Initiates at Santa Clara University (2015)
Inducted as juniors in 2014
McKenzie Darr. McKenzie, a double major in Psychology and Ethnic studies, is a Santa Clara native. She participated in an immersion program in Mumbai, India;volunteered for an educational non-profit (Resource Area for Teachers);and worked in code enforcement for the City of Santa Clara Building Inspection Division. Her work experience, coupled with her experience in Mumbai, has driven her interest in problems associated with unregulated housing, both domestically and internationally. McKenzie will begin a master's degree in Urban Planning at the University of Washington.
Jenna Herzog. Jenna was a double major in Communication and Spanish with a Latin American Studies minor. Her work experiences range from bartending in Argentina to communications and research positions at Santa Clara. She played on the women's lacrosse team for two years before becoming an avid backpacker and rock climber. Jenna formed a special connection with Latin America and the local Latino community through studying abroad in Argentina, traveling to Cuba, and joining a Latina sisterhood at SCU. Next year, she will be driving throughout Central and South America while photographing and writing about her travels.
Allyson Koh. Originally from Seattle, Allyson is a Biology and Public Health major a Chemistry minor. She received the DeNardo Science Scholarship for research in Dr. Amelia Fuller's Organic Chemistry lab. She was a peer tutor and a coordinator for Camp Kesem, a student-led program that orchestrates summer camps for children whose parents have cancer. This past year she served as a Health Care Ethics Intern, and had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with Santa Clara's Global Medical Brigades Team. She will be applying to medical schools while interning with Kaiser Permanente in Portland.
Patrick McDonell. Patrick, from Sebastopol, California, has completed a double-major in English and Political Science with a minor in Italian. At Santa Clara, he worked his way through the ranks from intramural basketball referee to vice president of the student body. Along the way, he held an internship at an Italian law firm, worked as a community facilitator, and completed a thesis on international borders. Next year, he will work at a non-profit law firm in Baltimore through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Inducted as seniors in 2015
Oliver Bawmann. Oliver is a Biology major from Denver, Colorado. During summers he worked as a lab assistant in a stem cell and developmental biology lab at the University of Colorado. His most recent project was helping to make a transgenic mouse model of a skin disease. Oliver also studied abroad in Ecuador with a medical immersion summer program and worked as an EMT on campus during the last three years. He also served as director of the program during his junior year. Oliver is currently applying to medical schools and will be working at Genomic Health in Redwood City during his gap year.
Amanda Bolan. Amanda is a Political Science major with a minor in History. She served as a community facilitator on campus and played on the women's ultimate frisbee team. Amanda interned for State Assemblywoman Beth Gaines. Her senior thesis focused on sexual orientation and its status under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Amanda will continue her education at George Washington University Law School and pursue a career in public interest law.
Sara Boye. Sara is a Biochemistry major from Redmond, Washington. She has been a part of the Science and Engineering Mentoring Outreach Program in which she mentored local high school students with International Baccalaureate science projects. She has done research in microfluidics with Professor Paul Abbyad to design chips to study enzymatic and other chemical reactions. She enjoys creating and viewing art and hopes to return to Barcelona where she studied abroad. After graduation, she plans to work for a year before pursuing a career in medicine.
Claudia Bradley.Claudia is a Psychology major who finished her studies at Santa Clara in December 2014. She served as a member of the Peer Judicial Board as well as the recruitment information manager of her sorority. She had the privilege of studying the impact of immigration on border patrol policy and agriculture as part of an immersion trip to Tucson, AZ. This past October, she completed her first half marathon and plans to run more races this summer. Claudia currently works in Human Resources for a nonprofit in Marin County that manages affordable housing for families and seniors.
Rosella Chapman. Rosella, a native of Eugene, Oregon, is a Political Science major and Spanish Studies minor. Rosella interned at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, assisting the education and health policy teams. She also worked as a research assistant with Professor Elsa Chen in the Political Science Department examining the implementation of Proposition 36 and other criminal justice legislation. Rosella was awarded a Global Social Benefit Fellowship and spent a summer working in Kolkata, India. She recently began working at Google as a Legal Assistant and hopes to obtain a master's degree in Public Policy in the coming years.
