Spring 2017 honors newsletter

The

ENDEAVOR

Newsletter of the Oklahoma City University Honors Program

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Director’s Corner

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Undergraduate Research Day Winners

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Hawthorne Tutoring Program

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HSC Update

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Class of 2017

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Mental Health Marathon

Pictured: Gold Star Building, home of the OCU Honors Program

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SPRING 2017

Director’s Corner pril is always such a busy and exciting time of the year as we recognize and bid farewell to our honors graduates and prepare to welcome a new cohort of honors freshmen for the fall semester. Our 21 cum honors graduates for 2017 are highlighted on pages 6-7 where you can read a little about their accoamplishments while at OCU and their plans for the future. Whether they are headed to graduate school, the business world, performance venues, or a variety of other fields and industries, we are thankful for the many ways they have enriched our campus and furthered our traditions of excellence, and we anticipate the positive impact they will have on their communities near and far.

One highlight of the spring semester (featured on page 3) was our revamped Undergraduate Research Day. The honors program has sponsored undergraduate research days for many years at the end of each semester. This year, we consolidated the event into a single day in late February with several goals in minds. First, we aimed to raise the profile and heighten the significance of our undergraduate research showcase by holding it during a time of the year when both students and faculty could give it more time and focus. We also scheduled the event to dovetail with a major recruitment day for admissions, Junior Stars Day. Prospective students and families who were visiting the campus for the preview day could take some time to view student posters and hear student presentations and to get a glimpse of the research and creative opportunities awaiting them as OCU students.

Finally, we made a concerted effort to broaden the reach of URD through encouraging creative arts and performance entries. In addition to posters on creative projects, several students performed original musical compositions during a short mid-day concert. Sincere thanks goes to Dr. Erik Heine, assistant honors director, who oversaw this transition and organized the submission and judging processes.

We hope you enjoy this snapshot of honors activities for spring 2017.

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Undergraduate Research Day Winners Students submitted their research to Undergraduate Research Day to be judged by members of the Oklahoma City University faculty. Research topics came from all fields and majors, including microbiology, ecology, performing arts, music, and modern medicine.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE WINNERS:

POSTER WINNERS Ecology: Laura Jardine - Geographic Variation in Chill Coma Recovery Times in Male and Female Bumblebees (Bombus vosnesenskii) Microbiology: Alanah Hosford and Laura Jardine - Determining Optimal Growth Conditions of Microbial Communities Within Different Stages of Degrading Compost Material Performing Arts: Abigale Troutman - Collateral Bodies Mood Board/ Research Images PAPER WINNERS Modern Medicine: Kayleen Merritt - The Investigation of Nurse-Led Education for Transitioning Congenital Cardiology Patients Performing Arts: Valerie Gose - Effects of Musical Education on Students with Disabilities POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS Ecology and the Environment: Laura Jardine - Effects of Fire Intensity on Small Mammal Communities - Five Years Post-Fire GRAND PRIZE Valerie Gose - Effects of Musical Education on Students with Disabilities

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Hawthorne Tutoring Program

ast year, Honors Student Council joined with Alpha Chi Honor Society to begin a tutoring program at Hawthorne Elementary School. The program started in spring 2016, and 12 OCU students contributed more than 100 hours of community service that semester alone. This year, five OCU students have continued the tradition by tutoring weekly at Hawthorne. One volunteer, Angela Pan, says, “I really love tutoring at Hawthorne; the kids are so sweet and eager to learn. It has been a great learning experience for both me and them.” The Hawthorne teachers and students love the program as well. Hawthorne teacher Ms. Borgfeld really appreciated her OCU volunteer, Ellie Roth. “Ellie was very flexible, kind, and caring. I had her working with a special needs autism child, and she was great working with him. Ellie was here every week, no matter what. The kids thought it was so special, just the extra attention they got. It really helps with the emotional needs of the kids, not just the academic needs. It is really a great program.” Special thanks to OCU tutors Angela Pan, Ellie Roth, Madison Snow, Hallie Schmidt, and Jordan Brannan.

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HSC Update The Honors Student Council executive board held elections in April and the results are in. Joshua Hertz will take the position of president, Jennifer Treloggen as vice president, Tammy Phillips as treasurer, Emily Hann as secretary, and Sammi Bronow as the honors student professional.

