2022 Hamand Scholars
|
|
Lindsey Carlson, '22, Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics
Health and wellness dominate Lindsey Carlson’s life and her academic studies. An accomplished and award-winning student athlete, she applies her passion for healthy living in her research and in her graduate assistantship. As a GA for the Health Education Resource Center, Lindsey served as the Health Communication and Marketing Coordinator. In addition to her duties for that role she accepted the offer to mentor students in a professional writing course where she assisted them in producing health-related posters, blog posts, and other health education and writing related tasks. She also volunteered to mentor undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate studies in nutrition and dietetics through the Graduate Network for Undergraduates. Lindsey’s research includes the effect of nutrition education on adolescent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and cooling methods for athletes in hot temperatures. She partnered with a fellow nutrition and dietetics student to develop a program about prope r hydration that incorporates goal setting, monitoring, follow up, and evaluation for the track and field athletes. Along with her excellence in scholarship, during her graduate studies she has also distinguished herself as one of the most outstanding student athletes in the history of Eastern Illinois University. She is the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference’s Women’s Cross Country champion and was named the OVC Athlete of the Year; she is a member of the NCAA All-Midwest Cross Country Region, and is a two-time school record holder in track and field. Her accomplishments in Track and Cross Country are so impressive given that she is a relative newcomer to competitive running. As an EIU undergraduate student, she competed on the women’s soccer team, and was named to the 2017 All-OVC team. She has been recognized by the USA NCAA Track and Field Association as well. Lindsey is a member of the Graduate Student Advisory Council, the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietetic Association, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
|
|
Austin Eichhorn, '22, Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Using her skills gained as a graduate student clinician, Austin Eichhorn incorporates her passion for mental health awareness into her leadership positions on campus. In her service as president of Chi Sigma Iota, the discipline’s honors organization, she provided advocacy for her fellow students and delivered high quality programming such as a self-care workshop. Her support of the Graduate Student Advisory Council included researching the purchase of an online app to assist graduate students in meditation and relaxation techniques. Beyond campus, Austin worked to make an impact on the community where she serves her internship, developing a curriculum for an adolescent group to use within the school system. Initially designed to work with adolescent girls, after meeting with the school social worker and principal she determined a need for a coed group and adjusted her curriculum to execute an effective group where adolescents learned communication and coping strategies to improve overall mental health. This group was such a success, it is being continued into the spring semesters with an increased number of participants to gain maximum benefit. Austin’s graduate research involves the practice of self-care as a protective factor against vicarious trauma and burnout among counselors-in-training, for which she and her faculty mentor, Dr. Angela Yoder, received a College of Education grant. She is a member of the executive board of the Graduate Student Advisory Council, president of Chi Sigma Iota, and a Paul Ward Scholar.
|
|
Angelique Elser, '22, Master of Science in Human Services
Combining her scholarship with her community service, Angelique Elser works to promote social services to the local community. In her capacity as president of the Charleston Carnegie Library board of directors she is launching a project to connect library patrons to community resources, such as mental health counseling, public assistance, and drug and alcohol counseling. She served as an executive assistant to the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce. As an advisory member for CCAR Industries in Charleston, she also teamed with a fellow Human Services student to organize a fundraiser for the group. Angelique has also served international populations; she served at a British nursery school in Alexandria, Egypt and as a host for a foreign exchange student from Brazil through the Rotary Club. In addition to her volunteer service in the Charleston and International communities, she has provided service in the EIU community as she serves as an advisor with TRIO and works for the tutoring center at Gregg Technology through her graduate assistant role with the Office of Inclusion and Academic Engagement.
|
|
Shelby Freeman, '22, Master of Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences
Transitioning her undergraduate departmental honor’s thesis research to her graduate studies earned Shelby Freeman the opportunity to present at national conference. She and her faculty mentors developed a survey exploring foster parents’ knowledge and experiences related to developmental trauma for which she was invited to present at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association annual convention in Washington D.C. Shelby volunteers as a mentor in the Students with Autism Transitional Education Program (STEP), working with groups of students on the Autism spectrum to support their study skills. She provided individualized mentorship on a weekly basis to one specific student, helping the client to stabilize emotions and create an environment in which the client was able to successfully learn the communication skills needed to fully participate in academic and social environments. Shelby is a member of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA), a student chapter of the national professional organization for speech language pathology and audiology and has served as the chapter’s vice president. She is a recipient of the Frances Meyer Hampton graduate scholarship.
|
|
Brooke Gibson, '22, Master of Science in College Student Affairs
Brooke Gibson’s graduate assistantship duties for the Office of Student Accountability and Support included addressing student needs within the EIU COVID-19 pandemic support system. Her work helped to inform her thesis research on the experience of isolation and quarantine among graduate students. Her research has led to opportunities to present her findings regarding the sense of belonging that students have had toward the institution during this historic time period. She presented at the Midwest First Year Conference, the National Conference on First Year Experience and Students in Transition, and was invited to present at the International American College Personnel Association Convention. She earned two Williams Travel Grants in support of her research presentations. As president of the Graduate Student Advisory Council, an elected position, she worked to bring professional development opportunities to graduate students and focused on building community among graduate students with events and activities. Brooke is a member of the National Orientation Directors Association, the American College Personnel Association, and serves as a committee member on EIU’s Comprehensive Tutoring Center and the Housing Training Initiative. She also co-taught EIU 1111, the university’s freshman foundations course.
