Outstanding Graduates--Spring 1997 Colorado State University
Friday, May 2, 1997
Below are outstanding students who will graduate from Colorado
State University during commencement ceremonies May 17. All
students are available for media interviews.
BIOLOGY STUDENT TO RECEIVE HIGHEST HONOR GIVEN TO CITIZENS BY
U.S. CONGRESS
Graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology from the
College of Natural Sciences is just one of this year's highlights
for Kirsten Nickisch. The 22-year-old native of Pocatello, Idaho,
will head to the nation's capital in June to receive the
Congressional Gold Award--one of the highest honors given by
Congress to U.S. citizens. Nickisch is the second person from the
state of Idaho to earn the award, which recognizes excellence in
initiative, achievement and young people.
To earn the award, applicants must set and meet goals in
voluntary public service, personal development and physical
fitness. Nickisch estimates she's invested more than 1,000 hours
to reach her goals.
Nickisch speaks fluent Spanish and studied abroad through
the university's student exchange in Monterrey, Mexico. She does
volunteer work at the university's Veterinary Teaching Hospital,
where she has been accepted as a student for the fall semester.
Call Nickisch at (970) 407-9829.
STUDENT OBTAINS PH.D., LANDS JOB AS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT
COLORADO STATE
Orlando Griego, 38, spent many years as a student--and now
he'll be teaching them. After earning a doctorate degree in human
resource development this month, Griego will join the faculty in
the College of Applied Human Sciences as an assistant professor.
Griego, who grew up on welfare and whose own parents never
graduated from high school, credits those people in his life who
instilled in him the importance of education. Because of them,
Griego attended a private high school that helped him get into
college. He graduated from college in 1977 with a bachelor's
degree in social work, then joined the U.S. Air Force for several
years. While in the military, Griego returned to college for a
master's degree in human resource management.
Thanks to a program launched by Colorado State President
Albert Yates known as "Grow Your Own," which moves qualified
minority doctoral candidates into faculty positions, Griego was
offered a teaching position at Colorado State. "No doubt my
present situation is a long distance from where I started,"
Griego says. "It truly has been a challenging journey." Call
Griego at (970) 491-6906.
ZOOLOGY GRADUATE TO STUDY IN GERMANY ON FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP
Nicole Rempel earned numerous accolades while at Colorado
State, but recently was selected to receive one of the most
prestigious award of all--the Graduate Fulbright Scholarship.
Rempel, who graduates in May with a zoology degree from the
College of Natural Sciences, will attend the Friedrich Wilhelms
University in Bonn, Germany. Rempel, who speaks German, also will
work in a laboratory studying human genetics and inheritable
diseases.
While at Colorado State, Rempel earned the Achievement
Rewards for College Scientists scholarship, University of
Colorado Health and Sciences Center's Summer Student Cancer
Fellowship, the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Biomedical Research
Grant, and the Creative and Performance Arts Scholarship for
clarinet performance. In her spare time, Rempel plays intramural
soccer and softball.
Rempel, a native of Greeley, plans to attend graduate school
when she returns to the United States. Call (970) 667-7614.
ROTC CADET TO DESIGN PLANES AT PRESTIGIOUS AIR FORCE INSTITUTE
Andrew "Rusty" Powell, 28, was surrounded by airplanes while
he was in the U.S. Air Force--and now he plans to use a degree in
mechanical engineering to build them.
Powell, a Colorado Springs native, is among 17 ROTC cadets
nationwide selected to attend graduate school at the Air Force
Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio, where he will pursue an
advanced degree in aeronautical engineering. He spent five years
as an Air Force officer prior to entering college.
Powell, who will graduate summa cum laude from the College
of Engineering, was recently awarded the Society of American
Military Engineers Award by the Air Force, an honor given to only
20 cadets nationwide. Powell is the only member of Colorado
State's ROTC detachment ever to receive the honor. Call Powell at
(970) 491-8731.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION STUDENT TO COMPETE FOR MISS COLORADO CROWN
Graduating with a bachelor's degree in agricultural
education from the College of Agricultural Sciences is just half
the battle for Sethe Tucker, 23. She also is set to compete in
the Miss Colorado pageant in June.
Tucker, a native of Hattisburg, Miss., captured the title of
Miss Colorado State University March 29, which made her eligible
for the statewide beauty pageant. Even if she doesn't win,
Tucker--the first African-American woman to capture the Miss CSU
crown--enjoys talking about the importance of multicultural
education as part of her platform.
"I wanted to do this to set an example as a woman of color
and as someone who cares about providing an education for
students of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds," Tucker said.
