Fall 2023 Graduates
Congratulations to the seniors graduating from the University Honors Program this fall. We are proud of your accomplishments and wish you the best in your next adventure.
View who's who by college:
Agriculture & Life Sciences | Ivy College of Business | Design
Engineering | Human Sciences | Liberal Arts & Sciences
Missed the convocation ceremony? Watch it now: Fall 2023 Honors Convocation
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Ally Baumhover
Woodward, IA
Animal Science
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Program Participant
Honors Project: Impact of high liver copper status on epithelial integrity in dairy x beef steers
Moment of pride: I am proud of the work that I was able to help do in different labs through the first-year honors research program and where it lead me after.
Post-grad plans: Attending graduate school at Iowa State University to get a Master's Degree in Animal Science with a focus on feedlot ruminant nutrition.
Emma Bock
Lisbon, IA
Biology (AGLS)
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Program Participant, Summer Grant Recipient
Honors Project: The Effectiveness of Plant Compounds in Inhibiting Bacterial Growth in Chicken Fecal Samples
Moment of pride: I am proud to have been involved in research and serve as the president of the Pre-Vet Club.
Post-grad plans: Attending Iowa State University Vet School.
Darcy Bonds
Troy, MO
Horticulture
Minor in Design Studies, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Program Participant, Mentor and Student Enrichment Grant Recipient
Honors Project: Exploring the genetic diversity of genes involved in plant fatty acid elongation across a diverse set of maize inbred lines
Moment of pride: Publishing 4 papers in academic journals and presenting at 4 conferences.
Post-grad plans: Working in the plant design or biotechnology industry.
Mason Erger
Marengo, IA
Biology (AGLS)
Minor in American Indian Studies
Participation & Awards: FHP Member
Honors Project: : Researching a Novel Biosynthesis for GHB
Moment of pride: Working as an RA in Friley Hall and providing advice to honors students there.
Post-grad plans: Acquiring a certificate in Education and Outreach in AG and Natural Resources.
Rebecca Lynn
Brighton, IA
Forestry
Minor in Insect Science
Honors Project: Wildlife Report on Restored Riparian Buffer in the Bear Creek Watershed
Post-grad plans: USGS as a Physical Scientist.
Jenna Plotzke
Osage, IA
Global Resource Systems, Environmental Science (AGLS)
Minor in Sustainability
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Program Participant
Honors Project: Drainage District Main Improvements in Iowa
Moment of pride: I got to participate in the Best Buddies Club on campus and create meaningful connections with members of the community.
Post-grad plans: I have accepted a position with State Farm Corporate Headquarters as a Sustainability Analyst.
Christina Speicher
New Hampton, IA
Animal Science
Minor in Meat Science
Honors Project: Characterization of the Physiochemical Properties of Plant-Based Bigels in Comparison to Animal-Based Fats
Moment of pride: Member (2022) and now assistant coach of the ISU Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team.
Post-grad plans: Supervisor in-training at Upper Iowa Beef in Lime Springs, IA.
Whitney Winter
Muscatine, IA
Animal Ecology
Minor in Animal Science, Genetics
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Program Participant
Honors Project: Validation of AIM 2 Research Utilizing Primer Design
Moment of pride: Position as a Peer Mentor and Ambassador for the NREM Department.
Post-grad plans: Attening veterinary School.
Ivy College of Business
Luella Gaskell
Sioux City, IA
Finance
Minor in Supply Chain Management, Philosophy
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Program Participant
Honors Project: The Ethical Coffee Bean: An Analysis of Resource Efficacy and Smallholder Colombian Coffee Growers
Moment of pride: I'm most proud of the scholarships I earned that allowed me to study abroad in London in Fall 2022, it allowed me to travel more than I ever dreamed. I can't wait to go back.
Post-grad plans: I'll be working part time for my family's corporate housing company and part time as a substitute teacher before moving to Ohio with my best friend next summer.
College of Design
Nora Alarifi
Al khobar, Saudi Arabia
Architecture Professional Degree
Minor in Digital Media
Honors Project: The City of Saudi Cultures and Traditions (Fana', فناء)
Moment of pride: IFYE leader, MSS assistant
Post-grad plans: Enjoy my time with my family and friends, practice my hobbies, and find a great job opportunity.
College of Engineering
Megan Hellman
Cedar Rapids, IA
Biological Systems Engineering
Minor in Spanish
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, HON 121 Leader, UHP Grant Recipient, Honors Ambassador
Honors Project: Assessing water quality and gas emissions of habitat and CREP wetlands
Moment of pride: Awarded Outstanding graduating senior for College of Engineering.
Post-grad plans: Environmental Engineer for Iowa DNR
Aaron Hendricks
Fairmont, MN
Mechanical Engineering
Participation & Awards: FHP Member
Honors Project: Campus Emergency Shelter Validation
Moment of pride: Mechanical Lead of the ISU Robotics Club's Exoskeleton Project
Post-grad plans: I have accepted a full-time position as a Mechanical Design Engineer.
Ohik Kwon
Incheon, South Korea
Electrical Engineering
Minor in Physics
Honors Project: Investigate the physical principles of Memristor
Moment of pride: I wrote a peer reviewed paper as a second author.
