UI 2003 May Graduates Reach the Top
Tuesday, April 29 2003
April 29, 2003^MOSCOW - A few of the 1,735 eligible for degrees from the University of Idaho for spring semester include:^Julius Rock, an Orange, Calif. native now from Moscow, turns 43 the day before graduation. He knows more UI students than many professors as the brawny bouncer at the local pub CJs. Several years ago, he decided to join the student body and earn a double-major in sociology and psychology, which he will receive May 17. His Vandal immersion includes working at the new Student Recreation Center, where his wife Daquarii manages the childcare. One of their three children attends UI’s Child Care Center. He is a member of three honor societies, was president of the UI chapter of Psi Chi last year, speaks to groups about racial issues and HIV/AIDS awareness. Rock's game plan is to continue in higher education until he earns a doctoral degree, at which time he too will join the ranks of academe. He begins at Washington State University in the fall. Contact phone, 885-play, jnjrock@hotmail.com^Paula Wilson, from Nampa, believes she extracted the most from her five-year education as possible. Her peers say “she’s everywhere.” She works at both the student recreation center and the Kibbie Dome helping with events and exercise training; she’s earning degrees from two colleges – in business and communications; she’s in Gamma Phi Beta sorority and was Panhellenic president in 2000-01. She’s volunteered in the community, done internships on campus and with the Boise Hawks; was Homecoming royalty last year and has had leadership roles in activities too numerous to tally. After graduation she’ll become a nanny in New York until she lands a job in marketing or PR. Her advice to others still in school: “Get as involved as possible here at UI and you’ll have an amazing experience.” Contact: tiz_mee@hotmail.com^Scott Johns, from Coeur d’Alene, graduates in psychology and is part of Navy ROTC. He also is a Recreation Center employee who helped with the original set-up of the climbing wall and claims to have made the first unofficial ascent of the tower during its construction. The other pinnacle he has reached is recent acceptance to Naval flight school. Raised by his mother after the tragic death of his Navy father, Johns considers these achievements dreams-come-true, both for himself and his dad. Contact: scottie@beer.com or Mike Beiser, Outdoor Program, 885-6810, mike@sub.uidaho.edu ^Eric Dahlen, from Baker City, Ore, is an outstanding lighting/scenic designer as well as stage technician for theatre arts. He’s getting ready to walk across the stage himself May 17. This stage technician will graduate with a BFA in theatre arts after designing conventional and “intelligent lights” in such productions as “Cloud 9,” “The Diviners” and “Picnic,” as well as scenery for “Front” and “The Laramie Project.” He came to UI from welding farm equipment for the mint and potato harvests in Baker City, where he originally fell in love with technical theater in high school. While he began his college career in electrical engineering -- drawn to electronics and computer interface -- he found theatre arts a more creative outlet. He has done metal work, special effects, lighting, and scenic design for UI, Idaho Repertory, and Colorado Shakespeare Festival. After graduation, he hopes to work for touring shows or for theatre set manufacturers. He’s not ruling out teaching or training others for “technical theater.” Contact: 892-9259 or 885-4756 at the scene shop, dahl7233@uidaho.edu ^Despite the Distances --Jeff Bragg, a Jerome native, began his UI education in 1976 and now graduates 27 years later with a master’s degree in Agricultural and Extension Education. He just beat his daughters Danielle, a UI junior in communications, and Heidi, a sophomore in accounting, and Sarah, who graduates from Moscow High this spring and will start at UI in food science and toxicology in the fall. After a career as an agricultural consultant in Idaho Falls, he raised potatoes in Jerome until the market bottomed; and then managed an asparagus and potato farm in California. “In fall 2001 I felt I needed more. I had always wanted to finish my UI education, so we returned to Moscow. My wife Sandra was hired back at the agriculture economics department and I learned of a federal program to retrain farmers. Lou Riesenberg advised me to finish my 18 credits to get my bachelor’s degree and immediately pursue the degree I’m getting in May. Lou helped me achieve a dream of a lifetime. Through UI’s outreach and distance programs, I also was able to do it from wherever I was earning my living.” Bragg begins work May 12 in Idaho Falls working with Green Giant Fresh as a Product Development Manager for Potandon Produce, specializing in potato and onion development. Contact: 885-6708, jbragg@idahovandals.com^In Memorium: Tracey Egan of Coeur d'Alene and Jennifer Hess of Holbrook will be awarded posthumous degrees, Egan in family and consumer science – child development and family relations, and Hess in biological sciences. The UI seniors were killed Feb. 17 in an auto accident south of Plummer as they returned from snowboarding in Kellogg. Both of the 25-year-olds were active in campus affairs, sorority and residential life and honor societies. A garden planting will honor Hess at 4:30 p.m. May 7 in front of Theophilus Tower. She was the daughter of Steven and Mitzi Hess of Holbrook. A tree will be planted in memory of Egan, who belonged to Kappa Alpha Theta sorority when the house is completed in August. She was the daughter of James and Terri Egan of Coeur d’Alene. Contact: Kami Patik, 885-7883, kpatik@uidaho.edu and Cori Hammock, corih@uidaho.edu, 885-6757.