Spring 2021 Latin honors awardees Greer through Khung
I am graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Speech Language Hearing Science. During my undergraduate career, I had the opportunity to gain valuable research experience and meet amazing faculty through my time as a research assistant within the CuChange Lab. After graduation, I hope to gain more research experience working with adolescent populations before applying to Clinical Psychology graduate schools in Colorado.
I am graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Sociology and certificates in Public Health and Care, Health, and Resilience. I am on a Pre-Med track and am hoping to attend medical school in the future. During my time at CU, I had the pleasure of being a part of the Honors Scholar community and the MASP community, and I also had the opportunity of working with CU Sports Medicine with the Track and Cross Country Teams for 3 years and interning with Blue Sky Bridge for a year. I am grateful for the my education at CU and am excited to see where my future takes me!
Hi! My name is Sabrina and I am graduating summa cum laude with a BA both in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology and biochemistry. I have researched in the Richer lab for three and a half years with the RNA biosciences summer internship, cancer center summer fellowship, Gates summer internship program, and the biological sciences initiative. The experiences I have gained as an undergraduate researcher have helped inform my decision to pursue becoming a physician-scientist as my career goal.
Hannah is graduating magna cum laude with a BA in history and a minor in English. Some of her fondest college memories are from studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Hannah is actively involved with the advocacy committee with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and devoted her honors thesis to investigating the stereotype associating mental illness with violence. She plans to attend law school to better position herself not only as a mental health advocate, but as a policy reformer.
Nia Hammond is graduating with a double major in biochemistry and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology with an honors designation of summa cum laude. During her time at CU, Nia was a member of the Xue lab, a member of the Richer lab, and worked as a learning assistant. In the Richer lab, she investigated the role of the protein NPC1 in triple negative breast cancer with the goal of developing novel therapies. Additionally, her research was supported by the Biological Science Initiative, Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates, and the RNA Biosciences Summer Internship Program. Starting in the fall, Nia will be pursuing a PhD in cancer biology as part of the Committee on Cancer Biology at the University of Chicago.
Kiana is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in International Affairs and a BA in Computer Science. To combine her passion for both cybersecurity and policy, Kiana's honors thesis studied the process through which international norms are created in cyberspace and how they protect elections from cyber interference. She also interned with organizations such as the Colorado Information Analysis Center, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and participated in the Designing for Defense program at CU. As a Boettcher Scholar, Kiana enjoyed participating in the Undergraduate Enrichment Program, as both a scholar and volunteer for prospective scholar events. Kiana will attend law school after graduation.
Kevin is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Neuroscience. He will be attending Washington University in St. Louis this fall to join their Immunology Ph.D. program with the hope of optimizing CAR T cell therapies to treat autoimmunity. During his time at CU, Kevin worked in the Maier/Watkins Laboratory where he studied Multiple Sclerosis. The highlight of his time at CU was writing a T cell review paper currently being reviewed for publication by International Reviews of Immunology.
Sara is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. Her favorite moments at CU include becoming an editor for the CU Political Science Review, working on her thesis, and being a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority. She also enjoyed studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain in July 2019, and Buenos Aires, Argentina during the Fall 2019 semester. After graduation in May, Sara will be moving to Hawaii where she will attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa to pursue a Master’s in Asian Studies. She is also the recipient of the East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship.
Emily is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and a BA in Neuroscience with a certificate in Public Health with distinction. She has worked in Dr. Wright's Sleep and Chronobiology lab for since her freshman year of college and wrote her thesis on her independent research regarding melatonin. Emily is on the CU Boulder club tennis team and one of the presidents of CU Rotaract, a community service organization. During her time at CU, Emily studied abroad in Sydney, Australia and participated in CU GOLD core leadership. Following graduation, she is applying to medical school with hopes of being a physician in the near future!
Patrick Heffernan is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and with a BA in Philosophy. He has been an active member of the Emery Lab on campus for three years. He has also been the president of Literary Buffs for all four years, and his short stories have appeared in various literary journals, such as the Honors Journal. He studied abroad in Ireland his Junior year. Patrick will be begin pursuing a PhD in the fall at the University of Notre Dame, where he will be studying the ecology of human parasitic disease. He is grateful for all of his professors, mentors, friends, and family that made his time at CU so wonderful.
I am graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Political Science and a Business minor. I am a Norlin Scholar, a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, and a member of the CU Women's Club Soccer team. This summer, I will be participating in CU in DC with the honor of interning for Rep. Joe Neguse on Capitol Hill. During my time at CU, I have loved the environment of the campus, the outdoors, and all the amazing people I have met. Upon graduation, I plan to attend law school and pursue my passions!
