About the Students

2013-4

Ariana Lim ’14
Ariana is a Natural Sciences (biology emphasis) major and will start her senior year Fall 2013. This summer, she will participate in biology-related summer research. She enjoys swimming, reading, and playing music. While on campus, Ariana is involved in Christian Fellowship and APASU (Asian Pacific Islander Student Union) and works at the Collins Memorial Library. After graduation, she hopes to go to graduate school to become a librarian.

Emily Menk ’14
About to enter her senior year at Puget Sound, Emi hails from Saint Peter, Minnesota, and is a Studio Art (Printmaking emphasis) major with a minor in English. Outside of the classroom, Emi is a Perspectives leader, a choreographer and officer for Repertory Dance Group, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, a member of the Dorian Singers, a course assistant, and a tour guide. This summer Emi will be studying artistic voice and identity within portrait photography, collaborating with various fine art and commercial photographers before creating a final series of work that explores her own voice as a photographer. When she doesn’t have a camera in her hand, you can find her running, playing guitar, baking, jamming to the radio, playing soccer, or just hanging out with her friends and soaking up the sun.

2012-13
Alisa Wallace ’14
Alisa will start her junior year Fall 2012. As a biology major (with a possible chemistry minor), she will be spending her summer in Arizona conducting research in the fields of animal behavior and chemical ecology under mentor Stacey Weiss. A Pacific Northwest native, she comes from Vancouver, Washington, and her main activities at Puget Sound outside of academics include Greek Life and RDG, though she’s looking forward to trying more new things this fall. In her spare time, she loves horseback riding, singing, running, and reading (particularly epic fantasy series). She hopes to do a Tropical Ecology study abroad program in Costa Rica during the spring of her junior year, and after graduation she plans to travel as much as possible, attend graduate school, and pursue a career in biological research.

Billy Rathje ’15
Billy Rathje is a freshman from Portland, Oregon. He intends to major in Chemistry and minor in English or Theatre Arts. He is a member of the Honors Program and is active in the Theatre Arts Department at Puget Sound. Bill is the composer and co-lyricist of an original musical, Fight Call, which he wrote with his brother. He is looking forward to Fight Call being professionally produced in January 2012 at the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works in Portland, Oregon. For the past three summers, Billy has worked in the Biochemistry Department at Oregon Health Sciences University conducting cataract research using mass spectrometry. In his spare time, Billy enjoys playing the piano, singing, practicing Spanish, reading, and writing.

Brendan Witt ’13
Brendan hails from the high country of Denver, Colorado and is an English/Creative Writing and Communication Studies double major. When not in class, he plays for the Men’s Club Lacrosse team, serves on the Intrafraternity Council, works as a campus tour guide, is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and tries to get out and enjoy as much of the beautiful wilderness that surrounds Tacoma to climb, backpack, fish, and kayak as he can. After school he hopes to go into a career in journalism, publishing, or public relations and advertising and to return to the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Casey Krolczyk ’14
Casey is a junior studying International Political Economy and pursuing minors in Politics & Government and African American Studies. He is currently partaking in a summer internship program through the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relation in Washington, D.C. He is an ASUPS senator and the host of the KUPS talk show Across Campus. Casey could end up pursuing careers in radio, international relations, activism, reporting, or something else completely and totally unexpected. Stay tuned!

Elisabeth Schyberg ’14
Elisabeth is an English Literature major with double minors in French and Classics (Latin language). She comes from Sonoma County, in Northern California. At Puget Sound she is a section editor (and occasional writer) for The Trail, the co-activities chair for the Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society, and a member of the UPS Christian Fellowship. She also works in the Foreign Languages and Literature department. Elisabeth is an identical twin, a vegetarian, and an enthusiastic bibliophile. This summer she will be studying the book publishing industry, which she hopes to be a part of some day, and specifically how fine printing presses are contributing to the endurance of the physical book in the digital age.

Ian Fox ’14
Ian is from Mendota Heights, MN, interested in Politics and Government. He is the Social Justice Interfaith Coordinator in the Spirituality Services and Social Justice office, works in Media Services in Collins Library, a DJ on KUPS (TransNational Airwaves: Sundays 8AM!), an overnight host and is involved in Justice and Service in Tacoma, Interfaith Council and Tutors at a community center in Tacoma. He plays percussion, mandolin and guitar and loves being outdoors.

