Spring 2021 Latin honors awardees Seidler through Zachman

Emma is graduating with a BA in International Affairs and a minor in Biochemistry with the honors designation summa cum laude. She is incredibly grateful for the four years spent at CU, during which time she has formed relationships with friends, educators, and mentors that she will never forget. Emma found her place in several areas within the CU community, from founding the Friends of Doctors Without Borders student organization to working alongside wonderful people in the Hough Biophysics Group. In the future, she will attend medical school and continue her passion for learning and helping others.

Hi! I am graduating magna cum laude with a BA in economics. During my time at CU, I really enjoyed the quiet, friendly atmosphere and comprehensive courses here. After graduation, I will pursue a master’s degree in social work and I am looking forward to doing social science research in the future. I believe my study at CU is a good start to my academic career.

Anoushka Singh is graduating cum laude in biochemistry. She also minored in political science. She worked in the Goodrich-Kugel lab with a BSI grant and loved writing her literature based honors thesis. She has been interning with PIRG, an activism based organization. She is also an LA for statistics. She plans on getting her masters before going into medical school. She will miss all the fun moments she spent on campus with her friends and she thanks the biochemistry department and CU Boulder for their guided support thought the years.

Hi! My name is Meghan Skalicky and I am graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology. I was able to attend CU with a full ride scholarship from the Daniel’s Fund, and I made the most of this by joining two clubs and holding leadership positions in both, joining and holding a leadership position in student government, and finishing an independent research project in the Brumbaugh lab. I will be working in a dermatology clinic upon graduation but it is my ultimate goal to attend medical school in the pursuit of and MD.

Cole Harald Skilbred was awarded summa cum laude in International Affairs for his thesis “Identity in Post-Revolution Ukraine".

Hello! I'm Camila, and I'm graduating cum laude with a BA in Economics. I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to write a thesis in economics. I wrote a thesis about the effects of quality of infrastructure and trade on growth. My goals are to take my education to the next level and apply to graduate school. I'm hoping to stay in Colorado and come to CU Boulder to do my graduate program in economics. I'm currently an intern at Xcel Energy where I have learned so much and hope to grow even more. To finish, I wanna say that I'm very grateful to all the people that have supported me throughout my career at CU especially my family, friends, and teachers.

I am originally from Santa Cruz, CA but will be moving to Billings, MT upon graduating Summa cum Laude with a dual degree in Jewish Studies and Political Science, and a certificate in Public Health. I did my thesis researching food insecurity in the United States and will pursue a career in public health. CU was the best university to enjoy and find all my passions from academia to adventure, and nestled in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I blossomed as a group fitness instructor at the REC center, held leadership positions in social and academic student organizations, and will forever hold gratitude in my heart for my time undergraduate experience.

Nadyah Spahn is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in International Affairs and a minor in Leadership Studies. During her time at CU, she was a member of the Presidents Leadership Class, the Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program and worked at Health Promotion. After graduation, she will pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology at Alliant University.

Ariana Squire is graduating magna cum laude in Psychology with an additional degree in Spanish. During her time at CU she worked as an undergraduate research assistant at the CU Change lab on a health survey about cannabis use as well as analyzing blood samples in the wet lab. She has a passion for helping people, especially those struggling with mental illnesses. She plans to one day work in juvenile corrections in order to help young kids lead successful lives.

Panteleimon (Teli) Stathopulos is graduating magna cum laude with a BA in environmental studies. He will also graduate with minors in business and atmospheric and oceanic science. Teli wrote his thesis on electricity access, advised under Dr. Ciplet. Teli interned with the American Solar Energy Society, presenting his work at the company conference in 2020. His favorite memories from CU include climbing the flatirons, skiing Eldora, boating down the creek, seeing live music, watching shows at the planetarium, skateboarding on campus, and enjoying study space in the Norlin stacks. Teli recognizes that none of his accomplishments at CU would have been possible without the support of the people around him.

I am graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Chinese as well as Anthropology. During my time here, I had the opportunity to spend significant time abroad in China and Indonesia and many other rewarding programs. I am hoping to pursue law after graduation.

