Last Thursday, the top students in the fall 2022 graduating class were recognized for their hard work at the biannual Westfall Scholars luncheon. In their speeches, Westfall Scholars thanked their family, friends, and faculty mentors, as well as the founding dean of the College of Science, David Westfall.
Students with the highest GPAs in their respective programs are designated as Westfall Scholars. The award, formerly called the Dean’s Senior Scholars, was renamed when Westfall retired. David, his wife Shirley and their daughter Alison all attended the luncheon. Each of the Westfall Scholars outlined their future plans, advice for incoming freshmen and their life goals.
Tina Fung, Biology
What are your plans after graduating?
I plan to put my major in biology and minor in Chinese to good use if I am lucky enough to attend medical school following graduation. I hope to become a Chinese-speaking physician who can lower language barriers between patient and physician with an overarching goal to provide quality care to the underserved communities of Nevada.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
Join clubs, talk to your professors, explore! You’ll be amazed at the amount of wonderful people that you’re surrounded with throughout your undergraduate career. I know it may sound cheesy, but being in college is such a privilege for many people and as a first generation student, I especially resonate with this, so appreciate every moment, take risks and take yourself out of your comfort zone– even if it’s just for a little while!
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
I hope at that time, I will have finished my four years of medical school education, have matched into a residency program that aligns with my values, and am doing what I love– medicine, science, music and service.
Katelyn Welsh, Biology
What are your plans after graduating?
I will be traveling in South America with my best friend in January for about a month. I plan on job searching during my travels and hope to come home to one of my dream jobs. Since I will be graduating with dual majors in biology and journalism, my dream job would be doing something that combines the two and brings awareness to a much needed area.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
It's important to know that it is okay to be unconventional and to do things differently. I am thirty and graduating with two extremely different degrees. I spent a lot of time not going to school to learn about myself and my passions. Sometimes I hear that voice that pressures me to conform or think less of myself for being older than a typical college graduate, but in the end, I took the steps I needed to get to a destination that is fulfilling and I wouldn't trade being true to myself for a conventional path.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
In fifteen years I see myself in a career where I am making an impact by telling important stories at the corridor of science and humanity. When I am not doing that, I hope to be having experiences by traveling and participating in my numerous outdoor hobbies.
Lauren Kono, Chemistry
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school with hopes of getting in to UNR’s program!
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
To any incoming freshman I would say to keep your long term goals in mind; difficult achievements take time. Get out of your comfort zone and live every day with the mindset of wanting to be the very best version of yourself and apply these skills to your study habits! Mindset is indeed, everything!
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
In fifteen years, I hope to see myself as a licensed oncologist or an emergency pediatric doctor!
Alexia Hunter, Geography
What are your plans after graduating?
After I graduate I will be working as a temp for the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources at UNR while I work on getting a park ranger position with Washoe County.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
One of the best things that I did in college was to choose classes that I not only had to take for my degree but I chose classes that interested me and I chose some that had nothing to do with my major but instead would help me with a life skill. I noticed that I struggled when homework involved Excel, so I took a class on it. I have never liked public speaking and was never confident giving presentations, so I took a communications class. It is important to like the classes that you take because it helps you want to go to class but it is equally important to take classes that will help you in future classes and with whatever career you choose.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
In fifteen years so many things can happen that are not planned for, we all know this from what Covid-19 did to all of us back in 2020. But if we lived in a perfect world where I got to choose where I will be in fifteen years I would be working as an interpretive park ranger at a National Park. Preferably it would be a park somewhere with mountains. I would live either in the park at a ranger house or a small town just outside of it with easy access to different hikes and a river or a lake. That is the dream goal but I think I would be just as happy working at a small park where I get to be outside every day.
Andrew Mayse, Geological Engineering
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduation, I plan to continue working at Nortech Geotechnical, a local civil and engineering consulting firm, as an engineer full time and gain experience to pursue my Professional Engineering License. I hope to continue to learn about engineering outside of academia and narrow my interests for pursuing graduate school.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
For an incoming freshman, the most important advice I have is to lead a balanced life. It is very easy to get sucked into the stress of college and life in general. Spending time doing things that make you happy are important! Find something that you are passionate about and grow as a person. With college being a transition to the real world, it is important to find yourself and discover what makes you happy!
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
In fifteen years, I hope to have a family and lead a happy, balanced life. I hope to be a Professional Engineer and work on projects that I am passionate about. I hope to be positively impacting the world. I could see myself starting my own geotechnical engineering consulting firm. Ultimately, I see myself being happy and enjoying life.
