College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Future Plans of Some of Our 2011 Graduates

 

First Surname Major Plans
Kristine Ali PR I will be working full time at a marketing company in Troy Michigan and hopefully finding a prestigious internship in the fall.
Brittani Anderson Psychology, Chemistry minor I plan to study abroad in El Salvador this summer and return to Grand Valley to get a masters in public administration and social work.
Michelle  Andrus psychology/special education major and an elementary education minor I am looking for a full time teaching position in Michigan for next year but if not I will be substitute teaching and working a part time job for a while.
Laura Anton Biomedical Sciences I will be attending dental school at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry beginning June 2011.
Joshua Aprile Political Science, minor in History I will be attending Wayne State University's College of Law.
Kate Behrens Psychology Following graduation, I am moving into a van and traveling the country.
Katherine Belknap Biology/Honors College In the fall I will be attending Central Michigan University for a MS in Biology.
Kimberly Benson Biomedical Sciences I will be moving to Glendale, Arizona to attend Midwestern University for their Physician Assistant program starting June 1 of this year
Brittany Beyer Health Communication, minor in Ad/PR I will be directly entering the work force and after gaining more experience in my field, I plan to get my master's degree in Health Administration.
Matthew Biedron Biomedical Sciences I will be attending Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA starting in the Fall of 2011. I will be pursuing a Doctorate of Optometry. The Biomedical Sciences program at Grand Valley gave me every single pre-requisite for optometry school as well as every single suggested courses as well.
Laura  Bjork Psychology/Special Education, minor Elementary Education I have been accepted into the Teach for America program and will be teaching special education in Phoenix. I also plan to begin a Master's program at either Arizona State University or Michigan State University in the next year. I am so thankful for the incredible experience I had at Grand Valley that has prepared me to make a positive impact as a global citizen.
Lucinda Boers Political Science, minor in International Business I am taking a break after graduation and planning on travelling abroad. I am looking for an entry level position at a marketing firm. I plan on working for two years then attending graduate school at Arizona State University for a Masters in Business Administration. 
Sabrina Brooks Health Communication I hope to attend graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver.
Rikki Brown Russian Studies I received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant for the 2011-2012 academic year. Afterwards I will pursue a Master's of Art in Russian, Central Asian, and Eastern European Studies at Georgetown University.
Katharine Butler Biomedical Sciences, Women and Gender Studies I will be attending Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine.
Hannah Cavicchio Exercise Science  I will be entering graduate school. I will be attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee to obtain my professional doctorate in Physical Therapy.
Doug Coleman Physics, Math minor Next fall I will be attending Vanderbilt's professional doctorate program in radiation therapy medical physics.
Sara Commet Biomedical Sciences  I will be entering graduate school at Indiana University School of Optometry at IU, Bloomington.
Erin S.  Cooke Biomedical Sciences I will be attending Grand Valley in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program.
Natalie Cotela Psychology I will be attending Chicago State University's Masters in Social Work Program this fall, but before that I will be cycling across the country with and organization called Bike and Build raising money and awareness for affordable housing and stopping to build at Habitat for Humanity sites along the way.
Leslie Curtis BIOS I have been accepted to University of Indiana's Optometry program.
Sara  Damm Natural Resources Management My current internship at Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon has offered to hire me as a full-time Project Manager upon graduation this April.
Melinda Darcangelo  Biomedical Sciences I will be attending the University of Michigan-Flint for Physical Therapy. 
Jeremy Decker Biomedical Sciences I'll be starting grad school next fall in the Physical Therapy program at GVSU.
Derek DeVries Biomedical Sciences I will be going to dental school in August of 2011 (University of Detroit Mercy Dental School, Class of 2015). 
Kaitlyn DeVries BMS major and Biology minor I will be entering University of Michigan's Masters of Public Health program in environmental health and quality this fall.
Shanda DeWitt BRC I will be entering the workforce.
Jennifer Dick French, with minors in Applied Linguistics and English Next fall I will be assistant teaching in France, in the Rennes region. I am due to find out my assigned school district sometime over the summer.
