Majors: History and Anthropology
Minor: Business Studies

Biography:
Sydney Coyne was a History and Anthropology major with a minor in Business Studies. In addition to participating in the Honors Program, Sydney was also selected to be a Chapman Scholar and a two-time Top 50 Recipient. Her academic interests included medieval history, public history methodology, the study of archaeological methods, and 20th-century art movements. Outside of class, she served as a tutor, pep band member, orientation leader, tour guide, and Student Activities Board chair. In her free time, Sydney enjoyed serving as a camp counselor and childcare volunteer in Paulding County youth programs. As a student at Purdue Fort Wayne, Sydney explored career opportunities within the fields of history and anthropology. After interning with the Education Department at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, she uncovered her passion for teaching within the museum setting. Upon graduating from Purdue University Fort Wayne, Sydney planned to attend Indiana University Indianapolis, pursuing a master’s degree in Museum Studies.

Major: Art and Design
Minor: Art History

Biography:
Madison Foreman was a 22-year-old senior in the Art and Design Department at Purdue Fort Wayne. She graduated with a major in Art and Design and a minor in Art History. Madison was extremely passionate about photography, traveling, and spending time with the people she loved. During her final year, she was grateful for the opportunities provided by Purdue Fort Wayne, the Honors Program, and her department, which allowed her to travel to Italy, Panamá, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Through these opportunities, she grew as an artist, experienced diverse cultures, and pushed herself to new limits in her art. Madison also completed a Creative Photography internship through Sweetwater Sound, enhancing her photography skills and providing opportunities to meet new people and work with talented artists. In her last semester, Madison was honored as one of the “Top 50 Students.” After college, she hoped to find a creative photography job filled with challenges and variety. Madison also started her own photography business in the fall of 2024, hoping to one day dedicate herself to it full-time after gaining more real-world experience. Photography was also a creative outlet for managing her chronic disease, endometriosis. She hoped to use visual communication and advocacy to empower others facing similar challenges. Madison was thankful for the constant love and support of her fiancé, parents, friends, and the grace of God, which enabled her to balance work, a chronic illness, and full-time college. She also expressed gratitude to her advisor, James Gabbard, for his guidance and support, which motivated her to pursue photography seriously.

Major: Criminal Justice
Minor: Human Services

Biography:
Her path as a first-generation student was an adventure of tenacity, willpower, and an unwavering desire for education. Born in Malaysia and part of a Muslim Rohingya family, she grew up without citizenship, facing challenges related to education and career opportunities. Her journey to Purdue Fort Wayne was fueled by her aspirations and the hard work of her family. Overcoming language barriers and societal obstacles, she maintained a 3.5 GPA at Purdue Fort Wayne. She planned to pursue law school and advocate for people who faced similar struggles. Her story exemplified the value of perseverance and education.

Major: Music Education
Concentration: Vocal
Minor: Theatre

Biography:
Madison Kindler was a senior at Purdue University Fort Wayne, graduating in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Minor in Theatre. She was active in the field of education as a student teacher and had volunteered with various school districts around Fort Wayne. Madison also worked as a volunteer assistant director with the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir and Huber Junior Choir. She served as the president of the university’s Collegiate National Association for Music Education (cNAfME) chapter, helping to revive the organization after COVID-19. After graduation, Madison planned to pursue a full-time performing arts instructor role in Fort Wayne.

Major: Biology
Associates: Chemical Methods
Certificate: Research

Biography:
Emily graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne in May 2024 with a Bachelor’s in Biology, an Associate’s in Chemical Methods, and certificates in honors and biology research. She planned to attend vet school, pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Emily served as an officer in the Agriculture & Pre-vet Club and made the Dean’s list every semester. She worked part-time as a veterinary assistant, handled dogs, and volunteered at a local horse rescue. During her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, she was recognized as a Top 50 Student twice. Emily was grateful for the opportunities she received from Purdue Fort Wayne, which helped shape her future.

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Certificate: Bio-Mechanical Engineering

Biography:
Mick Stewart was a Senior Chapman Scholar from Warsaw, Indiana, majoring in mechanical engineering. He planned to graduate in Spring 2024 with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, a minor in mathematics, and a certificate in bio-mechanical engineering. Mick was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) on campus.

Major: Popular Music (Recording & Production)
Minor: Music Industry

Biography:
Noah Wright was a 22-year-old from Elkhart, Indiana, who graduated from Purdue Fort Wayne with a degree in Popular Music (Recording & Production) and a minor in Music Industry. A Concord Community High School alum, Noah participated in music and athletics at Purdue Fort Wayne, becoming a member of the Popular Music program and the D1 Cross Country and Track teams. In addition to his academic pursuits, Noah worked as a DJ, entertaining at weddings, proms, and corporate events. He planned to pursue a career in music production, combining his DJ experience with the skills he acquired in music production to create original music for future audiences.

Nikolas Albertson is an honors student graduating from Purdue University Fort Wayne in May of 2023 who studies economics, public policy, and mathematics. He is a research assistant for the Department of Economics working in the fields of industrial organization, microeconomics, and financial economics. Nikolas has published his research in various academic journals and has presented at multiple conferences. He has been recognized as a Top 50 student in 2022, has received honors for high scholastic achievement, and served as the treasurer for the economics club at Purdue Fort Wayne. Upon graduation, Nikolas plans to attend graduate school to receive his Master of Science in economics, and hopefully, his Ph.D. in economics.

Jason Bonar is an honors student graduating in May ’23 with a degree in organizational leadership (B.S.) and minors in event management and food and beverage management. He is the program coordinator of Military Student Services where he structures and organizes military themed events on the campus of Purdue Fort Wayne. He is also the secretary of the Student Veterans of America organization at PFW.

Noah Cook is an honors student graduating in May '23 with a degree in History, with minors in English, Political Science, and Philosophy. He has worked as a mentor on campus for history students, and also has worked as a tutor for the History department. He has worked on many research projects throughout his time at PFW, with much of his research focusing on the historical realities of the LGBTQ+ community both nationally and abroad. He has also received many honors during his time at PGW, including the Withers Scholarship and was selected as one of the Top 50 in April 2022. He plans on continuing his studies about these topics in graduate school, where he plans on specializing on American cultural history, especially for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Austin Brandenberger is a senior at PFW, majoring in Physics and Mathematics with a concentration in optoelectronics and photonics. During his time at PFW he spent several semesters as a TA for introductory and intermediate physics labs and has been involved in various PFW Physics outreach programs. After his junior year he was selected to be a participant in the NSF physics REU program at Montana State University where he helped create a real-time particle tracking algorithm for laboratory use. During his senior year, Austin has spent his time working in Dr. Mark Master's lab on explorations into quantum optics. After graduation he plans to remain in Ft Wayne to work as a systems engineer for L3Harris Technologies where he hopes to apply his skills and knowledge to solve real-world problems.

Lydia Delagrange is an Elementary Education major who looks forward to beginning her teaching career. Right now, she is student teaching, but will only be there for a few more weeks. She was fortunate enough to be placed with her 2^nd grade teacher. She enjoys teaching students and helping them make connections between what they are learning and real-life situations where they can use those skills being learned. She also enjoys studying languages and hopes to someday use her Spanish in her own classroom. She could potentially see herself teaching English to Spanish speaking students, or being involved in a Dual Language school. She is excited for what the future may hold!

Jaden Johnston is a double degree candidate with majors in English and Secondary Education with a minor in psychology and a Teaching English as a New Language (TENL) Certificate. Jaden began her tertiary education with a passion for language and linguistics but as schooling continued, this transitioned into a love for English and teaching the language to others.  This is the final semester for Jaden as she wraps up student teaching in the English Language Learner (ELL) classroom. This honors project will also finalize the end of her five-year journey through Purdue Fort Wayne. She hopes to continue her education at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez for a master's in English education.

Saron Girma is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2023 with a degree in Political Science as well as a Spanish minor. She is the president of the PFW Model United Nations team and led a team to the American Model United Nations conference in Chicago, Illinois for three years. She is an honors center employee, as well as a research and teachers assistant for Professor Georgia Ulmschneider. In addition to on-campus activities and research, Saron spent the spring semester of 2022 studying abroad in Athens at one of the premiere study-abroad institutions in the world, College Year in Athens (CYA). She was able to study in Athens due to the generosity of the Herr Scholarship which covered her tuition and room and board while in Greece. She was the first student at PFW to receive this distinction or attend CYA, and in addition to receiving the Herr Scholarship Saron is also an Ulmschneider Award recipient which enabled her to gain valuable life experience while studying abroad. She currently works as the Lawyer Referral Service Director at the Allen County Bar Association and plans to attend law school in the near future.

Solomon was born and raised in the state of Indiana, attending grades K-12 in Fort Wayne public schools. He typically spent more time at home and had plenty of time to read as a result and received praise from his parents and teachers about his reading abilities, which he works into his love for stories and video games. Solomon enjoys having detailed discussions about how story and gameplay affect player experience and how profit-making measures such as micro transactions have had a profoundly negative impact on video games as both an art form and an enjoyable experience. Beyond this, he also thoroughly enjoys discussing general history and military history, especially as it relates to human rights violations and systems of power. 

Solomon has worked in a variety of workplaces that have gone from calm to chaotic. He has worked as a dishwasher at Panera, a security guard at the Coliseum, the Clyde, and many other venues, and a clerk for the United States Census Bureau. He has acquired many professional and personal skills as a result and enjoys organizing his workplace to ensure that it remains clean and efficient. Solomon started at PFW as a Biology major with the intent of becoming a veterinarian but quickly grew to realize that chemistry did not interest him at all. Instead, he chose to become an English major, drawing on his love for reading, writing, and storytelling when making this decision. He has expressed an interest in cross-cultural dialogues and stories that reflect the differences and similarities between how different cultures think. Solomon has expressed a special interest in studying the literature and culture of minority communities in the United States, seeing how their unique situations have shaped their livelihoods in the US. Solomon has recently been studying international political issues and social welfare, especially in regard to how the United States has fallen behind other western countries. During his downtime, Solomon has been attending dance practice with the PFW Japanese Club and assisting Professor Crisler with promoting his Student Reading event. After PFW, Solomon plans on working at the Coliseum as an event promoter, putting his writing skills to the test in communicating with clients. He is also currently writing a science fiction book with hopes that he will one day do some voice acting, story writing, or editing for a video game.

Ishrat Islam is a Bangladeshi currently pursuing a double major in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. Inspired by the character Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he chose to pursue electrical engineering as his career. In high school, Ishrat won the Best Speaker award and went on to receive an academic scholarship from Purdue University Fort Wayne. He has also been recognized on the Dean's Semester Honors List and as an Outstanding Senior Graduate in Mathematics. 

In his personal life, Ishrat enjoys playing football (not soccer) and counts Lionel Messi as his favourite football player. As a first-generation student from a third-world country, he appreciates the love and support of his parents as he navigates the challenges of studying abroad in the United States. 

Aside from his academic pursuits, Ishrat is also passionate about making a difference in his community. As a member of the Muslim Student Association, he has been working to combat negative stereotypes about Islam and promote a better understanding of the Muslim community. Through his involvement in the association, Ishrat has been able to connect with other like-minded individuals who share his values and aspirations. Looking ahead to his future career, Ishrat is excited about the possibilities and eager to make a meaningful contribution to society.

Logan Lemon is graduating with an Accounting and Music Industry double major. As a student he has been the business manager of the PFW record label Gold Top Music Group, secretary of Campus Ministry, and a member of Accounting Society and the Music Industry Association. He has been a band leader for a performing rock group, a bookkeeper for several small businesses, and a tech assistant for a local church. In the future he intends to work in public accounting as a public auditor in Fort Wayne as he pursues CPA certification.

Madeline Ludwig is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She has also completed a minor in Psychology and a certificate in Behavioral Analysis and Techniques. She is the secretary of Purdue Fort Wayne’s chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA). During her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, Madeline completed an on-campus clinical practicum, in which she provided articulation and language therapy to a child client throughout the semester with faculty supervision. She has also interned at Possibilities Northeast, a local autism clinic that provides pediatric therapy services. Madeline’s passion for working with children and her interest in child language development inspired her to pursue this honors project. She will be attending Purdue Fort Wayne’s Speech-Language Pathology graduate program which will begin in June of 2023. After completing graduate school, she aspires to become a certified speech-language pathologist and work with the pediatric population.