Tucker plans to work this summer for Colorado State's
Cooperative Extension as a teacher of multicultural education and
as a leader for children involved in 4-H. Call Tucker at (970)
495-5116.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDENT TAKES 21 YEARS TO EARN ACCOUNTING
DEGREE
Sally Kisselbach enrolled in a few accounting classes at
Colorado State in the fall of 1976, and managed to squeeze one or
two classes into her busy schedule as a mother of three and a
full-time employee.
But after all these years, Kisselbach, 45, graduates this
month with honors and a bachelor's degree in accounting. She will
immediately apply her skills in the family's plumbing business,
based in Loveland.
"I will now officially be the accountant," said Kisselbach.
"My husband jokes that with my business degree, I might get ideas
about planning a hostile takeover."
Although attending college one or two classes at a time
seemed daunting at times, Kisselbach said she never lost sight of
her goal. "It was important to me to finish. I had worked so hard
to stay on track because I knew my reward would come." Contact
Kisselbach at (970) 663-3228.
POLITICAL SCIENCE GRADUATE TAKES GETTING INVOLVED TO HEART
Amy Downey knows that service is an important part of a
career in public administration. The 23-year-old native of
Stratton, Colo., applied the same criteria toward earning a
bachelor's degree in political science in the College of Liberal
Arts.
Downey, who is a candidate for magna cum laude, dived into
service activities as a student. She singlehandedly helped
resurrect Liberal Arts Day, a daylong event that celebrates the
diversity of liberal arts degrees and helps students find their
own career direction. She served as president of the university
chapter of the Golden Key National Honor Society and is president
of the college council, which serves as a liaison between student
government and the colleges. In an attempt to get her feet wet in
politics, Downey also spent two summers working for Gov. Roy
Romer's Department of Local Affairs.
Next fall, Downey will pursue a graduate degree at George
Washington University, one of the nation's top public
administration graduate schools located three blocks from the
White House. Call (970) 221-2930.
COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES STUDENT APPLIES LOVE OF LAND TO
DEGREE
Merrita Fraker's ancestors homesteaded in Wyoming nearly 200
years ago, and the love of the range has trickled down to each
generation since. So it's no surprise that Fraker, 22, a native
of Buffalo, Wyo., will graduate magna cum laude with a degree in
range ecology.
"I came from a ranching background and I like the
community," she said. "I want to help bridge the gap between the
environmentalists and the ranchers."
Fraker's college career is studded with academic and
research achievements. She paid for more than half of her college
education with academic scholarships, belongs to the Golden Key
National Honor Society and recently was selected Outstanding
Senior in the department of rangeland ecosystem science. For the
past five summers, Fraker worked with the U.S. Forest Service and
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Fraker plans to attend graduate school and obtain an
advanced degree focusing on foraging behavior of animals that
live on rangeland. Call Fraker at (970) 493-6823.
SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE CAPS SENIOR YEAR WITH VISIT TO WHITE HOUSE
All her life, Valerie Estrada was told she wouldn't succeed.
When Estrada, 38, receives her degree from the College of Applied
Human Sciences this month, she will prove the naysayers wrong.
Estrada grew up in a poor family in Denver, became pregnant
at age 16, dropped out of high school and got married. She raised
three daughters. In 1991, Estrada separated from her husband and
enrolled at Colorado State, excited to start a new life.
Soon after she began classes, her brother was diagnosed with
AIDS. Estrada's college career was put on hold when her oldest
daughter was involved in a car accident. Two months later, her
brother died. Despite the obstacles, she remained resolute in
obtaining a college degree. She hopes to apply her social work
degree toward helping other minority students go to college.
Estrada shared her inspirational life story with President
Clinton in the Oval Office in January, emphasizing the
importance of financial aid programs for college students.
"Meeting President Clinton was one of the most exciting moments
of my life," Estrada said. "My senior year has been so exciting,
and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead." Call Estrada at
(970) 491-1332.
VET STUDENT APPLIES DEGREE TOWARD HELPING ANIMALS THROUGH
ACUPUNCTURE
Narda Robinson employs rather unusual techniques to treat
sick animals at Colorado State's Veterinary Teaching Hospital--
acupuncture and osteopathic medicine.
Robinson, who has a license to practice osteopathic
medicine and acupuncture on human patients, saw similarities
between some ailments in people and animals. That revelation gave
her the idea to pursue a professional degree in veterinary
medicine, which she will receive at commencement this month.
Robinson plans to keep her private practices in Boulder and Fort
Collins for human patients in addition to building an animal
practice.
"Using acupuncture and osteopathic medicine to treat animals
can be just as effective as it is in treating a variety of
ailments in humans," Robinson said. "Osteopathic medicine as a
way to augment traditional forms of treatment is gaining a great
deal of attention."
Robinson received a bachelor's degree at Harvard University
and earned an osteopathic medicine degree from Texas College of
Osteopathic Medicine. She moved to Colorado in 1989. Call
Robinson at (970) 495-0344.
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