Laurisa Rodrigues ’13
Laurisa is a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chemistry (pre-med) and Gender Studies. At Puget Sound she is co-president of the African Alliance Club, a Chemistry CA, and a tour guide for the Campus Visit Program. She loves being goofy with friends, coaching Special Olympics sports teams, exploring new places, and trying new things. She’s a glass half full kind of girl and thinks a cup of hot cocoa with friends can fix just about anything! In the future she hopes to be working as a Public/Global Health physician working with underserved populations both locally and globally. She loves Puget Sound because it is such a welcoming community and feels the people are all amazing and unique. GO LOGGERS!!

Lindsay Schommer ’13
Lindsay is from Big Sky Montana, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. At Puget Sound she is an active member of the Greek community, and is passionate about student activities. She is currently serving as a member of the Panhellenic Executive Council. During her time at Puget Sound, Lindsay has been involved in the Resident Student Association, Phi Eta Sigma honor society, psychology club, and Psi Chi honor society. Outside of academics and extracurricular activities, her interests include working at Oppenheimer Cafe, cooking, music (including country music), and shamelessly dancing and singing to the radio.

Madeline Waddell ’14
Madeline is from Houston, Texas, and is a double major in Comparative Politics and Economics with a particular interest in Islam and the Middle East. In pursuit of these interests, she will travel to Israel this summer and spend the fall semester studying in Cairo, Egypt (Madeline will blog about her travels on our Adventures Abroad journal and will blog here about Student Life starting Spring 2013). On campus, she is involved in ASUPS, Greek Life, and Habitat for Humanity. She is also a member of the Women’s Swim team and the Etc. Tutoring program. Her passions include cooking, climbing, and the Constitution.

Mark Janzer ’14
Mark is a Music Education major entering his senior year at Puget Sound. He has played the alto and baritone saxophone since middle school and now plays in the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band at Puget Sound. Outside of music, he plays Ultimate Frisbee, chess, and video games (not simultaneously). One of his favorite genres of music is rap, and he is happy to be spending his summer on research.

Shelby Senaga ’14
Shelby will be a junior in the fall of 2012. When not at Puget Sound, she calls Honolulu, Hawaii her home. Shelby is double majoring in the Business Leadership Program and Economics. At Puget Sound she is involved with Greek Life, work study, ETC tutoring, and has served as one of the co-chairs for the Hui O’ Hawaii Club’s annual Lu’au event. In her spare time, Shelby enjoys running, trying new cuisines, and traveling. This summer, she is interning at Sodamedia Ltd., an agency that offers digital solutions for a variety of companies in the U.S. and Asia. Sodamedia produces innovative, sleek designs for mobile applications, print campaigns,and websites. The company’s office is based in Shanghai, China. Shelby is eager and grateful to have this enriching experience for the summer and being able to gain work experience in her field of interest, marketing.

Victoria Gavia ’15
Victoria is an incoming freshman at Puget Sound planning to pursue a major in Communications with a minor in Sociology. She is inspired by the world around her and hopes to explore it one day with a journalistic focus. Born and raised in Southern California, Victoria is psyched to travel to Washington and start an exciting part of her life, meet new people, and embrace the future.

Vishakha Gupta ’14
Vishakha is a junior double majoring in Business and Psychology. This year she is looking forward to doing an independent study about organizational climate and culture, following her summer internship with Intel. When not in the classroom or at work, she enjoys dancing, cooking, organizing her closet, and serving as co-president of the Psychology Club. She blogs for an online magazine for people in their 20s called life2pointoh. Her dream after college, and maybe grad school, is to find a job that allows her to be creative, keeps her in constant contact with people, and allows her to travel, speak in public, and solve problems.

2011-12
Becca Adams ’12
Since entering Puget Sound in 2008, Becca has known that she wanted to be a physician. At Puget Sound, she is an Exercise Science/Pre-Medicine major, a member of the Honors Program, and a varsity runner for the Cross-Country and Track and Field teams. In addition, she is in the women’s a cappella group, “What She Said.” This summer while arranging music for the singing group and training for the next cross-country season, she’ll be doing research for her Honors Program thesis on the correlation between psychological competitiveness of female runners and their testosterone levels prior to competition. Becca is investigating to see if more competitive people have a larger increase in testosterone when put in a competitive situation, such as a race.

Caitlin Barrow ’12
Caitlin is a senior majoring in history and minoring in communication studies, with very little idea of what she intends on doing after graduating. She enjoys arts, crafting, poetry revivals, sarcasm, and trains. She is an avid photographer, a speaker of French and conversational German, and a KUPS DJ. She also is a huge Paul Simon aficionado. She just returned from a semester in Vienna, Austria, and is attempting to get back into the life (and study habits) of a Puget Sound student.