The new members of the HSC executive board are excited to lead the honors program for the 2017-2018 academic year and have many new ideas for future honors events and activities.

“My goal for the honors program is to have it be more accessible and available to all of the honors students. I want every honors student to have the chance to enjoy one of the various parties or activities that we put on. The honors program is at its best when its interdisciplinary colors can show, and having parties or activities that many students of varying majors cannot attend does not help to foster this interdisciplinary nature. My desire and my goal is to allow for everyone within the honors program to have the chance to

participate in and enjoy the honors program as much as I have.” – Joshua Hertz

together and continue making a positive impact.” – Jennifer Treloggen

“I am very excited to step into the position of Student Assistant Honors Director! I am looking forward to working within the Honors community and contributing my ideas to continue to better the program.”

– Sammi Bronow

“I am excited to be a part of HSC to become more involved with the honors program and to give back to an organization that has already given so much to me. As secretary, I am hoping to increase the honors presence in the OCU community. I hope to expand our resources outside of campus as well.” – Emily Haan

“I am excited to serve as a member of HSC because I am eager to continue building the program and finding ways to bring intellectually stimulating content to my fellow honors students. I see the OCU honors program as a place where students can connect with others who share their curiosity and thirst for knowledge and have thought-provoking conversations while also making incredible friends! I plan to work closely with the other HSC members to come up with ways to bring our honors community closer

“I wanted to be part of an organization that placed emphasis on mental health over academic perfection. I definitely forget that sometimes, as I'm sure other students also do. I'm eager to help other students reach academic excellence as well as emotional intelligence, just like previous Honors students have helped me.” – Tammy Phillips

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Class of 2017 Congratulations to the following students who graduated cum honore from Oklahoma City University this spring of 2017. The honors program celebrated their accomplishments during the annual Senior Dinner at Guernsey Park, where seniors received their honors graduation certificates and sashes to be worn at graduation. Dr. Karen Schiller received the Honors Distinguished Faculty Award, senior Sylvia Hayes received the Outstanding Honors Student of the Year Award, and Arrash Allahyar received the Distinguished Service Award.

Arrash Allahyar is a cell and molecular biology major from Oklahoma City. A Great Plan Scholar in the Department of Science and Mathematics, Arrash has served as the student assistant honors director for the past three years. During that time, he has made presentations at two Great Plains Honors Council meetings and two National Collegiate Honors Council meetings. Arrash has also served as student editor of the honors program newsletter, The Endeavor, which won top awards at the 2016 NCHC conference in Seattle. Arrash will begin medical school at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in the fall.

Noelle Bradley is a dance management major and business entrepreneurship minor from Overland, Kansas. Noelle has been recognized twice with awards for outstanding achievement in arts management courses. This year, she served as banquet chair for the Students of Arts Management Annual Awards Banquet. Last fall, as a member of the inaugural group of honors peer mentors, she helped organize and carry out honors orientation and served as a mentor to a small group of freshmen throughout the year.

After graduation, Noelle will pursue a performing career with the plan to transition into arts administration in the near future.

Jordan Brannan is a cell and molecular biology major and chemistry minor from Oklahoma City. In the fall of 2014 he presented his poster, “Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Pasteurized Cow’s Milk” at Undergraduate Research Day. Among the proudest moments of his life include performing Mahler’s Ninth Symphony on the Petree Auditorium stage in November of 2013 and making an A in Professor Gaudin’s Immunology and Pathogenic Microbiology class. After a gap year, Jordan plans on beginning medical school.

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Lauren Branum is a biology major from Edmond, Oklahoma. She performed in the Lyric Theatre’s summer 2014 production of Les Miserables. In the fall of 2015, Lauren spent the semester studying abroad at the University of Brighton and traveled throughout the United Kingdom. In the fall of 2014, and again in 2016, she presented work at the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference. Lauren plans to begin a master’s program in professional environmental science at Oklahoma State University, Tulsa in the fall.

Liza Clark is a music theater major from Wilsonville, Oregon. Liza represented the Bass School of Music in the fall of 2016 as a part of the musical review tour of “Heart to Heart” in Tianjin, China. She has also served as the student coordinator for all incoming student auditions in music and theatre. Among her most satisfying accomplishments at OCU was completing her honors capstone on strains of the perfectionist mindset in medical professionals for Dr. Vannatta’s Junior-Senior Seminar: Medicine and Literature. After graduation, Liza will perform in OCU’s Music Theater Showcase in New York City.

