2008 Outstanding Seniors
These 12 seniors achieved academic success, demonstrated a commitment to their major, balanced the academic load with extracurricular activities and/or employment, demonstrated leadership ability, and will graduate during the current calendar year.
ENGLISH - Julie Jansen, Greenwood, Indiana
“Julie is an outstanding student who approaches her studies and her extracurricular activities with enthusiasm and good humor. She is willing to stretch herself with new projects and activities.” — Irwin Weiser, professor and department head, English
Majors: English and Professional Writing
Activities: Professional Writing Club vice president, Purdue Writing Lab business writing consultant and publicity coordinator, Purdue Marketing Communications editorial intern, Purduettes
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa (undergraduate honor society), Honors Colloquium, Golden Key (international honor society), Phi Kappa Phi, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Dammon Dean’s Scholar, Thayer Scholar
Future: Law school
COMMUNICATION - Shannon Daiber, West Lafayette, Indiana
“Shannon is a great example of a student who took advantage of all available learning opportunities while at Purdue. She truly took what she learned in the classroom and applied it in a way that furthered her education.” — Jane Gibson Natt, director of undergraduate studies and assistant professor of communication
Majors: Public Relations and Rhetorical Advocacy
Activities: Center for Career Opportunities student ambassador, Public Relations Student Society of America chapter president and historian, Center for Ethical Leadership/University of Texas Leadership Conference, Emily Mauzy Vogel Sophomore Leadership Development Conference
Future: Human Resources Department at Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Illinois
FOREIGN LANGUAGES & LITERATURES -
“Kimberly has dedicated her time to working with Hispanics in our community and abroad. She has incorporated her Spanish major into her life — past and present.” — Marianne Gupta, academic advisor and chair of the Undergraduate Committee
Major: Spanish
Activities: Purdue Student Education Association president and outreach coordinator, Hilltop Apartments resident assistant, Purdue Salsa Dance Club treasurer, Camp Eureka Internship (summer bilingual camp in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), Scientific Literacy Project research assistant/translator
Honors: Mortar Board, Kappa Delta Pi (international education honor society), Phi Beta Kappa (undergraduate honor society)
Future: Teaching in the Lafayette area elementary schools, graduate work in curriculum and instruction
HEALTH AND KINESIOLOGY - Kathryn Mills, West Lafayette, Indiana
“Kate is one of those rare students who combines perfect academic work, athletic commitment, and a keen research instinct into a student who will be talked about years after her graduation.” — William Harper, department head, Health and Kinesiology
Major: Movement and Sport Sciences
Activities: Health and Kinesiology Club, Purdue Varsity Women’s Soccer Program, Old Master’s hostess, CLA Student Ambassadors Program, Purdue Mortar Board Leadership Conference co-chair
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa (undergraduate honor society), Golden Key (international honor society), Thayer Scholar, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Dammon Dean’s Scholar, Academic All Big Ten
Future: Medical school
HISTORY - Todd Allen, Bloomington, Indiana
“Todd has the highest cumulative grade point average of all history majors, and, as Nina Haberer, History Department advisor, wrote in support of Todd’s nomination, he is ‘very keen, positive, and energetic about history.’” — Michael Morrison, director of undergraduate studies and associate professor of history
Major: History
Activities: Boiler Gold Rush team supervisor, Campus Crusade for Christ group study leader, History Department’s Teaching Awards Committee undergraduate representative
Honors: Waltman Award for Outstanding Junior in History, Stover Undergraduate Scholarship for Outstanding Sophomore in History
Future: Law school
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES - Adrian McClure, West Lafayette, Indiana
“Adrian is a brilliant student, a good-hearted person, and someone who has struggled with courage and humility to overcome a serious handicap, a handicap that makes his achievements as a student and a person all the more remarkable.” — Ann Astell, professor of English
Majors: English and Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Activities: Latin Club, C. S. Lewis Society
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa (undergraduate honor society), Purdue Literary Awards Competition Kneale Award for Literary Analysis, cumulative 4.0 GPA
