Students of Integrated Scholarship

Irving native Jennifer Zavaleta is fascinated with the natural world. As a master’s student in the Department of Natural Resources Management, Zavaleta says she benefited greatly from enrolling in classes outside her major, incorporating her knowledge from agricultural education, communications, and sociology into her scholarship. Among her research opportunities, Zavaleta received a grant for her paper that highlighted assumptions made by government agents and researchers in regard to land management, as well as created a literature review about lesser prairie chickens, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act—all through a collaboration with wildlife ecology Adjunct Professor David Haukos. Zavaleta’s thesis, which was based on data collected over thirteen years, evaluated the effect of tebuthiuron herbicide and rotational grazing on shinnery oak, a shrub that is native to Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Since graduating last spring, Zavaleta has embarked on a journey taking her to Chile as part of her selection as a Student Fulbright Fellow. The first half of her fellowship consisted of a program evaluation of the country’s Long-Term Ecological Research Network, and the second half has involved assessing the land management plan for a community that lives in a national forest.

Getting to the root of human behavior has been central to Sean Mitchell’s academic journey. After completing his undergraduate education at Texas Tech, Mitchell stayed at the university to matriculate into the clinical psychology doctoral program. Mitchell says involvement in research is essential to undergraduates, no matter their major, because it offers valuable learning experiences. Mitchell himself became involved in research during his sophomore year and has worked with psychology Professors Robert Morgan and Kelly Cukrowicz. Now a doctoral candidate, Mitchell still collaborates with Cukrowicz, who is his faculty mentor, and is leading a research project that allows him to work with psychology professors at two other universities. Outside the academic laboratory-clinic environs, Mitchell has been active in service projects associated with mental health and suicide prevention, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness community walk. Once he completes his Ph.D., Mitchell plans to stay on the path of integrated scholarship as an academician.

Learning about new places and cultures never fails to inspire Juan De Loera. Born in Mexico and raised in California and Texas, he has managed to balance breadth and depth throughout his years as an undergraduate. De Loera is on his way to completing bachelor’s degrees in architecture and French. Still, the education he gained within the bounds of the Texas Tech campus was enhanced by his semester abroad in France. In addition to strengthening his conversational skills through courses with his fellow students and Professor Carole Edwards, De Loera had the opportunity to connect with several people from France and, as a result, he learned firsthand about the country’s society and culture. De Loera also is committed to giving back through the university’s chapter of Global Architecture Brigades, which he began at Texas Tech and now leads. The group designs and builds sustainable facilities in Central America. Beyond graduation, De Loera plans to continue studying architecture and French at the graduate level, ideally in France.

Marta Hoes is a student shaped by her experiences. She knew that medicine was her professional calling from an early age, and the time she has spent traveling has broadened her worldview and enriched her education. As an undergraduate at Texas Tech, Hoes realized her interest in law and decided to remain at her alma mater because of its distinct J.D./M.D. dual-degree program. In fact, Hoes was the first candidate admitted to the program, which spans six years and allows accepted students to pursue both legal and medical educations. The program also engages its students in a number of active learning experiences. Hoes has helped to resolve disputes in the School of Law’s health care mediation clinic, served on the school’s Administrative Law Journal, and interacted with the community through her Early Clinical Experience course as a medical student. As for her career plans, Hoes says she looks forward to exploring the many opportunities available at the intersection of law and medicine.

Helping families to heal from trauma and abuse drives the scholarship of Lindsay Huffhines. The Lubbock native is a student in the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program. Huffhines says she was drawn to the mental health field as an undergraduate, and her volunteer work at a sexual assault resource center provided the impetus for her to follow her research interests. To that end, Huffhines was named a Student Fulbright Fellow and, with support from the fellowship, has been living in Iceland since the fall of 2012 to investigate parental support and how it might be influenced by social support systems. Additionally, she has been volunteering at a women’s shelter in Iceland, providing assistance for additional research projects, and taking a creative writing class. When she returns to Texas Tech in the fall, Huffhines plans to serve as a therapist in the Children’s Advocacy Center, in addition to reviving the yoga program she started at a local women’s shelter. Huffhines aims to attain a doctorate in clinical psychology or a related field so that she may continue researching and teaching at a university.

Food science research has long been part of Graysen Ortega’s life. A Lubbock native, he began working in the lab with Mindy Brashears, a professor of food microbiology and food safety, during high school, and his sustained interest led him to declare food science as his major when he began college. Since coming to Texas Tech, Ortega has stayed active in the laboratory, gaining acceptance into the Texas Tech University/Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Scholar Program. He also has presented his research on foodborne pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and species of Salmonella at the annual conference of the Institute of Food Technologists. Because food science has a global reach, Ortega has had the opportunity to travel to Mexico periodically with Brashears and other researchers. Additionally, Ortega has cultivated interests outside the laboratory. He has served as an intern for the US House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture in Washington, DC, in addition to his role as president of the TTU Food Science Club and involvement with the Research Chef’s Association. Ortega looks to continue his education, and while his plans are not yet final, he is leaning toward law school.

