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Senior Scholars Class of 2008: An accomplished group
By John Trent
They run the gamut, from a non-traditional student who will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his graduation from high school with his graduation from the University of Nevada, Reno on Saturday, to a young woman who was home schooled to a champion intercollegiate athlete.
They are the Senior Scholars of 2008, and they represent, in all forms, what the University is all about.
“Eighteen years,” says Chase Carpenter, the Reynolds School of Journalism’s Senior Scholar. “I refuse to believe it, but that’s the number I get when I count the years I’ve been a student. Eighteen years of reading assigned books. Eighteen years of putting my words in 12-point Times New Roman. … This phase of my life is finally ending, and I doubt I can fit this revolution into words.”
The University’s Senior Scholars, representing the top student from each school or college, will be honored along with their faculty mentors at an awards reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 15 in the Joe Crowley Student Union Ballroom. The award, considered one of the most prestigious on campus, is sponsored by the Nevada Alumni Association.
Here are brief sketches of each Senior Scholar:
College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources
Michael Tanoue
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
Mentor:Claus Tittiger
It was not that long ago, Michael Tanoue reflects, when “I was waving goodbye to my parents in the Honolulu International Airport feeling a bit nervous about what lay ahead. Looking back on that moment, I must say that there was really no reason for worry.”
In short order, Tanoue says he quickly adjusted to college life: “It wasn’t long before I met a great coach (as a member of the nationally ranked Nevada rifle team), excellent professors and true friends that helped me through the ordeal. Most importantly, these individuals helped me to realize that fruits on the vine of success are the product of one’s hard work, desire to compete and the ability to adjust when life doesn’t go as planned.”
Tanoue says Tittiger, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, “continually supported my academic success, taught me to understand instead of memorize and think analytically in the laboratory. It truly has been a great privilege to study under such an outstanding professor.”
College of Business
Tiana Bowlen
Hometown: Fallon, Nev.
Mentor: Thomas F. Cargill
For Tiana Bowlen, the road she decided not to travel made all the difference.
“Three years in (to her college education), I decided that working full time and studying to be an engineer did not allow me to do either well,” she says. “I had always loved math and science and felt that engineering was the only major that would allow me to do both. I was happily proven wrong by the College of Business and its finance degree.”
As she transitioned from engineering to business, Bowlen says that Cargill, a professor of economics, played a pivotal role.
“Dr. Cargill presented literature on both sides of any issue we were discussing in class and would make us read both sides before we were permitted to form our opinion,” she says. “This was so important for me because I had a tendency to think one-dimensionally and would form my opinion after listening to one news story or reading one short article without researching the opposite side. His method of teaching greatly improved the success of my remaining college years and will no doubt stay with me for the rest of my life in whatever I pursue.”
College of Education
Kaitlin Murphy
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Mentor:Regina Smith
As her time at Nevada comes to an end, Kaitlin Murphy says that it is time to celebrate.
“College has been a struggle at times, but has also been a very positive and memorable experience,” she says. “Although I will continue to further my education, it is a relief to know that I have succeeded thus far. I have reached a major milestone in my life, in what seems such a short time, but I am excited to move on to the next stage and see what awaits my future.”
Murphy says Smith, a graduate research assistant in educational specialties, helped her to fully reach her potential as a student: “In her education courses, I have had the opportunity to really get to know and understand myself, and explore what I am capable of.”
College of Engineering
John Bernardy
Hometown: Libby, Mont.
Mentor:Charles Coronella
John Bernardy admits that his road to graduation has been circuitous.
“I guess I like to do things a little backwards,” he says. “I graduated high school in 1988, which means that I’ll be graduating from college just in time for my 20-year reunion. To say that I’m a non-traditional student doesn’t begin to explain me. I enlisted in the U.S. Navy after high school where I was assigned to the submarine, USS Los Angeles, where I served for over four years. After the Navy, I went home to Montana where I met my beautiful wife, Angie, and then we moved to Nevada where I started a 10-year career in the mining industry.”
Since moving to Nevada, Bernardy, with the support of his wife and twin brother, Joe, has devoted himself to full-time study at Nevada in pursuit of a chemical engineering degree.
A seemingly small gesture by Coronella, an associate professor of chemical and metallurgical engineering, made all the difference for Bernardy.