Jessica Dick English Language and Literature, minor in history I will be attending graduate school at Kingston University, Kingston, England. I am enrolled in their Master of Arts program in Publishing.
Sarah DuBois Clinical Exercise Science I will be entering GVSU's Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in the fall.
Kaitlyn Dwyer Biomedical Sciences, minor in Psychology I will be attending graduate school in the fall in Optometry.
Cody Eding Journalism, minor in information systems I am hoping to find a job working in a college or university sports information department.
Benjamin Elzinga Philosophy I will be pursuing a PhD in philosophy at Georgetown University next year.
Trevor John Essique Psychology I will be attending the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago to get my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology starting in the Fall!
Catherine Fancher Communication Studies, minor in Psychology I will take prerequisites for speech pathology in the fall at Wayne State University and I will start applying to graduate schools to obtain my masters in speech pathology. I plan on either going to grad school in 2012 or participating in Teach For America in 2012. I will one day be a speech pathologist who either works with children who have an autism spectrum disorder or works to combat the low literacy rates of children in urban areas.
Kate Firlik Master of Health Sciences from the Biomedical Sciences Dept. I will be entering medical school at Wayne State University in August 2011.
Kristin Fiscus Psychology I will be attending Western Michigan University for graduate school to earn my Master's in Occupational Therapy.
Ryan Flaherty Chemistry I will be pursuing my Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame in the fall.
Megan Frame Honor's College with a major in Mathematics and a double minor in Spanish and Statistics. I will be attending graduate school in the fall at Eastern Michigan University to get my masters in Mathematics (with a Concentration in Statistics).
Ashley French Biomedical Sciences   I will be attending medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
Kara Garvelink elementary education major with a group social studies focus I have accepted a full time teaching 1st grade teaching job in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nicole  Gibbons Chemistry, minor in Mathematics I will be attending University of Florida in the fall to obtain my PHD in Organic Chemistry.
Rachel  Gladstone Sports Management, minor in Advertising  I plan to attend Belmont University in Nashville, TN for graduate school. At Belmont I will be studying to receive a Master's in Sports Administration. I learned a lot at Grand Valley and am excited to take my knowledge to the next level.
Jake Goliver Biomedical Sciences I will be moving back home to Toledo, Ohio to attend the University of Toledo College of Medicine to become an M.D. I am planning on entering an emergency medicine residency program upon graduation from there.
Joshua Green Natural Resources Management and Biology with a wildlife emphasis I will be working at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this summer as a seasonal employee working on the overabundant wildlife project. Next fall I plan on attending Grand Valley State University for Grad School in the Biology program with a Natural resources emphasis.
Lily Guerrero MUS I will be pursuing a Masters in Music in Voice Performance at The Ohio State University.
Liz Hollings Sociology and Criminal Justice My future plans are to join Americorps for a year or two, then go to get my masters in Social Work.
Brindi Horton Biology emphasis in Animal Biology I will be entering the work force (hopefully!).
Kendra Host Psychology I will be in Grand Valley's Masters in Occupational Therapy program beginning in the fall :)
Robin Keller Psychology, minor in Business This summer I will be working at Hope College for their TRiO Upward Bound Program as an educational coach. I plan on going to graduate school in the future for school counseling.
Elizabeth Klesmith International Relations, Vocal Music minor I will be attending Michigan State University College of Law in the fall.
Kristyn Konal English with an emphasis in secondary education, minor in Biology After graduation I hope to begin my teaching career in a high school English or Biology classroom. Within the next two years I plan on attending graduate school to pursue my Masters in English and eventually either a Ph.D. or Ed.D.
Jessica Lal Broadcasting I will enter the workforce to begin my career in broadcast news with the goal of becoming a reporter. I do, however, plan to attend graduate school within the next few years, and I hope to study in New York.
Alan Ledford Film and Video I will be in the work force!... and hopefully still in Michigan.
Aaron Lloyd Biomedical Science, minor in General Business I will be attending Case Western Reserve School of Medicine starting in July 2011.
