Daniel Rieck | Distinguished Scholarships Program

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WSU Distinguished Scholars Celebrated at Fall Event

October 7, 2016 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: April Seehafer, WSU Distinguished Scholarships Program, 509-335-8239, seehafer@wsu.edu

WSU Distinguished Scholars at the fall 2016 Celebration (l to r): Provost and Executive V.P. Daniel J. Bernardo; Logan Weyand; Travis King; Rachel “Chedda” Ellenwood; Tillie Torpey; Ryan Summers: Keesha Matz; Jackson Peven; Patrick Freeze; Distinguished Scholarships Program Director April Seehafer

PULLMAN, Wash.—Eight Washington State University students were pinned at the third annual Distinguished Scholars Celebration Wed., Oct. 5, recognizing that they had received prestigious, nationally competitive awards to enhance their education.

“Through the event, we can publicly acknowledge each student’s accomplishments, thank their faculty mentors and recommendation writers, and celebrate them all at the same time,” said April Seehafer, the WSU Distinguished Scholarships Program director.

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WSU seniors Ellenwood, Torpey, and Weyand sweep national Udall scholarship categories for 2016-17

June 16, 2016 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: April Seehafer, WSU Distinguished Scholarships Program, 509-335-8239, seehafer@wsu.edu

MEDIA: Mary Sanchez Lanier, Assistant Vice Provost, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8239, sanchez@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash.—Washington State University undergraduate seniors Rachel Ellenwood, Tillie Torpey, and Logan Weyand have received national 2016 Udall Foundation awards in each of its three categories: native health care, tribal policy, and the environment.

All of the awards represent a “first” for the university, said April Seehafer, director of the WSU Distinguished Scholarships Program, part of WSU Undergraduate Education.

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WSU Undergraduates Summers, Matz, and Rocchi tapped for national Goldwater Scholarships

April 28, 2016 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: April Seehafer, WSU Distinguished Scholarships Program, 509-335-8239, seehafer@wsu.edu

MEDIA: Mary Sanchez Lanier, Assistant Vice Provost, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8239, sanchez@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash.—The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has announced that one Washington State University engineering student has been awarded its competitive national scholarship, and two science students have received honorable mentions.

As a Goldwater recipient, Ryan Matthew Summers, 21, from Stanwood, Wash., will receive up to $7,500 to support his studies at WSU in computer engineering.

Goldwater honorable mention honors went to Angela Rocchi, 21, a junior neuroscience major from Elk, Wash., and Keesha Matz, 19, a sophomore microbiology student from Chehalis, Wash.

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WSU Distinguished Scholarships Program announces new director April Seehafer, new office location

January 26, 2016 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: Mary Sanchez Lanier, Assistant Vice Provost, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8239, sanchez@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash.—Professional advisor and counselor April Seehafer is the new director of the Distinguished Scholarships Program, part of undergraduate education at Washington State University.

Seehafer will begin her duties as director on Jan. 26, 2016, announced Mary Sanchez Lanier, assistant vice provost. The program’s new office will be in CUE 519-C on the Pullman campus.

She succeeds Sarah Ann Hones, who led the program for its first five years and retired this past summer. Hones’ office was on the third floor of the building.

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WSU’s Newest Fulbright Fellow and Ph.D. Student Patrick Freeze to Improve Thailand Rice by Decontaminating Soil

May 12, 2015 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: Sarah Ann Hones, Distinguished Scholarships Program director, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8239, shones@wsu.edu

Amelia Veneziano, communications staff, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-6679, aj.veneziano@gmail.com

Unearthing an Italian connection

Italy wasn’t just about academics. In the course of his studies there, Freeze decided to try to pick up some Italian. The author of a language book had a familiar name on the cover—Picarazzi—the same as his maternal grandfather who immigrated to America from southern Italy.

“Do I know this person?” Freeze wondered. “So I emailed her and asked if we could be related.”

After several exchanges, the two determined that they were, in fact, second or third cousins.

“And that my great-uncle Lou bought her father his first pair of shoes during the war,” Freeze said. “It’s crazy. Getting the opportunity to go to Italy opened up this connection with someone out of nowhere.”

College: the Most Foreign Experience of All

One of seven children, Freeze is just the second to attend college. He grew up in Hamilton, a rural town in Texas Hill Country “about three hours from anything.”

“I feel like my family has the makings of a good country song,” he said. “When I was four, my family and I lived in a tent. In junior high I picked grass in a neighbor’s corn field for money and I worked through high school. With that many kids, resources can be tight.”

Freeze was unsure about attending a four-year university. As a Texas farm kid, he was in Future Farmers of America and 4-H, but never had much formal science education. He considered going to art school, but instead took community college courses in central California. One earth science course in, and he was hooked.