Nicholas Mills is a senior accounting student attending Purdue University Fort Wayne. Nick is on track to graduate in May of 2023 with his Bachelor of Science in Business with a Major in Accounting. He plans to continue his educational initiatives at PFW by pursuing an MBA this coming Fall and is determined to take the CPA exam this summer. He is currently employed at Home Lumber of New Haven Inc. as an accountant. Nick has been greatly involved in PFW both athletically and academically. He is a runner on the men’s cross country and track teams and has placed All-Conference in the Horizon League. He has also been honored with many academic achievements as he was nominated by PFW professors as the outstanding accounting and finance student for the Fort Wayne chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI), represented PFW in their business school AACSB accreditation process as one of the Doermer Dozen, has been on the PFW Dean’s list all five semesters, and made the Horizon League Men’s Cross Country All-Academic Team. The men’s cross country team was also ranked thirteenth in the nation based on GPA for their 2022 season. In high school, Nick earned the distinguished title of valedictorian of his high school graduating class at Columbia City High School. The organizations that Nick participates in have shaped him into the person he is today. At PFW he has been the treasurer of the Accounting Society and president of Mastodon Catholic. Other organizations he was an influential member of was Scouts BSA where he held multiple leadership positions and achieved the highly esteemed rank of Eagle Scout. Furthermore, Nick’s family has been a foster family since he was young and has cherished his time assisting his parents in raising foster children. Overall, Nick’s academic achievements, athletic ability, and participation in a plethora of organizations all proffer an insight into who Nick is and what he stands for as a PFW honors student.

Nay Maung is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2023. She will be graduating with a BS in biology with a concentration in microbiology and immunology, AS in chemical methods, and a biology research certificate. She is currently the treasurer of MEDLIFE, a nonprofit organization that advocates for equal access to healthcare in impoverished communities in which she had the opportunity to partake in a service trip to Lima, Peru. Nay has also been a part of Dr. Rebecca Palu’s genetics lab for her junior and senior years at PFW. She is currently a laboratory technician and plans to continue working in a clinical lab by attending Parkview’s Medical Laboratory Science Program this summer to become a laboratory scientist.

Annie Nietert is an honors political science major graduating in May of 2023 from Purdue University Fort Wayne. In addition to her bachelor’s degree, Annie will be receiving a minor in economics and certificates in international studies and financial economics. Annie’s passion for politics began early in her life and later inspired her decision to major in political science. Her experiences at Indiana University and Purdue University Fort Wayne continued to catalyze her interest in international systems of government. After graduating in the top 5% of her high school class, Annie has maintained a 3.9 overall GPA throughout her college career. Annie is a licensed insurance agent and currently works part time at her family’s insurance agency in New Haven, Indiana. After graduation, Annie will be working full time at the insurance agency with plans of future ownership as the third generation.

Akshay Sathiyamoorthy is a Senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Mathematics. He is a certified Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Associate of Mechanical Design as well as Associate of Simulation. In school, he works as an Exam Proctor and Testing Assistant at Purdue Fort Wayne’s Testing Services. Furthermore, he is also currently involved in the redesign of a rotary test stand at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. Akshay has been admitted to the Graduate School at Purdue University West Lafayette where he will be pursing Aeronautics and Astronautics, starting in January 2023. He aims to pursue a PhD in the same discipline as well. 

Madison Phillips is a senior student at Purdue University of Fort Wayne graduating on May 10, 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree majoring in History and Theatre as well as two minors in Sociology and Medieval Studies. Madison has had several opportunities to present her research to audiences including the History Conference of 2022 where she presented research on the presence of the arts in concentration camps during the Holocaust. She has also worked closely in the theatre department assisting with the creation of performance costumes where she discovered her love for designing and creating. From this discovery, Madison paved the way for an internship opportunity this summer to advance her knowledge of costuming and designing in order to be able to apply her knowledge in her future career. Outside of PFW, Madison has worked for several years as a dance teacher and choreographer for studios including ICON Dance Center, Center Stage Dance Academy, and En Croix Ballet. While Madison is still a little unsure of where life will take her, she is happy to utilize her degrees and internships after college to design and create her own costumes to utilize on her own dancers. In addition, she has already had the pleasure of utilizing knowledge from her degrees in her current life including opportunities to stage manage and research for the studios she works for. Madison is incredibly thankful to her parents and husband for the undying support they have shown her on this tumultuous journey of discovering who she is meant to be. She cannot wait to showcase her hard work and research this past semester to you all, and hopes this research fascinates you as it did her!

“Charitable; the giving of alms.” This is Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing. The play follows the

lives of the Westbrook women, Dorothea, Artie and Echo. The audience members are

transported through the memories of these women and learn what makes them so different froma

each other and the ways that they are the same. Eleemosynary was a realized production from the

Department of Theatre in the Fall Semester of 2022 and was directed by Professor Jeffrey

Casazza. The main challenge of designing costumes for the production was creating distinct

looks for each character while finding ways to connect them together. A particularly poignant

element to consider is the construction of the wings from 1958, crafted by Dorothea herself. It

had to maintain resilience and ease of movement while also appearing homemade. These

problems were resolved through the design process.

The design process begins with the play. It must be read through several times then analyzed by

developing a research bible. The costume research was conducted during the time of the play, the

Eighties, although the wings were inspired by contemporary sources. Several sketches were

presented at the production meetings, which are a series of meetings that occur with the director,

production coordinator, and the scenic, costume, and lighting designers. These positions are

primarily held by the professors of the Department of Theatre. All departments collaborate

together in order to resolve any potential issues before they occur. Once the director approves of

the designs, final renderings are created with the casted performers. A budget sheet for all

costume pieces required is made. Anything costume-related is relayed to the costume shop, run

by Clinical Assistant Professor Jeanne Pendleton. Most costume pieces were either pulled from

stock or bought online, then altered to fit the actress. Dorothea’s costume was entirely built in the

shop by the students and the costume shop supervisor because it was too specific to find online

or in stock. This was the same for the wings. The last step is observing the costumes and wings

in rehearsals to solve any last-minute problems. Finally, the costumes and wings are ready for

the production. The costume designs were well researched and constructed in a thoughtful

manner. The costumes contrasted the scenic design but did not pull focus from it. The performers

felt confident in their costumes and performed without any issues. Color and silhouettes became

a major asset in defining each character. The idea of color interaction and color mixing drove the

designs. Dorothea’s flowing clothes shows off her playful side. In comparison, Artie’s suit

reveals her distant nature. Echo is somewhere in the middle because of the influences of both

women in her life. The wings themselves are constructed like a quilt. Doing so made them

lightweight and simple to wear. Costume design is a great communication tool to provide insighton a characters’ personality. Echo says that words gives her the ability to fly. The same happens

with costumes. Costumes gives designers the opportunity to fly and reveal their voice.

Autumn Straessle is a senior biology student at PFW. She grew up in Indiana and spent much of her young life outdoors. This love of nature and wildlife led her pursing a bachelors in biology at PFW. During this time Autumn has dedicated her time to both her studies and extracurricular actives relating to both research and conservation. While in the PFW program, Autumn has worked with multiple reptile species, mostly including those of snakes and turtles. At the current Date Autumn plans to graduate and continue on to pursue a master's in biology with PFW.

Mimi Aretha Ahiakwo, a senior, is a Psychology major originally from Ghana, West Africa. She joined the Purdue University Fort Wayne campus and has been intrigued by the application of psychology research to African and children populations. Currently, she works as a research assistant in Dr. Brenda Lundy’s lab. Her love for research, especially in child developmental studies, led to her presentation at the 2022 Student Research Symposium on the topic, “Adoptive and Biological Parents Mind-Mindedness Toward Preschool Children” for which she and her co-author won the 2nd place award and the Sigma Xi Award for the Best Team Presentation. Mimi plans to take a gap year after graduation to focus on more research opportunities.

Derek Brown is senior at Purdue University Fort Wayne graduating in Fall 2022. He will be graduating with a degree in Mathematics and a degree in Data Science and Applied Statistics. Derek will also be graduating with a Minor in Computer Science and Actuarial Science along with a Certificate of Undergraduate Research. He is the current president of the Data Hub Club 1 and he served as the vice president during the 2021-2022 school year. Derek has worked as a teaching assistant or lab instructor for six different computer science and statistics courses, and he has enjoyed his time working as a tutor for the math and science tutoring center. Derek is planning on pursuing his PhD in statistics with a focus on probability theory. His dream career is to continue doing research and teaching as a professor. 

Haley Crouch is a senior, psychology major graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in the spring of ’23 with a Bachelor of Arts. She is the current Vice President of the on-campus psychology honor society Psi Chi. She has also been involved in the psychology department as a teaching assistant, research assistant, and a psychology tutor. Haley is currently a resident assistant for student housing and works as a registered behavior technician at Child’s Play Plus. Haley is involved in multiple research projects with Dr. Bendele and Dr. Lundy, both in the psychology department. She has been accepted to multiple graduate school programs and plans to continue her education in counseling psychology at a program near Fort Wayne.

Alexandra Denning is graduating with a degree in Political Science, a minor in Philosophy, and certificates in Peace and Conflict Studies, International Studies, and Honors. She has been involved with Green Action Club, Philosophy Club, and Estudiantes for Change. Alexandra has also worked as a Teacher’s Assistant to Professor Hake Tarango for Introduction to Peace and Conflict studies, and more recently, Dr. Wolf for Intro to American Politics. Outside of school, she strives to be a committed member of the community. Alexandra coordinated and received a scholarship to host the Summer Screening Series, a community engagement program dedicated to raising awareness and education on important social issues in our community. She also founded a local, grassroots organization called Caring is Cool that she hopes to develop in the future. She started Caring is Cool in the summer of 2020 with a mission of supporting food and home insecure populations in Downtown Fort Wayne. More recently, Caring is Cool has grown to advocate for all marginalized communities. Alexandra is very grateful for her education at Purdue Fort Wayne and for the support and recognition of her professors, especially within the Department of Political Science. She was honored to receive multiple recognitions and awards throughout her academic career, including Top 50, two consecutive Ulmschneider Awards, Van Coufoudakis Scholarship, Donald F. Wood and Darlene M. Richardson Charitable Foundation Endowed Scholarship, Thomas W. Hey Endowed Scholarship of Politics and Culture, and Graduating with Highest Distinction.

Steven Dellinger is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2023 with duel degrees in Finance and Political Science as well as a Certificate in Bank Management. Steven has been involved with the Student Government Association in a variety of positions, sat on the university Allocations Committee and Campus Appeals Board, and held leadership roles in several student organizations while also participating in the Summit Scholars Program as the Doermer Distinguished Scholar. Steven is passionate about the overlap of private organizations and public needs, a focus strengthened by his time working full-time as a Policy Intern and Bill Reader for the Indiana House of Representatives during the 2022 legislative session. Steven has enrolled at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and will begin there in Fall of 2023.

Skyler Garcia graduated from Westview Jr/Sr High School in May 2020 with an Academic Honors diploma and a 4.0+ GPA. She will be graduating from Purdue University Fort Wayne in December 2022. She is currently majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders with minors in Spanish and Linguistics, as well as an Honors Certificate. In August 2022, Skyler studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico where she took a course in Spanish after receiving an International Studies Scholarship from the Purdue University Fort Wayne Honors Program. After graduation, Skyler plans to pursue a Master’s degree to become a Speech-Language Pathologist. 

Makaila Groves is an honors student graduating from Purdue University Fort Wayne in May 2023 with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (B.S.) with minors in Linguistics and Special Education Mild Intervention K-12 and certificates in Honors and Gerontology. Makaila’s research has been approved by several councils including ASHA -American Speech Hearing Association, ISHA - Indiana Speech Hearing Association, and JPUR- Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, where she also holds an Editorial Board and Outreach Team Member seat. She is also President of SALT, an organization that promotes leadership among student athletes, a Resident Assistant in Student Housing, a member of NSSLHA - National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, and a Substitute Teacher in FWCS. She is also an Athlete, running Cross Country and Track & Field, earning school records in the 500-meter and 600-meter run. Makaila plans to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison beginning in the Fall of 2023 to earn a Master’s in Speech Language Pathology.

Hannah Huang is an honor’s student graduating from Purdue University Fort Wayne in May ’23 with degrees in biology (conc. in microbiology and immunology) (B.S.) and chemical methods (A.S.). She is involved in microbiology club and conducted undergraduate research at PFW and currently IU in neurodegenerative disease. Hannah previously worked as a student tutor at the PFW tutoring center, and she is currently accepted to continue her education at the PFW Biology Master’s program with a position as a research assistant under Dr. Ivorine Yu and Dr. Jimmy Yen at the IU School of Medicine Fort Wayne in fall ’23. 