Ashleigh Mangas Biomedical Sciences I will be starting the Masters Program in Biomedical Sciences at GVSU in the fall of 2011. I am also applying to dental schools this June and hope to start dental school in the fall of 2012, after which I will be joining the dental corps in the United States Army to work as a dental professional for the Army.
Rachelle McLaughlin Natural Resource Management. I plan on applying to several grad schools for fall 2012, including CSU, LSU and OSU
Their McNeary Sociology, minor in Criminal Justice After graduation, I will be entering the workforce for a year, then going to get my Masters in Social Work.
Tania Melton Biomedical Sciences; Chemistry minor I will be studying abroad in Belize this summer and then applying to veterinary schools soon thereafter.
Kristie Mielke Psychology Minor: Political Science I am attending the University of Texas at Tyler's Master's of Counseling Psychology (Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis) located in Tyler, TX. I am hoping to become involved in research regarding sexual assault/abuse treatment.
Katrina Miller Biology I will be going to seminary to study collegiate and/or youth ministry.
Katherine Mokma Psychology I will be taking a year off to save up some money; in the fall of 2012 I will begin Graduate School to obtain a Master's degree in School Psychology.
Mylee Murphy Clinical Exercise Science I will return to school after working for 2 years.
Alyssa Neph Biomedical Sciences, minor in Biology. I will be attending Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Tyler Oatmen Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry Minor University of Florida College of Dentistry, D.M.D. Program, U.S. Army HPSP Scholarship
Allison Pentecost PSY I will be attending graduate school at Michigan State University next fall for their Family Studies masters program.
Aaron Poirier Clinical Exercise Science I will be attending graduate school for Physical Therapy at GVSU.
Tara Popma Sociology  I currently work full time as Key Practice Administrator for Dr. Steven Dater & Heather Cadorettes D.D.S. in Rockford, MI. I look forward to being able to spend more time with my husband and son Brayden.
Ashley Poteger Art and Design I just accepted a summer position at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California as their Jewelry and Metals Technician and Assistant Teacher. I look forward to attending graduate school in the near future.
Mark  Proudman Political Science; Criminal Justice Minor Michigan State University Law School Fall of 2011. 
Katherine Raczkowski Psychology, minor in Sociology With my bachelors, I will be trained for a supervisor position at my current job in Kalamazoo, MI at the Gryphon Place. Gryphon is a crisis center where we deal with answering several lines both nationally and throughout the state. They vary in intensity from information/referral lines for human services in the West Michigan area (2-1-1) or after-hour crisis lines for community mental health agencies across West Michigan and the entire Upper Peninsula, as well as several other lines for various purposes. I finished my degree here in 3 years, by using credits from my advanced high school classes and taking summer classes, so it can be done! GV was a great school and I will enjoy using my great education at the job that I already love.
Amy  Raha Psychology I hope to be entering the work force sometime soon! Thank You for 6yrs of education, preparation, and enlightenment!
Katie Raper Biology with pre-vet emphasis I will be attending Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean.

 
Anne  Richmond English/Language Arts major with a minor in Elementary Education I will be entering the work force, as soon as I find a position. 
Ellyanne Rosenthal International Relations and German  I plan to move to Germany and teach English for a few years. Afterwards, I would like to find a job with a historical conversation agency or with the European Union.
Kim Savage MUSX I will be starting a Master's in Music Conducting at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.  I will be a Graduate Assistant, working 20 hours a week with the Gator marching band.  The position has full tuition paid, a stipend, and student health insurance.  I will also be getting married in June to another GVSU alumni--Hunter Eberly--who currently plays principal trumpet in the Jacksonville, FL Symphony Orchestra.
Anna Schaar  BIOS I will be attending Michigan State College of Human Medicine in the Fall.  I have also received the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship, so I will begin my military career as Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Sarah Schultz Public Relations/Advertising Upon graduation, I will begin graduate school at Western Michigan University in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program. I will be the Volunteer Services and Leadership Programs graduate assistant in the Student Activities and Leadership Office. 
