2016 Scholarship and Awards Ceremony Recipients

Thursday, April 21st, 2016, 3:30pm, Neill Hall 5W

Scholarships and awards are given each year to students with high academic achievement and are possible because of the generosity of our donors. We deeply appreciate the financial contributions from each donor. The history of each scholarship and its donor may be found on the department scholarships page.

Please read about our outstanding scholarship recipients for 2016.
Click on any photo to view a larger image of the same photo.

Martijn Oostrom received an Ames Family Scholarship in Mathematics

Martijn is a senior majoring in mathematics from Richland, Washington. He was valedictorian of his high school graduating class, and is the past recipient of a WSU Marianne Hawley Fessler Endowment in Mathematics Award, a National Merit Commended College Board Award, an Ellen Hauge Abelson Endowment Award, a Kiwanis Top Senior Award, a King Douglas W. Endowment Scholarship, a WSU Regent Scholarship, and was recently awarded Resident of the Year by WSU's Community/Duncan Dunn residence hall. This is his second semester being a Cougar Connector (tour guide) for the university, often conducting tours up to three times a week to prospective students and their families. He has been a WSU math tutor in the Math Learning Center, an undergraduate teaching assistant in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and is treasurer of the Math Club. After receiving his undergraduate degree in mathematics, he plans to attend graduate school to obtain a PhD in Mathematics.

Dylan Jones received a Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship Award

Dylan is from Seattle, Washington and plans on becoming an actuary. Out of high school he worked for a short time in a grocery store and then began washing dishes at a local cafe. He worked his way up, eventually helping to manage the cafe. In the process he helped set up a new point of sale system, did troubleshooting of technical issues, programmed equipment, handled cash flows, and ordered inventory as needed. During this time in the cafe he was also working as an assistant to a Seattle financial manager, which is where his interest in actuarial science began. He is a member of the Elks Club supporting scholarships, youth clubs, and youth sports. After graduating from WSU, he plans to complete actuarial exams and would like to be employed as an actuary with a company in western Washington.

Chance Mair received a Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship Award

Chance is from Marysville, Washington and was valedictorian of his high school graduating class. He is a WSU Distinguished Regents Scholarship recipient, a Washington State Opportunity Scholarship recipient, a Marysville Rotary Scholarship recipient, a Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship recipient and is on the WSU President's Honor Roll. He is also the recipient of a Washington State United States Bowling Congress "Joe Weber Scholarship," a Snohomish County United States Bowling Congress Male Bowler of the Year Scholarship, and a Boeing Honors Freshman Scholarship. He is an avid bowler and member of the WSU Bowling Club as well as a member of the WSU Math Club. In addition, he does volunteer work with the United Way of Snohomish County. After graduation, he plans to attend graduate school or go into research. He would like to further his education in the mathematics/science field and use his knowledge to help discover new methods of diagnosing or researching Autism-related symptoms. Five years after graduation, he plans to have completed graduate school and be in the beginning stage of a mathematical based career, and also have some free time to compete on the Professional Bowlers Tour.

Gator Newell received a Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship Award

Gator Newell is a sophomore majoring in mathematics from Selah, Washington. He is a member of the Honors College and a Distinguished Regents Scholar. His summers include working in an orchard anywhere from 5-12 hours a day, and packing and loading pear and cherry bins. He has been a volunteer counselor at 4-H Camp Twin Lakes since the age of 13. He has worked on the Daily Evergreeen staff, and plans to graduate with a degree in mathematics and pursue a career in actuarial science. Five years after graduation he would like to attend graduate school.

Nicholas Cowan received a Paul and Marjorie Clement Memorial Mathematics Scholarship

Nicholas is from Vancouver, Washington and attended Fort Vancouver High School. He earned his AA degree with honors from Clark Community College and transferred from WSU Vancouver where he was on the President's Honor Roll, to WSU Pullman. He has been a volunteer at Tree Song Nature Awareness and Retreat Center. He would like to complete his master's degree to teach mathematics at the community college level.