DeMera Ollinger’s creative design capabilities and interest in environmental sustainability drew her to the field of landscape architecture. The curriculum constantly tests her thinking, however, Ollinger says she enjoys challenging both sides of her brain when it comes to the field she loves. Outside the classroom, Ollinger has served as a member of Agri-Techsans, promoting the departments within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at events both on and off campus. She also is the events coordinator for the TTU chapter of the Student American Society of Landscape Architects, which created a residential landscape design for the television program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Though she is active on campus, Ollinger notes that her most rewarding service opportunity arose beyond the environs of Texas Tech. While studying abroad in Brazil, she volunteered to teach English to underprivileged children, some of whom had never attended school, and Ollinger notes that the experience was illuminating. On her way to completing the fourth year of a five-year bachelor’s program, Ollinger says environmental sustainability remains at the core of her outreach efforts and keeps her optimistic about the future. (Learn more about DeMera Ollinger)

Originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, environmental engineering student Andrew Alleman has long been intrigued by science. He has been exploring the interconnections between the environment and engineering—cultivating research experience in the laboratories of Texas Tech civil and environmental engineering Professor Audra Morse, and soil and environmental microbiology Professor Jennifer Moore-Kucera. Yet Alleman began his undergraduate career on a slightly different path at another university. Although his interests lay in the environmental sciences, Alleman says he became fascinated by the positive societal impact accomplished through engineering. To incorporate his flourishing appreciation of engineering, Alleman decided to redirect the course of his education, changing majors and schools. He notes that Texas Tech’s strong environmental engineering program drew him to the university and has kept him here, as well as allowed him to study abroad in Brazil. Whether he will continue on to graduate school or enter the workforce without further ado after completing his bachelor’s degree, Alleman says he would ultimately like to make coastal system restoration the focus of his professional life. Fortunately, he will have a strong start as an intern for the Environmental Protection Agency in Oregon this summer.

Danica King has grown up with a traveler’s spirit. Since she was a girl, King and her family traveled internationally, and she always enjoyed learning about new places and cultures. Now a junior at Texas Tech, King is an international business major and pursuing a minor in French. Over the past summer she was part of a group of students that studied abroad in France with Professor Carole Edwards. She describes the experience as enlightening—not only for the opportunity to strengthen her language skills but to learn about French culture. Back in Lubbock, King has been involved in several service projects with her sorority to promote breast cancer education. Looking ahead, she has her eye on internships in Europe. King says she feels fortunate to have experienced so much in her life, and she hopes to give back through a career that supports humanitarian efforts around the world.

Chinwe Obi is captivated by the power of words and relationship building. As a double major in public relations and technical communication, Obi has been able to apply her knowledge in the classroom, research, internships, work, and service projects. Among her most rewarding experiences was an internship with the nonprofit Lubbock Arts Alliance, during which she raised funds and recruited volunteers for the group’s four-day arts festival. Obi’s interest in media messages led her to work on research projects with public relations Professor Autumn Shafer. Additionally, Obi has been involved in a number of extracurricular activities, some of her most visible roles being with President’s Select, which allows her to interact with prospective students, and the College of Media and Communication Dean’s Council, which enables her to advocate on behalf of her fellow students in the college. Looking to advance her education, Obi will enroll in a master’s program for technical communication and then she plans to pursue a Ph.D. She intends to develop a career in grant writing for nonprofit organizations and to share her experience with others in higher education.

As a doctoral candidate, Angela Bourne brings a refreshing perspective to interior design education and practice. Bourne is a nontraditional student in the area of environmental design—a wife and a mother she is also an accomplished interior designer and has spent the past two decades as a professor in Canada. Bourne specializes in creating spaces for people with special needs, including those with autism and Down’s syndrome. To augment her credentials as an academician, she has been pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental design from the College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech. Bourne has worked with design Professor Kristi Gaines, serving as a research assistant and a teaching assistant, in addition to helping Gaines with her forthcoming book. Bourne also has been successful at securing grant funding, resulting in part from collaboration with Gaines and Professor Debajyoti Pati. After she obtains her doctorate, Bourne says she plans to continue her research into design solutions for special-needs people.

Taylor Fields has always had an eye for fashion. “My mother tells stories of me at age three that I could accessorize my outfit with matching socks, shoes, handbag, and sunglasses,” she said. Fields followed her style senses to Texas Tech, where she majored in retail management as an undergraduate and will begin her graduate studies in the fall. While earning her bachelor’s degree, Fields interned with a Houston-based fashion designer and studied abroad in Paris, London, Madrid, and Barcelona. Her research for a class project also led Fields to form a business that provides game-day apparel for Texas Tech fans. Capping off her accomplishments, Fields served as president of Tech Retail Association, a professional organization for students interested in retail management.

