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Art and Design:
Katie Dahlman
Katie Dahlman is a uniquely excellent art education student. She envisions and designs lessons that engage students and elicit excellence. In student teaching, she was exemplary of the highest quality of NMU education students. It is impossible to overstate the level of enthusiasm that was expressed by the principal and supervising teacher for her performance. As an artist, her ceramics display depth of content and technical skills, in a sophisticated balance of beauty and meaning. Her work as an artist and educator will continue to expand the lives of students as she moves out into her career.
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Biology:
Anne Scott
Anne Scott will graduate in May with a 4.0 GPA in her zoology major and chemistry minor. She is an extremely active participant and officer of the Pre-Vet Club and Tri Beta Honor Society and is an important creative force in both. She is a Superior Edge graduate, completed the Student Leader Fellowship Program and volunteered at the UP 200 Sled Dog Race, Make a Difference Day, Campus Clean-up Efforts, the Children’s Museum and the Moosewood Nature Center. She held internships with the Moosewood Nature Center and the Animal Medical Center of Marquette and conducted research on vervet behavior in Zambia. She is an exceptional student.
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Chemistry:
Eric Schacht
Eric will graduate summa cum laude in May with B.S. degrees in chemistry and mathematics. He is an exemplary student who has excelled in coursework and undergraduate research. Eric received the Alchemist Award for outstanding achievement in organic chemistry and an NMU University Scholars Research grant to study the properties of a class of molecules that may find uses in molecular electronics and optics; his research has been presented at national American Chemical Society meetings. Eric has served as a tutor throughout his time at NMU and is always willing to help fellow students. He has taught as an organic lab instructor for the past year, a notable assignment for an undergraduate, and volunteered his time to help with the Science Olympiad. In addition to his academic talents, Eric is an avid hiker and outdoorsman. Most weekends he makes it to a trail, river or lake. In the near future, Eric plans to attend graduate school in chemistry or math. Eric shows great enthusiasm for life (and science) and he will be successful wherever he may venture.
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Communication and Performance Studies:
Kate Annala
How highly the CAPS faculty regards Kate Annala is evidenced by her being selected as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in 2009, until someone realized that she was only a junior. In a feat rarely seen in the public relations major, she finished her required courses a year early, so everyone assumed she was a senior. Kate is a rare combination of :
- Academic excellence – 3.93 GPA, summa cum laude, graduating in May
- Leadership – as president of the NMU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, she led fundraising that enabled 17 students to attend the national PRSSA conference in San Diego in fall 2009
- Practical application – among other activities, she was a leader of the PRSSA team that played a major role in the success of the two short track speedskating events at NMU in fall 2009
On reflection, she wrote, “Being part of the PR program has opened so many doors for me throughout my college experience. I’ve learned so much about the field, myself and realized this was what I was meant to do. PRSSA has helped me develop and enhance my professional skills, as well as form friendships that will last a lifetime.” She is looking forward to working with a non-profit organization following graduation.
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English:
Jessica Parker
Jessica enrolled at NMU in 2007 and has since maintained a 4.0 GPA. In 2008 she was a finalist in NMU’s Houston award contest and in 2009 she received the Susan Goodrich Memorial scholarship to support a study abroad trip to Mexico. Jessica has also contributed to the North Wind by writing two guest articles. Recently she has published her first poem and plans to continue writing fiction and poetry in the future. In May she will complete her bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish with a minor in German.
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Economics and Political Science:
Keith Voorheis
Keith Voorheis is graduating summa cum laude, with majors in economics and political science. In addition to working on campus with Superior Edge in the Center for Student Enrichment, he also serves as president of the NMU Economics Student Association, vice-president of the NMU Student Law Forum, and vice-president of Mortar Board. He served on ASNMU as a Representative for the College of Arts and Sciences and now currently serves as a member of the Student Finance Committee. He interned with TIME Magazine in fall 2008 at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from the Student Leader Fellowship Program and Superior Edge with over 800 hours of community service completed. Keith plans to attend law school in the fall to study environmental and natural resources law with the hope of working in the alternative energy development field.
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Geography:
Anna Kerr
Anna graduated magna cum laude in December with a degree in environmental science (biology emphasis) and a minor in Spanish. Anna was active in dendrochronology research under the guidance of Dr. Linah Ababneh and presented at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting in March 2009 in Las Vegas. She also completed a directed study with Dr. Donna Becker, looking at the bioremediation of contaminated soils in the Marquette area, a field in which Anna plans to further her education. Anna is a yoga instructor and an avid backpacker. She also enjoys travel, reading and cooking. Post graduation Anna will work at Yosemite National Park as a ranger until she makes plans to go to graduate school, enter the workforce or win the lottery.