Post-grad plans: Attending graduate school.
Gregory Ling
San José, CA
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Minor in Entrepreneurship
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, UHP Grant Recipient
Honors Project: Embedded Testing Platform (Compute Tester) for Solar Car Club
Moment of pride: Solar Car software lead
Post-grad plans: Getting a Master of Science in Computer Engineering at Iowa State University.
Jessica Melville
Sioux City, IA
Aerospace Engineering
Participation & Awards: FHP Member
Honors Project: Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in Engineering for Gender-Minority Students
Moment of pride: Society of Women Engineers Corporate Relations Vice President
Post-grad plans: Structural Analysis Engineer at Spirit Aerosystems.
Rebecca Patush
Joliet, IL
Materials Engineering
Minor in Biomedical Engineering
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, HON 121 Leader
Honors Project: Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications
Moment of pride: I have been selected as the Student Marshal for the College of Engineering.
Post-grad plans: ompleting a co-op with Arthrex in Naples, FL and then pursuing my Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering.
Aaron Schoon
Goose Lake, IA
Mechanical Engineering
Minor in Spanish
Participation & Awards: FHP Member
Honors Project: Aerosol Jet Printing for Integrated Surface Sensors
Moment of pride: Finishing off my Honors project while building depth in Mechanical Engineering researching Aerosol Jet Printing.
Post-grad plans: Process Engineer for Pella Corporation in Pella, IA.
College of Human Sciences
Hunter Davenport
Marshalltown, IA
Kinesiology & Health, Biology (LAS)
Participation & Awards: Mentor and Student Enrichment Grant Recipient
Honors Project: COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Uptake Amongst the Meskwaki Nation: A community-level study
Moment of pride: President of my fraternity (Sigma Lambda Beta).
Post-grad plans: Taking a gap year.
Emma Schluttenhofer
Clarion, IA
Elementary Education, Endorsements in Reading and Language Arts
Honors Project: Critical Literacy for Elementary Children
Moment of pride: Getting invited to become an Iowa State University Honors member.
Post-grad plans: Find a full time elementary teaching job in Iowa while continuing my education to complete my masters.
Luke Westrick
La Grange, IA
Nutritional Science (H Sci)
Minor in Microbiology
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, HON 121 Leader, Honors UA
Honors Project: The Effect of Chicken Egg Proteins on Bacterial Conjugation of Antibiotic Resistance Plasmids
Moment of pride: Working as a UA of the First-Year Honors Program.
Post-grad plans: Attending medical school.
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Leah Christopherson
Ankeny, IA
French, Spanish
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, HON 121 Leader
Honors Project: Culturally Sustaining World Language Education
Moment of pride: World Languages and Cultures: Outstanding Achievement in French Award.
Post-grad plans: Becoming a French and Spanish High School Teacher.
Ann Marie Lent
Carlisle, IA
Political Science
Minor in Music and Psychology
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, HON 121 Leader
Honors Project: How 1972 Changed 1858: The Effects of Title IX on Iowa State University
Moment of pride: Being Chapter President of Alpha Delta Pi.
Post-grad plans: Political Science Masters Degree at Iowa State University.
Luke Marzen
North Liberty, IA
Computer Science
Participation & Awards: FHP Leader, HON 121 Leader, Honors Ambassador, Mentor Grant Recipient
Honors Project: Efficient Data Transfer in OpenMP GPU Applications through Static Analysis
Moment of pride: Active involvement in research projects, and I'm proud to have been accepted into the master's program here at Iowa State University.
Post-grad plans: Getting a Master of Science in Computer Science at Iowa State University.
Jess Mouw
Bettendorf, IA
Public Relations, Psychology
Minor in French
Honors Project: Mind Over Major: How to Use Psychology to Thrive in College
Moment of pride: Completing my honors project.
Post-grad plans: Currently searching for jobs in public relations.
Megan Smith
Cedar Falls, IA
Biochemistry
Minor in Minor in Pharmacology & Toxicology
Participation & Awards: FHP Member, Mentor Grant Recipient
Honors Project: Determining the Structure and Atomic Interactions of the BTK-PLCg Complex
Moment of pride: I was one of the student speakers at the student-organized biochemistry symposium (Stupka) and got to speak about my research.
Post-grad plans: I have accepted a position with the University of Iowa State Hygienic Lab as a Clinical Lab Analyst.
Elora White
Beaver Dam, WI
Psychology
Participation & Awards: FHP Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient
Minor in Minor in HDFS
Honors Project: Guilt Status and Stress on Miranda Decision-making
Post-grad plans: Speech Language Pathology
Sirius Xaedax-Stanley
Des Moines, IA
Sociology (LAS), Psychology
Minor in Minor in Women’s & Gender Studies
Participation & Awards: Honors Student Executive Board
Honors Project: Proposal for Re-modeling External Locus of Hope
Moment of pride: Serving as the Transfer Student Representative for HSB.
Post-grad plans: Work in non profit or higher ed for a while while my husband attends college and then pursue my PhD in sociology or social policy.