^Their word(s) will precede them: A corps of writing tutors who have provided strong, reliable writing coaching to their peers, now seek professional destinies as writers, teachers and lawyers. Contact: Mary Ann Judge, Writing Center, (208) 885-4300, judge@uidaho.edu^Debbie Thoreson, Lewiston, hasn’t had help getting through college, yet she’s given others a boost along their ways. She graduated with degrees in English and Spanish, and will return in August to join the MA-TESOL program through the English Department; Tous2819@uidaho.edu^Annie Gannon, St. Maries, already is a working journalist and will continue to carve a niche as a media writer. She has interned at the Lewiston Morning Tribune, been editor of UI’s Argonaut, and a columnist for the St. Maries Gazette Record. She earns a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, with a minor in writing; anniegannie@yahoo.com^Kristi Hammond, Moscow, is certified in both English and Spanish languages and has secured a teaching job in Hawaii; Kristi_hammond01@hotmail.com^Alison Kovach, Lewiston, a superb non-fiction writer, according to her adviser; will be the head of the horseback riding program at an Orcas Island summer camp, and then will seek a job in PR or event planning; alisonkovach@hotmail.com^Megan LeBlanc, Corvalis, Ore., is a scholar-athlete who played Vandal basketball, and graduates in English; megleblanc@yahoo.com^Christi (music) and Peter (English-philosophy) Leman, a married couple from Rexburg, are heading to Arizona State University this fall where Christi will begin a master's program in piano accompaniment. Peter will work for a year and then begin law school. The couple are considered "Renaissance people," with many poetry, music and literary abilities; lemanpd@hotmail.com, christilynne@hotmail.com^Jeff Luther, Plummer, will receive a MIT in English as a Second Language, and has been a teaching assistant and tutor to many. He now goes to National Taiwan Normal University to study Chinese; luth1602@novell.uidaho.edu^Becki McAdams, Walla Walla, took an exchange year in Scotland, English major headed for career in law; rebinki@hotmail.com^Adelina Hristov, from Bulgaria, already has a master's degree in Russian language and literature and will earn another master’s in TESOL from UI and teach a TOEFL prep class in Bulgaria this summer. Her understanding of English from a non-native speaker's perspective has really helped ESL students. In the fall, she plans to explore another language - Spanish or Nez Perce; ahristov@moscow.com^UI Coeur d’Alene:^Ellen Jaeger earned three degrees: a master’s in counseling and human services, a specialist degree in school psychology, and most recently, a doctorate in counseling and human services – while continuing commitments to her family, a full-time job in human services and civic involvement. Jaeger maintains all exceptionally, says her adviser Tom Trotter, trotter@uidaho.edu She also received a 2002 Alumni Award for Excellence for being an accomplished school counselor and psychologist; ELJaeger@aol.com^Eve Foster has been a silent, unsung heroine who isn’t vocal about the bumps along the way, but has worked steadily to become a counseling professional, says her master's adviser, Ernie Biller. The working mom had some help from UI scholarships, and now can help others change lives a step at a time. Contact: Biller, ernieb@uidaho.edu, or evefoster@hotmail.com^At UI-IF, contact: Carol Baldwin, cab@if.uidaho.edu^Awards for outstanding academic scholarship, leadership and service in the College of Education will go to Bruce Satterfield, a doctoral student in adult education, and graduating seniors in industrial technology Jeffrey Duplessis and Sherry Kontes. Duplessis earned his degree in waste management summa cum laude (highest of honors.) Heather Hunting graduates magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.^A posthumous bachelor’s degree in environmental science will be conferred for Antonio Tinoco, whose sons will be walking for him. The UI environmental science department also has created a scholarship fund in his honor. He lost his life in an automobile accident in the fall of 2002. His friends and family say he left a legacy of determination, integrity and leadership. ^UI Boise^Doctoral candidates in education include Richard L. Miller, superintendent of Caldwell Schools, April 30 defends his thesis comparing student achievements in charter versus public schools; Patricia L. Johnson, defends April 28 her study of leader’s perceptions of leadership and how this contributes to the perpetuation of the glass ceiling. Carolyn Mauer, Idaho Department of Education, defends April 29 on the commonalities leading to success in two diverse charter schools; Benjamin D. Christensen, May 1 compares secondary school and special education teacher turnover in the state. Don Burwell, director of teacher education at Albertson's College of Idaho, defends his dissertation early in May about helping students construct their “teaching identity.” Contact: Prof. Carolyn Keeler, ckeeler@uidaho.edu, (208) 334-2999^Jasna Muskatirovic (muski@uidaho.edu) came to UI Boise fall semester 1999 as the first international doctoral student for the Ecohydraulics Research Group. She came from the University of Belgrade where she was a teaching and research assistant, and now works on problems of sediment transport in gravel bed rivers in Idaho. As the result of her research, she published five papers at conferences around the world. Engineering advisers Peter Goodwin, goodwin@uidaho.edu; Larry Stauffer, stauffer@uidaho.edu^Milos Manic (misko@uidaho.edu) came to the UI for doctoral studies from University of Nis, Serbia, where he held research and teaching positions. At UI Boise, he extended his expertise in areas of computational intelligence, autonomic computing, network programming and security. He is receiving a doctoral degree in computer science and published more than 10 papers on various IEEE conferences. Adviser contacts: Dan Wilamowski, wilam@uidaho.edu or Larry Stauffer stauffer@uidaho.edu^Shawkat Ali from Bangladesh worked on the extensive flooding of the 1998 floods in Bangladesh before coming to UI for a doctoral degree in civil engineering. As he modeled the floods, he was instrumental in creating simulations of flooding along the Boise River. In his dissertation, Shawkat studied different simulation techniques for the floodplain flows and their implications to floodplain management and river restoration. Contacts: Ali at shawkat@uidaho.edu, or adviser Peter Goodwin, pgoodwin@uidaho.edu^###^Contact: Nancy Hilliard, University Communications, (208) 885-6567, hilliard@uidaho.edu^Photo op: Graduates Rock, Wilson and Johns in cap and gown at the top of the climbing pinnacle in UI’s Student Recreation Center – can be arranged; contacts: Gordon Gresch, ggresch@uidaho.edu or Mike Beiser, mike@sub.uidaho.edu
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