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History:
Anders Gillis
Anders, fluent in Swedish, hales from Fairbanks, Alaska. He came to NMU in 2007 as a cross country skier. He is a history major whom the history faculty has agreed has excelled in all of his studies but in particular in his research and writing. His Swedish language skill has been used on campus for a number of projects. He has also been invited to co-author two books on Danes in Michigan and Finn-Swedes in Michigan to be published by Michigan State University Press. Most recently he has edited and published a number of monographs for the Center for Upper Peninsula Studies.
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International Studies:
Amanda Portice
Amanda will graduate in May with a double major in international studies and in Spanish, in which she has developed a high level of proficiency. She studied in Málaga, Spain, for the entire winter 2008 semester. She participated extensively in the Model United Nations program at NMU. In that capacity she represented Costa Rica, Cameroon, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom, and served as head delegate for the latter three countries. She also participated in the UNICEF Campus Initiative, in which she served as secretary for a year. She hopes to find work related to international refugees and human rights, but would also consider teaching English as a Second Language.
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Mathematics and Computer Science:
Emily Engelhardt
Emily Engelhardt graduated in December summa cum laude with a double major in secondary mathematics and integrated sciences education after earning Dean’s List honors every semester, half of them with a perfect 4.0 record. Emily is an alumna of both the Student Leader Fellowship Program and all four edges of the Superior Edge Program. She was a team-member recipient of the 2009 TLC Student Award (Learning Category), and for four years tutored in the Mathematics Department’s help center. Last fall Emily returned to her home state of Minnesota to student teach and was so successful that the Rushford, Minnesota, district where she student taught hired her as a fulltime teacher starting this January for the remainder of the school year.
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Modern Languages:
Amber Shumard
Amber majored in and has high proficiency in both Spanish and French and minored in International Studies. Additionally, she has studied Russian, German, Latin and Portuguese and Italian. Amber participated in three summer abroad programs including a trip to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, and trips to Spain and Mexico. She also worked as a French and Spanish tutor in the language lab. Amber has been a member of the Russian Club and heavily involved in the French Club. During her two years as the French Club President, she has coordinated many French program events. She graduates in May and plans to pursue graduate work in romance linguistics.
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Music:
Emily Strazzinski
Emily is a summa cum laude December graduate with a major in music education and a minor in mathematics education. Her accomplishments while at NMU include performing in many vocal and instrumental ensembles, appearing in several productions on the Forest Roberts Theatre stage, leading the vocal jazz ensemble for two semesters, and finishing three of the edges in the Superior Edge. Emily completed her student teaching in the NICE school district, teaching PreK-12 music. Since graduation, Emily directed the vocal music for NMU’s production of “Rent” and has been substitute teaching in the area. She hopes to find a job teaching vocal music in the Midwest.
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Philosophy:
Brandon Schlacht
Brandon is the recipient of the Dr. Jim Greene Scholarship in Philosophy for 2010. He’s president of the Philosophy Club for 2009 and 2010, and also chairperson of the Progressive Student Roundtable Committee, which organizes debates and presentations on campus regarding contemporary social and political issues. Brandon is currently applying to graduate schools in philosophy. He wants to earn a Ph.D. and become a college professor.
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Physics:
Bradley Schoenrock
Bradley has demonstrated excellent skills both inside and outside the classroom. He has excelled in the classroom and volunteers to assist with Physics Department outreach programs such as Science Olympiad and Kaleidoscope. He has performed research under the direction of Dr. William Tireman studying Dead River sediment samples and worked with collaborators at Jefferson National Laboratory to study the properties of neutrons. This last summer Bradley completed a REU program at Cornell University studying superconducting radiofrequency cavities for accelerators. In the fall he will continue his career in physics by attending graduate school.
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Psychology:
D. Anne Winiarski
D. Anne Winiarski is an outstanding student who completed her degree in 2.5 years. During this time, she was a teaching assistant for five courses, worked in four research laboratories, designed and ran her own research study, presented at numerous conferences, excelled in a graduate-level course, did a summer internship in developmental neuropsychology, and completed the Honors program. She was the NMU UNICEF Campus Initiative president, and a mentor for incoming honors program students. Anne is currently in the developmental psychology master's program at Columbia University, and intends to pursue her Ph.D. Her goal is to study resilience in children growing up in extremely deprived and dangerous environments, and to help these children thrive to the best of their ability.