Corrie Wong ’12
Corrie is from Hawaii and is majoring in Biology, minoring in Chinese. Being from Hawaii, she’s always been surrounded by the ocean, which has only intensified her love for it. A member of Hui O Hawaii and the Biology Club, her interests include spending time at the beach, reading, and photography. Corrie will be writing about her summer research with Professor Joel Elliott before returning to campus in the fall for her senior year.

Isaac Olson ’12
Isaac is from Evergreen, CO, and is majoring in Religion with a minor in Politics and Government. Between these two areas of academic study, his main area of academic interest and undergraduate work is the history, politics, and culture of the Middle East. Isaac will spend the summer of 2011 completing an internship with the National Council on US-Arab Relations in Washington, DC.

Kelsey Eldridge ’12
Kelsey is a senior from Boise, ID, double majoring in Art History and Religion. This summer she is researching the tenth century Byzantine Imperial line, known as the Macedonian Dynasty, focusing on how Old Testament types influenced Imperial ideology and how this influence can be seen in sacred and decorative objects of the period. When not researching, Kelsey enjoys spending time outside, running, visiting art galleries in Seattle, and doing as much yoga as possible. During her time at Puget Sound she has been involved with Residence Life, Greek Life, the Phonathon, and is a Perspectives orientation leader.

Rachael Mallon ’12
Rachael is a senior from Hood River, OR, majoring in Biology with a minor in Environmental Policy and Decision Making. Her academic career has included studying in Zanzibar, Tanzania during the Fall 2010 term, as well as summer research with Professor Peter Wimberger on ice worms in the Pacific Northwest during 2010 and again this summer. At Puget Sound she is captain of the Women’s Crew Team, an intern at Puget Creek Restoration Society, and is involved in Phi Sigma Biology Honor Society and the Evolution Journal Club.

Westley Dang ’12
Westley is a senior in Biochemistry with an emphasis in Neuroscience and a Math minor. He’s also in the Honors program and loves it for adding a non-scientific dimension to my education. His interests include tennis, running, neuroscience, listening to songs on repeat, dancing in the shower, wordplay, and digital photography. He is a proud brother of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and his biggest involvements on campus have included being an RA and a chemistry TA. Although he still gets giddy about neuroscience discoveries, he is currently passionate about leadership, personal entrepreneurship, and learning about how micro-scale interpersonal influences can make a difference in people’s lives.

2010-11

Alayna Schoblaske ‘11
Alayna is a senior at Puget Sound from Tigard, Oregon, where she has a younger brother and sister. She is majoring in Biochemistry with an emphasis in Pre-Dental studies (she hopes to one day become an orthodontist). Alayna is involved in many activities on-campus: Chemistry Department TA, Campus Visit Program, Dental Club, Gamma Phi Beta sorority, Mortar Board Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity, Concert Band and Relay For Life. In her spare time, Alayna likes to read, cook, and exploring both Tacoma and the Great Northwest.

Cony Craighead ‘11
Cony Craighead is currently a double major in Religion and International Political Economy of senior standing at the University of Puget Sound. Born and raised in Montana, she was caught early by a bug for traveling, and has enjoyed several adventures abroad. A person of many passions, Cony pursues a large number of interests and activities in the few spaces of free time allowed to her. Among these hobbies include unicycling, painting, brewing tea, cooking with her sourdough colony and backpacking. She has previously been employed as a florist in her summers off, and currently enjoys working for the Slater Natural History Museum on campus, where she helps preserve the many avian specimens (i.e., she skins and stuffs dead birds).

Kim Dill-McFarland ’11
Kim is a senior at Puget Sound, originally from Redmond, Washington. She is majoring in molecular and cellular biology (MCB) with a minor in math. Kim currently works as a TA in both the biology and chemistry department, as well as an online content editor for biology textbooks. She is also involved in the Phi Sigma Biological Honor Society and Repertory Dance Group (RDG), and will be attending a microbiology PhD program in the fall. Aside from academics, Kim enjoys spending time reading, trying new restaurants, and exploring, especially with her housemates, which include her dog, Shelby, and her cat, Jasmine.

Ian Fox ’14
Ian is a freshman at Puget Sound from Mendota Heights, MN. He has not declared a major, but is interested in Politics and Government. He is the Social Justice Interfaith Coordinator in the Spirituality Services and Social Justice office, works in Media Services in Collins Library, a DJ on KUPS (TransNational Airwaves: Sundays 8AM!), an overnight host and is involved in Justice and Service in Tacoma, Interfaith Council and Tutors at a community center in Tacoma. He plays percussion, mandolin and guitar and loves being outdoors.