Hannah Descartin is an acting major from Houston, Texas. She has been a cast member of three Mainstage productions through TheaterOCU and OCU MT Co., including “House of Atreus”, “The Crucible”, and “South Pacific.” She has also been involved in several projects through OCUedge and Shadow Collective. Hannah served as head of Gamma Phi Beta’s homecoming window committee for two years, and has had her art featured on the student-run YouTube channel entitled “Our Discussion.” After graduation, Hannah plans to move to Chicago to pursue her acting career and to take classes at Second City to refine her stand-up comedy and improvisation skills.

Tamara Doherty is an economics and psychology double major from North Andover, Massachusetts. In the spring of 2015, Tamara participated in an Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP) seminar entitled “The Nature of Nurture,” an anthropological study of neuroplasticity.

She served as president of Alphi Phi for 2015-16 and was recognized with the Outstanding Senior Award at the spring 2016 OCU Leadership Awards Ceremony. After graduation, Tamara will begin employment with Alpha Phi International Fraternity as an Educational Leadership Consultant. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in finance and economics in the future.

Audrey Harris is a biology major from Oklahoma City. In the fall of 2014 she was part of the OCU contingent at the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. where she participated in the poetry masterclass and presented her original poetry. She was a National Science Foundation REU intern at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in the summers of 2015 and 2016. She presented a research poster at the Western Society of Naturalists Conference also in 2016. After getting her feet wet (literally) through seasonal fisheries jobs and conducting backcountry snorkeling surveys in Idaho’s Clearwater River Basin, Audrey plans to pursue a master’s degree in fisheries science.

Sylvia Hayes is a cell and molecular biology major from Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to her science studies at OCU, Sylvia competed on the track and cross country teams, served as president of the Investment Club in the Meinders School of Business for four years, and was team leader for the Ethics Debate Team, which competed at nationals in 2016. She also attended the National Honors Council Annual Conference twice, presenting a poster in the biology category and serving as a general session moderator.

Sylvia will begin medical school at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center this fall.

Grace Lewis is an instrumental performance major from Atlanta, Georgia. Grace was the OCU Concerto Competition Winner in 2015 and the Ladies’ Music Club Competition Winner in 2016 for her performance on double bass. She also held the Presser Scholarship for academic excellence in music for the year 201516. Grace is currently weighing several scholarship offers for graduate study in double bass performance, and plans to open her own private studio in the near future.

Judah Maxwell is a human performance major with a history minor from Noble, Oklahoma. Judah has been a student-athlete award winner for seven straight semesters and has made the President’s Honor List several semesters. He also serves as the chaplain for DAX.

Anna Nguyen is a marketing major from Yukon, Oklahoma. A Chesapeake Presidential Scholar in the Meinders School of Business, Anna studied abroad at the University of Westminster and interned at Outpost Media Inc. in London, England, in the spring of 2015. She received an CAIRS Undergraduate Research Scholarship to work with Professor Brooke Hessler on the StoryA Project, a digital humanities project exploring study abroad experiences. Anna presented the results of her work at the 2016 National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Seattle. She will begin working as assistant brand manager with Blank Label Records this fall and plans to begin a master’s program in music business in the near future.

Eric Odum is an accounting major from Overland Park, Kansas. Eric has attended three National Collegiate Honors Council meetings and two Great Plains Honors Council meetings, presenting on topics including public memorialization, honors best administrative practices, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. He served as Honors Student Council president for two years and historian for one year. He has also served as Secretary of Finance on the executive council of the Student Government Association.

This summer Eric will begin his career as a public accountant in the offices of Myers and Stauffer in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Class of 2017 (Cont.)

Felicity Owens is a sociology major from Claremore, Oklahoma. During her time at OCU, Felicity worked as an English/writing peer educator in the Learning Enhancement Center. In the summers of 2015 and 2016, she participated in the OCU-Doers Taiwan Cultural Exchange Program. Her sociology senior capstone project was entitled “Exploring Equity Through Median Household Income and Sidewalk Presence in Oklahoma City.” This fall, Felicity will begin the Master of Urban Planning Program at Texas A&M University.