Logan Chun. Logan, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, graduated this past fall with a degree in economics. He was a member of the men's tennis team the last two years and earned a spot on the 2014 WCC All-Academic Team. Following graduation, he spent the summer serving as a supervisor at a youth program in Honolulu. Currently, Logan is pursuing an MBA degree at SCU with a concentration in data science and business analytics while working as an assistant to the financial investment analyst at the University Finance Office. He plans a career in sports analytics.
Elizabeth Connelly. Elizabeth is a Theatre major and Biology minor. In addition to participating in productions with the Theatre and Dance department, she has worked in the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and CyPhi RLC as the assistant resident director. After graduation, Elizabeth with be returning to her hometown, Spokane WA, before leaving for a year with Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Scranton, PA. Eventually she hopes to attend medical school and become a pediatrician.
Emily Fayram. Emily, a junior majoring in Psychology and Child Studies, is passionate about working with children and families. She has worked as a research assistant and lab manager for the Resilient Families Program with Professor Burns, and served as co-president of Future Child Advocates of SCU. Emily has cultivated her love of exploration through studying Positive Psychology in Copenhagen, Denmark, and participating in an immersion trip to West Virginia. Upon her graduation in 2016, Emily plans to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology.
Ramsey Fisher. Ramsey was born and raised in the East Bay. A triple major in History, Economics, and Political Science, Ramsey has interned with the American Bar Association in Washington D.C., worked as the lead TA for the Economics Department, and served as the editor of the university's undergraduate history journal, Historical Perspectives. His most impactful experience as an undergraduate, however, has been with the Northern California Innocence Project, where he worked with a team of attorneys devoted to exonerating the wrongfully convicted. This fall, Ramsey will begin law school at Columbia University.
Katherine Girlich. Kate is an English major and twice published author who fulfilled her dream of becoming a literary expatriate while studying abroad in London. Analogue by birth but digital by design, she received the Arthur Hayes Fellowship for an original film project that explores how studying the Humanities fosters technological innovation and global leadership. Kate has also worked for the University Archives and Special Collections, Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp, and has served as a research assistant and writing tutor. A fourth generation San Franciscan, Kate will be returning to the City to work at a law firm and write the next great American novel.
Monet Gonnerman. Monet is a Sociology major with International Business and Mathematics minors. As part of a nine-month Global Social Benefit Fellowship, Monet worked with a social enterprise in Kolkata, India, that teaches women a vocational skill and supports them as they start their own small business cooperatives. This past year on campus, she was a community facilitator, president of Core Christian Fellowship, and worked in the Global Engagement Office. She also completed her honors thesis titled, "Women's Livelihood Creation and the Affiliation Capability: A Critical Programmatic Analysis." Next year, Monet will be working for the Casa de la Solidaridad study abroad program in El Salvador as a community coordinator.
Alexander Goya. Alex is a Biochemistry major with a minor in Japanese Studies. He has done research at the Stanford School of Medicine, where he helped investigate the development of macrophage lineages. Alex also worked with the Markkula Center's Health Care Ethics program looking at the ethical issues in physician-patient interactions. Following a year working and travelling, he plans to attend medical school.
Jordan Jue. Jordan, a double major in History and Ethnic Studies, is the recipient of the 2013 Matt Meier Prize for outstanding essay on race and ethnicity. Working with Dr. Steve Fugita at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, Jordan wrote his senior capstone about the experiences of Japanese Americans in the Santa Clara Valley during and after internment. President of the Triathlon club from 2012 to 2014, Jordan ran in the Boston Marathon this year. He is also a competitive video game player hoping to qualify for the Pokémon World Championships. He will begin a one year credential and master's program in secondary-school teaching at Stanford.
Morris Kim. Morris is an anthropology major from Portland, OR. He spent his junior year studying abroad at Oxford University, and last summer researching diet and nutrition in Costa Rica. This spring, Morris traveled to Honduras to volunteer at free clinics while studying the ethics involved in working with underprivileged communities. Through these experiences, Morris grew interested in addressing the widespread inequities in access to healthcare. On campus, Morris's biggest role has been his work as a community facilitator. After graduation, Morris will attend medical school at Tulane University, where he plans on working closely with underprivileged communities in New Orleans.