Ximena Solis-Wever, now studying medicine at TTUHSC, made a strong impression as a microbiology student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Not only committed to her coursework, Solis-Wever was also involved in undergraduate research since her freshman year. She worked in Professor Dimitri Pappas' lab and later wrote an honors senior thesis regarding oxygen deprivation of heart tissue cells for use in modeling heart attacks. Some of Solis-Wever's other work in Pappas' lab has been published in Analytical Chemistry, Lab on a Chip, and The Analyst. Giving back to her community, Solis-Wever has volunteered at the Lubbock Heart Hospital, South Plains Food Bank, and Christ the King Catholic Church, as well as tutored high school students. Also, Solis-Wever has volunteered with her father, a cardiologist, in providing medical attention to people in Guatemala.

For a number of reasons, Suzanne Taylor isn't your typical second-year law student. She didn't grow up aspiring to be an attorney, but instead she felt a calling to learn the law. Fostering an open-minded approach has served to enrich Taylor's experiences. Aside from her studies, she has taken part in the law school's advocacy programs as well as secured internships and employment in the public sector. She serves as a mentor for undergraduate women in the Sigma Phi Lamba sorority and, along with her husband, teaches Sunday school.

Keisha McKenzie enjoys working with words, learning about society, and connecting with people. It's no wonder then that McKenzie was able to fuse these interests into her research in the area of technical communication and rhetoric. McKenzie, who is originally from the UK, analyzed documents used by the British government to justify the war in Iraq, and she wrote of her findings in her dissertation. Earlier in her graduate school career, McKenzie traveled to Washington, DC, to work with the House Judiciary Committee as part of Texas Tech's Government and Public Service program. Aside from her scholarly work, McKenzie works on report writing, editing, and grant applications as a staff member with the TTU Ethics Center. She has worked for the Office of the Provost at Texas Tech since 2006. McKenzie also supports the Seventh-day Adventist Church, occasionally contributing to denominational magazines and advocating on behalf of sexual minorities within the community

For Levelland native John Duff, agriculture has been key to both professional and personal endeavors. Duff pursued his studies in agribusiness because of his father. “My dad’s a farmer, and a farmer is equal parts businessman and agriculturalist, so I thought agribusiness was a natural choice,” he said. Duff’s interest in agriculture allowed him to excel academically and to apply his knowledge through several internships. Outside of the classroom, Duff has been involved with the South Plains Food Bank’s organic farming program.

French senior Jane Ann Watson began her college career studying geophysics. Yet her interest in the sciences could not compare to the admiration she held for the French language and culture. Watson had studied abroad in France during her senior year of high school, and the experience strengthened her language skills and broadened her worldview. She later changed her major to French, reimmersing herself in the subject and then returning to France to study abroad, this time as an undergraduate. As president of the TTU French Club, Watson helps to strengthen interest in the university's French program and promote an appreciation for the language through community events.

Communication design senior Laurel Moore has a zeal for the creative. While growing up, she occupied herself with crafts and art projects. Moore later developed an interest in the graphic arts and Texas Tech’s design program, wherein a defining period of her education was spent in Italy. Studying abroad surrounded Moore with the works of artistic masters she’d only read about. “It was amazing to see what I’d been learning,” she recalled. Coursework focused on service learning and membership in the Women’s Service Organization further lifted Moore’s experiences.

Active learning opportunities, from internships to community service commitments, have been central to Christiana "Chana" Elgin's education. The journalism senior completed two congressional internships as well as interned with several local and national media outlets. This semester she is based in Washington, DC, for her internship with CBS's 60 Minutes news program. Her participation in campus organizations is likewise impressive; Elgin has devoted time to more the 10 campus groups, including the Dean's Student Council. Giving back to her community, Elgin has volunteered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Texas Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and The Bridge of Lubbock.

Alyssa Ingrum stands apart from many of her peers in the College of Education. Admittedly, she never had aspirations of becoming a teacher when she was a young girl. Instead, the idea came to her in a dream, and she was moved by the fulfillment that could be achieved in special education. Fast-forward about four years later, and Ingrum is now a student-teacher at Bean Elementary in central Lubbock, where she works with special-needs children. Coming to the aid of others who are less fortunate, Ingrum and her friends through the nonprofit Project H2O have been raising money to build wells that provide clean drinking water to people in Africa. Ingrum also supports community service efforts undertaken by her sorority and represents her college as a senator in the Student Government Association.

One might say Jordan Wallace has an enterprising mind. Driven by his interests in numbers and in the intricacies of commerce, Wallace studied at the Rawls College of Business. Along the way, he helped his father with renovation projects and worked for several contractors, experiences that motivated Wallace to learn about sustainable building practices and extend his education into the area of architecture. Additionally, an internship with Lee Lewis Construction allowed Wallace to learn the ins and outs of building the new Rawls College and provided an opportunity for him to learn more about the business, in general. Despite his busy schedule, Wallace has dedicated time to helping several nonprofits, and in 2011 he formed his own organization to benefit the Children's Miracle Network and the neonatal clinic inside University Medical Center.