Sabrina Judson received a Paul and Marjorie Clement Memorial Mathematics Scholarship

Sabrina is a junior from Spokane, Washington. She was valedictorian of her graduating class from North Central High School, is a recipient of a Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, Leadership 1000 Scholarship, Jeanne and David McGoldrick Scholarship, Inland Northwest Wildlife Council Scholarship, and a North Central High Education Foundation Scholarship. Last year she received a Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship Award. She is active in the WSU Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and WSU Pre-Pharmacy Club. She has a seat saved for the WSU Pharmacy School through their Save A Seat Program, and plans to become a pharmacist working either in a hospital or in research. She is contemplating obtaining a PhD.

Paula Kimmerling received a William and Mary Lynn Graber Mathematics Development Endowment Fund Award

Paula is a junior majoring in mathematics from Mukilteo, Washington. She is the recipient of a WSU Regents Scholarship. She has been active in the WSU Tae Kwon Do Club for the past year and a half and was elected to serve as club co-president this spring. During WSU breaks, and summers, she works as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the Mukilteo YMCA. She has also worked part-time for the past 3 years for a company called Pangeo. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school at WSU so that she can teach at the college level. She would then like to pursue her PhD in mathematics.

Kayla Rhodes received a William and Mary Lynn Graber Mathematics Development Endowment Fund Award

Kayla is a junior from Federal Way, and attended Decatur High School. She is double majoring in math and computer science and is a member of the Honors College. She is the recipient of a WSU Regents Scholarship, a Julie Kerr Scholarship in Mathematics, a Mansno B. Fisher Memorial Fund Scholardhip, the Johnson Scholarship, an Honors College Scholarship, a Henry Neusse Scholarship, the Barbara G. Bethards Scholarship, the Federal Way Lion's Club Scholarship, and the Harold Curtis Scholarship. She is an undergraduate teaching assistant at the MLC, and has mentored new Honors students during the WSU Week of Welcome. She has been vice president and president of the Math Club, as well as a member of the Honors College Student Advisory Council. After graduation she would like to obtain a job in programming to utilize both her math and computer science skills.

Ryan Whitehead received a William and Mary Lynn Graber Mathematics Development Endowment Fund Award

Ryan is a senior from Arlington, Washington who graduated from Lakewood High School and is double-majoring in mathematics and mechanical engineering. He has maintained a 4.0 cumulative gpa while studying at WSU. He is the recipient of a Harrison Scholarship, a Lowry Scholarship and a National Merit Scholarship. He has volunteered with the Adopt a Highway program, a local food bank, and last summer he worked delivering pizzas. He is a an active member of the Cougar Marching Band. After graduation he plans to obtain a master's degree and would like to go into research.

Jarrick Wick received a William and Mary Lynn Graber Mathematics Development Endowment Fund Award

Jarrick is a senior majoring in mathematics from East Wenatchee. Not a stranger to hard work, he began delivering newspapers at age 8 until high school. During high school he worked in local fruit orchards and also coached an elementary school chess club. During high school he took first place in the district's STEM challenge, and received a medal and certificate from the Daughters of the American Revolution for his work in US History. He also received a commendation from the National Merit Scholarship program. He is the recipient of a WSU Distinguished Presidential Scholarship, a University Achievement Scholarship, a Henry Neusse Scholarship, a Lou & Ruth Allen Scholarship, and last year he received a Paul and Marjorie Clement Memorial Mathematics Scholarship. He has been a member of the Cougar Marching Band, and during the summers he returns to work in the local fruit orchards. He volunteered over 200 hours to the WSU Women's Transit before becoming a paid program leader. After graduation he would like to teach high school mathematics.

James Whitbread received the Julie Kerr Scholarship in Mathematics

James was valedictorian of his Colville High School graduating class. He is a Providence Mount Carmel Hospital Pre-Health Scholarship recipient, as well as the recipient of a WSU Regents Scholarship. He has been a member of the Cougar Marching Band, the WSU Volleyball Pep Band, the Men's Basketball Pep Band, the WSU Commencement Band, and the Symphonic Band. He founded the WSU National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) campus club, which is one of only three mental illness campus clubs in Washington state. He has been an undergraduate teaching assistant for Calculus III, and is a WSU Student Volunteer at Pullman Regional Hospital. He has successfully juggled these responsibilities while taking 17 credits and maintaining a cumulative 4.0 gpa. He would like to attend the University of Washington School of Medicine to become a physician and is interested in becoming a cardio-thoracic surgeon eventually practicing medicine in a rural under-served area.