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Clinical Laboratory Science, and Speech, Hearing and Language:
John Kinney
Majoring in speech, language and hearing sciences with a GPA of 3.99, John is currently enrolled in his second clinical practicum at the NMU Speech, Language, Hearing Clinic where he has successfully treated children and adults with communication disorders. John has assisted Professor James Zeigler in conducting research on the use of virtual environments in higher education and in presenting this information at the 2009 Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention in Dearborn. Following his graduation in May, John plans to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology with possible doctoral training to follow. A native of Negaunee, Michigan, John is very involved in his local church. He enjoys singing in the choir, playing saxophone, and long-distance cycling. In addition to his studies, John works at the Peninsula Medical Center in Marquette.
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Criminal Justice:
Allison Gager
Allison will graduate summa cum laude in May with a degree in Criminal Justice. In addition to her outstanding academic achievements, Allison is putting theory into practice, first starting as an intern with the Marquette County Juvenile Court, and then continuing as an in-home detention worker and mentor with the same agency. Allison also works for the United States Attorney’s Office in Marquette as a student legal assistant where she helps with the preparation of court documents and general office duties. Additionally, Allison has an extensive record of university and community service. In 2007, Allison co-founded and managed NMU Nothing but Nets, a student group that raises funds for the purchase of insecticide-treated bed nets (mosquito net) for use in African nations to help reduce the spread of Malaria. Allison is also an active volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, where she has assisted with the construction of four homes over the past seven years. In the little spare time she has, Allison enjoys playing golf and tennis, writing, cross-stitching and spending time with family and friends. She recently was offered a full-time legal assistant position with the U.S. Attorney's Office after graduation.
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Education:
Andrea Kleinpaste
The School of Education, Leadership & Public Service is proud of Andrea Kleinpaste’s exceptional classroom skills. Andrea is an innovative teacher who consistently works beyond expectations to make students feel confident and supported. Her service goes beyond coursework requirements; she is an active member of the student Marquette-Alger Reading Council group and the Student Michigan Education Association and Student Council for Exceptional Children. She is also active in the community, having trained several dogs as leader dogs for the blind. Andrea recognizes the importance of continuing education and professional development and has attended the Michigan Reading Conference and has started working on a master’s degree in reading.
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Engineering Technology:
Craig Wiseman
Craig became interested in engineering while taking drafting and shop courses at Marquette Senior High School, where he participated in several sports as well as the symphonic orchestra. Craig’s grandfather was a refrigeration engineer and was a very positive role model. Craig is a member of the NMU Society of Automotive Engineers club working on building and racing the Baja vehicle and for the past year has been an engineering intern at Pioneer Surgical Technology. His positive attitude, genuine interest in learning, and ability to maintain a 3.83 NMU GPA while involved in activities inside and outside NMU have made him the unanimous selection for the outstanding graduate.
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Health, Physical Education and Recreation:
Kady Adams
Kady graduated in December with a GPA of 3.96. She has published in a national journal and has two publications in a state journal. She has presented her work numerous times at state and local conferences and at the Celebration of Undergraduate Student Research at NMU. As a Superior Edge graduate, Kady was highly involved in activities on and off campus. She served as president of the Health Promotion Society and was an assistant in the Health Promotion Office. Kady’s achievements have earned her a position in the doctor of physical therapy program at the Mayo School of Health Sciences.
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Nursing:
Elizabeth Becker
Liz was chosen by the Department of Nursing as the outstanding graduating senior because of her academic performance, commitment to community service and leadership within the Student Nurses Association. She has received numerous Outstanding Clinical Performance Awards, maintained a GPA of 3.81, and plans to attend graduate school. Liz makes it a priority to give back to the community and has been recognized as November 2008 Volunteer of the Month and completed the 300 hour Michigan Service Scholars Program two consecutive years. She served as president of SNA, a teaching assistant for freshman seminar, completed the Student Leader Fellowship Program and serves as a student representative on the Nursing Department Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. As president of SNA, she has organized numerous guest speakers and events such as the 5K Run for Shelter raising money for Room at the Inn in addition to helping plan the SNA Benefit Dance and Girl Scout Nursing Patch Exploration.
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Sociology and Social Work:
Ryan Menghini
Ryan Menghini will graduate magna cum laude in May, with majors in both sociology and political science. He grew up in Caspian, Mich., and currently serves as an emergency medical technician in Iron County. Among his most meaningful experiences during his time at NMU were his interactions with students he tutored in sociology, which influenced his decision to pursue graduate studies in sociology and a career as a sociology professor. He is currently working on a research project with Dr. Jonathan Allen to understand concepts of authority as applied to political leadership within the administration of Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa. Ryan is also working on an additional research project with fellow sociology majors and Dr. Mikhail Balaev in order to understand income inequality as it is related to gender on college campuses.
