Initiates at Santa Clara University (2012)
Kimberly Aagaard. Kimberly is a double major in Political Science and Spanish. She divided her junior yearbetween a Spanish-intensive program in Salamanca, Spain, and the WashingtonSemester's Peace and Conflict-Resolution Program. In Washington, she internedfor the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and got a real StateDepartment badge. Originally from Auburn, CA, Kimberly was a peer adviser in the Political Science Department and the captain of the women's UltimateFrisbee team. She is currently unsure of her plans but hopes that they involveemployment.
Brittany Adams. Brittany, a double major in Philosophy and Religious Studies, was a Hackworth Fellow at the Markkula Ethics Center where she conducted research on the ethical dimensions of undocumented immigration. She also worked as a research assistant on campus and served as president of Santa Clara's chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu. Brittany will attend Harvard University in the fall as a Presidential Scholar to pursue a master's degree in Theological Studies with a focus on religion, ethics, and politics.
Anton Avanceña. Anton is a Public Health Science major and Biology minor. A history and political science buff, Anton grew up in the Philippines where he engaged in numerous service projects related to health and good governance. Anton has worked as a researcher for Professor Sally Lehrman of the Communication Department and the STD and HIV Prevention and Control Unit of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Anton will pursue a career in global health, with a focus on communicable diseases and reproductive health.
Gracelyn Bateman. Gracelyn is a Sociology major with minors in History and Women's and Gender Studies. Over the past four years she has served as a student ambassador and as president of the Peer Health Educators. She has also enjoyed being a part of dance groups on campus and the Women of Color Network. Her favorite SCU experience was bringing the play "N*W*C" to campus and starting a dialogue regarding stereotypes and race relations. Passionate about research, she will pursue a master's degree in Sociology at Columbia University.
Katherine Bercovitz. Katherine is a junior Psychobiology major. She currently works with Dr. Patti Simone and Dr. Matt Bell studying the role of contextual cues and temporal spacing in the long-term memory of older adults. In the future, Katherine plans to earn a Ph.D. in psycholinguistics and teach at the college level. She enjoys studying Chinese and writing non-fiction.
Julianne Brands. Julianne, an Economics and Political Science major, has been a community facilitator, a peer educator, a volunteer with Special Olympics, and a Eucharistic minister. She participated in the Casa de Solidaridad immersion program in El Salvador, and studied abroad in London. This past fall, she interned in the US House of Representatives through the Panetta Institute's Congressional Scholarship Program. After graduation, she will move to Washington, DC, to pursue a career in economic development. She has loved every minute of her time at Santa Clara University.
Micha Brodoff. Micha is an Anthropology major with a Musical Theater minor. He studied abroad in Barcelona and then backpacked across Europe. Last year, he studied the foraging habits of white-faced capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica during a primatology field course. Micha was Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors at SCU, and has been featured in the University drag show. He was president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance his junior year. He plans to move to the Bay Area before pursuing graduate studies in urban epidemiology.
Colleen Budenholzer. Colleen, a native of Spokane, Washington is an Economics and Psychology major. During her years at Santa Clara, Colleen served on the executive board for the Residential Learning Community Association and as an event manager at the Locatelli Student Activity Center. For the past year, Colleen has worked as an intern at Julian Street Inn, a homeless shelter serving those affected by mental illness. Recently, Colleen accepted a full-time position there as a case manager which will allow her to explore non-profits and mental health services from the ground up.
Brianna Burt. Brianna is a Communication major with minors in History and Retail Studies. A native of the Seattle area, she earned a Senior Gold from US Figure Skating. Brianna served as vice-president of the Delta Gamma Sorority and organized its philanthropy for the visually impaired. Brianna received a scholarship to attend the National Retail Federation Conference in NYC and studied a semester in Rome. Her senior thesis examined the global media's influence on policy in its coverage of the Rwandan Genocide. Brianna will begin a master's program this fall at the London School of Economics.