Brandt Smith Psychology I will entering grad school in August. I will be working in the legal psychology PhD program at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Heather  Smith Advertising and Public Relations I will be entering the workforce here in Grand Rapids.
Kacie Smith HST/PHI I will be entering the Michigan State University College of Law in the fall.
Chad Sparks Psychology and Biology I am going to work in Child Protective Services for the State of Michigan.
Allison Stepnitz Geology Just got a job at Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. in Fairbanks, AK as an Exploration Geologist.
Joy Syrjanen Biomedical Sciences  Accepted to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry class of 2015. Will be starting this June 2011.
Andrea Szura Psychology I will be, starting Fall 2011, pursuing a Masters degree in Social Work at Grand Valley!
 
Mallory Tanis Psychology I will be attending the University of Michigan to pursue a Master's degree in Social Work in the fall. I am very excited :)
Andrew Taylor Psychology and Biomedical Sciences I will be attending the University of Illinois at Chicago in the fall to pursue my PhD in Cognitive Psychology.
Morgan Taylor Political Science and Spanish I will be attending George Washington University in the fall. I will be working on a Master's Degree in Public Policy.
Alison Toney Psychology, minor Sociology I will be attending Graduate school at University of Detroit Mercy earning a Master's in School Psychology
Michelle  Tucker Biomedical Sciences & Spanish I am working full time in an analytical chemistry and microbiology laboratory to save up money for a year until I enter graduate school.
Ashley Valentine Psychology I am taking a year off in between graduating and grad school. I just got a second internship that I will start when I graduate. So I will be working full time and having two internships to get prepared and more qualified for grad school. I am very excited for the upcoming future. I plan on being a mental health and substance abuse social worker where I will counsel people suffering from these illnesses. If everything works out I will be attending grad school at Boston University where I hope to live and start my career.
William Van De Car Biomedical Sciences Following graduation I plan on attending Michigan State's College of Human Medicine. I have also accepted the Health Professions Scholarship Program from the Air Force to help pay for expenses and will serve as a physician in the Air Force for four years following graduation from medical school.
Erika VanDyke Psychology and Women and Gender Studies double major  I'm planning to take a year off and do Americorps, and apply this coming fall for psychology graduate programs for the next year. 
Jennifer Velting Biomedical Sciences Upon graduation I am joining the Navy as an officer and going to Graduate School the following fall for Physical Therapy.
Justin  Vice Biomedical Sciences I will be attending University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine next year. I am also going to participate in the U.S. Navy's Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP).
Michael Waisanen Biomedical Sciences Upon graduation I will be entering the Physician Assistant program at Wayne State University starting May 9th 2011.
Julie Wesselink Biology (pre-vet emphasis) I will be entering veterinary school this coming fall at Michigan State University CVM.
Haily Wilmot  Psychology, minor in Criminal Justice  I plan to attend Indiana University to pursue a degree in School Psychology and further my experience and interest in academic research. 
Jennifer Winicki Physical Education, minor in Elementary Education Looking for a teaching job both in Michigan and out of state. If jobs are scares then I plan on coaching at a local school and subbing year round. I hope to get into a school district in my area. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Ashley Wiseman International Relations I plan on working for a couple years, probably for a nonprofit organization or with international students. When I find something that makes me happy and translates to graduate school, I will pursue a master's degree.
Julia Wright Psychology, minor is Applied Statistics. I will be entering grad school in the fall at University of Central Florida. I will be working towards my PhD in Human Factors/Cognitive Psychology, studying under Dr. Peter Hancock.
My applications to graduate school were wildly successful, GVSU's Psychology department is well-regarded among their peers.
Russell Yskes Biomedical Sciences major, Chemistry minor Will be attending medical school next semester at either Wayne State or Oakland University. 
Monica Zappas Biomedical Sciences I will be attending MSU College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids in the fall of 2011. Thanks SO much for all the help over the past four years.
Jenna Zimmerman PSY I will be attending graduate school in the fall at Northwestern University where I will be studying Marriage and Family Therapy.

 

Page last modified May 18, 2012