Spring 2020 Graduating Honors Scholars

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Congratulations to our outstanding Honors Scholars!

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Lauren Adler

Majoring in English Literature and Sociology and minoring in Ethnic Studies has given me innumerable opportunities to explore my intellectual niche.

I have been a UROP funded research assistant for two years under the mentorship of Cheryl Higashida and Amanda Stevenson. I have had the opportunity to enroll in graduate courses that have not only shaped my scholarly endeavors, but have pushed me to evaluate my role as a student activist. Further, I have undertaken an Honors Thesis in the English Department where I have explored the intersection between literal and symbolic queerness, migration, and individual and collective agency. These opportunities would not have been possible had it not been for the influence of Honors Scholars Professors Patrick Greaney and Zach Owens. I have gained a lot of insight having taken the honors courses Inside Nazi Germany, Social Problems, Graphic Novel Writing, and Multicultural Literature, but the two professors who have shaped me the most and pushed me to immerse myself inside these fields were Patrick Greaney and Zach Owens. They encouraged me to partake in research, take graduate courses, combine my scholarly work with activist endeavors, and for them I am forever grateful. Unfortunately, Zach Owens passed away, but his legacy will continue to have an impact on my own research prospects in the future. I will be attending the University of California Santa Barbara in the fall where I will pursue my PhD in English Literature and where I will have the ability to continue to immerse my scholarly interests with community activism.

Ellie Bach

Ellie double-majored in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, and earned a certificate in Global Environmental Affairs.

She worked on the Energy & Climate Outreach team at the Environmental Center for four years, interned at Growing Gardens and the American Solar Energy Society, and last semester she earned Latin honors for her EBIO Honors thesis about the research she did while studying in Costa Rica. Her Honors classes - Ethics of Ambition, Racism in American Culture, and Place, Power, Culture - have been some of her favorites, and she is so grateful for her experience in the Honors program!

Spencer Bajcar

Spencer Bajcar is graduating with a BA in Chemistry and Sociology with a certificate in Green Chemistry and Chemical Stewardship from the University of Washington.

In the honors program, he had the pleasure of taking Sex, Gender, and Society alongside Social Problems with Dr. Zachary Owens, then took Gender Race Sexuality and Migration with Dr. Kate Fischer. Throughout the entirety of his time at CU, he played tenor saxophone in the Golden Buffalo Marching Band and Buff Basketball Game, where he got to travel to Las Vegas, Seattle, Santa Clara, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Phoenix play at all sorts of tournaments and away football games. He has also served in Kappa Kappa Psi, national honorary band fraternity, where he served as president for two years. Outside of the band world, Spencer worked with the Student Health Advisory Board, working to eliminate barriers towards students' access towards health. This year, Spencer completed an honors thesis in sociology looking at the ways that Kachin Baptist refugee women understand and manifest gender conceptualizations during the acculturation process. His favorite honors memory would either be hanging out with Dr. Owens after class to talk about life or the fun discussion with Dr. Kate Fischer's class. After graduation, Spencer will be taking a gap year before pursuing a PhD program in sociology.

Samantha Margaret Bartolo

Sam double majored in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Sociology with a minor in Linguistics and certificates in Cognitive Science and Public Health.

She has enjoyed being a part of the Honors Program all four years of her college experience, beginning with living in Smith Hall during her freshman year. Sam feels fortunate to have taken small and thought-provoking classes through the Honors Program, including Environment and Society, Nutrition for Health and Performance, Social Problems, and Racism in American Culture. In April, she defended an Honors Thesis that considered the relationship between phonological awareness and socioeconomic status. Sam has also served as the co-Social Science editor on the Honors Journal for the past two years and the chair of the Honors Program Student Advisory Board during the last year. Her favorite Honors Program memory, however, is all the wonderful people she’s met and worked with along the way. In the fall, Sam will begin working towards an MS in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Washington.

Andrea Bonato

Some of my favorite things are music, art, learning, and exploring the world around me. I am so fortunate that I had the chance to combine and enjoy all of these throughout my time at CU, whether it was from my major, work, studying abroad, or even just experiencing Boulder.

For the past four years, I have studied Classical Piano at CU’s School of Music, and with this I have gotten to perform, teach, research, and work in music administration positions. Along with this, I also pursued a Business Minor and taken five Honors courses, including Dr. Christopher Heathwood’s “Contemporary Social Problems,” Dr. Olivia Miller’s “Advanced First Year Writing” along with her writing class “Ink Slingers and Wordsmiths,” Dr. Heather Demarest’s “Philosophy of Science,” and Dr. Adriane Genette’s “Masterpieces of American Literature.” Finally, I had the incredible experience of studying abroad in Granada, Spain, where I got to travel and explore a new place. Looking to the future, I hope to find a profession that combines all of these loves while continuing to discover the world.