Kevin Krautscheid. Originally from Gresham, OR, Kevin is graduating with dual degrees in accounting and economics and with a minor in political science. As a business ethics intern with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Kevin was placed as a fraud analyst with Cisco Systems. He also completed an internship with professional services firm EY, serving a range of technology clients. After finishing his CPA exams, Kevin will be moving to New York City to begin a one year rotation as a National Assurance Researcher with EY.
Ian Layton. Ian is a double major in Political Science and Religious Studies. In the fall of 2013 he studied abroad in El Salvador. He received a Jean Donovan Fellowship, which lead him to work with street youth in Cusco, Peru, during August of 2014. This past year, Ian was the Program Coordinator for the Santa Clara Community Action Program connecting students with day laborers in Mountain View. His essay titled "Witnessing to La Verdad" was published this past May in the Ignatian Center's journal Explore. He hopes to work for a community organization in Central America.
William Leineweber. Willy is receiving dual degrees in Bioengineering and Spanish Studies. He was a community facilitator for two years, studied abroad in Madrid, participated in an Immersion trip to Puebla, Mexico, and served as the president of the engineering honors society.Willy conducted research for two years to develop a device that detects bacteria-contaminated water for resource-limited communities.He plans to pursue a graduate degree in biomedical engineering.
Marina MacLatchie. Marina is an Art History major and a Studio Art minor from Sacramento, California. She has spent the last three years working at the de Saisset Museum. She presented her paper "Decoding Decorative Density in the Aesthetics of Santeria" at the 2014 Bay Area Undergraduate Art History Research Symposium at the de Young Museum. She spent last summer as an intern at the Montalvo Arts Center through the Art and Art History Department's program on Community Initiatives for the Visual Arts. This summer she will be interning at the Palo Alto Art Center and plans to apply to art history graduate programs this fall.
Ashleigh MacLean. Ashleigh is a Biology major from Roseville, California. Over the past few years, she has worked as a medical scribe in the emergency department at O'Connor Hospital and spent time volunteering at a local homeless shelter, Julian Street Inn. She received the Johnson Leadership Experience Stipend for her research with Professors Simone and Bell of the Psychology Department on age-related changes in cognition. Ashleigh will start medical school this August at Tufts University. She plans to pursue a career in neurosurgery or emergency medicine.
Carlos Martinez. Carlos is a political science major with minors in music and sociology. He served as a community facilitator for two years and represented SCU at the United Nations his sophomore year. As a junior, he led an immersion trip to Appalachia, and was selected for a Jean Donovan Fellowship to volunteer at a children's orphanage in Nepal. This year, he studied public law in Washington, D.C., served as vice president of the Alpha Sigma Nu honors society, and interned at the Public Defender's Office. After graduation, he will serve as a Judicial Administration Fellow for the San Francisco Superior Court and continue to pursue his passions for social justice and the law.
Hannah Maryanski. Hannah is a double major in English and Environmental Studies from Ventura, California. SCU is her one true love, so she has worked as a student ambassador, an orientation leader, and a senior senator. Hannah has co-authored a published book chapter on fair trade coffee and completed a fellowship on the ethics of carbon neutrality with the Markkula Center. For fun, she enjoys tap dancing, speaking Italian, and backpacking with Into the Wild. After graduation, she will serve with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working at a volunteer lawyers program in Mobile, Alabama. Hannah is the valedictorian of the Class of 2015.
Caitlin Massey. Caitlin, a Political Science major and Public Health Science minor, was born and raised in the Bay Area. Caitlin played on the women's field hockey team, served as a peer educator, and interned in the British Parliament while studying abroad in London. Caitlin discovered her passion for criminal justice while researching the implementation and subsequent amendment of California's Three Strikes Laws alongside Dr. Elsa Chen of the Political Science Department. Next year, Caitlin will be attending the UCLA School of Law. She hopes to pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney.
