Kent’s Siepser honored as top student at WWU | School briefs

For the Reporter

Kent’s Natasha Siepser recently was honored as one of Western Washington University’s Outstanding Graduates for the 2015-16 academic year.

Siepser graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry with a minor in materials science and is the Outstanding Graduate of the chemistry department.

She was recognized at WWU spring commencement in Bellingham on June 11.

At Western, Siepser received the 2015 Analytical Chemistry Student of the Year Award and the 2013 CRC Press Freshman General Chemistry Award. She has also worked closely with Assistant Chemistry Professor David Rider on research that she presented, most notably, at the 2015 Murdock Science Research Conference and at the 2016 American Chemical Society national meeting.

She was proactive in securing funding for her research work and received the Denice (Ambrose) Hougen Chemistry Undergraduate Fellowship, funding a summer research project, and two WWU-sponsored research proposals. She has been active in Western’s Chemistry Club since her freshman year.

Next, Siepser will head to Indiana University to pursue a Ph.D. in analytical and materials chemistry.

A graduate of Kentridge High School, Siepser is the daughter of Randy and Cheryl Siepser.

Elsewhere

Phuoc Le from Kent earned a $1,000 Albertsons Safeway Inc. Scholarship from the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Montana. … Kent’s Katherine Baker, Kendric Bizak, Wyatt Kelly, Kyle Steckler and Tino Wells made the spring semester honor roll at Montana State University. … Emily Sanford, a Kentridge graduate and a junior at Macalester College (St. Paul, Minn.), was named to the school’s dean’s list for spring semester. … Kent’s Emily Opheim (senior, management) and Erin Sullivan (senior, microbiology) made the spring term honor roll at Oregon State University. …

Kent’s Gregory Sever (B.S. in aerospace engineering) recently earned his degree at Wichita State University. … Oleg Dovgalyuk, a senior from Kent, made the spring semester dean’s list at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ College of Science and Engineering. …

Students from Kent were among more than 5,500 students awarded more than $25 million in scholarships from the University of Idaho for the 2016-2017 school year. Local scholarship recipients were: Sol Alvarez Villa: Diversity Out-of-State Tuition Waiver and Diversity Scholarship; Matthew Bosley: Alumni Association Scholarship and Discover Idaho Silver Scholarship; Madeline Brown: Clifford F. & Elsie E. Family and Consumer Sciences Scholarship; Nicole Carter: Honors Scholarship and James & Marsha Seeley College of Science Scholarship; Jonathan Hanson: UI Merit Scholarship Award, National Merit Scholars WFRB, National Merit Scholars – Western Undergraduate Exchange Program and Fred A. & Clare C. Skina Scholarship; Alyssa Perko: Discover Idaho Platinum Scholarship and Discover Idaho Access Tuition Waiver; Jarod Perko: Honors Scholarship and University Honors Program Western Undergraduate Exchange Award; Laura Peterson: Discover Idaho Silver Scholarship; William Reichlinger: Discover Idaho Merit Waiver; David Rutherford: Fred A. & Clare C. Skina Scholarship; and Kendra Wallace: Discover Idaho Gold Scholarship, Discover Idaho Access Tuition Waiver, W.W. Staley Scholarship and Sunshine Mining Women’s Scholarship. …

Kent’s Austin Derheim, Kendall Foster and Katherine Rieger made the spring semester dean’s list at Saint Martin’s University. … The following students from Kent made the spring semester dean’s list at Eastern Washington University: Riley Baker, Nazar Baydyuk, Steven Farwell, Stephanie Guray, Mohammed Hadi, Stephen Halfhill, M’Kenna Hayes, Ryan Hersey, Laura Holman, Brittany Ingo, Lucas Kemper, Hillary Kinsman, Alexandra Klinkenberg, Sonja Kriewald, Justin Martin, Erin Ryan, Isir Saireh, Mackinnon Simpson, Samuel Wani, Karl Whitlock, Kathleen Witkowski and Ariel Wolfe. …

Melanie Dillon, of Kent, was named to the president’s list for spring semester at Cottey College (Nevada, Mo.). Students must earn a GPA of 3.75 or better and carry 12 or more credits to earn the honor. … Kevin Wolfrom, of Kent, was awarded $500 from the Charles W. Harrison engineering scholarship fund at the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture at Washington State University.