Kaila Coleman

I am graduating with my degree in English, a minor in journalism, a minor in linguistics, and my writing certificate. I defended my English Honors thesis on the universality of Shakespeare’s women.

The Honors Program at CU is really open and allows us to work in the fields we love in order to fulfill their participation requirements. I was not a part of any RAP programs so my honors experiences were those that I sought out individually. My honors classes, ENGL 4820, ENGL 4830, and HONR 3220, were structured much the same way, allowing us to get the work done by researching and writing what we wanted. This led me to join Sigma Tau Delta, an English honors society, where I submitted a paper and was invited to present it at the national convention. The Honors Program has allowed me to enjoy so many experiences off-campus and on and though I could never spend as much time as I wanted with the people around me, I enjoyed every minute I was there. Now that I am about to graduate my plans are to take a year and find my way in the career world before I jump into my masters and Ph.D.

Rose Curry

Rose Curry is a journalism major and reluctant academic, preferring practical knowledge that she can take to the streets. For the program, she completed Honors Diversity Seminar, along with Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Global Migration, and finally Place, Power, and Contemporary Culture. After graduation, Rose plans to save her pennies and travel the world (pandemic permitting).��

William Baker DeSelms

Will is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Leadership Studies. Three years have gone by since I first started here at CU, and I struggle to grasp the reality of not seeing myself or my classmates walk at an in-person ceremony celebrating our achievements.

These years seemingly have flown by, but the growth that I’ve undertaken since I’ve been here would make me believe it’s been much longer. When I first moved to Boulder, I can confidently say I was far from the person I am now. While there is a lot to acknowledge for my personal growth, the Honors Department at CU has given me more than I could’ve imagined. What started as taking a class with Dr. Zach Owens, led me to find ways to get involved with the honors department. When I was accepted to join the Honors Student Advisory Board, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Now, a year and a half later, I have created relationships with the other members that have given me some of my favorite memories. Seeing them and Dr. Hickcox weekly gave me something to look forward to in a sometimes-crazy school life. There are numerous times I would attend a SciTalks, TV with a Prof, or other guest lecture and come straight home to talk about what I learned to anyone that would care to half- way listen. I will miss the honors scholars’, the professors, and various events that foster such a unique honors community at CU. Lastly, I will miss the student and faculty board members. They have contributed to so much of my personal achievement at this university and I am forever grateful for them.

Olwyn Doyle

Olwyn is a double major in Political Science and Computer Science with a minor in Spanish. She studied abroad in Madrid, Spain at la Universidad Carlos III, and has collaborated with the Superhuman Computing Lab and, That Recommendation Systems Lab.��

Olwyn also completed an honors thesis in Political Science discussing the role of decision making systems in the criminal justice system. The Honors thesis seminar spans over two semesters, fulfilling 2 of the 3 required Honors classes for the Honors Scholars program, and then in addition to this Olwyn thoroughly enjoyed the Law and Society honors course that helped further her interest in the criminal justice system.

Marina Frances Efstathiu

Marina Efstathiu is originally from Roseville, Ca which is a suburb right outside of Sacramento. She is receiving a degree in Psychology as well as a minor in Business and Education.

During her four years at CU she struggled to find her true passion as many students do and had to climb back up from a 3.2 GPA her first semester. While in Dr. Jones’ Music and American Culture and Appreciation of Music classes she grew a lot as a person and student. She learned many helpful things from him that continued to get her through her entire college career. Dr. J also helped her in part to come to the realization that she wanted to become a nurse, so she also added pre-nursing requisite classes to her schedule during her junior year. After graduating with above a3.5 GPA she plans on applying to accelerated nursing programs. Right now, she is working for the Center for Autism and Related Disorders as a Behavior Technician to utilize her Psychology degree as well as get patient-patient contact that will help her with nursing school applications. Her favorite honors memory is working with Dr. Jones and taking three of his music courses. The two mentioned above along with the History of Jazz. She gained more knowledge about music than she could have ever imagined, and it impacted her life in the most positive ways.

Eileen Ford

I studied Speech, Language, and Hearing Science and am planning to attend a Doctor of Audiology program in the fall.

While at CU I had the opportunity to study abroad in Belize with a program specifically for students in my major, as well as the opportunity to intern with four audiologists at the hospital. That internship turned into a job after graduating in December! My favorite honors memory was living in Smith Hall with all the other honors students. I met some pretty great friends and study buddies!

Kelsie Gering

My name is Kelsie Gering, and I am a graduating senior with a major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Geology.

