Archive for ‘Honors’

Marie Dufitumukiza (’11) | Biology, Pre-medical, Honors

by   |  08.03.11  |  Biology, Health Professions, Honors

Marie DufitumukizaBiology major, Pre-medical, Honors student
(Abilene, Texas)

Some people pursue a career in medicine because they’re interested in helping others. Some choose the medical field with an eye to profit. Some are simply fascinated with the intricate workings of the human body.

And then there are a handful who have experienced a life-threatening illness and recovered – and they want to give back.

Honors student Marie Dufitumukiza is one of them.

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Jade Jung (’11) | Chemistry, Honors

by   |  06.14.11  |  Chemistry, Health Professions, Honors

Jade Jung ('11)

Chemistry major, Honors student
(Busan, South Korea)

 

 

Growing up with an autistic sister fostered in Jade Jung (’11) an interest in research. And growing up with a father and grandfather who are both physicians created in her a desire to enter the medical field.

Jade, a senior chemistry major, hopes to focus on both as she enters medical school in the fall to become a medical researcher.

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Laura Acuff (’11) | Journalism, History, National Merit Finalist

by   |  05.20.11  |  Education, English, History, Honors, Journalism & Mass Communication, Political Science

Laura AcuffB.S. in Journalism, B.A. in History, Minors in Political Science and Professional Writing
(College Station, Texas)

Traveling to Bulgaria to teach English wasn’t in Laura Acuff’s original plan upon graduating from ACU this month. But a Fulbright Scholarship changed all that.

In Laura’s junior year at ACU, she heard about the prestigious exchange program, which is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.

She researched the program and met with Fulbright representatives on ACU’s campus. Upon their recommendation, she then began working with the ESL (English as a Second Language) program on campus teaching English to international students.

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Abby (Trejo ’09) Rice | Biology, Pre-medical, Honors

by   |  01.20.11  |  Biology, Health Professions, Honors

Abby (Trejo '09) Rice

B.A. in Biology, Honors student
Pursuing Master of Physician Assistant Studies, University of North Texas Health Science Center (Fort Worth, Texas)

Not only are people around the world diverse, so are their diseases.

Senior biology major Abby Trejo made that discovery during summer internships in Ghana and Guatemala, where she worked at an orphanage and helped with mobile medical clinics taking health care to villagers in remote locations.

This pre-med student used these experiences as part of her capstone project for the Honors College, comparing the diseases she encountered in those developing countries with illnesses she sees working at an Abilene hospital.

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Sara Morris (’11) | English, Art, National Merit Finalist

by   |  01.20.11  |  Art & Design, English, Honors

Sara Morris ('11)

English and Art major, National Merit Finalist
(Abilene, Texas)

Sara Morris is a writer. Some people express themselves through art. Some people express themselves through public speaking or sign language or music. Sara uses the written word.

So for a writer, 3-1/2 months spent in Montevideo, Uruguay, was a dream come true. Sara was constantly surrounded by new experiences, continually challenged by a new culture and different lifestyle. She kept a blog to remind herself of what she’d heard and seen and what she hoped to experience in the future.

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David Kempe (’12) | Biochemistry, Pre-medical, Honors

by   |  01.20.11  |  Chemistry, Health Professions, Honors

David Kempe ('12)

Biochemistry major, Pre-medical, Honors student
(Tulsa, Oklahoma)

David Kempe knew he wanted to do something related to biochemistry since he was a kid. He always thought he wanted to be a doctor like his father, a cardiovascular surgeon. As he grew older and began to have more opportunities to explore science, his fascination with chemistry deepened.

“It was something that I always loved,” he said.

In high school, his favorite classes included AP Chemistry, infectious diseases and genetics. David also discovered he was a math person who liked things to be “nice and concrete.” He found that chemistry made him think about science in entirely new ways.

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Kendra Gregory (’10) | Environmental Science, Spanish, Honors

by   |  01.20.11  |  Ag & Environmental Sciences, Foreign Languages, Honors

Kendra Gregory ('10)

B.S. in Environmental Science, B.S. in Spanish, Honors student
Pursuing M.S. in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas)

As a young child, Kendra Gregory loved to play in the dirt.

“The joke when I was two was, ‘you’re going to be a geologist,’ because I would collect all these rocks and I would constantly play in the dirt and soil,” the junior Honors student recalls. She also played a game she called “growing crops. I’m not kidding, I would transplant plants for fun,” she said.

Even so, Kendra was surprised she ended up in the agriculture department at ACU studying environmental science. After all, she was a city girl who grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh with a father who is in computer marketing and a mother who is a registered nurse.

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Morgan Negaard (’11) | Nursing, National Merit Finalist

by   |  01.20.11  |  Health Professions, Honors, Nursing

Morgan Negaard ('11)

Nursing major, National Merit Finalist
(Abilene, Texas)

When Morgan Negaard thinks of what she misses most about living in Montevideo, Uruguay, two things come immediately to mind: friends and a sense of peace.

Morgan and a few of the other ACU students on the trip made friends with the youth group from the church next door to the ACU house. They would go out and drink maté, a traditional Uruguayan hot tea, talk about anything and everything, and practice using conversational Spanish.

“It was really awesome getting to build intercultural relationships,” she said. She also came to appreciate the humility and caring and connections she found in the church next door.

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