Spotlights
Katrina Maynes
Katrina Maynes is understandably excited to be accepted into a
graduate program at Cambridge University, a first for Grand Valley,
but said there is “nothing special” about her.
“I just found what I loved and was willing to work hard at it,”
said Maynes, a 2014 graduate of the Honors College with a history
major and international relations minor. “I’ve always been interested
in exploring identity, community and social integration and have
paired those with a focus in Medieval history.”
While attending high school in Canton, Michigan, Maynes studied
French and took several AP classes in history. At Grand Valley, her
outstanding performance continued and was recognized with a Frederik
Meijer First Generation Honors College Scholarship, a Niemeyer History
Scholarship, a Grand Valley Faculty Scholarship, a Grand Valley Award
for Excellence, a Grand Finish Grant and an ‘I Am Grand Valley’ Award.
While completing challenging history courses and college French
and Latin studies, Maynes also managed to be involved in a tremendous
number of campus groups, including the Phi Alpha Theta History Honors
Fraternity and the Phi Sigma Pi Academic Honors Fraternity, and served
as president of History “Theta” Club, vice president of the
International Relations Organization and editor of the Grand
Valley Journal of History. She was also one of only three Lead
Peer Research Consultants at Grand Valley’s Student Academic Success
Center, working with students and mentoring and training incoming consultants.
“I have been very fortunate at Grand Valley to have so many
excellent professors who have been caring mentors and role models for
me,” said Maynes. “My passion for history inspires me to become a
professor to share my love of learning and history with the next
generation of scholars.”
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