My name is Sabrina Stern and I'm graduating magna cum laude in Political Science, with a minor in Sociology, and certificate in Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies. I wrote my thesis on the Catalan Independence movement in Spain, which was inspired by my semester abroad in Barcelona.  During my time at CU I enjoyed being a part of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi sorority as well as playing clarinet in the Golden Buffalo Marching Band.

My name is Kyle Sterns, and I am Junior graduating summa cum laude in 2022, with a BA in IPHY and Spanish with a minor in Biochemistry. During my time at CU, I was a member of the Locomotion lab performing research on cycling and running. In my free time I raced for the CU triathlon team and volunteered at a Hispanic medical clinic in Denver. I plan on studying abroad next year in Costa Rica. After graduating I plan on continuing my education pursing an MD.

Cayden Stice is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in history, having also majored in political science. His thesis focuses on the queer activist history of Boulder, Colorado in the late-twentieth century, and how the local queer community found and continually adapted its voice to the changing national environment. After graduation, Cayden plans to spend the upcoming summer with an internship at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, while also starting a master's program at CU in secondary education.

I am graduating cum laude with a B.A double major in Neuroscience and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. I have had the privilege of working with the Spencer Lab researching circadian rhythms and their effects on the brain at a cellular level.

Jordan is graduating cum laude with a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology with plans to attend Northwestern's Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences PhD program in the fall. Jordan conducted undergraduate research in the Luger lab which explored constructing designer nucleosome arrays in vitro. Jordan thanks his mentors, family, and friends that supported him during his thesis project.

I majored in Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience and Psychology with a Public Health Certificate. I defended an honors thesis in the CASEL laboratory regarding light, circadian rhythms & sleep regularity, earning a summa cum laude in IPHY. Moreover, I have interned for the CU Sports Medicine, BC Neurosurgical institute, Avista Hospital and Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Specialists. I also enjoyed dissecting for 5 semesters for the Human Anatomy Laboratory at CU Boulder and Red Rocks PA program. After graduation, I plan to conduct an M.S. in skeletal regeneration at UCLA or USC, and move on to an MD/Ph.D. On a side note, I hope to take 3 more classes to earn an MCDB degree. In my free time, I enjoy riding my motorcycle, training, baking & reading.

I will be graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Political Science and an additional BA in History. I spent a semester in Washington D.C. through the CU in DC program, and it was one of the best opportunities of my life. The time I spent at CU and the friends that I made will stay with me for the rest of my life. I would like to give a special thank you to Doctor Nancy Billica as well as all my other professors for your guidance and support throughout my years at CU. After working for a few years, I look forward to attending graduate school. Ideally, I would like to start working in Washington D.C. this year, but no matter where I land, I will never forget CU.

I am graduating summa cum laude in Political Science. I am traveling to France to race the Marathon du Mony Blanc in June. I have started the first endowment and scholarship in the nation for NCAA LGBT+ athletes and allies here at the University of Colorado. I am applying to Stanford Law School and the Knight-Hennesy Scholars in 2022 with the hope of studying how sports, neuroscience, and the law can create meaningful social change and radical acceptance across the world. Between now and then I will be running in grad school or here on my elite club team and working in CU Athletics. My family and friends and mentors lift me up and I cherish them deeply.  The best decsion I have ever made in my life was transfering to CU.

Ivy is graduating summa cum laude in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. She had the opportunity to serve as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant and Biological Sciences Initiative Ambassador, while participating in research under Dr. Joel Kralj developing tools to study bacteria electrophysiology and biofilm treatment approaches for her thesis. After graduation, she is looking forward to working as a NIH trainee in the National Cancer Institute before pursuing graduate school.

Major in Engineering Physics, Minor in Economics, Certificate in Engineering Leadership,

CU Hyperloop, Designing for Defense, Regal Group at JILA

Going to MIT for a Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering.

Hi, I am Chaoran Wang. I am graduating summa cum laude in physics this spring semester. I completed my honor project about the ferroelectric nematic phase liquid crystal droplet in the liquid crystal group. The help from the group members make me be able to conquer the obstacles in the project, and I would like to thank them for this helps. I also enjoy the study and understanding of any new physics concepts during my honor project. These four years of study and life at CU are colorful and valuable to me. The experience at CU and the honor project study helps me realize more about my own goal: to understand more about the physics world. After graduation, I will continue my academic study in graduate school and pursue a doctoral degree in physics.