Lisa Griswold ‘11
Lisa is a senior Logger originally from Saratoga, California, but calls the Northwest her second home. She is double majoring in the Business Leadership Program and International Political Economy. Her interests include the outdoors, tennis, yoga, graphic design, and the culinary arts. On campus, she is involved in numerous activities including Chorale, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and Phi Eta Sigma Honors Society. After Puget Sound, she hopes to attend graduate school, travel the world, create an international non-profit organization, and eventually become a professor.

Micaela Cooley ‘11
Micaela Cooley is a senior at University of Puget Sound, studying International Political Economy with a minor in Comparative Sociology. She hails from Durango, Colorado in the southwest corner of the state where she lives with her mother, father, and grandfather. Micaela gets fired up about gardening, her cello and the healing effects of music, the art of making and enjoying food, and the many mediums to release endorphins such as yoga, biking, backpacking, skiing, and hiking. On campus, Micaela is involved with Loggerasana—the yoga club, permaculture club, the volunteer run bike shop, as a dj at KUPS, the orchestra, open-mic nights, and works with the sustainability services. After college, she hopes to work with a non-profit organization that values global development by enhancing human potential and freedoms. She hopes she is never cured of her need for adventure!

Summer 2010Annette d’Autremont ’11
Annette is a Politics and Government major with a strong interest in environmental policymaking. She hopes to be involved in the realm of environmental politics after graduation. Originally from Portland, OR (one of the greatest places on earth), she loves running, hiking, biking, cooking, yoga, and exploring the great outdoors…rain or shine! If she’s not outside or in the library, she’s probably working int he Institutional Research department making online surveys, listening to a case for Peer Boards for the Puget Sound judicial system, or leading a group of new students around campus for Perspectives orientation. Her interest in politics, environmental policymaking, and the outdoors culminated in her summer research project where she will look at the cause for public opinion shift in two ballot measures pertaining to Oregon’s Urban Growth Boundary.

Kammi Sheeler ‘11
Kammi is majoring in Politics and Government with an emphasis in Comparative Politics. She has a wide range of interests, but is most passionate about studying Islam and the Arab world, the role of ethnic and religious identity in politics, and post-conflict transformation in the Former Yugoslavia. Kammi will spend summer 2010 participating in an internship program with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington, D.C. She looks forward to gaining more professional and international experience, and hopes opportunities like this one will help her prepare for a future career in the US Foreign Service or working for the government in an international context.

Mary Krauszer ’12
Mary is a junior biology major pursuing a career as a research biologist with an emphasis in marine invertebrate zoology. She was born in Kodiak, Alaska, where she fell deeply in love with the ocean and its intriguing biota, but currently holds a permanent residence in Wasilla, Alaska. At Puget Sound, Mary is a member of the Honors Program, works as a biology TA, and is carrying out research in biology under the mentorship of Professor Joel Elliott for the 2010 summer. Mary will spend the fall of 2010 here at Puget Sound, but will take a leave of absence to study with the SEA Semester Program based out of Woods Hole, MA, sailing up the Atlantic in the spring of 2011. Mary is especially fond of squishy things and science fiction, and plans to be one of those scientists they interview on BBC nature specials.

Rose Thompson ’11
Rose is a senior at Puget Sound, majoring in English (emphasis in Writing, Rhetoric, and Culture) with minors in history and Spanish. She is from Grand Marais, Minn., a minuscule town on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Rose is interning for The News Tribune in Tacoma this summer before heading south to spend her fall semester abroad in Valparaiso, Chile. (Read about her summer internship here on the Student Life blog; her fall exploits will be featured on our Adventures Abroad blog.) On campus, Rose is involved with The Trail, Puget Sound Outdoors, and works at the front desk of the library. Gardening, cooking, yoga, a well-developed (yet mildly embarrassing) love of at least ten monthly magazines, and, of course, the daily newspapers also keep her occupied. She hopes to eventually become a professional journalist in some way, shape, or form.

Leah Vendl ’11
Leah is an English major (Writing, Rhetoric & Culture emphasis) and Art minor at Puget Sound who enjoys graphic design and poetic intervention. She is Editor-in-Chief of Crosscurrents, the campus literary and arts magazine, and has choreographed for Repertory Dance Group (RDG) with varying degrees of sparkly-ness. Her movement was informed for a short time by acrobatics (her little sister was better at it), but more recently by blues dancing. Her work deals with the tension between connection and separation and how these forces are enhanced (or inhibited) by our ever-deepening digital interface. Her summer research project, Honest Movement, is an inquiry into the philosophy of dance and the use of video in dance performance.

View posts from:

Archives