Brad Chun. Brad is graduating with a degree in Biology and a minor in Japanese. He worked as a statistics, Biology, and English tutor on campus, as well as an orthodontic assistant in the office of Dr. Tammy Chang-Motooka. Brad has served as president of the SCU Dental Association and historian/cultural representative of Ka Mana'o Hawaii Club. After graduation, he will attend dental school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and hopes to pursue a career in orthodontics.
Sachit Egan. Sachitis an Economics and Political science double major. During his time at SantaClara, he founded Into the Wild, the University's outdoor recreation andeducation club. He also served as a senator and committee chair on theAssociated Student Government, and he explored the relative lack of faithdiversity in American politics through the Provost's Fellowship forUndergraduate Research. Sachit will be moving to Alaska to work for HeroProjects, a start-up founded by Santa Clara alums that combines adventuretravel with renewable energy volunteer projects.
Kate Flannery. Kate is a Communication and Spanish double major from San Antonio, Texas. While at SCU, she was blessed with the opportunities to study abroad in Salamanca, Spain, participate in World Youth Day in Madrid and work as a Global Fellow in Guatemala. She has published in venues including The Santa Clara, Metro Silicon Valley, Catholic News Service and iSeeiTravel. In her free time, you will find her writing, listening to chants, or smelling the flowers. This summer, she looks forward to spending a month in a Benedictine monastery before beginning work in Washington, DC, for the Catholic Volunteer Network.
Justine Folk. An avid equestrian who competes in Northern California with her horse Meeko, Justine majored in Psychology. She conducted health psychology research with Dr. Thomas Plante on the effects of visual suggestion during exercise. Justine enjoyed serving as a community facilitator in Loyola Hall as well as being a peer educator and academic advisor for the Psychology Department. Justine plans to attend graduate school in Counseling Psychology and to become a licensed therapist.
Danielle Franzini. Danielle is a Psychobiology major with a minor in Biology. A native of San Rafael, California, Danielle has been an active community volunteer throughout her time at Santa Clara. During her senior year she served as the program coordinator for Chandler Tripp, one of the Santa Clara Community Action Programs, where she spent her time working with pre-schoolers with both mental and physical disabilities. Danielle was also involved in Campus Ministry, serving as assistant director for several retreats. Danielle is interested in osteopathic medicine and will spend the next year interning in local hospitals before attending medical school.
Carolina Garcia. Carolina is graduating with a major in Political Science with a pre-law emphasis. She has volunteered for numerous ESL and tutoring programs while at Santa Clara, as well as being a part of the Debate Team and Model United Nations. After graduation, Carolina will take a break from school to work, spend time with her son, intern at her local District Attorney's Office, and decide where to study next.
Colin Hagemeyer. Colin is a Mathematics major with a minor in Physics. He volunteered as a math tutor and served as an officer of the Math and Computer Science Society. As part of a summer research project with Professor Richard Scott, he worked on a problem in Geometric Group Theory which led to a paper currently going through peer review in a mathematics journal. In the fall, Colin will continue his studies as a PhD candidate in Mathematics at UC Davis.
Lindsay Hammons. Lindsay, a Biology and Public Health Science double major, researched cellular differentiation under Dr. James Grainger at SCU and worked in the radioactivity lab of the Italian Red Cross while studying abroad in Rome. Her passion for global health equity and infectious diseases inspired her to establish the FACE AIDS chapter on campus. Before attending medical school, Lindsay will travel to Peru and Nicaragua to volunteer at local healthcare clinics. Lindsay could not have accomplished half as much as she has without the love and support of her family.
Emily Heizer. Emily is a Mathematics and Economics double major from Woodinville, WA. After a 15-year-long gymnastics career, she decided to move into the business side of sports and, for the past two years, has handled the budgets for all of Santa Clara's club sport teams. After studying abroad in Florence, she began a finance internship with Apple in Cupertino, CA, which she continued throughout her senior year. After graduation, she will work for Apple in a rotating position through the Finance Development Program.
Stanley Hiew. Stan is a Chemistry major and a research assistant for Dr. Amelia Fuller in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research concerns artificial proteins that demonstrate novel therapeutic and material properties. Raised in San Jose, CA, Stan has taken part in a number of immersion trips including a house-building trip in Mexico and a trip to deliver medical supplies to rural areas of Honduras. He is also part of the EMT squad on campus, serving as the squad's statistician. Next year, Stan will begin a PhD program in organic chemistry at UC Irvine.
