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April 26, 2001
2001 CSUS Academic Achievement
Award Recipients
List is alphabetized within each of seven Colleges.
College of Arts & Letters
Benjamin Bellottii
Philosophy
Graduating Cum Laude, Benjamin received his associate's degree
from Sierra College. At CSUS he majored in Philosophy with a
concentration in Religious Studies. Benjamin is a member of
the Golden Key Academic Honor Society and plans to obtain his
teaching credential and teach at a parochial school. Graduating
Cum Laude, Benjamin received his associate's degree from Sierra
College. At CSUS he majored in Philosophy with a concentration
in Religious Studies. Benjamin is a member of the Golden Key
Academic Honor Society and plans to obtain his teaching credential
and teach at a parochial school.
Michael Dale
Music Department
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Michael has performed with the Symphonic
Wind Ensemble and Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble, mastering
a number of instruments. As a sophomore he won the CSUS Concerto
Competition and in the past year he has also won the juried
Student Composers' Competition at the Festival of New American
Music. Michael also has been working for the Sacramento Youth
Symphony as Assistant Conductor and is the Junior Orchestra
Manager. Michael is a very promising composer whose work shows
real imagination and invention and he is truly an all-around
musician.
Michelle Dowling
Communication Studies
Graduating Cum Laude, Michelle will receive a bachelor's degree
in Organizational Communication with a minor emphasis in Government.
She plans to begin work toward her doctorate in Communication
at Stanford University this fall, where she will focus her attention
on media policy and law. In additional to speech competition,
Michelle has been involved with many other extracurricular activities
while attending school. She is a McNair Scholar and recipient
of the California Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. During her junior
year, Michelle interned in the Legislative Office of the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF).
Megan Elliott
Art Department
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Megan began her studies in 1988
in Psychology at UC Santa Cruz, then Film at San Francisco State
in 1990, and in 1999 returned to her education to graduate with
a degree in Studio Art. As a representative of the School of
the Arts she has participated in a panel discussion for the
Arts Showcase, acted as the President of the Art Club, and also
participated in several student art shows and was a member of
the selection committee for the Senior Art Show. Her assistance
as a gallery sitter for the Else and Witt Galleries has been
much appreciated and she has been able to hone her gallery skills
during a year-long internship at the Michael Himowitz Gallery.
Angela Elkins
Interior Design
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Angela is the Secretary for the
American Society of Interior Designers student chapter here
on campus, known as ASID. She recently competed in the ASID
Accessible Home Student Forum in San Francisco and received
an Honorable Mention for her design. She is also currently working
as part of a team with Lee Anderson on the restoration of the
historic Julia Morgan House here in Sacramento.
Barbara Guzzo
English Department
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Barbara returned to school in 1998.
She is a wife and mother of four sons. She is a member of Phi
Kappa Phi Honor Society and Golden Key National Honor Society.
Currently working as a substitute teacher, she plans to return
to school in the fall to start on both a master's degree in
English and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.
Jamie Lynne
Humanities and Religious Studies
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Jamie started school to prepare
for the credential program. Finding Humanities more to her liking,
she transferred into the Humanities Department, and enjoys the
study of the connections between literature, music, art and
architecture as expressions of religious belief and practice.
Her dream is to continue her education and obtain a master's
degree in History with a Humanities concentration. She is proud
to be the first in her family to receive a bachelor's degree.
Maureen Noumov
History Department
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Maureen has been an active literacy
tutor at Sacramento area elementary schools and a tutor to history
students at Sacramento City College, where she began her education.
She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and is about
to accept an invitation to the history honor society Phi Alpha
Theta. Entering the Masters program in History this coming fall,
Maureen is considering going for a Ph.D. after that.
Lora Weekes
Theatre Arts
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, this is an honor a long time coming
for Lora. Having started acting when she was 11, Lora put her
college education off to get married and start a family. In
1996 when she decided it was time to return to her goal of obtaining
a bachelor's degree in Theater Arts, she began her coursework
at a local community college and then transferred to CSUS. Taking
from her experience in more than 25 college and community productions
and utilizing her newly acquired education, Lora has launched
a children's theater production with the first performance scheduled
in June.