Future: Graduate work in medieval studies, applying to the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame
PATTI & RUSTY RUEFF DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS - Jessina Corbett, Floyds Knob, Indiana
“Jessina is a diligent, talented, considerate, and knowledgeable student. She is clearly the leader in the class, both in work and personality.” — Steve Visser, professor and chair, Art & Design Division
Major: Industrial Design
Activities: Industrial Design Society of America chapter president (2008) and treasurer (2007), Purdue Camera Club
Honors: First sophomore selected by Delta Faucet for a co-op position, Best Research and Concepts in a corporate-sponsored semester-long project, 2008 Art and Design Division Sudler Award Nominee, co-leader of winning team in 2007 “48:2 Design” (48-hour design competition)
Future: A career in design, possibly in the Chicago area
PHILOSOPHY - Carlos Pereira Di Salvo, Cincinnati, Ohio
“While a double major with two additional minors, in addition to being active in extracurriculars, Carlos has done exceptional work in his coursework. In the classroom he leads by example and several faculty have noted how his peers respect his leadership and example.” — Patrick Kain, director of undergraduate studies and associate professor of philosophy
Majors: Philosophy and Political Science
Activities: Purdue Organization for Labor Equality, Indiana Coalition for Workers’ Rights, research assistant in public policy research and political theory research
Accomplishments: Fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian
Future: Graduate work in social and political philosophy
POLITICAL SCIENCE - Katherine Allison, Palos Park, Ilinois
“Katherine has displayed an exceptional work ethic in her classes, resulting in outstanding contribution and bringing tremendous value to the classes she has enrolled in.” — William McLauchlan, associate professor of political science
Majors: Political Science and History
Activities: Delta Zeta Sorority executive board member, Pre-Law Society
Honors: Purdue University Honors Program, Pi Sigma Alpha (political science honor society), Golden Key (international honor society), Phi Alpha Theta (history honor society)
Future: Law school with a specialty in corporate transactional law
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES - Nicole Pucci, Hudson, Ohio
“As a department committed to training future researchers, Nicole has been highly involved in research throughout her undergraduate career. Coupled with her active extracurricular responsibilities and strong record, Nicole is most deserving of this award.” — Peter Urcuioli, director of undergraduate studies and professor of psychological sciences
Major: Psychology
Activities: Delta Gamma Sorority director of philanthropies, Crestview Elementary School teaching assistant, Cleveland Clinic Foundation undergraduate counselor intern
Honors: Psi Chi (psychology honor society) Regional Research Award, Golden Key (international honor society), National Scholars Honor Society
Future: Graduate work in child clinical psychology
SOCIOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY - Catherine Siebecker, West Lafayette, Indiana
“Catherine’s academic performance, commitment to community service, and collegiate extracurricular activities are exemplary.” — Timothy Owens, director of undergraduate studies and associate professor of sociology
Major: Law and Society
Activities: Sociology of Law undergraduate teaching assistant, Pre-Law Society, Epsilon Sigma Alpha (service sorority), Liberal Arts Honors Council
Honors: Liberal Arts Honors Program, Sociology Honors Program, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Golden Key (international honor society)
Future: Law school
SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING SCIENCES - Heather Redden, Greenfield, Indiana
“Heather is an exceptional student who has channeled her energies into pursuing practical experience in the field of speech and hearing and in community service. She has shown leadership within the Purdue community, in her major, and the area at large.” — Adrianne Hanson, academic advisor
Majors: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Psychology
Activities: Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association student advisory council, National Student Speech Language Hearing Association president, Office of Admissions tour guide, Crossroads Conference on Communicative Disorders hostess, Old Master’s hostess, Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentor, Colleges Against Cancer community relations committee
Future: Graduate work at Purdue in speech-language pathology
CONGRATULATIONS SENIORS and GOOD LUCK!