Andrew Hodun. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Drew is an Engineering Physics major with minors in Religious Studies and Mathematics. He studied abroad with the Casa de la Solidaridad in El Salvador after spending a summer teaching English in Peru as a Donovan Fellow. Highlights from his time at Santa Clara include working as a tour guide, singing in an acappella group, and participating in the Santa Clara Community Action Program. He served as a program coordinator working with AIDS victims in San Francisco and later as director. This fall he will begin work with Cisco Systems.
Michelle Khoury. Michelle is a History major with a minor in Philosophy. She served as a student editor of the 2012 edition of Historical Perspectives, the History Department's student research journal. At this year's Phi Alpha Theta historical conference, Michelle's capstone presentation on leisure during the California Gold Rush won first place. She has been very involved in SCU residence life, having served as a community facilitator. Michelle is excited to begin her legal education next year at UC Davis School of Law.
Grace Kinder. Grace is a double major in Communication and Theatre Arts. An active participant in the Theatre Department, she has performed, directed, and helped to design numerous productions. A Bay Area native, she studied abroad in Florence, where she realized that she could not survive without American sports. She has served as a Sports Desk intern at KGO-TV/ABC7 in San Francisco and recently accepted an internship with the Oakland Raiders. She currently works for the Oakland Athletics and will continue her education at the University of San Francisco, where she will pursue a master's degree in Sports Management.
Eric Kittlaus. Eric is a junior Physics and Math double major. For the past two years, he has been involved in research projects with Dr. Chris Weber and Dr. Jennifer Woolley, pursuing his loves of science and entrepreneurship. One of the highlights of his academic career at SCU was presenting at the prestigious Gordon Ultrafast Research Conference in Texas this past year. Eric is interested in education and runs Calcblog, a website to help tutor high-school students in math. He also wrote and published a book on test preparation.
Cameron Lee. Cameron graduates with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. At Santa Clara he discovered a passion for teaching, and has served as an organic chemistry tutor as well as a tutor in the San Jose community. Throughout college he coached youth league baseball, helped lead the SCU Dental Society and Biological Honors Society, and held volunteer positions in multiple dental practices. Cameron has recently begun participating in dental research, and will attend Harvard University's School of Dental Medicine.
Sarah Ludwig. A Chemistry major, Sarah was a Healthcare Ethics Intern through the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics during her junior year, and received the Honzel Fellowship in Healthcare Ethics during her senior year. She has volunteered with Meals on Wheels in San Jose, and during vacations at the Neighborhood Clinic in Tacoma, Washington. She has also enjoyed participating in SCU's Salsa Clara and the social dancing club Happy Feet. Sarah will spend the next year doing research on medical ethics while applying to medical schools.
Lauren Marks. A native of Sacramento, California, Lauren is a Sociology major with a minor in Anthropology. Published in the Sociology Department's journal the Silicon Valley Notebook, her senior capstone project focused on the racial and class justice values of American whites. She is currently a research assistant for Dr. Marilyn Fernandez who is conducting research on education and the IT sector in India. Lauren plans to work before pursuing a doctorate in Sociology and Public Health.
Jada Marsden. Jada is a double major in Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies. She interned at The Women's International Perspective, an online news source dedicated to honoring underrepresented voices, and Aunt Lute Books, a multicultural women's press based in San Francisco. She was the online editor of The Santa Clara, a catering server for Bon Appétit, and a volunteer at the SCU Rainbow Resource Room. She plans to move to Vancouver, BC, where she studied abroad her junior year. Jada hopes to eventually pursue a master's degree in Women's and Gender Studies.
Anna Mascoli. Anna is a History major with a minor in Communication. She recently completed her senior capstone on the lives of European women in British colonial India and Africa. Throughout college, she worked as a supervisor at a local restaurant, Pizza My Heart, and has also had a variety of internships including working as an assistant at a chemistry lab and as an account coordinator at a public relations firm. After taking the next year off to travel and work, Anna plans to pursue a law degree and work in either international or human rights law.
