Will Matsuda will join National Geographic.

When students in the Class of 2015 arrived four years ago, some were already firmly committed to an educational goal. Others arrived wide open to the possibilities of a discipline they had never even considered.

Now all have found a passion and an intellectual home, and they’ve developed the skills and the commitment they need to take them where they want to go.

They studied abroad from the Himalayas to French Polynesia. They interned at sites from the Arctic Circle to local theaters. They studied Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.

Six have been awarded Fulbrights: Anne Gavin won a Schuman European Union research grant to study boat migration and asylum seekers; Irene Gibson will research how the views of students in Kuwait are affected by upheaval in the Middle East; Eura Chang, Margaret Joyce, Cameron Kesinger and Jordan Lim will teach English in Senegal, Germany, Brazil and Malaysia respectively.

Three received Global Citizenship Student Awards: Gabrielle Queenan, Christine Ohenewah, and Anne Gavin. Two are recipients of Humanity in Action Fellowships: Emily Lawson and Sarah Dillard.

They conducted influential scientific research, competed in varsity and club sports, and gave their expertise and energy to organizations from the American Red Cross to the American Refugee Committee, as well as organizations battling domestic violence in India and the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

In short, students in the Class of 2015 have accomplished more than they may ever have imagined. Now they go out to make their mark in the broader world. 

Below is a sampling of where students are headed after graduation. 

American Studies

  • Christine Ohenewah, University of Chicago
  • Alice Rockswold, Teach for America
  • Sara Saltman, Teach for America, Chicago
  • Lucy Short, Brown University
  • Erin Slater, master’s in student affairs, Miami University of Ohio

 Anthropology

  • Anne Gavin, Fulbright Schuman European Union grant
  • Emily Lawson, Humanity in Action Fellowship
  • Sara Saltman, Teach for America, Chicago
  • Rachel Swanson, East Bay Law Center, Lutheran Volunteer Corps; Berkeley

Asian Studies

So Nakayama, Bank of Japan, Tokyo

Biology

  • Jyothi Dhanwada, OptumInsight
  • Anne Drabot, medical scribe, a Twin Cities orthopedics practice
  • Modestas Filipavičius, PhD in medicinal chemistry, University of Washington–Seattle
  • Madalyn Jasper, doctor of physical therapy, Western University of Health Services, Pomona, Calif.
  • Zoe Leanza, Peace Corps, Ethiopia
  • Ben Tittle, medical scribe, Children’s Hospital, Twin Cities
  • Tiffani Turinski, veterinary school, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Yang Zhang, master of public health, Yale University

Chemistry

  • Brian Carr, dental school, University of Pennsylvania
  • Kaarin Evens, PhD chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Francis Gwandu, 3M Display Materials & Systems Division
  • Lorela Paco, PhD in medicinal chemistry, University of Washington–Seattle
  • Alex Weberg, PhD in chemistry, University of Pennsylvania

Chinese

Samson Bialostok, Tampere Saints football, Finland

Classics

Irene Gibson, Fulbright research grant, Kuwait

Economics

  • Samson Bialostok, Tampere Saints football, Finland
  • Kunal Chauhan, Lazard, New York City
  • Cole Erickson, Target
  • Cuong Le, Susquehanna International Group in Philadelphia, PA
  • Yangming Li, Towers Watson, Seattle
  • Bryan Martin, PhD, statistics, University of Washington–Seattle
  • Marko Martinovic, One Beacon
  • So Nakayama, Bank of Japan, Tokyo
  • Ha Song Pham, The Brattle Group, Washington, D.C.
  • Clemens Pilgram, Analysis Group, San Francisco
  • Damion Prendergast, Ernst and Young
  • Diana Rosenzweig, research associate at Harvard Business School
  • Charmaine Runes, Urban Institute–Labor, Human Services & Population

Educational Studies

  • Eura Chang, Fulbright, English Teaching Assistant, Senegal
  • Will Matsuda, National Geographic
  • Christian Smith, University of Wisconsin–Madison, educational policy

English

Katherine Rank, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London

Environmental Studies

Andrew Gage, Impact, Seattle, Washington

Geography

  • Aileen Clarke, Metropolitan Council in the Twin Cities, Transit Oriented Development Technician
  • Sarah Dillard, Humanity in Action Fellowship
  • Annie Gurvis, Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center
  • Jordan Lim, Fulbright, English Teaching Assistant, Malaysia
  • Will Matsuda, National Geographic
  • Clemens Pilgram, Analysis Group, San Francisco
  • Charles Stanton, Teach for America, Chicago

Geology

  • Hali Englert, master’s in earth science education, American Museum of Natural History
  • Eric Stephens, education development research with economics professor Amy Damon

German Studies

Margaret Joyce, Fulbright, English Teaching Assistant, Germany

Hispanic Studies

Ellen Brady, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Berkeley

Rachel Swanson, East Bay Law Center, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Berkeley

History

  • Angela Clem, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Miranda Stokes, Disney College Program, Walt Disney World
  • Emma Stout, First Universalist Church, Minneapolis

International Studies

Sarah Dillard, Humanity in Action Fellowship

  • Charnelle Etti, Princeton in Africa Fellowship
  • Jonah Freed, Peace Corps, Peru
  • Irene Gibson, Fulbright research grant, Kuwait
  • Margaret Joyce, Fulbright, English Teaching Assistant, Germany
  • Cameron Kesinger, Fulbright, English Teaching Assistant, Brazil
  • So Nakayama, Bank of Japan, Tokyo
  • Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science
  • Suzanne Dufault, graduate school
  • Brittany Ehmann, master’s electrical engineering, University of Minnesota or Michigan Tech
  • Margaret Giesel, Dow, Midland, Michigan
  • Cuong Le, PhD, University of Minnesota
  • Yangming Li, Towers Watson, Seattle
  • Bryan Martin, PhD, statistics, University of Washington–Seattle
  • Marko Martinovic, One Beacon
  • Samuel Naden, Thomson Reuters
  • Ha Song Pham, The Brattle Group, Washington, D.C.
  • Damion Prendergast, Ernst and Young
  • Dan Shi, Procter and Gamble
  • Christian Smith, University of Wisconsin–Madison, educational policy

Philosophy

Jonah Freed, Peace Corps, Peru

Physics

  • Brittany Ehmann, master’s in electrical engineering, University of Minnesota or Michigan Tech
  • Dan Shi, Procter and Gamble

Political Science

  • Eura Chang, Fulbright, English Teaching Assistant, Senegal
  • Jyothi Dhanwada, OptumInsight
  • Charnelle Etti, Princeton in Africa Fellowship
  • Irene Gibson, Fulbright research grant, Kuwait
  • Annie Gurvis, Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center
  • Christine Ohenewah, University of Chicago
  • Alice Rockswold, Teach for America
  • Erin Slater, master’s in student affairs, Miami University of Ohio

Psychology

  • Anna Munson, master’s in nursing, University of Minnesota
  • Sasa Wilson, master’s in human development counseling, Vanderbilt University

Sociology

  • Ellen Brady, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Berkeley

April 27 2015

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