Current Scholars

Elizabeth Kasprzak | 5th Year

Elizabeth is from Huntsville, AL and moved to Chicago to study Biomedical Engineering, minor in Psychology, and get her Master's in Marketing Analytics through the co-terminal program. Actually, she's 1 of 2 Alabamians in her cohort! (but hasn't found the other yet). In Summer 2022, she traveled with fellow scholars and a professor to do turtle conservation and sustainable volunteer work in Zanzibar, Africa for her DLS summer trip! During her summers, she also works as an intern and has been a Marketing Intern at a pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing company. Within IIT, she's worked in Undergraduate Admissions and as a Teaching Assistant. Her favorite part about being a scholar is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that the program provides to grow alongside a community of driven and inspiring people.
Contact: ekasprzak@hawk.iit.edu

Vincent Trosky | 5th Year

Vince is from St. Louis, MO, where he performed a yo-yo act at the 7th grade talent show (but didn't win), and is currently in the co-terminal program, getting his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and Master's in Autonomous Systems and Robotics. He's expressed his engineering interests through internships, such as with Dimension Inx, a startup that synthesizes and 3D prints biomaterials, and DMG Mori, a multinational CNC manufacturer with incredibly accurate and efficient machines. On campus, he's active in Men's Volleyball and Illinois Tech EcoCAR. Vince's favorite part about being a scholar is getting to know the scholars and professors. Another big part of his DLS experience was the summer trip to do sea turtle conservation in Bali. This opened his eyes to the fragility of nature and the impact of Bali's growing tourism economy on its unique ecosystem. He also really enjoyed learning from the locals and other volunteers about their ways of life, culture, and history.
Contact: vtrosky@hawk.iit.edu

Naia Lum | 4th Year

Naia is from the beautiful state of Hawaii and came to Illinois Tech to pursue a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, and possibly a minor in astrophysics and masters in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering through IIT's coterminal program. In addition to being a Duchossois Leadership Scholar, she's a scholar for the Leadership Academy, a mechanical and propulsion member for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, and a student researcher in a mechanical engineering lab under Professor Bhushan. She also is the team leader for the Nalukai Foundation. A fun fact about Naia is that she's a freelance graphic designer! Her IIT expectations are as follows: "I am expecting college to be as fulfilling as I make it. In these next few years I plan to constantly challenge myself by stepping out of my comfort zone. Whether it be through applying for a selective internship or saying “yes” to an unexpected opportunity, I hope to gain new knowledge and confidence through seeking discomfort. Ultimately I expect college to bring an ample number of opportunities, connections, and memories, so long as I work for them." At IIT, she hopes to work her way towards a more specific path and explore new opportunities as they present themselves.
Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naia-lum-a2441018b/

Isaiah Mays | 4th Year

Isaiah is from Maryland Heights, MO and came to Illinois Tech to study Aerospace Engineering with a possible minor in music (he's played the cello since he was 8!) and mechanical and aerospace engineering masters through the coterminal program. Isaiah has already gotten very involved at IIT with being an Assistant Technical Director for the WIIT 88.9 FM Radio Station, a Junior Hawk for Undergraduate Admissions, and a Senator for the Student Government Association. He was a Risk Management Intern and Human Resources Intern at Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He's excited to be a Duchossois Leadership Scholar because he gets to be a part of such a lively group. Here are his expectations for college: "I’m expecting challenges ranging from academically to personally as I try to manage my time on my own, build new relationships, learn a new city, and grow my mind all within the first semester. I hope to be able to change the campus’ culture by unleashing it’s true potential via leadership roles."
Contact: imays@hawk.iit.edu

Ethan Kuo | 4th Year

Ethan has come to IIT from Apex, North Carolina to study Aerospace Engineering, minor in Computer Science, and obtain his Masters of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The aerospace theme continues in his involvement in Illinois Tech Rocketry. Professionally, as a Rolls-Royce manufacturing engineering intern, he helped a team redesign a manufacturing process for critical turbine components for the T-56 Turboprop engine family. For his summer trip, Ethan did sea turtle conservation with Green Lion in Bali. Not only was it fulfilling to clean up the beaches and take care of the sea turtles, but having the chance to explore Bali and learn about the region’s rich culture was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He's no stranger to travel, as he once drove all the way to Alaska to help build an outhouse for a small bush village! To reflect on the program: "One of my favorite parts about being a Duchossois Scholar is the community. The community is very tight-knit and diverse. We all come from unique backgrounds, making asking for advice or input productive and informative. Overall, everyone is super dependable and a joy to be around." Contact: ekuo2@hawk.iit.edu

Natasa Djordjevic | 3rd Year

Natasa is from Saint Charles, IL and is studying Biochemistry! She furthers her studies through on-campus research and has worked as a Research Assistant Intern at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. She's also involved at IIT with the Kappa Phi Delta Sorority and Camras Scholars Program. For her DLS Summer Trip, she went to Zanzibar, Tanzania for a turtle rehabilitation project! She found it impactful to experience such a drastically different culture, and see how people there were so happy with so little. Natasa finds that the community that is built through the scholarship is very rewarding. She knowns that she can rely on all the other scholars and our professor mentors for support and advise no matter the issue. Fun fact, Natasa can speak Serbian!
Contact: ndjordjevic@hawk.iit.edu

Avery Stubbings | 3rd Year

Avery's all the way from Winnipeg, MB, Canada and is studying Computer Engineering. At IIT, he's an Undergraduate Research Assistant working on projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is also where he was a Computing Summer Intern! In addition, he's a student chapter member for IEEE, NECA, Tau Beta Pi, and Eta Kappa Nu. Being a DLS scholar gave Avery a great community of scholars and professors and one of his favorite aspects is the summer trip: "I went to Zanzibar, Tanzania at the end of Freshman Year (Summer 2022). It was such an eye opening experience to see a different culture. The nature was beautiful. I loved being by the beach and looking at the stars at night. My favourite part was when the kids came to the aquarium and we taught lessons about the turtles and other aquarium projects. Biggest takeaways were what I learned about the environment and that it is important to take things slow sometimes (Hakuna Matata)." Lastly, fun fact, he loves the band Rush! Contact: astubbings@hawk.iit.edu

Olivia Kocot | 2nd Year

Olivia is a Chicago native and came to Illinois Tech to study Biomedical Engineering, and further pursued this field in an internship at Prenosis Lab and Co-Op at AbbVie Bioresearch Center. On campus, she's involved in a variety of organizations of the Swimming/Diving Team, SHPE, PSS, Union Board, and BMES. The volunteer project location her cohort chose was to Argentina. She found her experience insightful, as it was nice to be part of a different culture and learn about the country. They stayed with a host family which was unique and she'd definitely want to do again. Her favorite part about being in the program is being part of a community of scholars who want to help contribute to making IIT a better place.
Contact: okocot@hawk.iit.edu

Not pictured: Sasami Cavan (3rd Year), Sam Muller (2nd Year), Isaiah Johns (2nd Year), Tsithembile Tembo (1st Year), Olivia McMath (1st Year), Ben Ameku (1st Year)

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