2018 Valedictorian Athena Nguyen (Political Science and Public Health) smiles after addressing her classmates. Photo by Jim Gensheimer
Dear Alumni, Parents, Friends, and Colleagues,
This time of the year is always bittersweet. We say goodbye to another group of wonderful students, but we know that they will remain important members of our College Bronco Family! In addition to celebrating the success of our 2018 grads, I’d also like to recognize the accomplishments of some of our recent alumni.
Special congratulations to Sean Reilly '16 (Biology and Environmental Science), one of 32 American Rhodes Scholars for 2018, and a wonderful follow-up on a Fulbright awarded to him in 2016. Hayley Racquer '16 (Biology) is one of 48 winners of the inaugural Knight-Hennessy Scholars receiving full financial support for graduate education at Stanford University. In last spring’s newsletter, I shared the plans of Grace Chesmore '17 (Physics), to study Astrophysics at the University of Michigan. I’m delighted to share that Grace was recently awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. The very prestigious national award supports high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers and provides three years of financial support for their research training that leads to a research-based advanced degree in a STEM field. Kudos to you all!
We have a great group of accomplished students graduating this year and moving on to a variety of next steps you can read about below. I especially want to highlight our students who have received national and international recognition including 2018 Valedictorian and Fulbright Awardee Athena Nguyen (Political Science and Public Health). Along with Athena, 2018 College grads Shawna Richardson (Child Studies) and Marisa Rudolph (Environmental Science and Political Science) were also awarded Fulbrights. Ciaran Freeman (Studio Art) and Brandon Sanchez (History and Psychology) were selected as 2018-2019 Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. Postgraduate Media Fellows and will spend a year at Fordham University studying Journalism.
What a year we had! W. Kamau Bell, host of CNN’s Emmy-winning United Shades of America, was on campus throughout the year as the 2017-2018 Frank Sinatra Artist-in-Residence performing and working with our students. Oculus provided a gift to the College that included new Oculus VR gear for the Imaginarium space in the Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Building, and they also provided funding to support faculty and student research aimed at Redefining Virtual Reality Within a Liberal Arts Education.
This summer we are kicking off the new REAL (Real Experience. Actual Learning.) program to support paid summer research, internship, project, and creative work experiences for students in the College. Funded through a combination of faculty external grants, department gift funds, Provost office programs, College gifts, and corporate partnerships, we were able to fund approximately $550,000 to over 125 students this summer. We aim to expand the program to support every student in the College during their undergraduate career and to reach that programmatic and funding goal in the next 5 years. Thanks to all of you who have already supported the program allowing us to achieve so much more this summer than we ever imagined possible just a few short months ago—these student experiences will make a difference! Please contact Daniel Iritani, Director of External Relations, to learn more about this program.
The Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences has established a new partnership with Filoli. This summer, we have several faculty who will be speaking in the famed Filoli Gardens during Summer Nights events including “A Biologist Interprets Evolution’s Palette” by Janice Edgerly-Rooks, Michael and Elizabeth Valeriote Professor, on June 28 and “The Hidden Lives of Mission Indians - Archaeological Insights from Colonial California” by Lee Panich, Department of Anthropology, on August 2. If you have never been to Filoli, now’s a great time. If you are planning a visit to the gardens this summer and want to connect with other SCU folks attending, send a message to Dennis Gordon, co-director for the Center for the Arts and Humanities.
Debbie Tahmassebi, Dean
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Athena Nguyen, Political Science and Public Health, grew from "naive and immature" to "confident and mature—a person for others" during her four years at SCU.
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Brandon Sanchez, History and Psychology, received the Nobili Medal as well as various History department awards.
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Shawna Richardson, Child Studies, believes SCU students have an obligation to enter broader cultural conversations as global citizens.
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Marisa Rudolph, Environmental Science and Political Science, will be in Ghana researching how private agricultural extension fosters the public good, especially for women.
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Ciaran Freeman, Studio Art, created masterpieces from trash while in residence at Recology SF.
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Jason Nguyen, Biology, Public Health, and Spanish, attributes success to the abundance of opportunities available to SCU students.
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More Next Stops
Our graduates go on to a wide range of places. Here is just a sampling:
- Ayesha Ahmed, Chemistry and Environmental Science, will be starting graduate school in Soils and Biogeochemistry at UC Davis in the fall.
- Kirsten Andersen, Communication, will be working as Functional Consultant for Adobe Experience Manager.
- Claire Calfo, Anthropology, is heading to Madrid, Spain to work as a Language and Cultural Assistant.
- Gabby Deutsch, English, is heading to Georgetown University to pursue a master's in English.
- Grace Durenberger, Biochemistry, will be working at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
- Andrew Melendez, Philosophy and Political Science, is going to Cornell Law School.
- Katherine Meyer, Religious Studies and Political Science, is heading to Georgetown University to pursue a master’s in International Affairs/Conflict Resolution.
- Charles Odei, Economics, has taken a position at Accenture.
- Giannina Ong, English, will be working for Santa Clara Magazine.
- Anand Purohit, Environmental Studies and Political Science, is going to UC Berkeley School of Law.
- Jenna Salinas, Political Science and Spanish Studies, will be working at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School as part of their Service Corps.
- Alex Seto, Mathematics and Computer Science & Engineering, is heading to Purdue University to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science.
- Grace Zimmerman, Religious Studies, will be working as a Domestic Violence Advocate for Safe Horizon, in conjunction with the NYPD, leading trainings and making sure survivors have access to all of the resources available to them in Manhattan.
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Program Updates |
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Opening Doors and Opening Minds—first year of the Neuroscience Program.
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Larder House provides a window to the past for SCU students and our community.
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Featured Faculty |
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Chemistry faculty team up with Bioengineering faculty.
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C.J. Gabbe, Environmental Studies and Sciences, tackles sustainable housing.
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Alumni |
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Celebrating ten years of DeNardo Science Scholars, Michael Hayes '10, reflected on the program with fellow scholars.
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Janet Napolitano '79, Political Science, gave the inaugural Eric Hansen Alumni Speaker Series talk.
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Francesco Merola '17, Classics, followed his heart, incorporated classics in the modern world, and found his calling in multimedia production.
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Melissa Segura '01, Communication, received the 2018 George Polk Award for a series of stories of innocent men framed for murder.
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Makeda Adisu '17, Psychology and Communication, works as a research specialist at a Silicon Valley market research firm.
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June |
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Scents, Color, and Beauty: A Biologist Interprets Evolution's Palette
Filoli Historic House & Garden | 6:30 PM
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July |
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Filoli Through an Artist's Eye Time
Filoli Historic House & Garden | 5:45 PM
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August |
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The Hidden Lives of Mission Indians
Filoli Historic House & Garden | 5 PM
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September |
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Fall Classes Begin
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October |
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Grand Reunion: College of Arts and Sciences Reception
6 PM | Vari Hall Patio and Foyer
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Santa Clara University College of Arts and Sciences 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053 Phone: 408.554.4455 cas@scu.edu |
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