Taylor is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in environmental science in May 2021. Taylor’s time at CU Boulder helped shape her into the passionate and hardworking individual she is today. Her list of accomplishments while at CU include completing two internships, one as a Zero Emissions Network Team Member under the American Solar Energy Society, and a second as an herb enthusiast at Earthstar Farms. She took on the challenge of researching and writing an honor thesis receiving the highest honor for her work, all while holding down a job throughout her college career. Taylor plans to pursue a position in the environmental science field before continuing her education. Her goal is to earn a PhD to further her dream of becoming a researcher.
I am graduating with summa cum laude with a BA in environmental studies and a secondary focus in Spanish. I was awarded a scholarship from the Biological Sciences Initiative over the summer of 2020 and into the 2020-21 school year to work on my thesis that investigated Ochotona princeps Occupancy and Environmental Stressors on the West Knoll, Niwot Ridge, Colorado. After graduation I will be working to publish a paper about my research as a co-author as well as present my research at the American Society of Mammalogists meeting this coming summer.
Keira Hook is graduating summa cum laude with a double major in International Affairs and Secondary Spanish Education and a minor in French. While at CU, she enjoyed teaching English through the SWAP program, participating in Model United Nations, working as a peer advisor in the study abroad office, and attending swing dances! She will be student teaching next fall and completing her teaching license before heading to Argentina on a Fulbright grant to assistant teach English to Argentine university students. She is very thankful to all her professors, mentors, and friends at CU.
Brianna Hopper is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in chemistry and a minor in literature. Her thesis investigated organic acids at the air-water interface and their implications on atmospheric aerosols. Brianna's favorite moments at CU Boulder included working in the Vaida lab (especially over the summers), hammocking outside Duane, and studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. She looks forward to attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her PhD in chemistry.
Graduating summa cum laude with a BA in EBIO, along with a space minor! I've worked at the Li Lab for the past couple of years, and it's been a fantastic experience. My biggest college highlight would be studying abroad in Italy over a summer. After taking a gap year, I plan to apply to medical school to pursue a career in forensic pathology.
Katelynn is graduating with a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Business, summa cum laude honors distinction, and academic distinction. During her time at CU she led HerCampus as Director of Outreach; led an independent research project through the Saddoris Lab; received multiple grants; developed policy as a CSEPP Fellow; was involved in multiple honor societies including Nu Rho Psi, Phi Beta Kappa and Honors Scholars; while maintaining her Boettcher Scholarship and volunteering to recruit future Boettcher Scholars to CU's campus. She has been accepted to the Teach For America 2021 Corps and will begin teaching science in an underprivileged community. She aspires to pursue a PhD following her TFA work to pursue research.
Ben Humphries is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in History and a minor in Chinese language. In his three years at CU, Ben completed an internship under Dr. Thomas Zeiler, was an editor for the Colorado Historian, and successfully completed an honors thesis. After graduation, Ben will attend CU Denver in pursuit of a MA in U.S. History with an emphasis on the American West.
Graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Political Science and a minor in French.
I studied English here at CU Boulder. During my four years I played violin in the campus orchestra which was definitely a highlight of my college experience. After college I plan to continue my writing and attend graduate school in the next few years!
Matt is graduating magna cum laude with a BA in physics and astronomy. Researching in the Kapteyn-Murnane group for over 2 years, he got to experience real world scientific research and learn from some of the brightest minds in imaging science. A 7 year Air Force veteran, Matt served overseas 4 of those years and saved money to be able to attend CU and achieve his dream of becoming an astrophysicist. While overseas, he met his wonderful wife Rie and son Subaru, and returned to the US with a new family. Matt has been accepted into the astronomy department at the University of Texas, where he will hopefully achieve a PhD. He looks forward to the new experiences and is thankful for those he has had here in Boulder, CO.
Sam Jacobsen is graduating with degrees in creative writing and film production. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends more than anything else, and he owes much of his success to their continued support.
I am graduating with summa cum laude with a B.A. in Physics, and a B.A. in Mathematics. I have been the research member in the CU CMS Group. My honor thesis covers topics like supersymmetry and dark matter. And I plan to continue my graduate Particle Physics research in Europe.
Aiden Diane Jorgenson was awarded magna cum laude in Environmental Studies for her thesis “Gender, Domestic Water Collection, and Environmental Stressors: Effects on Disproportionate Physical and Psychological Health Status Among Bangladeshi Adults".
