The Distinguished Student Award is one of the top honors given at OSU-Cascades and recognizes a student in each degree area for their outstanding academic achievement. Honorees consistently show a passion for learning and dedication to their field of study and the OSU-Cascades community.
| Division of Arts and Sciences | |
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Angelia Newstrand, Applied Visual Arts Angelia was selected for her artistic excellence, hard work and dedication to the arts. As a student at OSU-Cascades, she was always willing to share her knowledge with the rest of the class. If a series of three pieces was assigned she made six; if she did not understand a process she researched it, experimented with the new process and then excelled in it. She is headed off to graduate school at the Art Academy in San Francisco to get a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design. |
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Cassandra Ereman, Biology Not only has Cassandra maintained outstanding grades throughout her time at OSU-Cascades, she is the consummate student and strives toward understanding material to its fullest and deepest level. Cassandra is also an excellent peer mentor, always willing to share her knowledge with her fellow students. Based on these attributes, she has been selected to support the general biology courses offered during the 2015 summer term. |
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Jordon Walker, Liberal Studies Jordan is smart, skeptical and intellectually curious. He is well-read, conversant with popular culture, and imaginative. He is articulate and an engaging writer. Having Jordan in class is like having an ongoing series of stimulating conversations. Jordan plans to enroll in the Master of Arts in Teaching program in secondary education. |
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Austin Anderson, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Austin's work is concise and intense, raw and lyrical. He is garnering national attention from his work; he recently won a major national award in which his work was chosen from among the best creative writing students in the country and will be published in a top-tier literary magazine. |
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Anne White, Social Science Anne grew up in Colville Washington, a small logging, farming, and ranching community and has always felt a strong connection to the Pacific Northwest. This personal engagement with place led Anne to have an interest in how humans interact with their environments - and how to understand the different ways people make decisions about their lives and the natural environments around them. As a research assistant, Anne coded congressional records for an analysis of discourses on the BP oil spill and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This work significantly advanced research on U.S. political and public responses to large-scale oil spills. |
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Steven Schultz, Psychology Steven was selected for his superior academic achievement, for his devotion and leadership as president of the psychology club, and his support of the mental health of the OSU-Cascades community through his work with the suicide prevention team. After graduating OSU-Cascades, he heads to PSU for a second degree, and then to graduate school in psychology. |
| Division of Healthy Communities* | |
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G. Matthew Sybrant, Business Administration and International Studies Matt is the first OSU-Cascades business major to also earn an international studies degree. He graduates summa cum laude. Matt plans on attending graduate business school in a few years. He also has aspirations to start and grow a company here in Central Oregon. He enjoys helping the community and wants to provide new jobs with livable wages for Central Oregonians. Finally, he dreams of someday living in a tropical Spanish-speaking country with his family. |
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Jackie Enloe Eshelman, Tourism and Outdoor Leadership Jackie has one of the highest GPAs of graduating TOL students. In the classroom she strives to, and does excel at everything she does. She is a gifted educator who understands teaching others cannot, is not, and should not be bound by the intellectual narrowness of licenses, certifications, and standardized exams. Jackie completed her internship with the Rimrock Expeditionary Alternative Learning Middle School (REALMS) and did an outstanding job. Jackie would like to earn a doctorate degree in education and curriculum development, and to use her education and skills to teach future teachers. |
| Division of Human Health and Wellness | |
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Erin Solomon, Exercise & Sport Science
Erin was a former competitive gymnast and is a mother of two young girls. Following her passion as a gymnast and her love for health and wellness, Erin chose the EXSS degree to help her achieve her goal. While in the program, she was selected to intern at the FORCE Lab and contributed to a research project that will soon be submitted for publication. Erin now works as a community health educator and is in charge of the rural Let’s Get Healthy Campaign, an education and research program from OHSU that travels around the state to help the public learn about their health. |
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Laura Manning, Human Development & Family Sciences Laura has a strong entrepreneurial spirit, as evidenced in many of her personal and professional accomplishments. Laura has excelled in the classroom as an invested, committed learner. Additionally, she served as a volunteer research assistant for Dr. Shannon Lipscomb, a paid research assistant for Dr. Michael Giamellaro, and created her own Little Free Library through grant funds. “The things that matter most to me are people. I want to work with people, building meaningful, enduring, compassionate and supportive relationships,” says Laura. |
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Angie Wagner, Master of Counseling - Clinical Mental Health
What impresses faculty and staff most about Angie is her desire and ability to jump in—whether that be with the OSU-Cascades Counseling Clinic or taking on a leadership position within our state's counseling association. Last year, when the counseling clinic was serving approximately 100 clients between Bend and La Pine, Angie volunteered to coordinate the clinic. She did this with humility, an openness to growth, and a sense of optimism. Angie speaks from her heart and intellect, combining to make her a strong newly-minted practitioner. |
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Sarah Wood, Master of Counseling - School Counseling
Sarah goes the extra mile when working with peers during group projects. She creatively finds solutions and has set up various technology driven programs that allow she and her peers to be more efficient and effective in their studies. Sarah took on a leadership role with Cascades Student Advocacy Workgroup. In her work with elementary and middle school students in the schools, she excels in establishing relationships and implementing effective educational interventions. Sarah was hired as an elementary counselor in the Salem Keiser School District starting next fall. |
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Lindsey Brown, Master of Arts in Teaching - Early Childhood and Elementary Lindsey Brown is no stranger to distinguished student recognition, having received the award last year as an undergraduate in human development and family science. In fact, when Lindsay learned of her second nomination she humbly wrote offering to give her nomination back so that someone else could have this honor. Sorry, Lindsey. The faculty believes wholeheartedly that you deserve this award again, having earned it for your keen intellect, professionalism, contributions to the MAT curriculum, and support to your peers. |
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Sean Glantz, Master of Arts in Teaching - Secondary Sean Glantz came to the MAT program last year with an impressive resume showing a bachelor's in biology with minors in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. He graduated magna cum laude and went on to put his knowledge to work with the U.S. Forest Service. Sean brings a broad understanding of science content to his teaching and he does so with a deep understanding of his students. He can bring a class of 6th graders to a deep conceptual understanding of celestial motion and a few weeks later he can be leading a group of high school chemistry students through the process of balancing chemical equations in a way that they all feel capable, accomplished and knowledgeable. |
* "In a rare unanimous decision, we decided all our Energy Systems Engineering graduating seniors are distinguished, so ESE will not be having a single distinguished student this year." - Robin Feuerbacher, Energy Systems Engineering Program Lead & Assistant Professor; Tykeson Endowed Faculty Scholar