Kathryn Wong
Graphic Design
Graduating Magna Cum Laude
(No biography available)
Ryan Wood
Foreign Language
Graduating Cum Laude, Ryan's strong motivation has allowed him
to keep high marks while working full time, serving as a Naval
Reserve, and studying Japanese, considered one of the most difficult
Asian languages. Ryan joined the Navy in 1994 and has been honored
with the award of Junior Sailor of the Year for 1996, and the
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for superior performance.
He started his education aboard ship and then at Folsom Lake
College, where after a year he transferred to CSUS and has since
qualified for and joined several Academic Honor Societies.
College
of Business Administration
Michael Burgenger
Accountancy
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Michael is extremely proud to be
graduating. He started his education unsuccessfully in 1987
and joined the Army in 1992. In 1995 he returned to Sacramento,
joined the California National Guard, enrolled at American River
College and also began working full time. Now that he is graduating,
Michael has set his goals to someday include a master's degree
in Taxation and the possibility of becoming a lawyer.
Rebecca Peters
Human Resources Management
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Rebecca finds this especially gratifying
as she has resumed her education after an 18-year absence from
school. In 1996 she began attending school at Cosumnes River
College part time and then enrolled full time here at CSUS in
1999. Prior to returning to school, Rebecca spent 10 years as
a stay-at-home mom and then worked in an alternative education
program in Galt, an experience that provided many unique challenges.
Kim
Beretta Small
Management Information Systems
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Kim finds her greatest joy comes
in helping people achieve their goals by expanding their opportunities
for personal and financial growth. Currently she is working
for Folsom Lake College Center as the Senior Information Technology
Technician, providing students with the resources they need
to learn the various computer software applications that will
allow them to achieve success in the job market. She hopes to
one day get a master's degree in Business Administration and
reach her ultimate objective of teaching Computer Information
Science at the community college level.
Matthew Wilson
Management
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Matthew has studied marketing with
an emphasis on international marketing and has special interest
in business with China. He plans to spend a year in China to
improve his language skills and then begin conducting international
business. Matthew has had 10 years of martial arts training
and applied this training to teaching troubled youth in a Koinonia
Martial Arts Outreach program. He is also a member of the Sacramento
Entrepreneurship Academy class of 2001.
College
of Education
A R Cahee
Vocational Education
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Cahee has served as a model and
representative of the Vocational Education Program in presentations
to other groups. She has been involved professionally in many
innovative programs and projects and has a vision of her own
future and that of her profession which will bring them both
high honors.
Loretta Varanelli
Child Development
Graduating Cum Laude, Loretta has been active in her community
working on projects such as "Coats for Kids," creek
clean-ups and food and clothing drives for area flood victims.
She has volunteered numerous hours at local elementary schools,
helping students with math, history and music appreciation.
She has also worked extensively on behalf of Girl Scouts and
Cub Scouts of America. It is no surprise that she has received
numerous academic awards at CSUS and American River College.
Loretta plans a career as a teacher.
College of Engineering & Computer Science
Sheldon Astle
Construction Management Program
Graduating Cum Laude, Sheldon studied pre-architecture at Ricks
College in Idaho. In 1997 he moved back to California and started
the Construction Management Program, completing his upper division
work in just two years. At the same time Sheldon has been working
for Howard Perkins AIA and serving as the Project Engineer for
Granite Construction.
Chad Beach
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, before even transferring here, Chad
sought out the Department Chair and Faculty Advisor for the
IEEE Student Branch and began activities with the Laser and
Electro-Optics Chapter. Since transferring he has taken on numerous
leadership roles within the Engineering Department, chairing
the IEEE Student Branch, organizing industry site visits, presentations,
conferences and consortiums which has directly lead to the near
tripling of enrollment in the IEEE Student Branch.