|
|
Ashlee Robinson, '22, Master of Science in Education in Curriculum and Instruction
As a research assistant Ashlee Robinson collected and analyzed data for the case study, Making the Most of Preservice Teacher Read-Alouds. She wrote the abstract for the paper, which has been submitted to the peer-reviewed journal, “Action in Teacher Education.” Presenting the research at the Association of Teacher Educator’s (ATE) annual conference earned her a Williams Travel Grant and a Graduate School Research/Creative Activity Grant. Ashlee serves on her academic department’s curriculum committee and on the Graduate Student Advisory Council. She has been a special friend for Special Olympic athletes for the past three years, and was a ministry leader for Immanuel Lutheran Campus Ministry. Ashlee is also a GSAC scholarship recipient.
|
2021 Hamand Scholars
|
|
Sophie Cieslicki, '21, Master of Science in College Student Affairs
An alumna of Marquette University, Sophie Cieslicki, earned a bachelor’s in physics in 2019 before coming to EIU for the graduate program in College Student Affairs. Described by her mentors and supervisors as a calm and steady leader, Sophie served as a graduate assistant in the Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteerism where she developed programming and service opportunities for students under the challenges of a pandemic. She organized a women’s empowerment conference and a civic engagement program series that addressed such issues as voter registration efforts. Facing the challenges imposed by COVID-19 restrictions for volunteers to be on site at local nonprofits, she devised a schedule to focus on a different nonprofit each month to host unique drives for support. She also personally volunteered weekly at the local food pantry. Sophie’s thesis research, titled, “Female Student Service Member’s Experiences with Higher Education and Military Transition”, was accepted for presentation at the National Association of Student Personnel Association (NASPA) Virtual Symposium on Military-Connected Students. She shared her research findings with over 300 student affairs professionals dedicated to serving this population. Her mentor, Dr. Jon Coleman, writes of her research topic, “recognizing a population with very little research, Sophie has added a unique perspective to the literature and provided those working in higher education with new information about how institutions can improve the support for these students.” Sophie also served on the College Student Affairs Recruitment committee for two years. This committee coordinates the graduate recruitment and selection for the CSA program each. This year she served as co-chair planning every part of the virtual CSA days, a very different experience due to the pandemic, but her coordination, organizational, leadership and communication skills led to a successful event. Her mentor Dr. Dianne Timm, writes of her leadership on the committee, “she was supportive and encouraging to her committee as they brainstormed, organized and delivered their tasks. She was the steady force we needed guiding our group this year.”
|
|
Beverlyn Ellazar, '21, Master of Science in Human Services Program Administration
A native of the Philippines and a new U.S. citizen, Beverlyn Ellazar worked toward an associate’s in nursing in the Philippines before earning her bachelor’s in family and consumer sciences from EIU. Working full-time at Swann Special Care Center while earning her master’s degree and holding a graduate assistantship, Beverlyn was instrumental in the development of an online sexual harassment webinar for the Child and Family Life Education Center, which is housed in the department of Human Services and Community Leadership. This project required her to identify and research sexual harassment and the legal requirements of a training program, research the most effective method of dissemination, and prepare the webinar. She also worked with her faculty mentor Dr. Jill Bowers to develop an online divorce/co-parenting education program. Beverlyn’s graduate research project focuses on better understanding caregivers’ perceptions of health and wellness, examining the relationship between those perceptions and how they facilitate health and wellness for individuals with disabilities. As co-advisor of the Human Services and Community Leadership Ambassadors, she led both undergraduate and graduate students in department and community service efforts. She also presented at, and helped publicize, the Spring 2021 Child and Family Life Education Center Speaker Series and organized virtual recruitment nights with local high schools. In Fall 2020 she worked on a project involving fundraising for adolescents who were pregnant. Faculty mentor, Dr. Jill Bowers writes, “in addition to her service and scholarship, Ms. Ellazar models qualities of an exemplary leader. Her personal demeanor is kind and authentic, and she displays an incredible work ethic, including organizational, time management, and communication skills.”