Shane Jones, an exemplary honors student, is set to graduate after the 2023 summer semester with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science, along with a minor in History. A proud member of the school's chapter of the International Honor Society in Economics, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Shane boasts nearly a decade of experience as a union member of the United Transportation Union (UTU) while serving as a freight conductor for both Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific Railway. Currently, he works as a non-union ironworker employed by Zumbrun Construction Company. 

Mr. Jones' role as a devoted father to his 8-year-old son, Eric, who lives with severe autism spectrum disorder, coupled with his time spent in both union and non-union workforces and his close connections to those affected by drug addiction, has fueled his passion for understanding the intricate mechanisms driving social inequalities. 

In addition to his honors showcase project, Shane has also embarked on a case study that delves into the paradox of the coexisting wage gap between union and non-union workers, the divergence in support for unionization efforts among these groups, and the increasing levels of public backing for organized labor. 

Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Shane intends to attend law school and pursue a career in public interest law, focusing on labor and employment law, criminal justice reform, financial market regulation, and social policy reform. Through his dedication and tenacity, Shane aims to make a lasting impact on the lives of those facing injustice and inequality.

Valeria Lopez is an honors student studying Hospitality and Tourism Management. Valeria will graduate from Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2023. She is a first-generation college student. Valeria is fluent in English and Spanish, while in college she also studied Arabic. In which she earned an excellence in Foreign Language Study Award. She was the vice president of Hispanos Unidos on campus during her sophomore year. She participated in an internship at Cedar Point during the summer of her junior year. After graduation she plans to go back to Cedar Point to elevate her knowledge about event planning as she plans to have a career in event planning.

Nathan Mills is a senior at Purdue University Fort Wayne pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science with minors in Mathematics and Business Studies. He is a student-athlete on the cross country and track teams and a proud Eagle Scout. Nathan is a two-time member of the PFW Top 50 class as well as an Honor’s student. Nathan is involved in many clubs on campus including President of the Actuarial Club, Treasurer of Mastodon Catholic, and member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT). While in school, Nathan has co-authored a paper with Dr. Alessandro Selvitella of PFW, Dr. Kathleen Foster of Ball State, and Kale Menchhofer where they applied data science methods to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was accepted and presented at the prestigious GLBIO 2021 and ICLR 2021 Workshop "Machine Learning for Preventing and Combating Pandemics" conferences. He also completed a study that analyzed brain shape differences between schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic people where he earned third place at PFW’s Data Science Week Competition. His team was the highest placing group from Purdue Fort Wayne. After graduation, Nathan plans to continue at PFW in the Fall 2023 to obtain an MBA in Finance.

Sophie Steele will graduate this semester with a degree in Biological Sciences (B.S.), concentrated in ecology and evolutionary biology, and a degree in Chemical Methods (A.S.). In her time at PFW, she has developed an interest in environmental conservation and forest ecology and hopes to continue in these fields following graduation. Her honors project is a summary of research she has done in Dr. Jordan Marshall’s plant ecology lab. Outside of school, she works at a crafts store and enjoys spending time with her pets. 

Melody Nofziger is a soon-to-be 2023 honors graduate of Purdue Fort Wayne who majored in Communication (Rhetoric and Public Advocacy) and minored in Organizational Leadership. Throughout her academic journey, she has developed a strong foundation in social media marketing and leadership studies, which will serve her well as she begins graduate school at PFW for Organizational Leadership. She is excited to apply her knowledge and experience, with the ultimate goal of attaining her Master’s degree and being a consultant for communication and leadership-based issues within organizations. Melody completed a semester-long internship at a local hospital and is excited to announce that she will be onboarding as their Communication Specialist post-graduation. Previously, Melody worked for the majority of her undergraduate career at a private practice chiropractic office, Wellness Huddle, where she was able to recognize her passion for social media marketing and devote herself to this trade. In her free time, Melody enjoys teaching music lessons, reading, and traveling. She is incredibly grateful for the support of her family, friends, and most importantly, Jesus Christ, throughout her undergraduate studies and looks forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.

Michelle Selo-Ojeme is an honors student graduating with a degree in biology (conc. Microbiology and Immunology) (B.S), chemical methods (A.S), and a minor in French. She is currently the co-president of MEDLIFE, vice-president of AMSA Pre-Medical Club, a member of the African Student Organization (ASO) and the French club, as well as a Nurse’s aide at an assisted living. She also volunteers as a tutor at the Literacy Alliance where she tutors students working towards obtaining their HSE. Michelle has worked in Dr. Ahmed Mustafa’s Stress Physiology lab assisting with research since her sophomore year. Due to her academic success and community engagement, she was named among Purdue Fort Wayne's Top 50 students (in 2022 and 2023), Outstanding Biology Senior, and received the Excellence in Foreign Language Study Award (French). Michelle is currently applying for a 10-month teaching assistantship program in France and hopes to obtain her medical degree in the future.

Varun Shenoy is a biochemistry major at PFW (Purdue University Fort Wayne). He is known for his hard work and passion for learning, always striving to achieve academic excellence. Varun is also an active member of various student organizations, where he contributes to the community and develops his leadership skills. He is a part of various on-campus student organizations such as the Chemistry Club. He has also been performing research with Dr. Haeik Park for the past two years investigating the preferences and needs of food pantry visitors at the PFW Pantry. He is graduating at the end of this semester and hopes to attend medical school in the coming year.

Rachel Ringler is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in December 2022 with a degree in psychology (BA) with a minor in human services. She has served as a Teaching Assistant for Elementary Psychology (PSY12000) and Freshman Success (IDIS11000). Also, she was a Research Assistant in Dr. Perkins’ psychology lab during her final semester. In her spare time on campus, she enjoys volunteering for the Student Activities Board. Throughout her time at PFW, she has been a student worker for the University Well-being and Recreation (WellRec) department and for New Student Programs as a Student Success Coach. She has been a supervisor for the Fitness Center and FRIENDS of the University Pantry since 2020. In addition to these responsibilities, she has taken on the role of intern for the WellRec department. In these on campus employment opportunities, she has found her true passion, being a leader. Rachel will be pursuing her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership in the spring of 2023. During graduate school, Rachel will serve as a Graduate Intern for the WellRec Department. 

Lillian Stotlar is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2023 with a degree in art and design (BA). She has been on the Dean and Honors List four times for her outstanding academic achievements. She also received the honor of Top 50 for this year. She has been an active member of the Photo Club for two years. She has also served as the head of marketing for the College Republicans for two years. Other than academics, she has also been an active student worker as a Resident Assistant for Student Housing for two years. She has also received the honor as RA of the Month for outstanding work, helpfulness, and putting extra work into her job. She has also been an active member of the community. Her work has been shown in the Garrett Museum of Art during their Open Call 2022 exhibit and displaying a ceramic mask during a Masquerade Ball in February 2023.

Viet Tran is an honors student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May ’23 with degrees in Political Science (B.A.) and Economics (B.A.). He is the Vice President of Finance in Student Government Association, and the co-captain of PFW’s national semifinalist team in the College Fed Challenge Competition. He has worked as a student researcher on the economic impact study of the Poka-Bache hiking trails with the Economics Department and presented twice at the MBAA Conference in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, he has completed an internship with the City of Fort Wayne’s Economic Development Department and ran a deliberative forum on the Global Rise of Authoritarianism under the guidance of the Political Science Department. An international student from Vietnam and an aspiring policymaker, he will attend Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies for the Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance in July 2023.

• Major: Computer Science (Concentration: Informatics)
• Minor: Mathematics
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mohammadreza Hajiarbabi (Computer Science)
• Biography: Devansh Agrawal, a senior, is an international honors student from Nepal studying Computer Science with a specialization in Informatics and a minor in Mathematics. He was the president of the Indian Student Association and was briefly involved with the Mathematics Club. He has worked on campus in a variety of capacities, including Box Office Associate, International Student Orientation Leader, Senior IT Helpdesk Analyst, and is currently working as an Applications Developer for the IT Department. He was also a Research Assistant for Dr. Venkata Inukollu, investigating the campus's Intro to JAVA course and proposing techniques to improve future students' experiences. Devansh, along with his Capstone team, is currently researching the area of Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), expanding on prior models, attempting improvements, and conducting comparisons. As his honors project, he delivers the findings of this investigation. After graduation, Devansh will pursue a master's degree in Computer Science. He hopes to continue on his path towards becoming a Software Engineer.

• Majors: Computer Science, Mathematics (Concentration: Software Engineering)
• Minor: Actuarial Science
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Dragnev (Mathematics)
• Biography: Kashyab Ambarani is an undergraduate student at Purdue University Fort Wayne pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (concentration in software engineering) and Mathematics, a research certificate in mathematics, and a minor in actuarial science. He has researched under Dr. Peter Dragnev, Dr. Tu Nguyen, Dr. Beomjin Kim, Dr. Bin Chen, and Dr. Yihao Deng since sophomore year to investigate problems within 5G network optimization, quantum entanglement routing, COVID-19 vaccine optimization, and CT-scan reduction using deep learning. This project presents some preliminary results obtained from the research conducted on building fault-tolerant virtual radio access networks to bring positive impacts to researchers, internet users, service providers, and society at large.

• Major: Biology (Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology)
• Associate: Chemistry (Chemical Methods)
• Minor: Psychology
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tanya Soule (Biology)
• Biography: Madelyn Buhr is an honors pre-medical student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in December ‘21 with degrees in biology (conc. in microbiology and immunology) (B.S) and chemical methods (A.S.) with a minor in psychology. She is co-founder of MEDLIFE of PFW, an international organization that promotes access to Medicine, Education, and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere, a student worker at the Honors Center, member and leader of Tri Beta Biological Honors Society, member of Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology, member and leader of the AMSA Pre-Medical Club, and a pharmacy technician. Madelyn has also worked in Dr. Tanya Soule’s microbiology lab during her junior and senior years at PFW and is nearing the end of the medical school application process. She plans to attend the Indiana University School of Medicine in the fall of ’22 if accepted.

• Major: Business (Finance)
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. James McHann (Management and Marketing)
• Biography: Sam Emley was born in April of 2000, here in Fort Wayne Indiana. He was raised by Joel and Kari Emley, Kari raised Sam and as a former teacher she elected to teach Sam and his brother, Luke herself. Joel worked as a division controller at Eaton Corporation in Van Wert, Ohio. Both parents played integral roles in Sam’s growth through his childhood years, particularly in the area of business, where Sam took a keen interest in the career of his father, Joel. With that interest, Sam decided at a very young age to pursue business like his father with a specific interest in the area of Finance. He was a driven student through high school, earning a high GPA and took that determination into college at Purdue Fort Wayne. Sam quickly took to the Honor’s Program as a way of further improving his academic experience and fell in love with the field of Psychology as he began taking his General Education courses. This newfound love for Psychology manifested itself into a minor in the field. Sam is currently pursuing his dream job with the Walt Disney Company where he plans to begin work as a Financial Analyst for the Disney parks. Sam continued this chase for his dream, spending the past semester in Florida, with his girlfriend Ryleigh Weidenhamer, who is a doctoral student of Occupational Therapy at Huntington University. Sam is graduating in the Spring and hopes to be able to use his accumulated knowledge in both the Business field and the Psychological field to help those in the mental health community in tandem with his career with Disney. Sam would like to thank the support of his girlfriend, Ryleigh, his parents Joel and Kari Emley, and his younger brother Luke, who is also a student at Purdue Fort Wayne.

• Majors: Political Science, History
• Minor: Sociology
• Certificates: Peace & Conflict Studies, International Studies
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ann Livschiz (History)
• Biography: Michael Gerardot is a senior who has completed his degree with majors in History and Political Science, a minor in Sociology and certificates in International Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies. This project will complete his Honors certificate and he will be graduating at the end of this fall semester. In addition to academic pursuits, during his most recent time at PFW, Michael has worked as a student mentor for the History Department

• Major: Computer Engineering
• Minor: Mathematics
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bin Chen (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Biography: Yilei Li aims to engineer, innovate, and impact these technologies and the lives they affect. She is an international honors student from China. She is graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May ‘22 with a degree in computer engineering (B.S) and a minor in mathematics. She was listed as part of the Dean’s & Semester Honors in the College of Engineering Technology and Computer Science from 2018 to 2021. Yilei was also honored to receive the Fred Zollner Foundation ETCS Scholarship in 2021 and the PFW Top 50 award in 2022. In her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, Yilei actively engaged in various mentoring and teaching activities to help peer students succeed academically. She has been working as an undergraduate teaching assistant since 2019 and has worked as a LEAD peer mentor for one year through the ETCS Student Success Center. During the pandemic, she joined the IEEE Student Chapter as a peer tutor and helped engineering students cope with adapting to online learning by providing tutoring in various subjects. She had also served as a student worker at the IT Services, Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and the Office of International Education. After graduation, Yilei intends to pursue a master’s degree with a teaching assistantship to deepen her academic view while continuing to help students succeed in their pursuits.