Steven Gillette
Mechanical Engineering
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Steven entered CSUS in 1998 after
earning an AA in Computer Technology at Sierra College. While
finishing his bachelor's degree here, he has been working full
time as the lead Combustion-Turbine Technician at the Northern
California Power Agency. Since his arrival here at CSUS, Steven
has kept his outstanding marks and his senior project has been
acclaimed as one of the best in the history of the MET program.
Stuart Kapicka
Civil Engineering Program
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Stuart started at American River
College in 1995 and joined us at CSUS in 1998. In just two years
he completed 72 upper division and general education units.
While here, Stuart has become a member of the student chapter
of ASCE and Tau Beta Pi, serving also as their webmaster. He
has worked as an engineering assistant for Imbsen & Associates
and was involved with a variety of structural engineering projects.
Paul Lesneski
Computer Science
Graduating Cum Laude, Paul is a member of Phi Beta Delta, Upsilon
Pi Epsilon and the National Scholarship Federation. Paul was
the Japan-America Peace and Freedom Scholarship Recipient in
1996-1999, and spent three years in Japan learning the language
and culture, teaching English and working as an orientation
counselor. He has also served as president of the Environmental
Union here at CSUS and as the vice president of Campaneros,
a group focused on social and political issues in the Central
Americas.
College of Health and Human Services
Lisa Baskette
Recreation and Leisure Studies
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Lisa has been active in the community
serving as the Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services
Coordinator, Ride to Walk Therapeutic Riding Program Volunteer
and Area Coordinator, and a variety of positions coordinating
walks, races and assisting in summer camp activities for persons
with disabilities.
Andrea Becker
Kinesiology and Health Science
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Andrea is a member of Phi Kappa
Phi, the Golden Key Society, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee,
and the Physical Education Major Club. In addition to her excellent
performance in the classroom she is Team Captain for the CSUS
Division I Intercollegiate Softball Team, has won the Outstanding
Kinesiology and Health Science Student of the Year, the NFCA
All-American Scholar Athlete, the Lloyd O. Snelson Award and
an Images of Excellence Award.
Hugo Calderon
Criminal Justice
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Hugo feels he owes all his academic
success to his mother and grandmother. Hugo is very proud to
be the first member of his family to graduate from a University.
He has achieved tremendous success academically and is currently
a member of Alpha Phi Sigma and the Golden Key Honor Society
and is on the National Deans' List. In the future Hugo plans
to work for a state law enforcement agency.
Mellisa Drake
Division of Social Work
Graduating Cum Laude, Mellisa is currently awaiting her admission
into the Masters of Social Work Program. A descendant from the
Wailacki and Wintun tribes and member of the Colvelo Indian
Community, Mellisa spends lots of her time mentoring siblings
and working to be a positive role model. Mellisa carries with
her a wealth of experience from her conservation work with Lassen
National Forest, counseling and tutoring services with the Sacramento
Job Corps, fundraising and program efforts with Women In Community
Service and work with the Sacramento Police Department and the
Meadowview Drug Free Zone. Taking from her undergraduate field
experience with a Parkinson Disease support group, she hopes
to focus her efforts toward caregiving issues within the elder
Native American community.
Lisa Harp
Speech Pathology and Audiology
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Lisa's goal to become a Speech-Language
Pathologist started back in high school. Starting out in a Junior
College, Lisa transferred to CSUS to complete her undergraduate
work in Speech Pathology and has been recently accepted into
the graduate program this fall. Lisa served as the Junior Class
Representative and then the Vice President of the National Student
Speech-Language Hearing Association as well as served as Chair
for the Community Service Committee and helped organize various
fundraising activities.
Amy Hooper
Nursing
Graduating Cum Laude, Amy has been very active as a lobbyist
for the California Student Nurses Organization local chapter
and representative of the nursing student body. She was elected
at the state level to serve as co-chair of the Council of Chapter
Representatives, has been recognized by the American Nurses
Association, has received the Sacramento-El Dorado Medical Society
Alliance Scholarship, and has been selected as one of 20 in
the nation for the Helene Fuld Health Trust Fellows. Amy has
worked hard to improve the learning experiences of fellow nursing
students and the practice of nursing within the healthcare system,
and will continue to bring recognition to herself and CSU Sacramento.