Arill Bartrand received a Knebelman Outstanding Senior Award

Arill is a senior from Beverly, Washington, who graduated from Hanford High School. He has maintained a 3.99 cumulative gpa while double majoring in mathematics (applied option) and civil engineering. He is a member of the WSU Math Club, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Tau Beta Pi (the Engineering Honor Society), and the WSU Steel Bridge Team. In his spare time he likes to kayak, hike, camp and hunt. After he graduates he would like to be a structural engineer.

Philip Behrend received a Knebelman Outstanding Senior Award

Philip is a senior from Newport, Washington who is double majoring in mathematics and Spanish. He is a Distinguished Regents Scholar and a Boeing Scholar, and has received an Auvil Fellowship granted for undergraduate research. He has received a Charles Millham Award in Mathematics, an Alumni Leadership Award, a Vanderford Foreign Languages Award, and a WSU Buckley Honor Award. Last year, Philip received a Marianne Hawley Fessler Endowment in Mathematics Award and he currently works as a mathematical modeling research assistant with the Crowder Laboratory in the Entomology Department. He has also worked as a research intern at FSX Equipment performing mathematical analysis and chemical research. Last summer, Philip worked as a Quality Engineering intern for Boeing and will return to Boeing for a business rotation after graduation. He is an ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences and is Vice President of Community Service for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). Through the World Computer Exchange at WSU, Philip repairs donated computers for shipment to schools in Africa. He recently traveled to Guatemala to provide translation for a team of facial surgeons and dentists. After working in industry for a few years, Philip would like to pursue a Masters in Business Administration in Finance.

Gabriel Anderson received the Charles "Chuck" Millham Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics

Gabriel is a senior majoring in mathematics from Walla Walla, Washington. He has received a University Achievement Waiver, a Harold Curtis Civil Engineering Scholarship, a Des Voignes Music Scholarship, a David West Music Scholarship, a Mark Davis Memorial Music Scholarship, and a Robert and Nancy Strong Mathematics Scholarship. He has been an undergraduate teaching assistant in the MLC tutoring students and grading papers. He has volunteered his help in after school programs and taught private math lessons. As a music minor he has been involved in a WSU Opera Workshop, has been in the WSU Concert Choir, and has been a member of the WSU Jazz Band II and the WSU Symphonic Band. Last spring he joined the Madrigal Chamber Choir and last fall he joined the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. After graduation he would like to teach high school mathematics. Since he was on his high school swim team for four years, a lifeguard, and a swim instructor for three years, he would also like to be a swim team assistant coach. He plans on obtaining his master's degree within five years of graduation.

Laura Hester received the Charles "Chuck" Millham Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics

Laura is a senior from Leavenworth, Washington majoring in mathematics. Last year she received the Knebelmen Memorial Scholarship as well as a WSU Alumni Leadership Scholarship from the WSU Alumni Association. She is the recipient of a Michael and Elaine Bair Endowed Scholarship, a Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship, a Silver Regents Scholarship, and a scholarship from the Leavenworth Lions Club. At the end of her senior year in high school she received the Washington State Top GPA Award for being in the top 10% of Washington's graduating senior students, and also a Caribou Trail League Scholar Athlete Award for maintaining a 3.5 or better GPA while playing sports all four years in high school. During summer and winter breaks she works at Kris Kringl, a Leavenworth business, where she has served in many capacities including that of warehouse manager. In Pullman she volunteers at an elementary school to meet with students after class for math club. At WSU she is the head coach and Vice-President of the Women's Softball Club and privately tutors some of her team members so they can enjoy softball without worrying about their math grades. In addition, she is secretary of the WSU Pre-Service Teachers of Mathematics (PreToM) Club. After graduation she would like to obtain her master's degree in education to teach secondary mathematics, and while doing so she would like to play on a local softball team eventually becoming the team coach.