• Major: Biology (Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology)
• Associate: Chemical Methods
• Minor: Psychology
• Certificate: Biology Research Certificate
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Palu (Biology)
• Biography: Sophia Petrov is an honors pre-medical student graduating with a (B.S.) in biology with a concentration in microbiology and immunology, (A.S.) in chemical methods, and a minor in psychology. Sophia has earned the Purdue Fort Wayne Top 50 Award for two consecutive years for her academic achievements and outstanding contributions to her community. She is the President of TriBeta Biological Honor Society, member of Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology, and member of The National Society of Leadership and Success. Sophia has also worked in Dr. Rebecca Palu’s genetics research lab as an undergraduate research assistant during her junior and senior years at PFW and is an oncology patient care technician outside of school. Sophia’s interest and passion for oncology will lead her to pursue a medical degree after graduation.

• Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Minors: Linguistics, Psychology
• Certificates: Gerontology, Applied Behavioral Analysis
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Naomi Gurevich (Communication Sciences and Disorders)
• Biography: Kayla Reidenbach is a senior graduating with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with minors in Linguistics and Psychology and certificates in Gerontology and Applied Behavior Analysis. She is the president of the American Sign Language Club at Purdue Fort Wayne and is active in the NSSLHA chapter on campus. Outside of school, she holds a part-time job at a local coffee shop as a barista. After graduation, Kayla will be pursuing her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology where she hopes to work within adult and minority populations.

Major: Biology (Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology)

Minor: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ahmed Mustafa (Biology)

Biography: Taylor Schoenefeld is a pre-medical student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in the spring of 2022. She will be graduating with a bachelor's degree in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology and Immunology and a minor in Psychology. Taylor has volunteered at A Hope Center, a local pregnancy resource center, for the past 4 years. She is employed at Lutheran Hospital as a scribe and is also head lifeguard at the Summit Natatorium. She is a student leader for Campus Ministry, a member of the MEDLIFE club, biology club, and AMSA pre-medical club, and is also a member of the Tri Beta Biological Honors Society and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honors society. She served as vice president of her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha for one year. Taylor has worked in Dr. Ahmed Mustafa's lab assisting in research for the past two years. She hopes to attend Indiana University School of Medicine after graduation.

• Major: Biology (Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology)
• Associate: Chemical Methods
• Minor: Psychology
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ahmed Mustafa (Biology)
• Biography: Malaika Ahmed is an honors pre-medical student graduating from Purdue Fort Wayne in May 2022 with degrees in biology (conc. in microbiology and immunology) (B.S.), chemical methods (A.S.), and a minor in psychology. She is the founder and current president of MEDLIFE, an international chapter organization that promotes access to Medicine, Education, and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere, founder and treasurer of the Muslim Student Association, secretary of Model United Nations, a student worker at the Honors Center, a summit scholar in the Chapman Scholars program, a member and leader of Tri Beta Biological Honors Society, as well as a patient care technician at Lutheran Hospital. Malaika has also been working in Dr. Ahmed Mustafa’s Stress Physiology lab since freshman year and joined Dr. Rebecca Palu’s genetics lab in the fall of her senior year. She is at the beginning of her medical school application process and hopes to get accepted for the 2022-2023 cycle.

• Major: Music Performance: Piano (BM)
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hamilton Tescarollo (Music)
• Biography: Olivia Bressler is graduating this semester with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. She has been taking piano lessons for over 16 years and has been fortunate to study with Dr. Hamilton Tescarollo for the past four. In 2019 and 2021, she worked at the Purdue Fort Wayne Gene Marcus Piano Camp as a Practice Coach and performed solo recitals in the Festival. She was one of the winners of the 2021 Purdue Fort Wayne Concerto and Aria Competition, performing second piano in Poulenc’s “Concerto for Two Pianos” with her colleague. She has also performed in masterclasses with artists such Lise de La Salle, Liu Liu, Kevin Ayesh, and Qing Jiang, and has been a frequent competitor in IMTA’s Hoosier Auditions. She enjoys helping students learn and has worked as a music tutor at the University for the past few years. Olivia also plays violin and enjoys being a part of the Purdue Fort Wayne University and Community Orchestra. She hopes to teach privately after graduation.

• Majors: Political Science, Organizational Leadership (Concentration: Legal Studies)
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Toole (Political Science)
• Biography: Panashe Chakabva graduated in Spring 2022 with a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in organizational leadership with a concentration in legal studies. She was a research assistant for a professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership and worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science. Panashe was an active member of Model United Nations, MedLife of PFW, and College Democrats. In addition to being a Chapman Scholar, she was awarded the Van Coufoudakis Scholarship and an Honors Program scholarship during her time at Purdue Fort Wayne. Her academic success and community engagement led Panashe to be named among Purdue Fort Wayne’s Top 50 students in 2021. Panashe’s passion for helping immigrant communities led her, along with her project partner, to plan and host a health resource fair for immigrants who had recently relocated to the Fort Wayne area. The event was an effort to promote and increase awareness of health services and organizations available in the community. Panashe credits her academic and personal success to the support and encouragement she has received from her family, friends, and faculty. At the time of graduation, Panashe was looking forward to continuing her studies while living and working in Fort Wayne.

• Major: Economics
• Minors: Business Studies
• Certificates: Financial Economics
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nodir Adilov (Economics)
• Biography: Priya Garg is a senior, majoring in economics with a minor in business studies and a certificate of finance. She was involved in the economics club and was the treasurer for the Indian student association. In school, she has worked in the box office and as a peer mentor. She was also a teacher’s assistant for introduction to macroeconomics and introduction to statistical theory in economics and business. Outside of school, she holds a full-time job in Los Angeles at a family-owned jewelry manufacturing store. Throughout her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, she was inspired and motivated by her professors to pursue honors courses, participate in the research symposium and the federal reserve challenge. After graduating, Priya plans to move back to Los Angeles and work as a financial advisor.

• Major: Biology (Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology)
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elliott Blumenthal (Biology)
• Biography: Alise Hale is an honors student graduating this May with a B.A. in Biology (conc. Microbiology and Immunology). She has also been a member of the Purdue Fort Wayne Softball team during her time at Purdue Fort Wayne University, recently receiving the Player of the Week Award through the Horizon League. She is a member and leader of the AMSA Pre-Medical Club and has been volunteering at Matthew 25 Health Clinic for two years. Alise has been the softball team’s representative for the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) since her sophomore year. She has received numerous prestigious academic awards including 2019 and 2021 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete as well as being on the Academic Honor Roll throughout her four years. Alise plans to attend medical school to become a physician after obtaining a master’s degree in Public Health.

• Major: Biology
• Associate: Chemical Methods
• Minor: Psychology
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tanya Soule (Biology)
• Biography: Sierra Mullins is graduating with a Bachelor's in Biology and an Associates of Chemical Methods with a minor in Psychology and Honor's certificate. She has an Associate's in General Studies from Vincennes University and served as Vice President of Legislation in Student Government Association in Spring 2022. She served as Public Relations Committee Chair, Curriculum Committee, and as a senator in the 2021 academic year. Sierra has worked as a substitute teacher, waiter, fast food manager, and retail salesperson. She has played in the Fort Wayne Community Orchestra, intramural soccer, and intramural volleyball. She also volunteers for hospice. Sierra aspires to become a pediatric physician and hopes to go to IUPUI's Pre-Professional Program: Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology. She is interested in participating in more research in the future.

• Major: Biology (Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology)
• Associate: Chemical Methods
• Minors: French, Psychology
• Certificates: Biology Research Certificate, National Society of Leadership Certificate
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ahmed Mustafa (Biology)
• Biography: Soufanieh Pierre is a pre-medical student graduating in May 2022 with honors from Purdue University Fort Wayne. Her bachelor’s degree specification is currently in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology and Immunology. She will also be receiving an associate degree in chemical methods. Furthermore, she is minoring in French as well as in Psychology. With the academic advising of Dr. Tanya Soule, she was able to progress through her undergraduate better informed and prepared. Soufanieh is also passionate about language, playing piano, and the arts. Where she is implementing some of those creative skills during remote volunteering with Elara Caring Hospice center, and soon to be with Parkview Hospice center. Particularly, she received the Excellence in Foreign Language Award in French, after being selected by Dr. Nancy Virtue of the French program. She is a member of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, where she has also earned a certificate for that. Furthermore, another credential that she will receive after graduation is the Biology Research Certificate. Soufanieh’s research supervisor is Dr. Ahmed Mustafa, who she started working with beginning senior year about projects regarding echinoderm sea creatures. Under which, she has continuously aided her several graduate teammates during their rigorous acute and chronic sampling sessions. Recently she has been graciously awarded the NASA Diversity Stem grant, nominated by Dr. Mustafa, where she will be co-presenting about the “Production of Quality Biomass using Nutraceuticals in Aquaponics” and relating it to space. She is currently applying to medical school and hopes to attend Indiana University School of Medicine, after completing a one-year Purdue University Fort Wayne biology master’s degree. Regarding professional plans, she hopes to focus on neuro-related issues. And of course, Soufanieh greatly thanks her mother for being her number one support and catalyst for success!

• Major: Communication (Concentration: Journalism)
• Minors: Spanish, Religious Studies
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Heloisa Sturm Wilkerson (Communication)
• Biography: Lydia Reuille is a PFW senior majoring in Communication with a Concentration in Journalism, and minoring in Spanish and Religious Studies. As a freshman, she was inducted into the National Society of Leadership & Success and Phi Eta Sigma, and has consistently been on the dean’s list. Freshman year is also when she started freelancing with the Journal Gazette. Their leadership helped strengthen her journalistic writing skills, and after two years of freelancing, she interned with the newspaper her junior year. Lydia also worked at Costco for three years and left in the summer of 2021 to pursue a career with WANE 15, starting just before her senior year. She spends her weekends at the station, while weekdays are dedicated to the campus newsroom as the editor of PFW’s digital media outlet, the Summit City Observer. Lydia is coming up on her first wedding anniversary with her husband, Zach, a northeast Indiana native who has helped her feel at home in the Fort by making sure she knows all the best local (mostly food-related) places to explore. Besides local adventures, Lydia also loves to travel, learning about cultural traditions and listening to new perspectives. After graduation in May, Lydia is honored to continue reporting in the community she loves as a digital producer at WANE 15.

• Major: Criminal Justice (Concentration: Public Administration and Policy)
• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jospeter Mbuba (Criminal Justice and Public Administration)
• Biography: Xochitl Gallegos-Garcia graduated from Elkhart Central High School in 2019. After three years, she wraps up her last semester at Purdue University Fort Wayne graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and a minor in Psychology. The Allen County Probation Department was grateful to have had Xochitl as an intern for the school year of 2020-2021. She now volunteers and interns at Phoenix Associates with a licensed therapist. Xochitl joined and was involved in events and organizations throughout campus. Not only was she a part of these organizations but became President for OUTspoken and Secretary for Destiny Rescue. Xochitl also participated in intramural volleyball on campus. She has been on the Dean's List and Semester Honors in the College of Professional Studies for both school years, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. In addition, Xochitl has also been nominated for Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Top 50 award for 2021 and 2022. She plans to continue her education to the doctorate level and one day become a Correctional Psychologist.

Brooke is motivated by her passion for diversity and equality, which has influenced her course of study. She is a double major in Political Science and Computer Science, minoring in both Linguistics and Spanish. She studied Arabic for four semesters before studying abroad in Rabat, Morocco for a semester to learn the Moroccan dialect, Darija. While abroad, she interned for the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and studied North African culture and politics. After returning home to the United States she was employed by Riverfront Fort Wayne and took the lead on cultural and inclusive public programming. In addition to her research in health equality, her projects include COLRC Mobile, a mobile dictionary application for the Coeur d’Alene tribe; the Mason Bee Initiative of Fort Wayne, promoting native pollinators throughout the Fort Wayne community; and the Calm Water Sensory Tent of Riverfront Fort Wayne, to increase accessibility to Riverfront public events.