Briana Mitchell. Briana is a Psychology major and Biology minor from Anchorage, Alaska, with hopes of pursuing a career in healthcare after graduation. For the past two years, she has worked in the research lab of Dr. Kirsten Read and most recently completed data collection on a study of her own design, which will be written up for publication over the summer. Briana has also been a member of Alpha Kappa Psi since her freshman year and considers this experience as one of the most significant influences on her college career.
Claire Muller. Recipient of the 2015 Bronco of the Year Award, Claire has been actively involved on and off campus throughout her time at SCU. A Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies double major, Claire was the co-president of the Violence Prevention Program, worked at the Multicultural Center, the Global Engagement Office, and assisted in research for both the Psychology Department and the Women's and Gender Studies Department. This summer, Claire will work at the Global Engagement Office before returning home and pursuing graduate school in counseling or social work.
Nicole Prasad. Nikki is a Psychology major with a double minor in Sociology and Communication. A native of San Mateo, California, she studied abroad in Rome. Nikki has provided childcare for local families and has volunteered in various programs helping to tutor and mentor children.After graduation, Nikki will spend her summer volunteering in elementary schools in Cape Town, South Africa. She plans to pursue a master's degree in Clinical Psychology after gaining further research experience at UC Irvine in the fall.
Jessica Riedstra. Jessica is Psychology major and Sociology minor. She was the secretary of the Peer Health Educators, and conducted research with Professor Sullivan in the Psychology Department, studying the impact of social media on intimate relationships. In the coming year, Jessica will travel to Europe with her family, write and publish a paper with her SCU lab team, continue researching, volunteer at Ravenswood Family Health Care Center, and apply to Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology. She aspires to become a professor and clinical therapist, specializing in women's psychological wellbeing.
Sean Roe. A double major in Management Information Systems and Spanish Studies, Sean ran for Santa Clara's cross country and track teams. He was a pioneering member and an officer of the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative in the Leavey School of Business. He has been passionate about creating partnerships between Santa Clara and local business, primarily in poorer neighborhoods of San Jose. Sean enjoys geography, aviation, hiking and playing music. In the summer, he will backpack through Europe before starting his career at Cisco Systems.
Maria Saenz. Maria, a double degree in Management Information Systems and Spanish, studied abroad in Spain where she took classes at the University of Salamanca. After her freshman year, Maria visited Ecuador with the Kolvenbach Solidarity Program, where she listened to the amazing stories of the local residents. She hopes to continue work in Spanish-speaking countries or in settings that allow her to utilize her language skills. Last summer, Maria worked as a logistics intern at Hitachi Data Systems, which led her to a full time position as a technology analyst at Accenture Management Consulting.
Elizabeth Sherwin. Elizabeth is a junior majoring in Public Health Science and Spanish Studies. While studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she interviewed health professionals and completed a research project about community health workers. Elizabeth loves spending time with her high school girls through Young Life, and she also leads a CLC small group through Campus Ministry. Passionate about ending human trafficking, Elizabeth is co-president of the Freedom Project student club on campus. This summer she is traveling to Mexico as a Global Social Benefit Fellow to conduct action research with Sistema Biobolsa, a social enterprise working to improve the livelihood of small farmers.
Catherine (Lena) Son. Lena is a Public Health Science major with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. A native of Portland, Oregon, she interned in the Custody Health Services Department of the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System. On campus, she volunteered with Camp Kesem and served as a Health Care Ethics Intern with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. She plans on pursuing her interest in urban health disparities while applying to medical schools.
Mitchell Song. Mitchell is a double major in Political Science and Sociology. He has worked at the United States Pretrial Services Agency and volunteered at the Northern California Innocence Project. He was a community facilitator for two years, a member of the SCU Swim Club, and helped establish the SCU Pre-Law Society in his junior year.Most recently, he studied how criminal behavior and exposure to the criminal justice system influences the socioeconomic standing of ex-convicts. Mitchell will pursue a law degree at UC Hastings School of Law in the fall.