Kate Lanzinger received the Charles "Chuck" Millham Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics

Kate is a junior from Bellevue, Washington and is majoring in applied mathematics. She was the recipient of a Regents Scholar Award for academic achievement in high school, and received the Leona Metzger Endowed Scholarship for her interest in mathematics. Last year she received the Paul and Marjorie Clement Memorial Mathematics Scholarship. She is currently studying abroad in Switzerland for her minor in business administration and she received a Carson College International Business Scholarship to help offset the study abroad costs. Last fall she worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant in the MLC and last summer she worked at Avis, and Budget Car and Truck Rental. She was named top salesperson of the Avis office for the month of July and was in the top 100 in the company, nationally. She is captain of the WSU Women's Club Lacrosse team. This summer she will intern with Boeing's business program, and after gradution she hopes to use her math and business knowledge to work for a technology company or Boeing.

Annalise Miller received the Charles "Chuck" Millham Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics

Annalise is a senior from Federal Way, Washington majoring in mathematics. She has received a Boeing Endowed Scholarship for Underrepresented Undergraduates in the Sciences, a Meryl M. Mayo Business Scholarship, and a James Huber Memorial Entrepreneurship Scholarship. She was a Harold Frank Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute Fellow, and is a WSU Distinguished Regents Scholar. Last year she received a William and Mary Lynn Graber Mathematics Development Endowment Fund Award. She is an undergraduate teaching assistant for Linear Algebra and Discrete Structures and helps students in the MLC during her office hours. She likes using innovation and would like to use mathematics in operations research to solve real world problems after she graduates. She hopes to own her own company to focus on minimizing waste and optimizing processes used in agriculture and water purification.

Parker Dolezal received a Robert and Nancy Strong Scholarship in Mathematics

Parker is a sophomore from Connell, Washington majoring in mathematics. He is the recipient of a Future Cougs of Color Scholarship, and a University Achievement Waiver. He is a member of the WSU Student Conduct Board and works part-time in the Washington State University Horticulture Department while attending WSU. His schooling, job, and work on the WSU Student Conduct Board have kept him busy. His goal after graduation is to become a high school mathematics teacher in a school within the Washington State Columbia Basin. Five years after graduation he would like to be teaching mathematics at Connell High School, where he hopes to one day become its principal or superintendent.

Thomas Gilsrud received a Robert and Nancy Strong Scholarship in Mathematics

Thomas graduated from Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington. He is a junior majoring in mathematics, and he earned an AP Scholar with Distinction award for high exam results. He is a member of the Washington State University Mathematics Club and the Washington State University Actuarial Science Club. He has also been a member of the Washington State University League Club at WSU Vancouver. Five years after graduation he would like to have taken and passed all of the actuarial exams, and be employed as an actuary.

Michael Newsham received a Robert and Nancy Strong Scholarship in Mathematics

Michael is a junior majoring in mathematics from Eagle River, AK. He is the recipient of a National Merit Scholarship and last year received the Bell Outstanding Freshman Mathematics Award. In the Fall of 2014 he participated in the prestigious William Lowell Putnam Mathematics competition and placed in the top half of all nation-wide participants. He has worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Math 273, as well as a tutor in the MLC. He is active in community activities, especially through his involvement as an officer in the Knights of Columbus at the St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center in Pullman. He has held leadership positions in RSOs, serving as vice president of the WSU Math Club and formerly president of the WSU French Club. Additionally, he attends Honors Student Advisory Council meetings and events. After graduation he hopes to continue his education by obtaining a PhD in mathematics.

Stephanie Rasor received the J. Russell and Mildred H. Vatnsdal Memorial Scholarship

Stephanie is a senior from Shoreline, Washington. She has been on the WSU President's Honor Roll every semester at WSU, and as a result is the recipient of a University Achievement Award. She received a scholarship from the Boeing Endowment Fund for Women Engineers, and also a Johnson Scholarship offered through the Honors College. While at WSU she has been active in intramural sports participating in volleyball, dodge ball, soccer, badminton, and flag football. After graduation she will spend a semester student teaching, and then plans to substitute teach to gain more experience. Her goal is to teach high school mathematics in western Washinton and live in a small town where she can get to know her students.