“I was doing so much better in my science classes then my art classes,” he said. “That was because in science I was so attentive. It was fascinating. So I decided to switch.”

Transferring to UNR gave him what he calls the biggest culture shock of his life.

“Going to a large university for the first time was honestly the most foreign experience I have ever had, or ever will have, including my international research and travel experience. Once I got over that, though, I was completely fearless.

“Getting my undergraduate degree was one thing, and the Ph.D. is something else. Now, as a Fulbright Fellow and with all of the international work I’ve done, my family is really proud of me.”

PULLMAN, Wash.—Washington State University doctoral student Patrick Freeze has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to spend 10 months in Thailand to study reducing toxic cadmium contamination and plant uptake in rural rice paddy soils, with a goal to improve the quality of the grain as a safe food source as well as an export product.

“Patrick’s pursuits in soil science and remediation in combination with his personal interest in improving life through science made him an excellent candidate for support from the nationally funded Fulbright Program,” said Sarah Ann Hones, director of the Distinguished Scholarships Program in WSU Undergraduate Education. “We appreciate that he will be an outstanding ambassador of our university and the U.S.”

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WSU undergraduates Justin Niedermeyer and Seth Schneider land national Goldwater scholarships; Angela Rocchi receives honorable mention

April 22, 2015 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: Sarah Ann Hones, Director of the Distinguished Scholarships Program, WSU Office of Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8239, shones@wsu.edu

Mary Sánchez Lanier, WSU Assistant Vice Provost, 509-335-2320, sanchez@wsu.edu

Read about our 2015 Goldwater scholarship recipients on the Daily Evergreen

PULLMAN, Wash.—The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has announced that two Washington State University science students have been awarded Goldwater scholarships for 2015, and one student received an honorable mention.

The Goldwater Scholarship winners and future research scientists are Justin F. Niedermeyer, 22, a junior from Milton, Wash., and Seth M. Schneider, 20, a sophomore from Rochester, Wash. Recipient of the Goldwater honorable mention is future physician and research scientist Angela R. Rocchi, 20, a sophomore from Elk, Wash. All three are in the WSU Honors College. » More …

WSU sophomore, Nez Perce Tribal member Rachel Ellenwood receives prestigious, national Udall Award; is university’s first Udall winner

March 31, 2015 Daniel Rieck

MEDIA: Sarah Ann Hones, Director of Distinguished Scholarship Programs, WSU Office of Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8239, shones@wsu.edu

Mary Sanchez Lanier, Assistant Vice Provost, 509-335-7767, sanchez@wsu.edu

Rachel Ellenwood, WSU’s first Udall Award winner, rachel.ellenwood@email.wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University sophomore and Nez Perce Tribal member Rachel E. Ellenwood, 32, of Lapwai, Idaho, has won a nationally competitive, distinguished scholarship from the Udall Foundation for 2015. She is the first WSU student to receive a Udall award.

“We are tremendously proud of Rachel and she has become the first WSU student to receive the prestigious Udall Award,” said Mary F. Wack, vice provost for undergraduate education. “Her career goal to become a nurse practitioner for her home tribal community, plus her many academic and service accomplishments so far, made her a strong candidate for the Udall.”

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Freshman Scholars Progression 2015

January 30, 2015 Daniel Rieck

More than 150 high-achieving students attended the first annual Freshman Scholars Progression on January 30, 2015 in the CUB Junior Ballrooms. All freshmen who had earned at 3.8 GPA or better in fall semester 2014 were invited to the event to receive recognition for that accomplishment. Students also met with faculty and staff members at 19 resource tables to learn about WSU resources and programs available to help them “progress” as scholars. » More …

Distinguished Scholars Gathering 2014

October 3, 2014 Daniel Rieck

This networking event provided an opportunity for student attendees to find out how prestigious awards are earned. Previous winners of distinguished awards, which included Abdoul Amar, Mayumi Clark, Jalisa Harris, Janita Harris, Kajsa Hendrickson, Svetlana Lockwood, Nicholas Negretti, Justin Niedemeyer, Alyssa Norris, Phil Pitts, Grace Reed, Joey Redmon, and Julian Reyes, met with attendees to answer questions about their experiences in pursuing distinguished scholarships and how they prepared themselves to be competitive. » More …

Celebrate Distinguished Scholars 2014

October 3, 2014 Daniel Rieck

Our inaugural Celebrate Distinguished Scholars event was a ceremony to dedicate the WSU Distinguished Scholars Gallery, which was created to honor recent and past WSU recipients of prestigious, nationally competitive scholarships. WSU Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Mary F. Wack gave welcoming remarks. WSU Provost and Executive Vice President Daniel J. Bernardo formally recognized the WSU Distinguished Scholars who were in attendance and presented each with a special commemorative pin. » More …