Katherine Strong. Katherine, a Liberal Studies major and Public Health minor, has worked extensively in the community around SCU. Alongside Professor Burns of the Liberal Studies Program and the Resilient Families research team, she has facilitated early childhood interventions with low-income parents and their children. She has co-authored two papers and presented research about these interventions at conferences at SCU and in Seattle. She worked as a peer adviser in the Liberal Studies Program and also founded Future Child Advocates at SCU. Katherine will pursue a dual-degree master's program in Social Work and Public Health at UCLA
Ashley Thomson. Ashley is a Political Science and History double major. She studied abroad in Rome and, as a Johnson Leadership Fellow, interned at a human rights NGO in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. While there she also conducted research on the views of local NGOs towards the government and international donors. Ashley has also interned with the Las Vegas City Hall, the International Rescue Committee, and the State Department in the Virtual Student Foreign Service Program. This fall Ashley will begin a master's degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Meeks Vaughan. Meeks is a double major in Economics and Political Science. He studied in London and served as a summer intern with Goodwill Industries' e-Commerce Division in San Francisco. His Political Science honors thesis examines issues currently facing the Indian reservation system in the United States. In the fall, Meeks will begin a master's degree in Finance at Santa Clara University.
Laila Waheed. Laila pursued a double degree in Sociology and Theatre Arts with a Dance Emphasis. Under the guidance of Professor Marilyn Fernandez, Laila completed a study concerning the educational plans of high school graduates which won the Sociology Department's Krassowski Award and was published in the department's Silicon Valley Notebook. In the Dance Program, Laila had the opportunity to create a 30-minute recital of original choreography with the support of Professor Kristin Kusanovich and won the Anna Halprin Award for creativity and community building. Santa Clara has given Laila the chance to explore many facets of her interests and to gain tools to help make the world a better place.
Rachel Walker. Rachel is a native of Half Moon Bay, CA. Graduating in only three years, she is a Psychology major and Italian minor. She was lucky enough to study abroad in Perugia, Italy in the fall of 2014. Beginning in her sophomore year, she conducted research with Dr. Lisa Whitfield on the effects of exposure to nature on children's learning. In her free time, she teaches tap and ballet classes for children and watches obscene amounts of baseball and hockey. Following graduation, she plans to work as a psychology research lab manager.
Yasmeen Wanees. Yasmeen is a Political Science major and an Arabic Studies minor. She has worked as a tutor in the HUB writing center, a community facilitator, and a peer educator in Arabic. She also interned in Santa Clara County's Juvenile Probation Department and in a Congressional office in Washington, D.C as a Panetta intern. She spent a summer in Jordan learning Arabic and went on an immersion trip to New Orleans to help rebuild houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Yasmeen will apply to graduate programs in Arabic Studies.
Reid Wells. Reid is a Political Science major with a pre-law emphasis. Last fall she spent a semester abroad in Rome and returned to campus in winter to write her senior thesis on the politics of Roman baroque art and the Catholic Church. Reid has been an active member of the Political Science Department for two years, working as a peer advisor, office assistant, and self-proclaimed student representative. She previously interned for the Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office and will be working at a top commercial law firm in Portland, Oregon, after graduation.
Emilie White. Emilie is a double major in English and Spanish with a minor in Theatre. She was involved in SCU's Theatre Department all four years as an actor, director, stage manager, and playwright. She was also the slot editor for the campus newspaper, The Santa Clara;a Spanish tutor for the Drahmann Center;and a research assistant for Dr. Francisco Jiménez in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Emilie plans to pursue graduate studies in Spanish at Fresno State University and a career in writing or translating.
Jacob Wilbers. Jacob is a double major in English and Economics. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he recently completed a collection of short stories as part of the English Department's Canterbury Fellowship Program. In addition to being the associate editor of the campus literary magazine, The Santa Clara Review, and a peer educator at the HUB writing center, he also studied abroad in Barcelona and went on an immersion trip to the Arizona Border. He will spend the coming year traveling and working, with plans to enter law school in the near future.
Sam Zorn. Sam is a biochemistry major who has worked in the research lab of Dr. David Hess for the past four years. Growing up learning Mandarin, Sam studied abroad in Nanjing last year while serving as a co-chair of the Chinese Student Association. This year he also wrote the script for the association's culture show. Sam plans to continue his education by pursuing an MD-PhD in cancer biology.