|
|
Katelyn Fuller-Svarz, '21, Master of Science in Chemistry
An outstanding student researcher and scholar, Katleynn Fuller-Svarz earned her bachelor’s in chemistry from EIU and entered the graduate program in Chemistry/Option in Biochemistry under the accelerated program where she started earning graduate hours as an undergraduate student. Katelynn investigates the functions of a medically significant protein known as Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) using the model organism C. elegans (roundworm) and molecular diagnostic tools. In humans, GCPII is involved in the development of several diseases such as cancer and stroke and Katelynn plans to extrapolate her research findings about GCPII to understand these disease developments in humans. Katelyn received the department’s Biochemistry Award, the award is given to a student majoring in Chemistry at EIU who excels in the biochemistry sequence and shows interest and promise in the field. She wrote a science grant to the Illinois State Academy of Sciences (ISAS) and received one of four research grants awarded for 2021, and also earned a Graduate School Research/Creative Activity grant. Katelynn presented her research at the 2021 Annual ISAS Meeting, and is preparing a manuscript with hopes to submit it for publication by the time she graduates at the end of summer 2021. She served as a research mentor for local high school students, using her scientific knowledge to inspire young students to become future scientists. Katelyn also served as the secretary on EIU’s chapter of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and as a student representative on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee. Katelynn’s faculty mentor writes, “Katelynn works extremely hard with limited facilities to effectively carry out her research. Her perseverance and dedication to research has been outstanding.”
|
|
Max Smith, '21, Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Serving as a volunteer mentor for the Salvation Army After-School Program, while an undergraduate at EIU, inspired Max Smith’s research and activities as a graduate student in the School Counseling program. With EIU’s new Freshman Connection Mentorship Program, Max worked extensively with mentors, mentees and the entire implementation team. He created curriculum, interviewed prospective mentors and mentees, and developed and led the leadership training for all mentors. Max also focused on mentoring in his graduate research project, titled, “B.I.O.N.I.C. (Believe it or Not, I Care): The Effects of Peer Mentoring in a Midwestern High School,” which he presented the results of at state and local conferences. As part of that project he was responsible for the Grief Team, co-led leadership enrichment groups, and coordinated a mentor training, which ultimately helped create a positive culture within the high school. Max’s faculty mentor, Dr. Rebecca Tadlock-Marlo, noted that Max “faces challenges head on, with confidence, and assurance that he can continue to make a difference in the world of others.” Max served on the Council on Graduate Studies awards committee, the Counseling and Higher Education’s Recruitment Team, and earned the Mary Cralley Vaupel Memorial Award, a Paul Ward Memorial Scholarship, and a Williams Travel Grant.
|
|
Cheyenne Warman-Neal, '21, Master of Science in Education in Curriculum and Instruction
A full-time family and consumer science teacher at Urbana High School, Cheyenne Warman-Neal combined her professional focus of food and education into two EIU graduate degrees while she works toward a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, Option in Nutrition Education. Cheyenne earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in food science and human nutrition. She taught family and consumer sciences at Charleston High School before teaching in Urbana. Her graduate thesis is titled, “Investigation of the Implementation of Competency-Based Education in Central Illinois” and she presented some her initial findings at the Illinois Association of Teacher Education Conference as a lead presenter. Her thesis chair, Dr. Sham’ah Md-Yunus, writes, “Cheyenne embodies the qualities of an exceptional scholar who will continue to make a huge impact in the field of education.” Cheyenne holds memberships with the National and Illinois Education Association, the Association of Food Technologies, is a founding member of the Food Product Development Club, and the graduate student representative on EIU’s Committee for University Planning and Budgeting.
|
2020 Hamand Scholars
|
|
Nathan Crews, '20, Master of Arts in English
A former youth minister, Nathan Crews brings his experience and skills as a mentor to his graduate assistantship in the English department’s Writing Center, where he counsels undergraduate and graduate students in effective composition. Nathan has served as an ambassador for the Center by speaking to many groups on campus, including international students and newly-admitted undergraduate students. When EIU’s graduate program in Technology requested partnering with the English department to deliver content in a course, Nathan led the effort to prepare content, covering topics from plagiarism to revision and editing to APA. His strengths as a writer and researcher are evident in his thesis subject, the cultural biography of Lowney Turner Handy and her founding of the Handy Writer’s Colony in Nathan’s hometown of Marshall, IL. This research resulted in a presentation at the Allerton English Articulation Conference and the department’s English Studies Conference. His thesis adviser, Dr. Jad Smith, writes, “By conducting research at the Norris L. Brookens Library at the University of Illinois-Springfield, which houses the archives of the Colony, Nathan intends to examine how Handy’s biography and the quirky culture of the Colony intersected, and sometimes clashed, with the local culture of Marshall and Midwestern values at large. Nathan’s novel approach to Handy’s life and the Colony promises to produce a study of both regional interest and of scholarly value.” Nathan’s service to the department includes serving as president of the English Graduate Student Organization and as a student representative on the Graduate Studies Committee. Active in his community, he serves as a District Board Trustee for the Marshall Public Library, in which capacity he has contributed to development projects and oversight of the library, helping to ensure its continued success as an educational resource for the community. Nathan is also a member of the Marshall Historical Commission, an organization focused on preserving local landmarks and promoting tourism in the area. Additionally, Nathan has been an active member of EIU’s Rural Schools Initiative. One of Nathan’s faculty mentors, Dr. Melisssa Ames, writes, “It is worth noting that Nathan is a passionate advocate for rural education (as demonstrated by his active engagement with EIU’s Rural Schools Pipeline Program) and has already made plans to return to teach in his hometown. He is a terrific role model, a gifted teacher, and an inquisitive scholar.”
|