Nicole Mathwich. Nicole is a double major in Women's and Gender Studies and Anthropology. She hails from Longmont, CO, and has been a lab tech managing collections and conducting research at the SCU Archaeology Research Lab. She studied abroad in Buenos Aires and returned later for an internship in urban cultural resource management with Dr. Daniel Schavezlon. Nicole will enter the doctoral program in Anthropology at the University of Arizona to pursue her research interests in osteology, public and historical archaeology, and gender justice.
Stephanie Mita. Stephanie is a Biology major with minors in English and Public Health Science. During her time at SCU, she worked in Dr. Tracy Ruscetti's Biology lab researching oral vaccine efficacy in mice. She also worked as a chemistry tutor and the fiction editor for SCU's literary magazine, the Santa Clara Review. Since graduating in December 2011, she has worked in a podiatry office, volunteered at a hospital and animal shelter, and studied Mandarin. In the fall, Stephanie will attend the California School of Podiatric Medicine.
Alison Moe. Alison, a Psychology major from Lake Oswego, Oregon, studied abroad in Alicante, Spain. She assisted Dr. Jerry Burger of the Psychology Department in research on why people make unethical decisions and assisted Dr. Brett Solomon of the Liberal Studies Department in a project on diversity in Santa Clara middle schools. She also volunteered as a telephone counselor for a crisis hotline and worked at the Santa Clara City Hall. Alison looks forward to joining a medical start-up company in Sunnyvale as a clinical associate. In the future, she plans to pursue a master's degree in Clinical Psychology.
Megan Morisada. Megan is a Chemistry major with a minor in Biology. For the past two years, she has assisted Professor Stephen Suljak with research on aptamers and their potential use as biomarkers for changes in disease-state proteins. This past fall, she studied abroad in Rome and interned as a teaching assistant at an Italian high school. She was a member of Hipnotik, Santa Clara's hip-hop dance team, for four years and served as a co-captain her senior year. Megan will return home to Honolulu and conduct clinical research in pathology while applying to medical schools.
Analisa Nazari. Analisa is a Biology major with minors in Chemistry and Spanish. She tutored students in chemistry and biology for the Drahmann Center and worked as a teaching assistant in the Biology Department. She recently traveled to Costa Rica for a medical service trip where she helped treat patients in impoverished communities. Analisa hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Kevin Oliver.Kevin is a junior from Tualatin, Oregon, with a double major in Economics and Political Science. He runs on the cross-country and track teams, serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and works as a student assistant in the Housing Office. Kevin is currently working with Dr. Lawrence Nelson of the Philosophy Department, researching legal and ethical issues surrounding medical treatment of the developmentally disabled.
Bonnie Phan. Bonnie graduates with degrees in Political Science and Music. She researched determinants of public support for the European Union for her senior thesis, presenting her findings at the annual conference of the Western Political Science Association. Bonnie has served as a peer educator for the Political Science Department and is currently working as a research assistant for Professor Naomi Levy. In her free time, Bonnie enjoys playing piano. She was the featured soloist in two SCU orchestra concerts, and she has performed with the Concert Choir and New Music Ensemble. Bonnie will attend law school at UCLA.
Seth Reed. Seth is a Philosophy major with a minor in Environmental Studies. He played four years on the Men's Ultimate Frisbee club team, serving as captain his junior year and being voted MVP his senior year. Seth was a member of SCU's delegation to the Parliament of World Religions, in Melbourne, Australia, and later studied abroad in New Zealand. He also served as an editorial assistant for Professor Tim Urdan in the Psychology Department. After graduation Seth hopes to serve as a Peace Corps or AmeriCorps volunteer.
Adam Reiss. Adam is a Psychology major with minors in Creative Writing and Spanish Studies. He has worked with Professor David Pleins on a book project about Darwin's struggles with spirituality, edited a manuscript by Professor Jason Smick on problems in metaphysics, canvassed for Greenpeace, studied in Spain, and co-authored a behavioral psychology study with Professor Matt Bell. During his senior year, he launched Coffee & Cigarettes Clothing Company, which has helped to raise money for the Human Rights Campaign. He hopes to be a screenwriter—and never sell out.