Highlights of my college career have been being a Resident Advisor in Kittredge West Hall for the past 3 years, being a museum assistant at the CU Museum of Natural History for nearly the past 4 years, and being a paleontology lab assistant with the CU Museum of Natural History for the past 3 years. After my graduation, I plan on taking a gap year before attending graduate school to study wildlife biology or wildlife management. During my years at CU, I have taken 4 honors classes: Greek Literature through Translation, Environment-Society Geography, Introduction to Sociology, and Abnormal Psychology. My favorite memory in the Honors Scholars program was when I attended a TV with a Prof back in my sophomore year - we watched two episodes of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, which I had never seen until that point. Now in my senior year, I have watched all 15 seasons and have done two projects on the show for my classes! This is just one small example of how the Honors Scholars program has influenced my life.

Layla Hasan

I will be graduating with a BA in Integrative Physiology, a minor in Theatre, and a certificate in Public Health. My journey in the honors program started off with me living in the Smith Hall Honors RAP for my Freshman and Sophomore years.

During my Sophomore year, I served as a Flock Leader, which is a student leader position in the Honors RAP. I was also engaged in the Smith Hall Community through hall council and working at the community center. This academic year, I returned to my Smith roots and served as the Community Center Lead in Smith Hall. While living in Smith, the first honors class I took was “Sex, Gender, and Society” with Zach Owens. I would like to take the moment to say how much I appreciated Dr. Owens as a professor and mentor, he helped me through some of my most difficult times freshman year and continued to support me after I was his student by attending my flock leader events and engaging with me at the front desk. I miss him dearly and will never forget the impact he made on my time at CU. Also in the Honors RAP, I had the opportunity to take Nutrition for Health and Performance and American Musical Theatre as honors courses. Outside of the RAP, I am currently taking Abnormal Psychology with Dr. Jenny Schwartz. I have really appreciated the learning environment of and the valuable knowledge I gained from every single one of my honors classes. One of my favorite honors memories is from Freshman year. I attended an honors coffee hour and there were only 4 of us in attendance, so we all sat around a table and had one of the most in-depth and intellectual conversations I had ever been a part of. That was certainly one of the moments that made me want to continue with the honors scholars program throughout my time at CU. Some of my other accomplishments at CU include; serving as the Vice President of Student Success for our campus’s chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary, attending two regional and one national leadership conferences with the Residence Hall Association, planning a regional leadership conference that was hosted by our school in Fall 2019, volunteering at Wardenburg Physical Therapy and Integrative Care for 3 semesters, and serving as a Sports Medicine Intern with CU Cross Country and Track and Field for 2 years. After graduation, I plan to work full time in a Physical Therapy or Healthcare Rehabilitation setting while applying to Physical Therapy school.

Kaitlin Mackenzie James

Kaitlin will be graduating with a degree in integrative physiology and a minor in Spanish. She was fortunate enough to finish her Spanish minor in the incredible city of Barcelona and to have been able to share her experience through a piece that was published in ��ɫ��Ƶ Today’s newsletter.

During her time at ��ɫ��Ƶ she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority and held leadership positions as the chapter’s Real Wellness Chairwoman and Ritual Chairwoman. She was also Make the Magic chair for her chapter of Camp Kesem, a national organization that provides a free summer camp to kids who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer. As MTM chair, she planned and orchestrated a formal gala fundraiser that raised over $43,000 for Camp Kesem. Kaitlin started her time at ��ɫ��Ƶ living in Smith Hall which houses the Honors RAP. As part of the Honors RAP, she completed two honors courses: Honors General Psychology and Advanced First Year Writing. She then continued to challenge herself in academics by taking Advanced Honors Writing. Due to her success in her classes, she volunteered her time as a teaching assistant for IPHY Statistics and Anatomy lecture. Last year, she was initiated into The Phi Beta Kappa Society for her high performance in academics. Outside of school, she volunteered in Wardenburg’s physical therapy department and worked as a certified nursing assistant. Following graduation, she plans to attend physician assistant school. Finally, her favorite honors memory was connecting with other honors students and professors, from different disciplines, through events such as TV with a Professor.

Molly Kett

Four years ago, I was faced with the tough decision of deciding where I wanted to attend college, and four years ago I made the best decision I could’ve possibly made in deciding to come to Boulder.

Reflecting on my experience these past four years, it is difficult to manifest words to describe how unbelievably lucky I am to have gotten so much out of my college experience. For starters, being a part of the Honors scholar community has given me the opportunity to learn from my peers both in and out of the classroom. Taking “Sex, Gender & Society” my freshman year resulted in such a profound experience that I declared a sociology minor sophomore year, when I took “Social Problems” through the program as well. Finally, my senior year “Advanced Honors writing course” further developed my writing skill and taught me that writing is a fluid, ever-changing medium through which individuals voices, passions, and thoughts are expressed. Among other involvements, I have also had the opportunity to be a part of the Greek community, as well as a member of Global Medical Brigades, and the Wardenburg Student Health Board. I have been rewarded teaching opportunities as an Undergraduate TA for both Biology II and Physiology Lab, as well as holding the position of Lead UGTA in Physiology Lab this past semester. My junior year, second semester I spent studying abroad in Prague, a cultural experience that significantly enriched my world perspective. But this is just to highlight a few. Because holistically, I’d say my college experience is difficult, if not impossible, to define in a single paragraph. But four years later I do know this: if not for the experiences, knowledge, and life lessons gained here, I would not be the same individual I currently am today.