“The summer before I began full-time study at UNR, Dr. Coronella opened up the Introductory Chemical Engineering courses for me,” Bernardy says. “Without that opportunity, it would have taken me an extra year to graduate. For that and many pieces of advice, talks about life, family, and sometimes homework, I am greatly appreciative to Dr. Coronella.”
College of Health and Human Sciences
Jennifer Miceli
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Mentor:Federico Guerrero
“After being homeschooled since the second grade, many people associated with public education nervously doubted my ability to thrive in a social academic environment,” Jennifer Miceli says. “My family and I were confident in my ability to transition smoothly and maintain a desirable scholastic performance. It was amusing to hear people suggest that I visit with a guidance counselor or join groups and sororities to become acclimated to a social environment. I think some individuals missed the point that being homeschooled did not mean I was locked in a basement for the first eighteen years of my life.”
Miceli credited Guerrero, along with many others, for their invaluable contributions to her time at Nevada.
“I have learned many facts, skills and life lessons during my time in college,” she says. “It has been an invaluable experience and time of growth, maturation and self-discovery. I look forward to retaining old lessons and expanding on new skills as I leave behind the academic world and enter into a professional career.”
Reynolds School of Journalism
Chase Carpenter
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Mentor: Paul Mitchell
Chase Carpenter, who plans on either entering the field of journalism or teaching, says that he will miss one thing more than anything else about the University.
“Sure, it’s easy to complain about the student lifestyle -- but I have to admit that I'll miss it,” he says. “For eighteen years, it has been my ‘job’ to piece together my understanding and appreciation of this amazing world. I will no longer be a student, but I’m taking into my future a zeal for learning.”
Carpenter credited Mitchell, the school’s coordinator for recruitment and retention, for his “innovative and challenging class activities (which) showed me what it takes to be a great student and journalist. Just as important were his friendly words on campus and his belief that people succeed most when they value their roles outside the workplace.”
College of Liberal Arts
Nicole Lynn Martin
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Mentor: Monica Grecu
Nicole Lynn Martin is quick to credit a combination of hard work and luck for her successes at Nevada.
“I graduated from high school a year early with a 4.0 GPA and fell in love with college life and all the opportunities it provides,” she says. “Alongside me throughout my adventure in learning has been professors such as Dr. Grecu (a lecturer in the Department of English), and I want to recognize her for instructing me both inside and outside the classroom.”
Martin, a firm believer in the Mark Twain line that one should “sail away from the safe harbor. Explore. Dream. Discover,” is proud of the fact that at 21 years old, she has visited 21 countries, including funding her own trip to Japan and living abroad in Costa Rica and Argentina with her best friend.
“With solid foundations established by my schooling, I can now build my ‘castle in the air’ as Thoreau suggested,” she says. “I am ready to begin a new adventure and start a fresh chapter. As I turn the page, I am figuratively stretching my wings and flying.”
School of Medicine
Laura Makoba
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
entor: Shelley Von Berg
Laura Makoba still remembers her first days at Nevada.
“I remember my first year at the University of Nevada, Reno as a time of great anxiety but also of great excitement,” she says. “I felt as if my adult life was finally beginning and that I could now take the reins and steer my life towards a bright and successful future. My challenge was to determine the best way to combine my long-held interest in science and medicine with my desire to work as a counselor or therapist. All of my interests converged ideally in the area of speech-language pathology and I decided to pursue a degree in that field.”
Makoba, who during her coursework developed a specific interest in the rehabilitation of adults with acquired communication disorders, gravitated toward Von Berg, an assistant professor of speech pathology and audiology, who has specific expertise and experience in this area.
“Not only did she support my academic endeavors, but she also encouraged me to gain real-world experience through volunteer work,” Makoba says. “My experience as a volunteer was invaluable and helped to remind me that the ability to communicate effectively is a quality of life issue.”
College of Science
William Taylor
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Mentor: Thomas Quint
William Taylor started his Nevada career as a business student, but shifted to mathematics. He says the decision was perfect for his temperament and his goals in life: “My experience in the College of Science has lived up to my every expectation. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has a great collection of people in their staff and faculty.”
He says that of many positive influences he has had, Quint, a professor of mathematics and statistics, has had the most profound influence.
“Dr. Quint has been my academic advisor since I declared mathematics as my major and entered the College of Science,” he says. “I decided to take the Discrete Mathematics option for my B.A., and so I have worked with Dr. Quint closely through the three classes that make up the core of this option. Dr. Quint has been a valuable source of information and guidance throughout my college career, and I look forward to working with him in the future.”
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