Josh Chapman is a senior who for the last four years, including the summer semesters, maintained the sole occupation of studying. He was introduced to Political Science serendipitously. After taking an elective course with the late Dr. James Lutz, he realized in a matter of weeks that the world of politics was better suited to his interest and talents than the world of business and finance. He interned for a local public policy consultant for United Way of Northeast Indiana, met with various county and state officials, and dabbled in other areas of local politics. As an honors student, he is thankful for the well-rounded and at times challenging education he received from PFW. He now plans to take a gap year in preparation for law school.

Jadon Evans graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in secondary education, a Bachelor’s degree in biology, an Associate’s degree in chemical methods, a biology research certificate, and minors in mathematics, psychology, and communication studies. Jadon served as president of Campus Ministry and president of Love Your Melon Campus Crew, where he coordinated outreach events to serve the physical and spiritual needs of the campus and community. Throughout his time at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Jadon pursued research endeavors in both biology and education. These endeavors included a biology undergraduate capstone project exploring the effects of the cyanobacterial indole-alkaloid scytonemin on melanoma growth and his Chapman Scholars capstone project that sought to develop reading programming for a non-profit youth services organization in Fort Wayne. Jadon graduated in May of 2021, and his future goals center around applying his passion for helping students learn and grow by entering the workforce as a teacher in the Fort Wayne area.

Joshua Gilhespy was born in England in 1992. When he was four years old, he and his mother moved to the small town of Chico, Texas, and away from the rest of any support system that he had. For most of his childhood he lived as the odd one out, and gained no meaningful support system while he grew up. He graduated with a GPA of 3.2, and left Chico as soon as he could. Lost for many years, it took the help of new friends who encouraged him to find out what he wanted to do with his life. It was at that time he decided he wished to become a doctor, to help ease the suffering of the world. With proper support, Joshua flourished. Using the meagre resources he had, he attended Ivy Tech Community College, became part of the local Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, graduated with an Associates in Liberal Arts with a 3.8 GPA, then attended Purdue Fort Wayne. With growing confidence, he took multiple Honors courses per semester as he pursued his Bachelor's in biology. Set to graduate in Spring 2021, Josh continude on his academic journey with PFW’s Graduate Program. His ultimate academic aspirations are set on an MD/PhD program with an emphasis on genetics, with a dream of becoming a researcher whose entire goal in life is to pursue solutions to many medical problems the world faces. He wishes to find cures, not treatments, and has made it his mission in life to do as much good for the world as he can. It is this mindset that pushes him to desire to see an end to the spread of COVID-19.

Eaint Honey Aung Win, a senior, is an international honors student from Myanmar (Burma) studying Biological Sciences with a concentration in immunology and microbiology. She research under Dr. Elliott J. Blumenthal (Emeritus) since sophomore year to investigate the Immunomodulatory and inhibitory effects of a nutraceutical on murine spleen and cancer cells respectively. She presents the results of this research as her honors project. She will be pursuing her master degree with teaching assistantship at Purdue Fort Wayne in Fall 2021. She hopes to continue her path towards becoming a medical doctor after.

Eslin Lebrecht is graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Imaging and Photography in May of 2021. She aims to create pieces that inspire other upcoming artists to speak on less conventional topics and urges them to think outside of the general trends that confines society. Her photography focuses primarily on mental health issues as well as societal problems. She aspires to showcase this work so that others can relate to it in some way in order to continue the conversation of these difficult topics. With that being said, Eslin picked up work in the graphic design field in hopes that her skills further her reach to a broader audience in society and to one day, be showcased in international art museums. For her thesis project, Eslin wanted to bring forth a topic in which related to her upbringing, but yet still remain ambiguous if the pieces stood alone from the artist statement. She focused primarily on capturing images of weeds because they tend to prosper in areas where society has not yet laid its controlling hands.

Allison Whitcraft graduated Bishop Dwenger High School in 2017 with a 3.7 GPA and Academic Honors, as well as Dual credit. At Purdue Fort Wayne, she majored in Psychology and minored in Creative Writing. Allison was the Vice President of the mental health advocacy club Active Minds in 2018, and she worked as a research assistant from 2018-2019. She was a teaching assistant for a 2019 Introductory Psychology course and a 2021 Psychology of Women course. Additionally, Allison was given an opportunity in 2017-2018 to be an assistant to a local forensic psychologist. Her research in 2021 was featured in the 2021 Midwestern Psychological Association Conference. Allison was also named a member of the PFW Top 50 class of 2021. Allison plans to attend graduate school, obtain a doctorate in clinical psychology, and eventually become a license therapist, in hopes of sharing her passion for psychology and mental health advocacy with the community and helping others to heal.

Brian Blackwell graduated in Fall 2020 with degrees in Accounting and Political Science. At school, he was a member of the Model United Nations team, the PFW Judicial Court, and the Chapman Scholars Program, and the Honors Program. After graduation, Brian planned to start working as an auditor for the public accounting firm Dauby, O’Connor, and Zaleski in Carmel, Indiana. Brian does not want to stay in accounting forever, and he will use his time as an auditor to develop an idea for the future. Brian’s interests include Greek, home improvement projects, and motorsports.

Trang Dao majored in Accounting and Information Technology at Purdue University Fort Wayne. She joined the Student Government’s Senate for two years, acted as Vice President for Economics Club Sophomore year, participated in Model UN for three years, of which Trang was the President in 2019. She was with the Deans of Students Office for three years. She was also been an active member of Accounting Society since Freshman year and continued her term as the President for her senior year. Trang interned for Medpro Group as a Stakeholder Experience intern, where she helped them launch a new Medpro website, Habitat for Humanity as a non-paid Accounting intern, F&G Annuities and Life in Iowa as an Internal Audit intern for the summer, and now Tax and Audit intern at Hamil, Lehman, and England CPA firm. She also had several chances to give back to the community. For four years at PFW, she volunteered at all of the Big Event at the end of Spring semester. Trang also went to Student Leadership camps as a Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior, in which one year she volunteered to be the Student Leader. Trang has helped Red Cross’s VITA program as a tax-preparer for two years, volunteered at Parkview’s Out-patience Pharmacy during the summer, set up, performed, and cleaned up at Global Student Celebrations every year.

Rachel Gawsyszawski graduated with a Bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in psychology and an Associate’s degree in chemical methods. She was the Vice President of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society. Due to existing food insecurities exacerbated by the pandemic, Rachel helped organize volunteer opportunities at the Community Harvest Food Bank through TriBeta. She also assisted in coordinating a tutoring program for TriBeta members, in addition to tutoring Purdue Fort Wayne students in the subjects of biology and chemistry through the University’s Tutoring Center. In her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, Rachel completed an internship at Metro Hospital in Cleveland and a shadowing opportunity in general surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Rachel’s interest in chronic disease and surgical practice leads her to pursue a medical degree.

Caleb Hain graduated with a Political Science major and Criminal Justice minor at Purdue University Fort Wayne in May 2021. Apart from his major and minor, Caleb is interested in Religious Studies and Latin. Taking classes in Psychology, Political Science, and Religious Studies inspired him to write his Honors Project, which focused on the psychology of voting. During college, Caleb spent excess time working at a local deli. Caleb has researched a variety of topics including Medicaid’s effect on trans-related healthcare, campaign strategy, why the US fails to ratify many human rights treaties, and how religious identity affects trading relationships between countries. At the time of graduation, Caleb was planning on attending law school. Caleb was also the recipient of the Ulmschneider Prize in Political Science, the PFW Excellence Scholarship, the Senator Thomas J. Wyss Endowed Scholarship, and the 21st Century Scholarship.

Minh Le graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in biology (ecology and evolution concentration), an associate’s degree in chemistry, a research certificate in biology, and a minor in geology. He was born in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, and his passion for the biological sciences have prompted him to study abroad in the United States. Mentored by Dr. Mark Jordan, Minh researched the Ambystoma salamander since his sophomore year. His research provided him with valuable laboratory experience and a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Additionally, he served as a Teaching Assistant for the entomology course and guided students to build research-grade insect collections. This last accomplishment was made possible by the Teaching Assistantship scholarship in the Honors Program. After graduation, Minh intended to pursue a PhD in entomology with the hope of one day becoming a research scientist in the field of entomology, evolutionary biology, and developmental biology.

Jaime Ryan majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders, minoring in Linguistics and Psychology, and receiving a certificate of Gerontology. She presented a research poster at The 2021 Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. After graduation, Jaime was planning on attending Purdue University Fort Wayne to receive her Master's in Speech-Language Pathology.

Born in Goshen, Indiana, Katherine Gaff earned a BFA in sculpture at Purdue University Fort Wayne. After a summer internship at Anderson Ranch in Colorado, she has returned to her ceramic sculptures with more vigor than ever. At the time of graduation, Katherine intended to continue her education into a Master’s program, with the goal of becoming a university professor. While working through college, she obtained several larger scholarships. A departmental scholarship, earned through a portfolio of her work is granted each year. She has also obtained scholarships through the Honors department, as well as from the Dean of the Art and Design Department. The main scholarship was a Teachers Assistantship for the Ceramics Instructor, assisting in an introductory ceramics course. Each of these scholarships added up to an educational experience that allowed her to spend the majority of her hours in the studio making work, as well as gaining the skills needed to become a professor and interact well within the professional realm. Katherine is interested in the human condition. Her work finds expression through the use of elegant curving lines that wrap around her work and exemplify the external beauty. It is only upon further inspection that the inner degradation of the soul makes an appearance through the external mask of beauty. This work has been shown locally and regionally in galleries such as the Garret Museum of Art, the First Presbyterian Gallery, and the Patton-Malott Gallery in Snowmass Village, Colorado, during her summer internship. Holding the presidential position in the Purdue Fort Wayne Ceramics club, as well as working as the Work-Study for the Ceramics Professor for 2 years, has given Katherine an overarching experience that allows her to navigate the world of a professional in the ceramics realm; writing grants, organizing events, and delegating tasks amongst her peers.

Emily Anderson graduated from Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma in 2017 with a 3.9 GPA and a year of college finished. After only three years, she graduated in May of 2020 from Purdue Fort Wayne with a major in Human Services with concentrations in Women at Risk and Diversity. She minored in Psychology, Sociology, and Women and Gender Studies and earned a certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies. Emily was a member of the Women’s Studies honor society Triota, the Human Services honor society Tau Upsilon Alpha, and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. From 2018-2019, she served a term on the Campus Appeals Board at Purdue Fort Wayne. Emily’s role as the President of Purdue Fort Wayne’s Human Services Organization gave her the opportunity to pioneer the first Alumni Event where local professionals who have graduated from Purdue Fort Wayne’s Human Services program spoke on a panel to current students regarding finding jobs, avoiding burnout, and other relevant topics. Along with the Alumni Event, Emily has helped facilitate many volunteer opportunities and donation drives for the organization. Her involvement at school and in the community led Emily to be named among Purdue Fort Wayne’s Top 50 both for 2019 and 2020. She was also awarded a 2019 Tapestry Scholarship and was the national 2019 National Organization for Human Services’ Harold McPheeters scholarship recipient. Emily’s passion for helping others has recently led her, along with her partner, to apply to serve in the Peace Corps. They were recently invited to serve in Eswatini, Africa and will be leaving in September of 2020 to serve for 27 consecutive months after getting married in June. Emily credits her drive to help others to both her experiences in Guatemala on service trips as well as her heavy involvement in Girl Scouts. “Do a good turn daily” and “make the world a better place” are only two of the important ideas she has learned from Girl Scouts. She is a Gold Award recipient, has been a Girl Scout for over 15 years, and is now a lifetime GSUSA member.

Brittney Bressler graduated with a theatre major at Purdue Fort Wayne, with an emphasis in acting and a minor in English. During her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, she performed in ten theatre department productions, including “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Frankenstein: An Act of Creation,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Antigone,” and “Once Upon a Mattress.” This season, she played Flora in “Flora, the Red Menace” and Marty in “Grease.” She was actively involved in other theatre department activities, including serving as secretary for the Student Theatre Organization during the 2018-2019 academic year. At the time of graduation, she was a writing consultant at Purdue Fort Wayne’s Writing Center in Helmke Library. While pursuing her degree, devised theatre became one of Brittney’s passions. In the summer of 2018, she trained with Dell’Arte International in California as part of their Summer Intensive, and in the summer of 2019, she trained as an apprentice with Off-Broadway company One Year Lease in Papingo, Greece. These workshops combined with her work in performance classes have motivated her to explore devised theatre further for her honors project and share this avenue of theatre-creation in hopes to inspire a new way of thinking about theatre. While may not have had concrete plans for the future at graduation, she was planning to pursue a graduate degree in a theatre-related field in the near future.

