Growing up in the United States, Rika Wakai enjoyed learning about Japan, her ancestral home and the country from which her parents migrated to the United States before she was born. This made her want to learn more about the country and its culture, so much so that she decided to major in Japanese and pursue it as a career.…
As a School Psychologist for the Jackson County Intermediate School District, MSU alumna Katy Friend is the person other school psychologists rely on when there is a case involving a Spanish-speaking student because of the Spanish education she received from Michigan State University. “I typically work in one district but can be pulled to work in another if they…
The Citizen Scholars program launched in fall 2016 preparing the next generation of diverse, high-achieving, and engaged citizen leaders. The first three graduates of the program graduated last spring. This spring and summer, there are 11 more students who are graduating from the program while earning their undergraduate degrees. “I hope when they look back at their years here at MSU they…
Ruth Nicole Brown has been appointed as the Inaugural Chairperson for the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) at Michigan State University, effective July 1, 2020. She currently is an Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I’m overjoyed about joining MSU as the Inaugural Chairperson of African…
Graduating senior Brandon Lawler is the spring 2020 student speaker for the College of Arts & Letters online graduation celebration. Lawler graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and minors in Mathematics and LGBTQ+ and Sexuality Studies and currently is pursuing a secondary teaching certificate via the College of Education's Teacher Preparation Program. As the student graduation speaker, Lawler represents the College…
Jesstina McFarland graduated this month with a B.A. in Linguistics, a minor in Sales Leadership, and a full-time job waiting for her in August. Last summer, she interned with Thomson Reuters, which sells professional tax and accounting software to licensed CPAs. When her internship ended, McFarland continued to maintain her connection with the company, which led to her receiving a…
Mary Taetsch has taken the road less traveled to receive her undergraduate degree and is a great example of not losing sight of one’s dreams and how persistence pays off. Denied admission to Michigan State University when she first applied, Taetsch returned seven years later, both wiser and with more life experience as a Navy veteran, and successfully earned admittance.…
When Keelyn O’Brien first came to MSU, she was a microbiology student, intent on pursuing a career in virology and vaccine development, but later found a new career path in the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages where she discovered her passion for language. “For two and a half years, I was a determined science student who took…
Abby Jaroszewicz, who graduated this spring with a B.A. in English, a minor in Linguistics, and a minor in Women and Gender Studies, is this year’s recipient of the College of Arts & Letters Outstanding Senior Award. She also is a graduate of the Honors College as well as the College of Arts & Letters’ Citizen Scholars Program. She managed…
The Department of Religious Studies is proud to present the 2020 Religious Studies Awards to five outstanding students – Mackenzie Meade, Skylar Berlin, Alana Davis, Andrew Keller, and Lauren Chapman. The awards presented include the Engaged Scholar Award, Robert Pettapiece Scholarship, Nick Rashford and Jake Foglio All-University Award, Julia Johnson Award In Religion and Ecology, and the Robert T. Anderson Award. Mackenzie…