Adam Ringler. Adam is a double major in English and French. A native of Richmond, MA, he studied abroad in Paris and interned at the Public Defender's Office in San Jose. An avid skier, Adam has worked at Kids on Campus and is currently working on two mobile-application startups. After graduation, he will continue working on these projects and eventually hopes to pursue a law degree.
Matthew Savage. Matthew is a double major in Philosophy and English. He ran cross-country and track, and served on the Ruff Rider executive committee. As a Hackworth Fellow with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Matthew wrote a blog focused on ethics and college sports. These experiences have motivated him to pursue a career working in athletic administration at the collegiate level.
Tanya Schmidt. Tanya graduates with an English major and minors in Classical Studies and Religious Studies. She has enjoyed balancing the academic demands of the University Honors Program with the exciting challenges of playing NCAA Division I volleyball. As an English Department Canterbury Fellow, Tanya completed a senior thesis exploring gender issues in Shakespeare and Ovid. Tanya will pursue a master's degree in English and American Literature at New York University. Proud to be a Bronco, Tanya is grateful to have met such wonderful faculty, staff, and peers at SCU, from whom she has learned so much.
Frederick Seidl. Frederick is a Chemistry major who has done research with Dr. Amelia Fuller and Dr. Brian McNelis on the folded structure of peptoids using fluorescent dyes. He was a Society of Chemical Industry scholar, and through that program, worked as a summer intern, synthesizing new dyes at Milliken and Company in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He also sang in the acappella group, Vocalicious. In the fall, Frederick will begin the doctoral program in Chemistry at Stanford University.
Richard Jonathan Teel. A Los Gatos native, Jon is an English major and Economics minor. He transferred to Santa Clara his sophomore year, and for the past two years has served as an editorial intern for, and contributor to, the alumni publication, Santa Clara Magazine. Through Sigma Tau Delta, Jon has traveled to both regional and international literary conferences to present critical and creative essays. He is the 2012 recipient of the English Department's Katherine Woodall Prize in Literary Criticism and Theory. After graduation, Jon will start his professional career as a business planner at Stryker Endoscopy in San Jose.
Jacob Teeny. Jacob, a double major in Psychology and Philosophy, assisted Dr. Patti Simone in researching memory retention in older adults. Jacob studied abroad in Thailand, served as a campus tour guide, performed at countless slam poetry events, won four basketball intramural championships, and used his Hackworth Fellowship to bring ethics to students. Jacob is expanding his honor's thesis into a novel about a dystopian future. He will spend the coming year applying to doctoral programs in psychology while pursuing publication of his novel.
Elise Tegtmeyer. Elise, a Psychology and Spanish Studies double major, studied abroad in Granada, Spain and interned at The Health Trust in Silicon Valley. She wrote her senior thesis on the continuity between waking and dreaming, supporting the claim that lucid dreaming is a cognitive skill that can be developed. She is currently working at an independent learning center that uses a sensory-cognitive paradigm of instruction to facilitate the development of students' language processing. This fall, she will join AmeriCorps as outreach coordinator for Reading Partners in the South Bay.
Emily Van Buren. A native of Portland, Oregon, Emily is a Political Science major with minors in History and Spanish. During her junior year, she spent the fall studying in Seville and the spring studying with the Washington Semester Program at American University. While in Washington, DC, she interned in the office of Senator Jeff Merkley and completed a major research paper on the future of international climate-change negotiations. She plans on pursuing a career in government or the nonprofit sector.
Christopher Wemp. Christopher is a Music and Political Science double major. He served as a music ministry intern for Campus Ministry, which involved both piano accompaniment during mass and the composition of new music. He studied abroad in El Salvador, conducted a research trip to Peru, and recently finished teaching music to sixth and seventh graders at Sacred Heart Nativity School. After graduation, Christopher will become a resident minister at the University of San Francisco, and will also serve as the liturgical coordinator for the 10am mass at Mission Santa Clara.g;jkasdgh