Patricia Mattox
Physical Therapy
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Patricia started her college career
after 20 years in the restaurant management business. Patricia's
choice of a career in Physical Therapy was based on her desire
to help people, a belief in exercise and her empathetic nature.
All of these traits have helped her earn stellar reviews from
her clinical supervisors and will make her a valued colleague.
College
of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Angel Nguyen and Teresa Nguyen
Chemistry
This year's chemistry honor is being shared by two sisters,
who in their teens came to the United States along with their
mother and nine other siblings from Vietnam. Shortly before
their departure from their homeland their father died and left
them each with lasting words of encouragement and guidance.
Today Angel is graduating Magna Cum Laude and is planning to
continue her education in the field of Dentistry. Teresa is
graduating Summa Cum Laude and has goals of going on to Medical
School. Both are members of the Science Equity Education program,
work with church groups and volunteer on behalf of the needy.
Both have achieved incredible success and overcome tremendous
personal and familial hardships.
Christian Rohde
Geography
Graduating Cum Laude, Christian is an amateur naturalist and
avid outdoorsman whose interests lie in environmental topics
and land use management. After becoming a member of an environmental
club at Sierra College, he focused his efforts in support of
the Spenceville Wildlife Management and Recreation Area east
of Beale Air Force Base. Along with his wife and local residents,
he helped to found Friends of Spenceville, and continues with
his volunteer efforts to increase public outreach and education
about the need to appreciate the preserve and the necessity
of site clean-ups to encourage recreational use.
Dustin Shackleton
Biological Sciences
Graduating Cum Laude, Dustin has been a tremendous asset to
the Biology Department. He has worked and volunteered as a teaching
assistant for a wide variety of biology classes and while doing
such, organized and conducted extra test study and review sections
on his own time. While working toward his goal of becoming a
doctor he has served as a medical assistant for the Liga International
Clinic in Mexico, the Flying Doctors of Mercy, a number of internships
with the County Coroner's Office and UC Davis Medical Center,
and has participated as both a member and leader of several
campus student organizations. So far this semester Dustin has
been invited to interview for medical school at UC San Francisco,
UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis.
Cecilia Yeung
Mathematics & Statistics
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Cecilia arrived in Sacramento five
years ago from Hong Kong with her husband and sons. Having been
a nurse in Hong Kong she decided to change her career to Mathematics
and began her studies at Sacramento City College. In the meantime
her two sons, one graduating from high school and the other
from home schooling, have been accepted to MIT in the fall.
If both boys accept, the family will be moving to Boston where
Cecilia, too, will continue with her education in graduate school.
College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary
Studies
Nancy Beland
Family and Consumer Sciences
Graduating Cum Laude, Nancy expects to begin her teacher preparation
program in the fall. She plans to teach Home Economics Careers
and Technology, and is currently volunteering with the Culinary
Arts program at San Juan High School. While here are CSUS, Nancy
has assisted with conferences for the California Association
of Family and Consumer Science and the California Council on
Family Relations. She has also been instrumental in forming
a new department club, the Student Family Scholars, and has
served as the co-chair for the Fall 2000 FACS alumni dinner
and meeting.
Silke Bradford
Social Sciences
Graduating Cum Laude, Silke has been able to complete her college
career in three years. Silke has a plan to begin teaching and
then consider either an administrative credential or a doctorate
in education policy. While attending CSUS she has regularly
tutored at her former high school, both in content areas and
in development of reading skills through the AVID program.
Courtney Fea
Psychology
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Courtney has a passion for her discipline
and for service to the community. She has received a number
of scholastic honors and is a member of the Golden Key National
Honor Society, Psi Chi and the Psych Society. Courtney volunteers
extensively having served for three years in the Sutter Community
Hospital Phone Friends Program as a mentor for latchkey children,
and creator of guidelines for helping children resolve problems.