Andrew Chavez, Mathematics
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduating, I plan to continue attending University of Nevada, Reno while getting my master's in statistics and data science. I've always been interested in statistics and I want to continue pursuing my education before applying myself in a workplace setting. My precise working goal has yet to be determined but I know I want a relaxed and quiet position.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
Keep organized! Go crazy with the calendars and to-do lists. While you're at the University, learning is practically your job so make sure you do it well. The more you can get on paper or on a computer, the more you can get out of your head. It really helps you to enjoy your free time more as well as work harder during your working time.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
There is no way I could know where I will be in 15 years. More than anything I want to live a life full of meaning and enjoyment so I constantly push myself towards this goal. I hope I continue making decisions about my life that push me towards maximizing happiness. If this means living frugally for an early retirement or changing fields altogether, then I guess it doesn't really matter where I go.
Carlo Zamboni, Microbiology and Immunology
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduating, I plan on applying to Ph.D. programs in immunology to pursue a career in scientific research. My goal is to meaningfully contribute to the existing body of scientific knowledge.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
Remain open-minded and try to foster meaningful connections with other students, professors, and mentors. Relationships built over the course of your undergraduate career will help you to develop personally and professionally. Never give up on yourself, embrace the difficulties of University studies, and always remember that you are capable of achieving great things.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
I hope to be working alongside scientists in the field of immunology to improve others’ quality of life and to answer basic scientific questions.
Juan Cervantes, Metallurgical Engineering
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduation I plan on taking some time off to travel and spend time with family. Once I get back I will consider my options to where I would like to start my career as a metallurgical engineer.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
My advice to incoming freshman would be get out of your comfort zone and try new things, make good connections, go to class and do your homework, learn how to have a balanced life, and lastly have fun and soak it all in.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
I don’t know where I see myself in fifteen years, but I hope whatever I’m doing I am happy, healthy, and living life to the fullest.
Megan Perry, Neuroscience
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduation, I will be taking the MCAT and working on my medical school applications. In the meantime, I will be gaining more experience working in the medical field. I also plan to continue my passions for teaching, volunteering and traveling in the next year!
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
Don't just check the boxes! Many of us plan to apply to professional schools after we complete our undergraduate education. This can make it really easy to think there are things we should all be doing that will make us look better on applications. Of course there are requirements we all need to fulfill for these applications. However, I think it is so important to become involved in things that are actually exciting to you and to keep time for things that you are passionate about. This is how you will truly enjoy your college experience and build relationships with similar-minded people interested in the same things! You shouldn't spend your limited time doing things you don't actually enjoy because you think you are supposed to.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
In fifteen years I hope to be a practicing physician working to serve others and continuing my passion for learning about medicine and science. I want to continue close friendships with the wonderful people that I care about and to eventually have a family. I also hope to have seen new parts of the world and gained many new experiences!
Tiana Doan, Psychology
What are your plans after graduating?
After I graduate, I plan to obtain a master's degree in marriage and family counseling. Once I am licensed, I hope to work with all kinds of clientele, especially Asian Americans. I am passionate about advocating for mental health resources in my community, as I realize our culture does not acknowledge mental health as much as we should. I am looking forward to being someone who can provide the resources that my community and other communities are so desperately in need of.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
The most important piece of advice I would give to an incoming college freshman is to pave your own path! Find out what makes you excited, makes you want to come to campus daily and ignites your passion. Surround yourself with people who will walk with you on that path. In addition, make sure to actively seek out opportunities that will get you closer to your end goal.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
In 15 years I see myself growing into a seasoned counselor and taking on more supervisory roles. I would not be opposed to coming back to the University and teaching courses to do with counseling. I hope to start a family and be settled in a nice house with two cats and a dog. Maybe I will even take up gardening!
Blake Phillips, Psychology
What are your plans after graduating?
After graduating in December, I intend to get a taste of the post-undergraduate degree air and just enjoy it for a while. I intend to work for a year or two and recalibrate after pouring myself into my undergraduate studies, it was a lot of work! After working for a little, I may decide to come back and further my education in a graduate program. I may find a job in the field by then as well. There is some uncertainty for my future, but I am excited for what is to come regardless.
What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to an incoming college freshman?
My advice for incoming freshman to college is to fully involve yourself in the experience. A lot of things are likely to change during this period of life, you are bound to learn new things and inevitably leave college a slightly different person. The more you involve yourself in what you do, the more you will gain from the experience. This can be in any aspect of life: academics, clubs, friend groups, jobs, or sports. Life always contains stuff we can learn and gain insight from, it’s just a matter of whether we are willing to see it or not. Take every experience as an opportunity to gain an understanding of something new, this applies to any aspect of life for me.
Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?
Occupation wise it would be a wild guess say where I will be in 15 years. I hope that I am doing something that I am passionate about and am really diving into it. With life overall, I hope that I am content with my life and have a family of my own.