Abigail Weeks is graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science and B.S. in Environmental Engineering.  She wrote her thesis on "Evaluating the Social Equity Impacts of California’s Carbon Offset Programs". She was awarded the Colorado Engineering Council's Silver Medal and is the Chair of the CU Environmental Board where she oversees the budget and programs of the Nation's largest student-run Environmental Center and advocates for substantive and equitable campus climate action. She served as the Project Manager of the Engineers Without Borders Nepal Team, an intern for Congressman Perlmutter, and is an NOAA Ernerst. F. Hollings Scholar. She is grateful to all of her communities at CU Boulder.

Sean is graduating May of 2021 Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Anthropology, minor in Geology, and a certificate in Native American and Indigenous Studies. He is continuing his academic career at the University of Northern Arizona pursuing a Masters degree in Archaeology. Throughout his undergraduate career he participated in Multiple Archaeological Field Projects in the region of the Southwest along with an Undergraduate Research Project with the CU Natural History Museum and Mesa Verde National Park to redesign the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum. Sean will always remember his time at CU, from the many C-Unit games at Folsom and the Keg, to the countless Phi-Sigma-Pi events, and the various shenanigans with friends.

Julie Wolin is graduating with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Business. She has earned her honors designation of cum laude, through the completion of an undergraduate thesis titled "The Politicization of Social Media". Besides her academic achievements, Julie has been a dedicated member of Tri Delta, went abroad to Madrid, Spain, volunteered for the Conference on World Affairs, and has made ever-lasting memories with her colleagues. She is eternally grateful for the amazing professors at CU, her sorority sisters who have stood by her every step of the way, and her incredible family for their support and guidance throughout her collegiate experience. After graduating from CU, Julie hopes to attend Law School in the near future.

Hi! My name is Jingyi Wu. Graduating with summa cum laude with a BA in chemistry, and with a BA in biochemistry. During my time at CU, I was a member of the Zhang Lab, researching mechanically robust and thermal-healing vitrimer. I really enjoy my time at CU, and I would like to thank you all for the support and guidance throughout my journey at CU!

I am graduating in three years with a BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I hope to attend veterinary school for wildlife medicine after graduating, so much of my volunteer work was spent with animals at local sanctuaries, and I was also the Secretary of the Pre-Vet Club and a member of the Wildlife Club. My favorite opportunity stemmed from an email I received during my freshman year which included a list of internships and research opportunities through various organizations. I randomly decided to click on one of them, applied to it, and ended up spending a grueling and incredible six weeks in the remote Peruvian Amazon rainforest as a research assistant on a mark-recapture project working with saddleback and emperor tamarins.

My name is Qiucheng Xu, and I am graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Chemistry and a minor in Biochemistry. I am a member of the Zhang Research Group, mentored by Dr. Wei Zhang. After graduation, I will continue to go to graduate school. I hope to ultimately pursue a PhD in organic chemistry.

Zhiyu (Philippe) Yao is graduating summa cum laude with an astrophysics degree. His thesis on the radiation environment near the central supermassive black hole of M87 has brought new and important results to the field. He enjoyed being a part of CU-STARs to provide science outreach to local high schools. He loved the collaborative research environment at CU and was highly involved in many research meetings. His goals were realized with the help of his mentor Prof. Jason Dexter, the Chancellor's Achievement Scholarship, the UROP grant, Phi Beta Kappa, and the CU Theodore Snow Undergraduate Scholarship. Starting Fall 2021, he will continue his research on the high energy events in our universe at Princeton University as a Ph.D. student.

I'm graduating summa cum laude with a BAs in English Literature and Philosophy. During my time at CU I was a member of Sigma Tau Delta. My passion for english and philosophy grew alongside budding interests in cultural criticism and media studies, all of which converged in my senior thesis "Under the Hood: Watchmen and The American Hero Story". I will be attending a Masters program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and look forward to perpetually learning with my future students. I want to thank Dr. Paul Youngquist for his encouragement and kindness, and all the other amazing professors I've had the pleasure of learning from while at CU. Remember, "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."