Thursday, April 20, 2006
High-performance graduates
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Guided by USI values of learning and service to community and campus, five women from the Class of 2006 used their talents and translated their intentions into reality. Their accomplishments can serve as inspiration for other students to see possibilities within themselves. Cassandra Renee Bowman, Jennifer L. Crowell, Lora DeFries, Janice Esker, and Amanda Kleiman have been selected as finalists for the President’s Medal. They will graduate on Saturday, May 6, during USI Commencement ceremonies when 1,675 degree candidates are eligible to receive degrees at Roberts Stadium. Cassandra Renee Bowman will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, with a major in psychology from the College of Liberal Arts. She has been on the University’s Honors List every semester and carries a 3.8 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). Last spring she received the Top Student Leader award from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. As a junior she was named the undergraduate Phenomenal Woman, recognized for her contributions to diversity on campus. She has served as president of Panhellenic Council , a leadership role that best demonstrated her ability to organize activities and serve others. This spring she was named Homecoming Queen, representing Delta Zeta sorority. Earlier in her college career Bowman was an ambassador for the Admission Office who gave tours and talked to prospective students. She also has been active in community work for Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, Salvation Army, and more. Bowman received the Best Big Sis Award and the Top Turtle Award (for highest GPA) in Delta Zeta. She represented USI at the Leadership Honors boot camp, a training program with student leaders from across the country. She was named to Who’s Who Among Students, and currently she is serving as a student search committee member for a new administrative position in the Office of Student Development. She is the daughter of George and Deborah Bowman of Zionsville and a graduate of Zionsville Community High School. She is seeking a career in business administration with plans to pursue a master’s degree in the future. Her immediate plans include getting married in June. Jennifer L. Crowell will graduate summa cum laude with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in the College of Liberal Arts. One is in advertising and public relations with an emphasis in advertising and a minor in marketing and the other is in art with an emphasis in graphic design. She attended USI as a Presidential Scholar, and she has a 4.0 grade point average. Crowell received the Academic Achievement Award in Graphic Design, Academic Achievement Award in Advertising and Public Relations, and the Mirabella Achievement Award, given to an outstanding student in Liberal Arts. Crowell is an intern in product design and marketing for Berry Plastics, and she will become a full-time designer with the company after graduation. She also has completed a marketing internship for Evansville Dance Theatre. She served as historian for the USI German Club and was a member of the USI Art Club and the USI Advertising Club. A consistent Honors List student, Crowell is a University Honors Scholar. She served as a member of the Liberal Arts Advisory Board, was a recipient of a Research, Innovation, Scholarship, Creativity (RISC) grant, and a two-time presenter at AAF Student Advertising Competition and the Kentucky Communication Association Conference. She is listed in Who’s Who Among Students. She exhibited in the USI Student Art Show and the Senior Seminar Art Show. She was a singles and doubles champion in intramural tennis and coed doubles champion in intramural badminton. She is the daughter of Greg and Linda Stilwell of Evansville and a graduate of North High School. She married Cory Crowell in May 2005. Lora DeFries, a Presidential Scholar, counts travel as one of her priceless experiences as a student. She has traveled to China, Egypt, Malta, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, and Spain. Next year as Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, she will represent Southern Indiana in Delhi, India, taking classes and volunteering with local nonprofit organizations. She is a Baccalaureate/Doctor of Medicine (B/MD) scholarship recipient, but her academic interest changed to economics and international studies during her college career. She has been active in International Club, Model United Nations, Student Christian Fellowship, Delta Zeta sorority, USI Art Club, and Rock Climbing Club. She has helped with the International Club’s Food Expo and their orientation activities for first-year students. She was a principal organizer of “Rake Out Hunger in Niger” as part of an economics class to raise money to donate to Africare to address food shortages in West Africa. In addition to intellectual challenges, DeFries has met physical challenges because of a fall while rock climbing in 2003 that resulted in two surgeries to repair her spinal column. Faculty members have noted her academic success through diligent effort in the presence of significant pain. She is receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in the College of Business with majors in economics and international studies. She is graduating with a 3.7 grade point average. After her year in India, DeFries listed career options including getting an MBA degree, medical school, the Peace Corps, or working with a consulting company that works in developing countries. She is the daughter of Roy and Nancy DeFries of New Harmony and she graduated from New Harmony High School. Janice Esker is a resident of Steeleville, Illinois, and attended USI as a Deans Scholar and as a Nonresident Top Scholar. She also received the Judy Benedict Hightower Memorial Scholarship. She will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biophysics, magna cum laude, in the Pott College of Science and Engineering. She has a 3.9 grade point average. Esker is a member of Sigma Zeta Honorary Science and Math Fraternity, an Impact Ministries student volunteer, and a volunteer for Orientation, National Down’s Syndrome Buddy Walk, the annual Alumni Picnic, the Evansville Half Marathon, Deaconess Hospital, and she served as a judge for the Tri-State Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Esker enjoys competing for the USI DiscJockeys Ultimate Frisbee team, and she is active in volleyball and softball intramurals. She is a member of the Biology Club, Indiana Academy of Science, and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. She served as a supplemental instruction leader and a student member of a search committee for a faculty position. She was consistently on the Honors List and made Who’s Who Among Students, She did independent molecular biology research for USI RISC Showcase, Indiana Academy of Science, and the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Last summer she assisted a Vanderbilt University professor with research, and next year she will complete a research laboratory fellowship at the National Institutes of Health on topics related to virus and infectious diseases. She plans to apply to a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at an accredited U.S. medical school after that year. Her career goal is to be a physician and a public health laboratory scientist. At some point in her career, she hopes to extend her practice and research efforts to underdeveloped countries. She is the daughter of Mary and Tony Esker and a graduate of Steeleville High School in Randolph County, Illinois. Amanda Kleiman will graduate with a 3.9 grade point average earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in the Pott College of Science and Engineering. She is a University Honors Scholar and studied Latin. Kleiman is a Presidential Scholar, holds a B/MD scholarship, and has been on the Honors List every semester. She presented at the Indiana Academy of Science and the Rose-Hulman Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative in biology and chemistry. She is a member of Sigma Zeta Honorary Science and Math Fraternity, a student ambassador for USI Admission Office, and an Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation volunteer science and math tutor. Last year she completed summer undergraduate research as a fellow with the IU School of Medicine Evansville Center in molecular biology research. She was active in intramurals and a volunteer for the Freshman Move In Day. She is a past officer in the Biology Club, and an active member of the USI Red Zone, the student cheering section at USI. She is a member of College Democrats and the Exercise Science and Physical Education Club. She plans to enroll in the IU School of Medicine next year. The daughter of Ramona and Paul Kleiman of Evansville, she is a graduate of Reitz High School. |
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