The Iowa State University College of Human Sciences will recognize the accomplishments of nearly 650 graduating students in a series of events on May 4 and 5.
Dean and Dean’s Chair Laura Dunn Jolly will join department chairs in individually recognizing students receiving bachelor’s degrees at the college’s undergraduate convocation, 1 p.m. Friday, May 4 at James H. Hilton Coliseum. A reception for graduating students of all levels will immediately follow the convocation, at about 2:30 p.m. in the Scheman Building, first-floor lobby. The reception is open to all.
The all-university undergraduate commencement ceremony has been divided in two shorter events that are more meaningful for graduating students and their guests. College of Human Sciences undergraduates will be recognized at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5 at James H. Hilton Coliseum, along with those in the engineering and design colleges; other undergraduates will celebrate earlier that morning at Hilton as well. Graduate students in the College of Human Sciences will be recognized at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at James H. Hilton Coliseum.
Six graduating seniors — Morgan Bahl in nutritional science and dietetics; Cassidy Bilharz in elementary education; Emily Clark in apparel, merchandising, and design; Evelyne Guay in kinesiology and health; Mary Kirk in child, adult, and family services; and Jenna Petersen in kinesiology and health — will receive special honors at the College of Human Sciences’ spring 2018 convocation.
Morgan Bahl of Carpentersville, Illinois, is representing the College of Human Sciences as the University Marshal at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony. She is graduating summa cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in nutritional science and dietetics and a minor in Spanish. Bahl has provided nutrition and food safety educational outreach to Iowans as a Heddleson Intern and evaluated the impact of a statewide ISU Extension wellness newsletter as a Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Research Intern. She has served others as programming chair of the Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Club at Iowa State, a residential treatment mentor at Youth and Shelter Services in Ames, and a peer mentor for the ISU food science and human nutrition learning community. Bahl has accepted a dietetic internship at Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan, and plans to become a registered dietitian and earn a master’s degree in counseling.
Cassidy Bilharz of Charles City, Iowa, is one of three students receiving the Dean’s Recognition Award. She is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching endorsements in K-6 elementary classroom, K-12 English as a second language, and K-8 reading. Prepared as a standout educator who is grounded in equity and inclusion, Bilharz participated in an elective course on teaching science with insects where she developed lessons and co-taught 20 ethnically-diverse youth from high-poverty schools in Des Moines. As a result, she was asked to join the ISU 4U Promise research team as an instructional strategies specialist and successfully led an after-school program at King Elementary School. She has accepted a job teaching first grade in the Hampton-Dumont Community School District.
Emily Clark of Lincoln, Nebraska, is also receiving the Dean’s Recognition Award. She is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in apparel, merchandising, and design and emphases in creative and technical design. An innovative scholar, Clark enhanced The Fashion Show by organizing the show’s first livestream broadcast in 2017, and helping secure Patagonia as the guest designer in 2018. She has enriched the learning of others as a teaching assistant in digital textile printing and patternmaking classes. A tenured member of the Iowa State University Football “Varsity” Marching Band, Emily was mellophone captain for two years. After graduation, Clark will serve as an assistant technical designer at Abercrombie & Fitch.
Evelyne Guay of Oakville, Ontario, Canada is the College Marshal. She is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and health, emphasizing pre-medical studies. A competitive student athlete, Guay was captain of the ISU women’s cross-country and track teams while excelling in the classroom, the lab, and the community. She also led her peers as co-president of the ISU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a team leader for the “ExerCYse is Medicine” student organization. As a research assistant, she gathered clinical data on older adults and investigated nicotinamide riboside supplementation and vascular function. She has interviewed at several medical schools and anticipates offers of admission later in May, for enrollment in the fall.
Mary Kirk of Davenport, Iowa, is the final student receiving the Dean’s Recognition Award. She is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in child, adult, and family services and a minor in sociology. As president of the Human Development and Family Studies Club, Kirk grew the organization’s membership and ensured the meetings were illuminating, inclusive, and community-oriented. As a Rosenfeld Intern, she became the only undergraduate lead coder of family interactions for a large-scale, longitudinal research project. She served as the undergraduate student-recruitment intern in the College of Human Sciences and a student associate with the ISU admissions office. Kirk recently accepted Iowa State’s offer of admission to the student affairs graduate program in the School of Education.
Jenna Petersen of Pine Island, Minnesota, is the spring 2018 College of Human Sciences Graduating Student of the Year. She is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and health. As a Human Sciences Week co-chair, Petersen orchestrated the creation of successful events. She developed a wellness involvement booklet for employees during her internship at the ISU Foundation. As a Peer Wellness Educator with ISU Student Wellness, Petersen facilitated five presentations on alcohol, sleep, and stress. She assisted with ongoing research in the CydeKicks Peer Health Coaching program which led her to present preliminary findings at a national conference in Oklahoma. After graduation, Petersen will intern at Album Health in Des Moines as a health coach. She also will attend graduate school in integrated health and coaching at the University of Minnesota.