Media Tip Sheet: May 2007 Outstanding Colorado State University Graduates

Note to Editors: The following students are graduating from Colorado State University in Fort Collins on May 11-12, 2007.

HONORS STUDENT EXCELS IN SCIENCE AND MUSIC

Karen Colbert is an honor student, Hughes Undergraduate Research Scholar and has maintained a 4.0 grade point average. Colbert will graduate in biochemistry with minors in chemistry and music. She has been playing the violin for 12 years and is a member of the university and chamber orchestras at Colorado State. In both orchestras, she has served as section leader while keeping up with her demanding school schedule. Colbert has earned five scholarships and has participated in other extracurricular activities including Honors Student Association, College of Natural Science Ambassadors, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science and CSU Students as Leaders in Science.

To speak with Colbert, contact Nik Olsen at (970) 491-7766 or Nik.Olsen@colostate.edu.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH GRADUATE HAS TO FIND TIME FOR SCHOOL IN BETWEEN VOLUNTEERING

Amanda Sutton will graduate with a degree in Environmental Health and has also completed interdisciplinary studies in Conservation Biology. Sutton is graduating cum laude and as a University Honors Scholar. She has managed to find time for school in-between her volunteer hours. Sutton volunteers with Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, Larimer County Humane Society, Larimer County Wildkind program and the WOLF Sanctuary. Sutton is also an intern at the Denver Zoo where she works as a zoo tour guide to educate guests about conservation and the animals at the zoo. Sutton is also a member of the Pre-Vet Club and the Society for Conservation Biology. After graduation, Sutton will head to Australia for four months to complete an animal care internship.

To speak with Sutton, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

SOCIOLOGY GRADUATE HELPS AT-RISK YOUTH AND ASSISTS WITH NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION-FUNDED RESEARCH

Lea Blumer will be graduating in just three years with a degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice. Last fall, Blumer had an internship with Turning Point, a rehabilitation facility for high-risk youth. Blumer worked with 13- to 18-year-olds helping them with their daily routines and drug problems. Blumer was also the only undergraduate selected to join Professor Silvia Canetto’s research team for a National Science Foundation-funded research project that was a study of portrayals of female and male characters in elementary school science books.

To speak with Blumer, contact Nik Olsen at (970) 491-7766 or Nik.Olsen@colostate.edu.

ENGINEERING STUDENT BUILDS COOKSTOVES FOR GUATEMALA AND HELPS AT-RISK YOUTH IN COLORADO

Elisa Guzman is graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. While getting her degree, Guzman headed up a team of mechanical engineering students in a project to increase production of inexpensive cookstoves in Guatemala. The cookstoves were created by Texas resident Don O’Neal, who had made many trips to Guatemala and saw the horrible burns that women and children received from camp fires. Guzman will be going to Columbia for six months after graduation to do engineering research for the School of Engineering and the Earth Institute. She will then attend Baylor University in the fall to complete her graduate degree. Guzman also helped start a club for at-risk youth in Fort Collins. The club encourages youth to do well in school by offering tutoring and Tae Kwan Do and boxing lessons as a reward.

To speak with Guzman, contact Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-2336 or Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu.

GEOSCIENCES STUDENT WINS COMPETITION WITH RESEARCH

Tim Cleland will graduate with a degree in Geosciences in the Warner College of Natural Resources. As an undergraduate, he completed a research project on Jurassic sedimentary rocks in Wyoming. He sought an external expert to help him and became the first undergraduate to present his research at the biannual Department of Geosciences Advisory Council Talk competition where he won third place. He has been active in the Geology Club, serving as an officer for the past two years. He also volunteers his computer expertise to help undergraduates and graduates facing stressful deadlines.