Kaeli Ann Kundich

Kaeli is a fourth year senior at CU majoring in psychology and triple minoring in history, sociology, and women and gender studies. She plans to apply to law school to pursue a career in environmental law following her time at CU.

She studied abroad in Berlin Germany and was an active participant in many programs on campus including Phi Sigma Pi, Phi Mu, Phi Beta Kappa, history club, the honors scholars program and more. She has been passionate about taking courses in the honors programs and has taken courses that include: Introduction to American Politics, Survey of Western Political Thought, Gender, Race, Class in a Global Context, General Biology 1, Inkslingers and Wordsmiths, and Inside Nazi Germany. She has been included on the Dean’s List during 5 of her 8 semesters and has wholeheartedly loved her time at CU, and looks forward to the many more opportunities and experiences that lie ahead.

Robert Meushaw

I am a Colorado native and was born in Boulder, but my experiences at CU-Boulder have given me a unique experience unlike anything else. I am graduating with a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology double major with plans on applying to medical school in the future.

This summer, I will be participating in an internship at the CU-Anschutz medical campus working on head and neck cancer research. Participating in honors events has allowed me to interact with people I would not usually interact with through my science classes, as well as, creating lasting friendships. My favorite honors memory would probably be when I participated in a Jeopardy event and my group ending up winning. I ended up winning a mug that I use to this day. I have taken four honors classes: Ethics of Ambition, Nutrition for Health and Performance, Intro to Cultural Anthropology, and Advanced Honors Writing. All of them have impacted me in a positive way by challenging the way I think and look at the world. Advanced Honors Writing was the most impactful because it allowed me to begin writing my honors thesis (“Engineering of a Cleavable C-terminal Domain of RNA Polymerase II”) early in the writing process and become more familiar with the literature in my field. From going on hiking trips to late nights at Cosmo’s, my experience at CU-Boulder has been a blast.

Lexi Reich

My experience at CU has been greatly shaped by my experience in the Honors Program. From living in Smith Hall my freshman year, to joining the Honors Writing Club, Honors Journal Editorial Board and the Honors Program Student Advisory Board, I couldn’t be more grateful for the community and connections I’m leaving campus with.

My most profound experience in college was writing an Honors Thesis for the Department of Journalism in CMCI about my study abroad experience reporting women’s health and sexuality in Morocco. For now, my plans after graduation are to continue teaching yoga classes and nannying in Boulder while I work as the Editorial Manager for CO YOGA + Life Magazine and Spoke+Blossom Magazine, and also pursue my freelance writing career. My ultimate goal is to return to a country in North Africa like Morocco and work as an international journalist. The three Honors courses I took: Advanced First Year Writing, Ethics of Ambition, and Ink Slingers and Wordsmiths.

Lydia Stalcup

My time at CU has helped me to further solidify my passion for helping others. During this time, I took Social Problems, Ethics of Ambition, and Advanced Honors Writing Workshop through the Honors program at CU; these classes were easily some of the most in-depth classes I took through the entirety of my undergraduate career.

My favorite memory in the Honors program will always be my time in class with Dr. Owens. He was so vibrant and full of life, even with the hardest and saddest of topics. While I wish we had more time with him, his legacy will live on with each and every student who took his classes. I fell in love with my major, Sociology, because of its attention to human issues and dedication to both observing and creating change in the world; the education I have received here, which included the ability to perform and publish my own research, has inspired me to set my goals high. I hope to return to college soon in pursuit of my Ph.D.

Seana Thompson

Seana majored in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and participated in the Honors Scholars Program as well as doing an Honors Thesis. After graduation, she plans to travel to Europe to backpack for as long as she can and then will return to the US to hopefully find a job.

Her favorite honors memories include the awesome classes that she got to take through the Honors Program and the fond memories she has from living in the Honors dorm her freshman year. The Honors courses she took were Culture and Power, Ethics of Ambition, Fairy Tales of Russia, and Racism in American Culture.

Alison Weinberger

I am a fourth year senior graduating with a double major in Philosophy and Mathematics.One of my favorite parts about the Honors Program is how many disciplines it spans and how many people from different majors I have gotten to have conversations with.

My favorite Honors Memory was being in Dr. Strom’s Ethics of Ambition class in HRAP my Freshman Year. I am very grateful for the wonderful people and opportunities which I encountered in the Honors Program.

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Spring 2020 Graduating Honors Scholars

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Congratulations to our outstanding Honors Scholars!