Karina Salazar-Lopez is an accounting major with minors in Spanish and mathematics from Ontario, California. Karina served as president of the Student Accounting Society in the 2015-16 academic year. She has also been recognized as a Jerome Altshuler Junior Marshall for having the highest GPA in the junior class in the Meinders School of Business.

In 2016, she was also awarded with the OSCPA Outstanding Accounting Student Award. Karina will begin a full-time accounting position at Devon Energy Corporation in June and prepare to sit for the CPA. She has also been accepted into the OCU Master of Science in Accounting Program.

Kenzie Slothower is a psychology major from Edmond, Oklahoma. In the fall of 2015, Kenzie presented with Professor Brooke Hessler on the OKC Bombing Memorial oral history project at the NCHC annual conference in Chicago. She presented her research, “Correlations of Negative Emotions and Rates of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among LGBQ College Students,” in the 2016 Social Sciences Research Day. She is currently a research assistant for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in their Center of Child Abuse and Neglect. Kenzie plans to return to school in the fall to complete requirements for medical school on her way to a career in psychiatry.

Monica Thompson is a vocal performance and music theater double major from Aurora, Colorado. Monica devoted many hours to community service throughout the Oklahoma City area during her years at OCU, including interning with Children’s Miracle Network where she helped raise money for a new hospital wing devoted to patients with eating disorders; serving as coach for a Girls on the Run Team at Horace Mann Elementary School; and volunteering as a children’s music teacher for Positive Tomorrows. As a member of Gamma Phi Beta, Monica served as philanthropy chair and as homecoming queen nominee. In 2016, Monica was crowned Miss OCU, and later won a preliminary talent award and community service award at the Miss Oklahoma Pageant. After moving back home this summer to compete in the Miss Colorado Pageant, Monica

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will move either to Los Angeles or New York to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Elizabeth Wasson is a vocal performance major from Skiatook, Oklahoma. In the summer of 2015, Liz studied Italian language and Renaissance history in Rome. During the 2015-16 academic year, she served as president of OCU’s chapter of Kappa Phi. In 2016, she was awarded third place in the Edward Baird Singer of the Year Competition. Also in 2016, she served as one of the inaugural peer mentors for the honors freshmen orientation program. In the fall, she will begin graduate study in the University of Oklahoma’s School of Library and Information Sciences while she continues preparation for an operatic career.

Kenneth Williams is a chemistry major from Renton, Washington. A pitcher for the OCU baseball team, Ken is also the founder and president of the OCU Repurposing Club. During his sophomore year he served as the OCULeads sophomore advisor, and during his junior year as the 2015 homecoming commissioner. Ken is currently considering schools that will allow him to play out his final year of baseball eligibility while beginning a master’s degree in chemical or environmental engineering.

Patience Williams is an English major and Spanish minor from Oklahoma City. She spent a full semester studying literature abroad at Oxford University in 2015 and a summer studying the Spanish language in Mexico in 2016. She also participated in a summer CAIRS research grant in the summer of 2016 that took her to the literary archives at Yale studying Ralph and Fanny Ellison with her mentor, Tracy Floreani. In the fall of 2016, Patience participated in a poetry masterclass at the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference in Seattle, and presented one of her original poems to a sizeable crowd in the main banquet hall. She plans to pursue graduate work in creative writing in the near future.

Takayoshi Yago is a music composition major from Oklahoma City. He is the winner of the Oklahoma City University Guitar Orchestra Composition Competition.

Taka will continue his musicological and composition studies by pursuing a graduate degree in early music performance.

Mental Health Marathon

This semester, the honors program hosted the first Mental Health Marathon. The program was open to the entire OCU community and featured three sessions: mental health awareness, building healthy relationships, and stress and perfectionism.

The event was inspired by a presentation from South Dakota State University at the NCHC conference in the fall. “In Honors Student Council, we had been thinking about the pressures OCU students face, the stress of college, and the push for perfection. In response, we decided to host the Mental Health Marathon, three Friday Forum dates that included free food, professional guidance from OCU Counseling, and a chance to discuss with peers. We believe mental health is an important but under-recognized subject among college students and we hope the program continues in years to come.� - HSC President Sylvia Hayes

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