Alliza-Moira was a Proud Mastodon since she began her Purdue Fort Wayne career in the fall semester of 2016. She was a transfer student from the Philippines with the concentration of Tourism Management and decided to continue her studies in the Hospitality and Tourism Management field. She became part of the Honors Program from 2017 and was listed as part of the Semester Honors in the College of Professional Studies from 2018 to 2020. She also had the opportunity to pursue and present her poster of the same research project at the 23rd Annual Student Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium. During her sophomore year at Purdue Fort Wayne, she was chosen to be one of the two representatives of Purdue Fort Wayne’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Young Hoteliers Summit that was held in Lausanne, Switzerland and became part of the Hotel Schools of Distinction Student Board Conference that was held in Berlin, Germany in 2018. Alliza has participated in different volunteer opportunities through the BIG Event and Purdue Fort Wayne’s Hospitality Management Association. She was involved in different organizations on campus such as the AmbassaDons, Student Government Association and Deans Diplomats. She also proudly worked in the Undergraduate Admissions office as a Students Admissions Representative. As a Proud Mastodon, she got chosen to be the Top Don 2020 last Homecoming Week in February of this year. At the time of graduation, her goal was to work as a Cabin Crew in one of the major airlines in the country and work her way up while travelling all over the world. With all the experiences and opportunities that she had during her time at Purdue Fort Wayne, she knows that all the knowledge and connections that she had will help her in her future career after graduating in May 2020.

Eryk Johnson graduated with a Psychology major and Spanish minor at Purdue Fort Wayne. Before transferring to Purdue Fort Wayne. he attended IUSB where he was the Vice President of the Psychology Club. Once he transferred to Purdue Fort Wayne. Eryk became a research assistant for three semesters in the Psychology Department. During his senior year, he was involved in the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology where he served as the Vice President of the Purdue Fort Wayne chapter. At the time of graduation, Eryk was working part time as a Mental Health Technician at a psychiatric inpatient hospital in Auburn, was completing an internship with the Bowen Center in Fort Wayne, and was also completing an internship in suicide prevention with Project Compass on campus this semester. During graduation, he was deciding which graduate school program he will apply to in the fall of 2020.

Elliot Nesler was a mathematics major. He has competed in several mathematics competitions, including the Putnam Exam in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and the ICMC in 2018 and 2019 as part of a Purdue Fort Wayne team. His academic interests range over a variety of subjects, from mathematics to contemporary Irish literature, and he has completed research exploring topics such as the Irish identity dilemma as explored in the language issue and network-automata modeling for plague spread. At the time of his graduation, Elliot was planning to continue in the graduate school pursuing a Master of Science in mathematics at Purdue Fort Wayne.

Merab Omoregie was a communication major at Purdue Fort Wayne, with a concentration in journalism and a film studies minor. Born in Nigeria, she moved from her home country in pursuit of better education. She found a home at Purdue Fort Wayne and four years contributed positively to her newfound home and community. She was involved in the Black Student Union, Student Activities Board and previously held positions as vice president and public relations officer of the National Society of Leadership and Success. At the time of her graduation, Merab was working as a communications strategist, doing research on social media and generating new ideas for effective communication in the workplace. Her dreams and aspirations include becoming an investigative journalist and working with women in her country to help contribute to a society where women of color are appreciated and given equal rights. Graduating in May 2020, Merab was very excited to begin a new journey in Austin, Texas.

Sylvia Rust was a senior majoring in Political Science, Women’s Studies, and Communication, concentrating in Rhetoric and Public Advocacy, graduating in May 2020. She also pursued Certificates in International Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Civic Education and Public Advocacy. During the Spring of 2019, Sylvia was given her Honors Pin from the Purdue Fort Wayne Honors program, was inducted into the Women’s Studies Honor Society, Iota Iota Iota, and was awarded as one of Purdue Fort Wayne’s Top 50 students. Sylvia has interned locally for the Evan Bayh for Congress campaign in 2016. During the summer of 2019, she interned for the substance abuse coordinator at Amani Family Services. Hoping to pursue a career in academia, Sylvia also interned as a Teaching Assistant during the fall of 2020 semester with Communication Department Chair, Dr. Michelle Kelsey, and at the time of graduation Sylvia was interning for the Allen County Democrats’ Chairwoman, Misti Meehan. Sylvia works and is a mother of a two-month old named Hazel, as well as being a full-time student.

Teagan Bowie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. At the time of graduation, she was planning to combine the two in graduate school by analyzing public health and how policy can improve it. She was also planning on starting as a home health nurse in the community to identify health needs and assist patients’ transition from hospital to home. For the last two years before graduating, she participated in the Area Health Education Center Fellowship, an interprofessional health project emphasizing public health and collaboration in the health fields. Teagan also has an interest in international studies, shown by her semester studying Arabic and Political Science in the United Arab Emirates at the American University of Sharjah and in a summer cultural exchange with the Bahrom International Program in Seoul. Using her experience abroad as inspiration, she focused on Middle Eastern politics for her senior seminar and following Honors Showcase project.

Srikiran Dasari graduated with highest distinction with a bachelor’s degree in biology (concentration in microbiology and immunology), a biology research certificate, an associate’s degree in chemical methods, and a minor in mathematics. Srikiran was involved in the Pre-Med and Chemistry Clubs, embedded tutoring in the Math and Science Resource Area, the Chapman Scholars Program, volunteer tutoring for graduate-level biochemistry, and volunteer judging for the Northrop HS Speech Team. Throughout his undergraduate career, Srikiran was involved in a variety of research endeavors, including biochemistry research on red kidney bean protease inhibitors, the Student Education and Research Fellowship Program through Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), and his Chapman Senior Capstone Project on assessing stress across campus and evaluating student opinions on a prospective stress management program. An interest in learning biotechnology research techniques through the study of a clinically relevant metabolic disease and a desire to contribute to the scientific community’s understanding of how we can treat this disease are what inspired Srikiran to pursue this Honors Project. Srikiran will be graduated in spring 2020 with plans to matriculated to the IUSM Fort Wayne campus the following fall.

Jinshi “Gigi” Goshorn graduated May 2020 with a finance and marketing degree, a minor in music, and a certificate in bank management. She was very active on campus over the years, participating in the Student Government Association, the Finance Society, and Delta Sigma Pi to name a few. At the time of graduation, Gigi was hoping to stay and work in Fort Wayne. While growing up, she was always been encouraged to follow her passions, which is how she came up with her senior project. She wanted to help empower other Purdue Fort Wayne students by helping lessen the financial barrier students may face when applying for jobs.

Cassidy Merkle graduated with an Anthropology major and Art and Design minor at Purdue Fort Wayne. Throughout her college career, she was involved in the campus community. Cassidy was involved in TRIO on campus and actively participated in their events. She was also a peer mentor for the TRIO program. She helped new students become familiar and comfortable with the campus through this position. Cassidy was a part of other organizations and activities on campus, such as the Ambassadons and the Big Event. She also found ways to be an active member of her community through volunteer work with the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and the Community Harvest Food Bank. Cassidy worked part-time for a local bakery, Zinnia’s Bakehouse, which is also very active in the community. It was these experiences with the college and Fort Wayne Community and work at Zinnia’s that helped inspire the idea for her honors project. It allowed her to pursue interests in art, through the expression of a painted mural, and anthropology by conducting interviews and research on the subject. At the time of graduation, Cassidy was excited for what will come after graduation.

Austin Northcutt was a communication sciences and disorders major at Purdue Fort Wayne. He was involved with ASL Pah! and Speech and Hearing club at Purdue Fort Wayne. A desire to help people and be challenged to critically think every day led to his love for the field of speech-language pathology. An interest in pediatric speech-language pathology inspired him to pursue this honors project. He graduated in May 2020, planning to go on to earn his Master’s in speech-language pathology from Kent State University in Kent, OH.

Madison Phillips was a senior Business Management and Marketing major at Purdue Fort Wayne. She was involved in the TRIO program, TRIO club, and Phi Eta Sigma. She had a lot of opportunities during her three years at Purdue Fort Wayne. The most enjoyable were going to Washington D.C., going to the statehouse, donating Easter baskets to SCAN and sewing dresses for African girls. She completed a bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four at the end of spring 2020. During graduation, she planned to work in her hometown of Huntington, Indiana as an Administrative or Executive Assistant. Through her classes and other experiences at Purdue Fort Wayne, she also became interested in becoming a paralegal. She has taken two different law classes with Professor Kauffman and has enjoyed learning about different cases from around the world. During the ethics portions of each class, they touched more and more on Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. She was so interested and intrigued that she decided to cover it for her honors showcase. In her class in spring 2020, there was a critical thinking assignment that she used as a base for her project.

Viviane Toniarimanana was a senior Finance major at Purdue Fort Wayne from Madagascar. She has a robust financial analysis skill and experience in real estate and title insurance. At the time of graduation, she was currently working as an Account Payable and a Final Policy Coordinator Intern. She was an active member of the Alpha Omega Campus Ministry and the African Student Organization. She likes getting involved in her community and was volunteering at the Purdue University Fort Wayne Food Pantry. She is passionate and curious to learn how the future of money will be and that inspires her to focus her honors research project about cryptocurrency. Viviane graduated in spring 2020, planning to start her career in investment banking before pursuing graduate school.

Mariana Ayala Gutierrez graduated with a biology major at Purdue Fort Wayne, with a concentration in microbiology and immunology. She was the president of Global Health Initiative and was involved with the club since her freshman year. As part of her involvement and commitment to the University, she was a Big Event leader for three consecutive years. During her sophomore year, she welcomed the new incoming students as an orientation leader. Mariana was an active member of multiple clubs here at Purdue Fort Wayne, such as Honor Dons, Hispanos Unidos, Biology club, Pre-Med club, and also Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society. Outside of the University, she was also involved within the Fort Wayne community by volunteering at the Matthew 25 clinic as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients. With the help and mentorship of Dr. Blumenthal, Mariana was given the opportunity to immerse herself in the field of biological research beginning in her freshman year. Mariana’s professional passion to become a physician started when she was young. She took note of the multiple health disparities that the Peruvian population encounters every day. This also sparked a desire to volunteer in Peru at a free clinic during the summers when she visits home. Mariana graduated in Spring 2019, and as part of her future plans applied to medical schools.

Valeria Castro Salazar graduated with a B.S. in biology with a concentration in microbiology and immunology and a minor in psychology. She was an active member of the campus community, as she served as president of the Honors Student Organization for three consecutive years and was also a member of Global Health Initiative, the Pre-med Club, and Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society. She was heavily involved in the Honors Program and was a dedicated student worker since her freshman year. As an AmbassaDon during her sophomore and junior years, she promoted University excellence within the community through leadership and outreach. She also proudly served as a member of The Pantry’s Food and Fundraising Committee since fall of 2017. Notably, Valeria served as the sole student representative on the Chancellor Search Committee during the summer of 2017. She also furthered her academic experiences by conducting research with a fellow student under the supervision of Dr. Nachappa. She had the opportunity to present this research at the Indiana Academy of Science on March 24th, 2018. Valeria also likes to devote her time to causes outside of the University. She was a long time Lutheran Hospital volunteer and has previously volunteered for Heartland Hospice. During graduation, Valeria was planning to continue her professional pursuits by applying to medical schools.

Mackenzie Fry graduated with a degree in communication sciences and disorders major at Purdue Fort Wayne. She was involved in the Speech and Hearing and ASL Pah! clubs on campus. She also was involved with the START program at Indian Village Elementary School and the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) camp on campus in fall 2018. She was an orientation leader and welcomed students to campus during the summer of 2018. Mackenzie’s desire and passion to be a speech-language pathologist came from her own experience working with a speech-language pathologist as a child and as an adult after a car accident. The various clinical practicums offered through the communication sciences and disorders department inspired her to create and develop her honors research project directly tied to current clinical practices. During graduation, Mackenzie was planning on pursuing graduate school in speech-language pathology.

Kaelyn Hatcher was a senior majoring in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne. She was involved in the national honors society; Kappa Delta Pi, the Rho Chapter, here on campus. Kaelyn was also involved in various research projects in the College of Professional Studies in the Education Department focusing on Child Development, Science Education, and projects for Autism. She spent much of her time around children and often finds herself teaching new research ideas of her own. Kaelyn was a part of the 20th Annual Student Research and Creative Endeavors Symposium where she used her teaching practices to inform pre-service and in-service teachers the importance of Individualized Education in the school systems. Her passion to be a teacher came from her own thirst to learn and research the world around her. At the time of graduation, Kaelyn was finishing her student teaching and classes and planning on starting her graduate studies journey while navigating teaching in her very own classroom in the Fall of 2019.

