Presenters

Becky Bott-Knutson has served as Dean of the Fishback Honors College at South Dakota State University since 2016. She is an expert in student development and learning, animal health, and the intersection of honors with agriculture. Bott-Knutson has done extensive agricultural work internationally and with tribal nations. She has led initiatives to address the USDA Grand Challenges through honors education and has led professional development programming for multiple federally funded projects. Dean Bott-Knutson is certified in project management and co-chairs the National Collegiate Honors Council’s Professional Development and the Council of Honors Education’s Student Engagement committees.

Leah Brink, panelist, a graduate of the Honors College at South Dakota State University, is a skilled public speaker with a passion for teaching and mentoring others. She’s held numerous leadership positions on various city committees and boards, culminating in her election to the Brookings City Council where she’s been serving since 2019. Brink works for Brookings-based video display manufacturer, Daktronics, where she leads talent acquisition efforts for the company and manages the student intern program. She earned her Master’s in Mass Communication SDSU in 2018.

Callie Duque, panelist, graduated from South Dakota State University with Honors in 2018 with degrees in Mathematics and Spanish. Since graduating she has spent time continuing her education, teaching AP High School Spanish, and most recently working part time in market research and behavioral science. Her most important job title, however, is “mom” as she is home with her two small children. She and her family make their home in Colorado and thoroughly enjoy exploring the beautiful outdoors.

Matilyn Kerr, panelist, is the Program Advisor for University Traditions at South Dakota State University. In this role, she directly advises nearly 40 collegiate students in two dynamic student organizations supporting the university’s homecoming celebration and Children’s Miracle Network. Matty received her B.S. in entrepreneurial studies (2016, SDSU with Honors Distinction) and is currently earning her MBA (expected Dec. 2021, DWU). She is experienced in public speaking, volunteering (particularly with youth organizations), and nonprofit board membership. In her free time, Matty enjoys watching TV, cooking, performing karaoke, checking her cows, and making people laugh.

Toby Uecker, panelist, has been South Dakota State University’s Dean of Students since 2020. He graduated from SDSU with Honors College Distinction (B.A., Journalism & Political Science) in 2004 and earned his M.S. (Student Affairs in Higher Education) from Miami University in 2010. He also worked in Student Affairs—primarily Housing and Residential Life—at Carleton College, Kenyon College, and the College of Wooster. In his previous role in SDSU Housing and Residential Life, Toby specialized in developing and supporting Living-Learning Communities, including with the Fishback Honors College. He is the inaugural recipient of the Fishback Honors College’s Outstanding Alumni Award.

Dr. Anna Zimmer, Associate Professor of German & International Studies at Northern Michigan University (NMU), became Assistant Director of the Honors Program in October 2019. She has taught at NMU since 2015 and for the Honors Program since 2017.

CV Peterson (Eau Claire/Chicago) is a professor in the Honors and Continuing Education Departments at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. They teach the courses: The Intersection of Art and Science: Fantastical Mergings, and The Quiet One: The Lost Art of Musing. CV is also an international multidisciplinary artist who combines scientific exploration and art to examine human-caused environmental devastation.

CV has exhibited their work nationally and worldwide. At such venues as the CICA Museum in South Korea, the Shanghai Zhu Qizhan Art Museum in China, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and the Nobel Conference on Climate Change hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College. They have been published in the Emergency Index: an Annual Document of Performance Practice (Vol. 6 & 7) and Universal Sea -- The art and innovation guide against the plastic epidemic. They have also participated in international performance festivals such as, Out of Site Chicago, The Performance Arcade in New Zealand, and Detroit’s Forward Fringe Festival. They received their MFA and BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as a BA from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Tori Simpson is a senior at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. She is majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing and Spanish. She is an Associate Editor for UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. At Graceland, she is the Head Editor for her university’s literary journal, The Vespiary; she is the President of Book Club; she is on the Leadership Council for Enactus, an international collegiate entrepreneurial extracurricular; a member of the BSU (Black Student Union); and a member of SAGE Club (Sexuality and Gender Equality). She plans to enter the book publishing industry after she graduates this May as an editor and she eventually wants to be a published fantasy author.

My name is Megan Bargiel, and I am a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. I am currently pursuing a double major in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Spanish with hopes of becoming a bilingual speech pathologist in the future. At UW-Whitewater, I am involved in undergraduate research, Greek Life in the Delta Zeta sorority, National Student Speech Hearing Association Club, Honors Program, and intramural volleyball. I was on the Dean’s list for my first semester in college and strive to achieve this goal each semester. In my free time I enjoy working out, being outdoors, baking, cooking, and painting. I also love traveling, and some of my favorite places I have visited include hiking in Zion National Park in Utah and the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Kathryn Childs is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pursuing a BA in Creative Writing with a minor in Liberal Studies.