She has also worked as an accredited research assistant for
the Jane Goodall Institute and has served as a Sacramento Zoo
Keeper-aid, where she collected data on chimpanzees.
Pamela Flores
Ethnic Studies
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Pamela changed her educational goals
from pre-veterinary science to focusing on social issues in
Ethnic Studies and Spanish. Pamela has managed to learn a great
deal about herself. Having found her inspiration Pamela has
done much for her community as a legal assistant for injured
workers, a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children, and
a volunteer with the Women's Center working on behalf of troubled
teens and the developmentally disabled. Pamela is currently
awaiting acceptance into graduate school where she will continue
with her goal of educating others about social acceptance.
Tasha Hamilton
Sociology
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Tasha managed to graduate with honors
while working full time for an environmental consulting firm
that specialized in hazardous waste disposal policies and regulations.
Since graduating, she has continued to pursue a career in the
environmental field and now works as a project coordinator for
an environmental lobbying firm specializing in land acquisition
and conservation.
Maha Kalush
Government
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Maha came here from Libya at the
age of 10. Since then, she has devoted herself to developing
superb academic skills and her love of learning. Having completed
all of her higher education here at CSUS, her professors have
been impressed with her dedication, intelligence and insight.
Jennifer LeBoeuf
Economics
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Jennifer transferred to CSUS from
American River College and has completed her coursework as a
night student. While working full time and being a student,
Jennifer has managed to stay active in her community by coaching
the Loretto High School Speech and Debate Team, and participating
in her church.
Kandi Lewall
Sociology
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Kandi choose her major after spending
a year in Benin, West Africa. Finding the cultural and social
differences between herself and the Beninese fascinating, she
became interested in how people come together to create communities.
While in Benin she taught kindergarten and is considering teaching
after she graduates. Currently Kandi is working as an intern
at the Sacramento Food Bank at their computer clubhouse for
disadvantaged children and is also a member of the Sacramento
Area Bicycle Advocates, and a supporter and lobbyist on behalf
of public transportation.
Jennifer Murphy
Anthropology
Graduating Magna Cum Laude
(No biography available)
Terri Paul
Gerontology
Graduating Cum Laude, Terri has a passion for bettering the
life of older adults. Terri's goal is to provide opportunities
and activities that enrich elders' lives and their environment.
With this goal in mind, she has worked at the Triple R Ranch,
an adult day center, where she developed and managed many daily
activities, and created an intergenerational culminating Service
Learning Senior Project. Terri has also been an active participant
in student activities on campus and has served as the Gerontology
Association President for three semesters.
Jessica Smith
Environmental Studies
Graduating Magna Cum Laude, Jessica transferred from Las Positas
College and Humboldt State University, bringing with her strong
interests in both filmmaking and environmental studies. Her
passion truly lies in environmental studies and she is currently
president of the CSU Environmental Studies Student Organization.
Kathy Weir
Dietetics
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Kathy began her studies at CSUS
in 1999 after completing an AA in Education from Sierra College.
She is currently serving as a student assistant for the Nutrition
and Metabolism classes, presents in-service programs on nutrition
and smoking during pregnancy for WIC dietitians, volunteers
at the Kaiser emergency room, and has participated in the 2001
California Dietetic Association Conference. In the future, Kathy
plans to apply for a dietetic internship and become a registered
dietitian. She is looking forward to a career in public health
and community nutrition.
Tiffany
Wheldon
Liberal Studies
Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Tiffany transferred from Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo and has focused on Liberal Studies with a science
concentration. In addition to school Tiffany worked as a child
care teacher at the YMCA, where she mentors K-6th grade children
and helps them with school work and arts and crafts. She also
volunteers for Project Play, working with disabled children.
In the fall she will be entering the teaching credential program.
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For
further information send E-Mail to infodesk@csus.edu or
contact
Public Affairs (916)
278-6156.
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