To speak with Cleland, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

ACCOUNTING GRADUATE SERVES COUNTRY AND COMMUNITY

Victor Amaya spent eight years serving in the U.S. Army and will now graduate with a master’s degree in accounting. He will also finish his second term as president of Beta Alpha Psi – the accounting honor society. Under his presidency, the society achieved Superior Chapter Status for the first time since 2000. Amaya also assisted in launching the Financial Literacy Project, which is an organization that goes to Fort Collins high schools and educates students on credit cards, budgeting, consumer and student loans and banking. He was also part of the ALPFA/KPMG National Business Case Competition team last year that won the Southwest regional competition and earned runner-up honors in the national competition. In August, Amaya will start a job at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

To speak with Amaya, contact Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-2336 or Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH GRADUATES HELPS DISABLED STUDENTS

Travis Peveto has earned a Volunteer of the Year award from the Resources for Disabled Students office for his work helping students with reading disabilities or visually impaired students. Each semester, he picks up a tape recorder, a stack of tapes and a textbook submitted by an RDS student and reads and records the textbook for the student. Peveto will graduate cum laude with a degree in Environmental Health. Peveto also has a private pilot license and aerobatics certification.

To speak with Peveto, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT GRADUATE USES EDUCATION TO HELP HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Ann Szynskie jokingly says she was diagnosed with "infectious habititus" when she was 10 years old after her mother took her to help with a Habitat for Humanity project. She has been very involved with the organization ever since. Szynskie will graduate with a degree in Construction Management this spring and will finish her term as president of Colorado State’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Through her involvement with the organization, Szynskie has helped build homes on a Native American Reservation in South Dakota and the Musicians Village and Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Szynskie is also a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council, which acts as the student council for the College of Applied Human Sciences.

To speak with Szynskie, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES STUDENT WILL GRADUATE WITH THREE DEGREES

When Justin Dodsworth graduates from Colorado State, he will have a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business, Animal Sciences and Soil and Crop Sciences. Besides his demanding school schedule, Dodsworth is involved in Agronomy Club, Block & Bridle and Campus Crusade for Christ. He served as president of the Block & Bridle organization for two years and is chairman of the planning committee for the Spring Branding Banquet, an awards banquet in Animals Sciences. In Campus Crusade, Dodsworth leads a men’s Bible study and is involved in the Program and Community Leadership Teams. He also received the Charles N. Shepardson Student Leadership Award.

To speak with Dodsworth, contact Nik Olsen, at (970) 491-7766 or Nik.Olsen@colostate.edu.

MICROBIOLOGY STUDENT EARNS PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP FOR RESEARCH

After graduation, Robert Sons is headed to Toronto where he will give a presentation on his research at the national American Society for Microbiology meeting. Sons has been assisting in the search for drugs to combat the flavivirus genus, which include the dengue fever, West Nile and yellow fever viruses. He received a fellowship from the American Society for Microbiology Undergraduate Research – one of only 35 fellowships awarded in the United States. Sons is also an Honors Scholar and serves as the director of finance and chair of the Student Funding Board for the Associated Students of Colorado State University.

To speak with Sons, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

FIRST GENERATION GRADUATE EARNS TOP HONORS IN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Upon graduation, Business Administration student Erica Valdez will be the first person in her family to receive a college diploma. Valdez, named a "Top 10" senior by the college, has been very involved as a student mentor as well as the student coordinator for the Business Diversity and Leadership Alliance. This spring, Valdez worked as the program manager for the college’s Center for Entrepreneurship. In 2006, she won the Phi Kappa Phi community service award.

To speak with Valdez, contact Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-2336 or Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu.

STUDENT FROM NEPAL WILL USE HER DEGREE TO IMPROVE EDUCATION IN HOME COUNTRY

Nirmala Gyawali’s road to a degree at Colorado State has been paved with great obstacles. Gyawali comes from a rural village in Nepal and is one of five children – and one of three who were born blind. In Nepal, people believe that being disabled is a punishment for sins in a past life and many of the disabled do not receive an education. Despite those challenges, she hosted a community radio program in Nepal that was the first to address issues facing those with physical disabilities. She successfully competed with sighted students for a Fulbright scholarship to study in the United States. After graduating, Gyawali will use her degree to work in Nepal to improve access to education and job training for people with disabilities.

To speak with Gyawali, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

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