My name is Brandon Bloebaum. I am an Actuarial Science student at Wartburg College.. At Wartburg, I am involved on the men’s soccer team, scholars program, and multiple honor societies. I have a passion for programming, and I am excited to share this R program and application that my team and I developed.

Mariah Birgen, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics at Wartburg College. I used to be the Director of the Wartburg College Scholars and now I know just enough data analysis and R to be dangerous.

My name is Ahmed Hassan. I'm a Sudanese-American Data Science Student at Iowa State University. Whilst attending school, I'm also a Full-Time Datacenter Technician with Microsoft. My aspirations after I graduate are to manage and conduct Data Science projects, like this one, that'll positively impact society in any way.

Major: Math Education

Hometown: Monticello, MN

I am a senior Math Education major at Northern. I have been heavily involved on campus the past few years with the Honors Program, band program, Campus Activities Board, Resident Assistant, and serving as an academic tutor in math and writing. My passion is teaching kids to love learning and to love math. I am also passionate about baseball and sports, which is why I chose to do research that combined both math and baseball into one project. I am looking forward to graduation this year and teaching my future students.

Hattie Seten is a senior at South Dakota State University, where she is a triple major in Political Science, Global Studies, and Spanish. She serves as student body president and she serves on the Board of Directors of the South Dakota World Affairs Council. Hattie aspires to a career as a Foreign Service Officer serving in Latin America and the Middle East. She has received multiple fellowships from the U.S. Department of State to pursue Arabic language studies. She recently interned at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City where she worked on visa application issues. A Rhodes Scholar, Hattie will pursue a master’s degree in comparative government at the University of Oxford next fall.

Afrah Rasheed (she/hers) is a current fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Development, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Medical Humanities. Afrah is passionate about diversity, inclusion, mental health, adolescent development, minority health, and accessibility. She is a SHPEP 2019 scholar and a mentor for Girls Inc. She is also an executive member of the UNO circle of Alpha Kappa Delta, the outreach coordinator in the Muslim Students Association, and a fourth-year representative in the Honors Students Association.

Undergraduate student at Minnesota

State University, Mankato

Double majoring in History and Anthropology

With a certificate in Geoarchaeology

My goal is to receive a Ph.D. in Anthropology and go on to be a professor at a university. I hope to work to further archaeological research pertaining to the connection between people's beliefs and the environment around them. How these things are connected, and they influence and shape one another. I also aspire to use my passion for anthropology to inspire other people and help them appreciate the field.

Next to my studies, I am currently working as a MavPASS Leader supporting ANTH101 at MNSU, Mankato. MavPASS is a supplementary instructions program where high achieving students are hired by the university to plan and hold study sessions for classes with a traditional high DWF rate.

Laurel Aleson is a first-year student from Green Bay, Wisconsin, studying Ecology and Environmental Biology at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. She is a member of the Conservation Club and UWEC Branch of the Newman Catholic Student Group. In her free time, Laurel can be found hiking, biking, or playing piano.

Cadie Ash is a first-year student, majoring in Mathematics Education and minoring in Psychology, at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Hailing from Waupaca, Wisconsin, she is a student athlete on the UWEC Women’s Golf team. When not in class, Cadie can be found at either the golf course or the swimming pool.

Peyton Tohulka is a first-year Instrumental Music Education major (emphasis in oboe) at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. From Sussex, Wisconsin, she is a member of the UWEC Blugold Marching Band Color Guard, and an initiate in the UWEC branch of the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. Outside of school, Peyton can be found making cross-stitch designs and watching documentaries about practically anything.

My name is Alexandria Schweikle, and I am currently a sophomore at College of DuPage. I will be

graduating in the spring with an associate’s degree in Applied Arts and plan on transferring to Elmhurst

University in the fall. There, I will double major in both accounting and finance, as well as minor in

Spanish. After earning my bachelor’s, I plan on earning a master’s in accounting and then becoming a

Certified Public Accountant.

Hello, my name is Eryn Tinsman. I am from Springfield, Missouri, and a junior honors nursing student from Graceland University. My drive for social justice and love for science has brought me to nursing, as it a holistic experience with helping people in need. I love research because I learn so much with every article that I read. This project was transformative for me because I realized as a Latina, it is important for me to be advocate in the medical field for underserved populations.