Izak Lewandowski graduated with an English major with a concentration in writing and a minor in Medieval Studies at Purdue University Fort Wayne. He’s had poems and works of short fiction published both in “Confluence,” the university literary magazine, and outside of the scope of the university, both as a result of the opportunities granted by his experiences with the Purdue Fort Wayne English Department. As a student, he frequented the once-per-semester student readings held on campus as both a listener and a reader, as well all of the events with the writers from the Visiting Writers showcase as he could. He was also been an active participant in the Japanese program on campus, continuing through his study of the language to the fullest extent that the program allowed. His commitment to English and the English Department comes from a lifelong fascination with language, poems, and stories, and he intends to continue to pursue that passion and fascination to the fullest extent he can.

Sophia Malmquist received a bachelor's degree in Women's Studies and a certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies. She was the President of Iota Iota Iota - a chapter of the National Women's Studies Honors Society at Purdue Fort Wayne. She was a fierce feminist, advocate for peace, and vegan. Post-graduation she planned on continuing to work and live in the Fort Wayne community.

Sydney Osentoski was an undergraduate Honors student attending Purdue University Fort Wayne. She majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders, minored in Linguistics, and received a certificate of Gerontology. She was involved in the ASL - PAH! Club, Sign Choir, and the Speech and Hearing Club. Sydney signed at Deaf Santa as part of Sign Choir in 2016 and 2018. She also volunteered for Sensitive Santa. She presented a research poster at the 2018 Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention and at the 2019 Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention. Growing up, Sydney’s sister and cousin both attended speech therapy. This was where her interest was speech language pathology first blossomed and led her to pursue this career path. After graduation, Sydney was planning on continuing her education in graduate school to eventually receive her master’s degree.

Amara Scheitlin graduated with a double major in History and Political Science, as well as an International Studies Certificate and Peace and Conflict Studies Certificate. Amara was involved on campus in numerous ways: She worked as a student mentor for the Department of History for two years, served as the treasurer for Fort Wayne College Democrats, and had the pleasure of working for the Mike Down’s Center for Indiana Politics on community outreach projects involving democracy. Amara started at Purdue Fort Wayne in the fall of 2016 as a History major because she was inspired by her high school history teacher to further explore the subject. Since then, her interest in history has only grown, largely in part because of the supportive and influential faculty members she encountered in her time here. In the summer of 2018, Amara’s interest in international relations flourished when she had the opportunity to intern at the United Nations Population Fund. At the time of graduation, Amara was looking to continue her studies in the future, grateful for all the kindness and guidance provided by her professors at Purdue Fort Wayne.

Fyodor S. Wheeler was a senior history major with minors in English, medieval studies, and religious studies. At the time of graduation, he was writing his senior thesis on Lollardy. He worked as a tutor for history and writing and at graduation was assistant to the book review editor of academic journal “Terrae Incognitae.” He presented papers on the history of broadcasting, the Cult of Reason in the French Revolution, and the writings of Procopius at the Undergraduate History Conference, as well as the Student Research Symposium on Balinese religion. His main academic interests are Middle English literature, medieval manuscripts, and the life and work of Charles, Duke of Orleans, and his passion was making information and sources accessible to all. After finishing school this was planning on completing the translation of Harley MS 682 and continuing to graduate school to earn a Master’s in history and a Master of Library Science.

Jenna Boese graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She also pursued a minor in Psychology and a certificate in Gerontology. She was President of the Purdue Fort Wayne ASL Pah! Club and Sign Choir and was an active member of the Purdue Fort Wayne Speech and Hearing Club. Jenna became interested in the field of speech-language pathology while helping her high school theatre director with his speech therapy exercises after he had a stroke. Seeing his improvement provided a sense of accomplishment unlike any other Jenna had previously experienced, and so she decided to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist. While completing her core coursework at Purdue Fort Wayne, particularly in Gerontology, she became interested in researching dementia for her senior honors thesis. Individuals with dementia disorders make up the fastest-growing, largest, and most under-served population with whom speech-language pathologists work. At the time of graduation, Jenna planned on continuing her education in the fall by attending graduate school to obtain a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.

Riley Erck graduated with a biology major at Purdue Fort Wayne, pursuing dental school. She actively participated on campus by being involved in many clubs and organizations. Riley served as the President of campus’s Dental Club for the last two years, served two years as an AmbassaDON, was the secretary of TRIO Club, and the Vice President of TRIO Club the year before. On top of being a full-time student, Riley maintained multiple jobs. She worked on campus for her last three years as a science tutor, two years as a peer mentor to first generation college students, and as a sterilization tech and hygiene assistant at a local dental office. After finishing classes in May 2019, she planned on furthering her education to become a dentist and was eagerly waiting to hear back from schools.

Lindsey Greene graduated from Purdue Fort Wayne, majoring in Anthropology, English, Spanish, and Women’s Studies. She was passionate about exploring the questions: What was the human experience? How can we share our experiences with others? and How can we understand and respect the experiences of others? While at Purdue Fort Wayne, Lindsey was actively involved with the Honors Program as well as with the Women’s Studies Program’s Gender and Justice Institute (GJI). From her GJI platform, Lindsey and another student were developing a talk about personal pronouns to present to area high schoolers. Lindsey received the College of Arts and Science’s Ethics in Linguistics Award for her work on English pronouns and the Women’s Studies Outstanding Research Essay Prize for her work on childism, the prejudice against the young and inexperienced. At the time of graduation, Lindsey was planning on starting a Master of Arts in English at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Kara Keller was a senior majoring in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) at Purdue Fort Wayne. When a student, she was involved in the CSD Department’s Speech and Hearing Club, as well as its communication disorders clinic. In the fall of 2018, Kara served as a camp counselor at Purdue Fort Wayne’s Augmentative and Alternative Communication Poss-Abilities Theatre Camp, where she helped facilitate the on-stage performance of 11 children and adults with complex communication needs. After spending several hours shadowing a speech-language pathologist in the school setting, Kara was drawn to learning more about how to improve the communication of children receiving speech and language services. It was her desire to learn how to implement best practices when treating children with communication disorders that prompted her to pursue this honors research project. At the time of her graduation, Kara was planning on attending graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.

Phillip Litchfield grew up in Avilla, Indiana. He graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School in 2013 where he served as Class President, Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, and Captain of the Rugby Football club. Directly after graduation he entered a Roman Catholic seminary located in Cheshire, Connecticut. There he spent a year living a monastic life of reflection, study, and brotherhood. Returning to Northeast Indiana in fall of 2014, after discerning out of seminary, he enrolled at IPFW seeking an undergraduate in Accounting with a minor in Political Science. During his time at IPFW he served as President of Mastodon Catholic, team leader for The Big Event, and a member of the Model United Nations team. In addition to his academic work, he developed himself professionally, working in the accounting department of a local commercial real estate firm SVN | Parke Group. His collegiate experience was enhanced by trips to Poland and South Korea. His preferred areas of study are Public Policy, International Development, and Business Analytics. During his graduation, he was planning on sitting for the CPA exams and continuing employment with SVN | Parke Group. In the future, he hopes to work for a small CPA firm in a big city and volunteer in the reserve armed services. He would like to one day work for the Governmental Accountability Office or an international NGO. He would like to thank all his professors for all their support and work to help him to reach this point.

Karen Negedu was a senior nursing student from Abuja, Nigeria. She was involved in the African Students Association as the president and a member of other groups on campus. She became a member of the Sigma Theta Tau. The best part of her working was spent as a Student Representative for the admissions office and a tutor for Anatomy and Physiology. At the time of graduation, Karen was working in a coronary intensive unit at Lutheran Hospital and was enjoying learning from the healthcare team on her floor. She was also involved on her church’s children’s ministry and the Christian group on campus (chi Alpha). Karen’s call to be a healthcare professional came from her experience with her parents who are also healthcare professionals. She explains that she always had opportunities to shadow her parents and other team members in the hospital. Due to this experience, Karen wants to keep learning and working to improve access to healthcare. In her own little way, she wants to educate and inform people of healthier behaviors.

Awa Samba was an international student from Senegal, a country on Africa’s west coast with a wealthy French colonial legacy and many beautiful natural attractions. She speaks French, English and Wolof, a tribal language from Senegal. She graduated with a major in pre-med biology with a minor in psychology. She was involved in many departments here at Purdue Fort Wayne, including the tutoring center, where she primarily tutor chemistry, math, statistics, and calculus I. She also worked at the language lab and the writing center where she tutors French and helps students with their French writing as well. She was also involved in different clubs on campus such as the pre-med and the African student associations club, where she served as secretary. People have for a long time during her school years wondered why Biology? Why medicine? Why med school? And Awa’s answer has always been the following: she grew up and lived in countries where people die for the mildest diseases ever like malaria or the Ebola outbreak. Poverty was one reason for all of this, but the lack of having qualified enough people for the job was the number one issue. She wants to be able to change that, make her country better, enhance the quality of life, so that they stop dying from minor infections and diseases. She had the chance to do some volunteering work here at Purdue Fort Wayne with the Big Event, the rescue mission, Fort Wayne’ zoo, Parkview and Lutheran hospital. At the time of graduation, she was working in a rehabilitation center and helping people was a beautiful part of her journey. Being an Honors student, a student research and a lab assistant, she realized how much more there was to accomplish. For this reason, as she goes on with her studies and learns about different cultures and beliefs, she was grateful for all the opportunities and looks forward to what the future has to offer but most importantly what she will be offering to it.

Corrie Taylor was a senior theatre major at Purdue Fort Wayne, with an emphasis on acting. Corrie chose to pursue theatre in college after enjoying the outlet of theatre in high school. Majoring in theatre has helped shape her into a better actress and a critically thinking theatre artist who was eager to explore new works, reimagine classical pieces, and test the boundaries of what theatre can be. Through the National Student Exchange, Corrie was able to spend a semester away from Purdue Fort Wayne. She studied at North Carolina Central University where she had the opportunity to work on an original piece of theatre titled Speak My Soul. She returned in the fall of 2018. She was also the student representative for the theatre department. She appeared in Purdue Fort Wayne’s production of Frankenstein: An Act of Creation, in Pride and Prejudice as Jane Bennett, and as titular role in Antigone for a newly adapted version of Sophocles’ Greek tragedy. Expressing great interest Greek tragedy and in her role, she assumed the production as her honors project. At the time of her graduation, Corrie was looking forward to pursuing an acting career in both theatre and film in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Kate Bendele was a returning adult student who was completing Bachelor’s Degree. She was an education major with a concentration on English language arts. Kate had multiple works published in Confluence, a student-run literary and arts magazine. As an education major, she was dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge as a means of fostering engaged, fully developed minds. During a dual listed ENG/WOST course, Kate became interested in health education and the way in which such education influences students’ future health, well-being, and opportunities; this interest became the impetus for this Honors Project.

Rachel Caruso was a senior English literature major with double minors in professional writing and linguistics. She spent her undergraduate career delving into many different areas of English because of her passion for the subject. She spent several years working for the Writing Center before procuring a job at Northrop High School. At Northrop, Rachel was working mainly with Level One ESL students, who are mostly Hispanic students just beginning to learn English. Working with high school students sparked a love of teaching in Rachel, and she decided to go to graduate school to get a master’s degree in English with a teaching specialization. At the time of graduation, Rachel was hoping to teach high school English and then eventually move to a curriculum position. Rachel’s passion for reading and literature—particularly young adult literature—is something she hopes to pass on to high school students.

Cody Davison was a senior chemistry premedicine major. His favorite chemistry course was physical chemistry, since it’s where physics meets chemistry to explain how many real-world processes happen down to the molecular level. He researched inorganic and organic chemistry with both Professor Donald E. Linn Jr. and Professor Steven Stevenson. His exploration of complex molecules with Professor Stevenson led to his Honors Project. His passion to help people drove him to volunteer at a hospital for three years and pursue medical school. Upon graduation, he was planning to take a year off before entering Indiana University’s School of Medicine to become a surgeon.