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Technology and Occupational Sciences:
Christopher Singer
Christopher will graduate in May with a B.S. in construction management, a minor in business administration and a 3.48 GPA. He is president of the Northern Michigan Constructors, an exceptionally active service-minded student organization, and has increased its membership and streamlined its project integrations. Christopher has enhanced partnerships with NMU Housing and Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans and Marquette. He also partners with construction faculty in recruiting new students to NMU and tutors underclassmen in the construction programs. He holds OSHA-30 certification. He is considering starting NMU's MBA program in the fall.
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Biology:
Trisha Sippel
Trisha’s thesis, “Optimizing HER2 Antigen Presentation in the MHC I,” examined ways to get the immune system to recognize HER2, a protein often over-expressed in breast cancer, and to mount an attack on those cells. This work may open the door to new avenues of treatment, particularly in the newly emerging field of cancer vaccines. Trisha won the award for outstanding Graduate Student Poster at the NMU Celebration of Student Research and was awarded nearly $5,000 dollars in awards to support her work. Currently she is pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado-Denver Cancer Biology Program.
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Chemistry:
Juliana Hagembe
Juliana first arrived on campus from Kenya as an undergraduate. She graduated with a B. S. in biochemistry in 2005 and went on to earn an M.S. in the field in August 2009. Juliana was interested in both preventative medicine and biomedical science and focused her graduate studies on immunology. Her thesis project involved modeling the evolutionary response of the influenza surface protein Hemaglutinin to neutralizing antibodies produced as a defense mechanism. While at NMU, Juliana was also selected as a Rotary International Scholar and spent a year in Hong Kong earning a master’s degree in public health from the University of Hong Kong. Last spring she presented her thesis work at an American Chemical Society conference in Chicago. During her graduate studies, she also received a Spooner grant and an Excellence in Education grant. She is currently in Washington, D.C. pursuing a career in global health.
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English/MA:
Krysthol Kauffman
Krysthol received her B.S. from NMU in 2008 with a major in English and a minor in writing and will receive her M.A. in literature and pedagogy in May. Her literary interests include modern and postmodern British and American fiction, and she is currently finishing her interdisciplinary thesis, which defines a new sub-genre of the novel called the Post-Freudian Casebook Neuro-Novel. She is also the vice-president of the English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta and has served as both the graduate assistant for the Writing Center and as a teaching assistant.
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English/MFA:
Lisa Fay Coutley
Lisa received her B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She is associate poetry editor of Passages North at Northern Michigan University, where she is an MFA teaching fellow. She also holds an M.A. in English from NMU. Coutley’s chapbook, In the Carnival of Breathing, recently won the Black River Chapbook Competition and is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press. Back-Talk, her first chapbook, won the ROOMS Chapbook Competition and has been published recently by Articles Press. In 2009, she received a scholarship to attend the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and her work has appeared most recently in Blackbird, Sewanee Theological Review, 32 Poems, Pebble Lake Review, Cave Wall, and Linebreak.
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Psychology:
Christopher B. Robichaux
As an undergraduate Christopher worked as a research assistant for the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After graduation he worked for the Build a Bear Workshop, employing his computer/math skills in the corporate environment. Wishing to return to psychology, he enrolled in Northern's experimental psychology masters program, where he served as a tutor and statistical consultant to his peers, and as computer guru to the department. His master’s thesis extended the use of the Ramachandran Mirror Box as a tool for presenting tactile stimuli, inventing a novel and promising method of studying perceptual phenomena.
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Mathematics and Computer Science:
Cynthia Brooks
After graduating from high school in Brandon, Mississippi, Cynthia joined the Air Force and earned honors in electronics communications studies. She graduated summa cum laude from NMU with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. In 2008 she completed a master of science degree in guidance and counseling. The topic of her research paper in counseling was “Effective Classroom Management in Middle Schools.” In 2009 she completed her second master’s degree, this time in mathematics education. Her research in mathematics education investigated “The Effects of Playing Games on Learning the Concepts of More and Fewer in a Junior Kindergarten Classroom.” Cynthia is a kindergarten and junior kindergarten teacher at Birchview School in Ishpeming, Michigan. She is married and has several grown children.
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Public Administration:
Fred Benzie
Fred graduated from Ishpeming High School and obtained a B.S. degree in biology from NMU in 1977. In 1980 he graduated from the University of Michigan with a master’s degree in public health.
In NMU’s master of public administration program he achieved a cumulative 3.98 GPA. He has 24 years of management experience and has been employed by the Marquette County Health Department since 1991 where is currently the health officer/director. Fred applies the administrative theory learned in the MPA program to assist numerous public agencies in providin the best public service available. Fred’s wife, Elizabeth, is a three-time graduate from NMU, and their children Alissa and Joshua are current NMU students.
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