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Four Fort Lewis College graduates rise above

Achievements set them on course for success

Proud family and friends filled the Whalen Gym with deafening noise Saturday as hundreds of students received their degrees from Fort Lewis College.

These are the stories of a few outstanding students whose achievements range from research in cellular and molecular biology to aspirations to combat social problems on the Navajo Nation.

These students were recommended to The Durango Herald by FLC because of their accomplishments:

Michael Glade: Discovering the arts while studying science

If Michael Glade had decided against a liberal arts school, he wouldn’t have been able to major in Spanish and likely would not have discovered Spanish literature and the Spanish Civil War novel, Soldados de Salamina.

“I’ve been pre-med for the last four years, but this book has opened my eyes to the beauty of the arts, and it’s enabled me to see there’s so much more to the world than the sciences,” he said.

Instead of pursuing medicine right away, he plans to move back to his home in Denver to work as a medical Spanish interpreter, spend time exploring Spanish literature, dance and piano. He may still apply to medical school, but he is undecided.

Glade worked as an interpreter at La Plata Integrated Healthcare for two years and coordinated his patients’ referrals.

“It really gave me a chance to learn about the health care system as a whole,” he said.

While he loved his Spanish studies, he also took his cellular and molecular biology major seriously, and was chosen from his peers to present his research findings about how the Human Cytomegalovirus, part of the herpes family, effects human lung cells and how an antiviral medication reverses those effects.

He worked with a partner on the research project over two semesters before presenting at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. He also presented on the historical veracity of Soldados de Salamina, a project he wants to continue working on in Spain. He recently started raising money for that trip online.

Kimmy Laumann: Preparing for a faith-based career

Although Kimberly “Kimmy” Laumann received her call to ministry in high school, she chose to attend a liberal arts school.

“I am actually really glad I didn’t go to a faith-based college because I have gotten more opportunities to talk to people who aren’t Christian,” she said.

At Fort Lewis, her faith was challenged and she got the chance to discuss her beliefs with people from different backgrounds, something she believes prepared her to work with a congregation that may not agree with each other in their theology.

Laumann, a music major who focused on vocal and tuba studies, plans to take a year off to visit 11 countries in 11 months through Adventures in Missions before pursuing her master’s degree in divinity.

During her last semester, she raised $17,000 for her trip to Africa, Asia and Central America and the Caribbean.

She eventually would like to become the senior pastor of a Methodist church.

Laumann comes from a family with roots at FLC. Her grandparents are retired FLC professors and her parents are graduates. But it was the friendliness of the professors that convinced her to attend.

“I really just wanted to come and study something I really loved,” she said.

Skylyn Webb: Left business for psychology

Skylyn Webb said the lure of psychology overtook her initial pursuit of a business degree.

After changing her major, she earned her bachelor’s degree in three years and achieved the highest overall GPA in her major. After spending a year at home in Delta, she plans to return to school and eventually earn her doctorate in social psychology and become a professor.

“You can pretty much think about it all the time and apply it to any situation,” she said of her love for psychology.

She would like to attend a larger school, such as the University of California, Los Angeles.

But she did appreciate Fort Lewis’ small size because she was able to get to know her professors.

“I have really great relationships with a lot of professors, and I know that I can continue to contact them,” she said.

She also worked as a research assistant on a social psychology experiment examining whether commitment affects forgiveness in romantic relationships.

The work was an attempt to replicate previous research showing a connection. But the research failed to show that commitment is a factor in forgiveness, she said.

Webb also played varsity basketball and later switched to track.

ShaQuilla Yazzie: Navajo student plans to combat historical trauma

Drug abuse, domestic violence and suicide are some issues first-generation college graduate ShaQuilla Yazzie plans to combat when she returns home to the Navajo Nation.

As a psychology major, she wants to apply the concepts she learned to design and improve community-based programming that will encourage healthy lifestyles and conversation around taboo topics.

For example, Native Americans face a higher risk of death by suicide, and it is not culturally acceptable to talk about it. But events can allow for that conversation to happen, Yazzie said.

Yazzie wants to work with youths especially because there is a need to influence Native youths to make healthier choices, she said.

“I think there are new ways we can get connected and interact with our youth,” she said.

At Fort Lewis, she learned about art therapy, which she thinks could be used in place of talk therapy.

Last summer, she started helping to vet a program aimed at teaching Navajo youth about their culture and language.

She sees cultural studies as a way to overcome historical trauma created by colonization. “We can bring our culture back and be resilient within our culture,” she said.

She worked for the Office of Diné Youth as a youth employment coordinator last summer, helping them learn basic jobs skills and find jobs.

She is in the running for an internship with federal agency Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and she is being considered for a counseling position at an elementary school on the Navajo Nation.

Apr 30, 2016
More than 500 graduate from Fort Lewis College on Saturday


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