Adrita Iman was a senior biology major with dual concentrations in genetics, cellular and molecular biology, and microbiology and immunology. Adrita was a Chancellor’s Distinguished Scholar and began doing research at Professor George Mourad’s genetics and molecular biology lab in fall 2016. She was a member of the AmbassaDons; the International Student Organization; the interdisciplinary honors society, Phi Kappa Phi; and the biology honors society, Beta Beta Beta. She received the research assistantship scholarship from the Honors Program in spring 2017, was the recipient of the Emil R. Seidel Scholarship Award from the biology department for conducting research contributing to the advancement of agriculture, and was named the university’s Outstanding Senior in Biology. She was a student worker for IT Services and the Honors Program. Adrita graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology, an associate degree in chemical methods, and a Biology Research Certificate. She decided to continue her academic journey as a Ph.D. student at Indiana University in Bloomington under the Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology Program starting in the fall of 2018.

Rachel Roberts was a senior business major with concentrations in marketing and management. She participated in externships with Career Services and Student Life and Leadership. She was a member of Intervarsity and Honor Dons. She enjoyed being involved in International Table, where she engaged in discussion with international students to learn about different cultures and enjoy a variety of cuisines from other cultures. She also had the privilege of being a peer mentor for different international students for four semesters. The fall semester of her sophomore year she had the honor of studying at the University of Northern Iowa through the National Student Exchange. During her junior year she traveled to Morocco with her international business class. In Morocco they were able to conduct focus groups at AUI University with DeBrand Fine Chocolates and Hoosier Hill Farm. During the summer of 2017 she gained valuable experience being an intern group leader at General Motors. She has gained unique marketing experience at Fort Wayne Newspapers working in the advertising and customer service departments. She enjoyed being a part of the Fourth Annual Communication Showcase and the 21st Annual Student Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium. At the time of her graduation, Rachel was working on her Black Belt Lean Six Sigma Certificates and her Endorsed Certificate. Rachel enjoys helping people through customer service and was interested in ways to improve the customer’s experience. This inspired her to do her honors research on brand loyalty with mobile applications.

Tianna Schuerman was a senior communication sciences and disorders major with a minor in linguistics and a gerontology certificate. She was the president of the Speech and Hearing Club and an active member of the ASL Pah! Club and sign choir. She received the Top 50 Award for the second time and received third place at the 2018 Student Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium. She spent the last two summers volunteering her time at Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities Summer Speech Camp and actively volunteers in the community. During the fall 2017 semester, Tianna volunteered for the AAC Poss-Abilities Theatre Camp, which ignited her interest in augmentative/alternative communication. This ultimately led her interest in this honors research project. During graduation, Tianna was hoping to attend graduate school for speech-language pathology.

Bre Anne Briskey graduated with majors in history and psychology major. She was a Chapman Scholar. Bre Anne was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, Phi Kappa Phi, Psi Chi, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and served as the president of Phi Eta Sigma. She received a Top 50 Award in 2017 and 2018. Bre Anne presented at the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Student Research Symposiums along with presenting at the eighth, ninth, and 10th Undergraduate History Conferences. She was a student mentor for the Department of History and worked with the Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. At the time of graduation, Bre Anne was planning on attending graduate school to study history.

Helena Carvalho Schmidt was a senior majoring in English, political science, and communication, with a certificate in international studies. As an international student from Brazil, Helena integrated herself into the community by being involved in many areas on campus. She was a writing consultant at the Writing Center and the leadership intern for the Office of Student Life and Leadership, where she helped structure the new leadership program and the support structure for the Disney College Program applicants. She served as the vice president of the Model United Nations student organization (in which she was the permanent representative for an American Model UN conference in Chicago), Lambda Pi Eta (national communication honors society) and the International Student Organization, while being involved in other groups like Pi Sigma Alpha (political science honors society) and the Dean’s Diplomats. She was a Top 50 student in 2017 and received the Georgiana Kryzminski Scholarship for excellence in English (academic writing), as well as an award for Excellence in International Studies. Helena tries to maintain an international perspective; she practices and expands that perspective with coursework in international studies, involvement with the local international community, and her study abroad in Belgium in the summer of 2017. At the time of her graduation, she was planning to pursue a career path with international impact in human rights and socioeconomic development (wherever that may be), involving a master’s program in international relations, serving in international/intergovernmental institutions, and—possibly—a Ph.D. Eventually she aims to return to Brazil and become a catalyst for change in order to perpetuate social development in her region.

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Shannon LaClair Rahn was a senior psychology major with a special interest in education and prevention of nonsuicidal self-injury, as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Shannon was a student board member for Active Minds, a student group geared to suicide education and prevention. Previously she served as a COMPASS suicide-prevention intern, as well as a work-study student in the psychology department. While working in the medical department of a large hospital in Illinois, Shannon worked with underprivileged patients who needed assistance with their medical bills. Through her work at that hospital, she witnessed firsthand the lack of access many uninsured or underinsured patients had to quality mental healthcare. This knowledge, combined with her ongoing interest in psychology, inspired Shannon to return to college and complete her undergraduate degree. During graduation, Shannon was planning to obtain a graduate degree in mental health counseling.

Fiona Sackett graduated with a history major, minoring in theatre. As part of her Honors’ program, she acted as the dramaturg for Frankenstein: An Act of Creation. In addition to that, she was involved with the theatre department as a carpenter for the past three-and-a-half years and acted as the prop master for the production of Stupid F*@%ing Bird. Fiona has also presented at the History Symposium and Indiana University Women’s and Gender Studies Conference in 2016 and 2017. At the time of graduation, Fiona was planning to go to graduate school in order to become a professional dramaturg.

Meg Steigerwald is a senior communication sciences and disorders major minoring in psychology. She is an active member and officer of the Speech and Hearing Club and member of the ASL Pah! Club. Meg spent six months in South Africa prior to beginning her undergraduate studies, a time that heavily influenced her decision to pursue speech-language pathology. Upon returning home, her volunteer experiences with the deaf community at Turnstone and alongside her other peers solidified her decision. Completing this honors research project was both a challenge and an opportunity for Meg. She hopes to learn more about child language while simultaneously preparing for potential research opportunities in graduate school. Meg will be pursuing a master’s degree at Indiana University in Bloomington this fall to become a speech-language pathologist.

Matthew Danielson graduated with degrees in political science and English (concentration in writing). His senior project in political science explored the diversity of Indiana’s political culture, and his senior English project, which was also his senior Honors Project, used literary theory to examine the cultural context of the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons of 1952. Matthew was a recipient of the Withers Scholarship, presented at the IPFW History Undergraduate Conference, and was the winner of the 2017 Outstanding English Major Award and the Sylvia E. Bowman Award for literature studies. Matthew serves as the current president of the campus Lutheran student group, interns for the College of Arts and Sciences Media and Communications, works in the Math Testing Center for CASA, was a registered Suzuki violin teacher, and was in the process of finalizing which graduate school to attend.

Cody Fuelling graduated with majors in history and political science, an Honors Certificate, and an International Studies Certificate. He was a research assistant for two professors in the Department of History and was working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science. He presented at the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Annual Undergraduate History Conferences and was working as an assistant book-review editor for Enterprise & Society. He received three scholarships from the Honors Program, was a student representative on the College of Arts and Sciences Student Affairs Committee, and was on the team representing Purdue Fort Wayne at the second-largest American Model United Nations conference in the United States. At the time of his graduation, Cody was going on to intern at the United Nations Population Fund before starting his Fulbright research grant to Luxembourg.

Ariana Jehl will be graduating with her B.S. in elementary education. During her time at IPFW, she was been involved in Students for Life, Love Your Melon, the National Society of Leadership and Success, Spanish Club, and the Honors Program. She enjoys being involved in her community by volunteering, instructing dance classes, coaching high school cheerleading, and leading a middle school youth group. Her passions include drinking coffee, meeting new people, helping others, and traveling. During graduation, Ariana was looking forward to teaching English in Ecuador for a few months and was excited to see where life takes her!

Moriah Landon was a senior music therapy major at IPFW, with voice as her primary instrument. She was involved in the Symphonic Band and Choral Union ensembles on campus, and previously was in the University Singers where she had the honor be in a solo quartet for Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Moriah was an active member of both the IPFW Music Therapy Club as well as the Greater Fort Wayne Campus Ministry. She was also a leading member and substitute conductor of the Mastodon Pep Band where she was also a frequent National Anthem soloist as well as a senior employee for the Williams Theater Scene Shop on campus. Moriah’s call to be a music therapist came from her experiences of growing up with and helping to take care of her cousin who has Down syndrome. It was his struggle to communicate paired with Moriah’s experience with her first client in practicum sessions, a young girl with Down syndrome, that inspired her to pursue this honors research project. Moriah was planning on going on to an internship with Opportunities for Positive Growth in Lafayette, Indiana.

Aaron Thieme graduated in May with a B.A. in philosophy and a minor in professional and applied ethics, a B.A. in women’s studies, and a B.S. and Undergraduate Research Certificate in mathematics. Over his last few semesters, he was working at the Computer Science Department’s Analogical Constructivism and Reasoning Lab. He attended the 2014 Summer School in Logic and Formal Epistemology at Carnegie Mellon University, the 2015 Summer Seminar in Philosophy at University of Colorado Boulder (where he began work on his Honors Project), and the 2016 Summer School in Logic and Computation at the University of Göttingen. Aaron won the Indiana Philosophical Association’s Undergraduate Essay Prize in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and has presented his work several times at professional conferences.

Heather Dewey graduated this semester with a major in history, minors in Spanish and creative writing, and an International Studies Certificate. After working for a year, she was intending to apply to graduate programs for world history and to become a historian who studies historiography and public perceptions of history based on the standard narrative presented in media such as textbooks and popular culture. Although Heather wasn’t involved in clubs, she was a lead consultant with the Writing Center, did editing and grant writing for the computer science department, and worked for Enterprise & Society. She coauthored an article with Richard Weiner, professor and chair, Department of History, which was under review at the time of her graduation, about human rights in Frank Tannenbaum’s books on Mexico and the public’s reactions to him. Heather was a teaching assistant for Holocaust and Modern Genocides and won three awards: an IPFW Exemplar Award, Outstanding Senior in the History Department, and Outstanding Researcher in the History Department. In her spare time, she and her sister (an illustrator) are working on a novel that they plan to self-publish.

Andrew Hakes majored in history with two minors, one in political science and the other in psychology. He was also working to obtain the International Studies Certificate and Honors Medal. Andrew’s area of interest in history is revolution, particularly during the Cold War, and he studied abroad in Argentina. After graduating, Andrew was planning to take a few years off to better decide what he would like to do with his life, but he does want to travel and increase his language skills.

Zachary Jones was a biology premed major. Zachary noticed Professor Mark Jordan’s interest in salamanders during his freshman year and decided to jump on the boat with him, traveling to many wetlands over the years to collect both adult and larval salamanders. Zachary has participated in the Biology, Chemistry, and Pre-Med Clubs, serving as both the vice president and secretary of the latter. During graduation, he was planning to work in a medical lab until he decides to pursue a career as a medical doctor.

Dayvid Myers began attending IPFW as a dual-credit student in the spring of 2013. He was awarded the Chancellor’s Distinguished Scholarship based on his SAT scores. He enrolled as a full-time student in the Information Technology program in the fall of 2013. He later added minors in both computer science and organizational leadership. He joined the Honors Program in fall 2014. He earned the majority of his honors credits in H-Option computer science courses. His largest H-Option project was for his second semester Java course. For this course, he designed and programmed a Battleship game with a graphical interface and an AI opponent. By his last semester, Dayvid had earned a 4.0 GPA in five out of his planned eight semesters for a cumulative GPA of 3.92. He was employed as a tutor at the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science’s Student Success Center before he left to begin a software developer internship at General Dynamics Mission Systems. Over the years, Dayvid was privileged to learn from many incredible instructors in the fields of information technology, computer science, and organizational leadership.

Kakathi Tummala was born and raised in India. She completed high school in India and took the necessary exams to go to medical college there. Although she was all set to go to medical school, Kakathi didn’t feel ready and wasn’t sure if she wanted to become a doctor. During a vacation to America after 12th grade, she decided that she wanted to study here. Her parents did not like the idea. In fact, nobody did. For them, she was not only doubting a good career choice but also wanting to study in a different country that was 8,792 miles away from home. To Kakathi, America presented the opportunity to explore different career paths that were not easy to do back home. After almost four years of exploring, she was going to apply to medical school this summer. Many people told her that she wasted four years just to go back to the career choice that she had in front of herself in the first place. But to Kakathi there was a difference. Now she was choosing this career with all her heart and not because someone asked her to. From her experience, she has learned that it’s OK to be unsure sometimes, and it’s OK to wait and figure out what you want. You don’t have to do what everybody wants you to do (unless that’s what you want too).