Grace (Eleanor) Jones received a Richard and Bonnie Winkwenwerder Scholarship in Mathematics Award

Grace is a junior from Seattle, Washington majoring in mathematics. She is the recipient of a Boeing Outstanding Student in Science Award, a Johnson Honors Scholarship, a University Achievement Award, a Washington State Honors Award, and last year a Richard and Bonnie Winkwenwerder Scholarship in Mathematics Award. She has worked in a veterinary hospital, at her church, and recently as a nanny in the summer. She is vice president of the WSU Actuarial Science Club and recently attended two company visits in Seattle and Bellevue. Her goal is to become an actuary and she has begun studying for the actuarial science P exam, which she plans to take at the end of the summer. She also plans on taking more exams before graduating. After graduation she would like to work in consulting or for an insurance firm, as she continues to take actuarial exams. Five years after graduation she hopes to be on track to become an actuarial fellow.

Ben Rapone received a Sidney G. Hacker Graduate Research Award

Ben Rapone received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from California State University San Marcos, and his master's in mathematics from San Diego State University during which time he was a TA and subsequently taught at South Western Community College in Chula Vista. He returned to school to pursue a doctoral degree in mathematics with the ideal plan of teaching mathematics at the 4-year level while consulting for industry and conducting research intermittently. His dissertation focus is at the interface of optimization and topology with Bala Krishnamoorthy. He maintains a cumulative 4.0 gpa, and has recently been funded for research by the Oregon Health and Science University, which has allowed him to co-author a paper that is currently under review. He has also been selected by the NSF Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at UCLA for a graduate summer research internship in Berlin.

Min Ye received a Sidney G. Hacker Graduate Research Award

Min Ye (Jessie) comes from Yinchuan, a small city in the northwest of China. She received her bachelor’s degree from Beijing Forestry University and her master's degree in Wood Science from Oregon State University. As a graduate student who has been here for 3 years, she has become very passionate about math and statistics, even though her background began in a different field. She has finished her coursework and project toward a master’s in statistics and has begun pursuing a PhD in mathematics with an emphasis on statistics. She worked on projects with Dr. Jave Pascual during spring semester 2015, regarding the performance of different alarm rules to control charts for the quantile of Weibull distribution and also monitoring Weibull quantiles by EWMA charts. She collaborated on a paper about monitoring Weibull quantiles by EWMA charts based on a pivotal quantity on ancillary statistics which has been accepted for publication at the beginning of this year. After graduation she plans to go into industry to become a company analyst or data scientist.

Jillian Morrison received a Nancy J. Robertson Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Mathematics

Jillian Morrison was born and raised in the beautiful Caribbean nation of Belize. She has always been involved in many activities in Belize including tutoring elementary school children, teaching at the YWCA, and other volunteer programs. She pursued her undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Belize where she was President of the Math Club and was awarded the university’s Certificate of Academic Excellence upon graduation. She is now a second year PhD student in statistics working with Dr. Nairanjana Dasgupta focusing on modeling ordinal data. So far, she has been involved in many activities, some of which include representing the Department of Mathematics and Statistics graduate students as their senator in the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), while being elected as a District Representative for the College of Arts and Sciences for the next academic year. She represents graduate and professional students on the University Recreation Board where she advocates for better recreational activities, and sits on the Travel Grants Committee of the GPSA. She has made presentations for VIBES, WSU’s Engage the World Program, and the Cougar Quest Workshop. You ask her about teaching, research, and being an ambassador, and she will tell you, “Nothing makes me happier than seeing people smile, especially my students, and working toward making this world a better place to live.”

Patrick Torres received a Nancy J. Robertson Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Mathematics

Patrick Torres was born and raised on the tropical island of Saipan before moving to Seattle in 2000 where he lived for 13 years. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and master's degree in applied mathematics, both from the University of Washington. He then spent three years as a math instructor, tutor, and mentor at South Seattle College. He is now in his third year as a graduate student pursuing a PhD degree in applied mathematics under the supervision of Dr. Michael Tsatsomeros. His research interests include matrix theory, dynamical systems, and partial differential equations. His current research emphasis is on P-matrices and generalized matrix stability. He has been working with Dr. Tsatsomeros on developing criteria for the location of eigenvalues in certain sectors of the complex plane. Their research has resulted in a preprint that will be submitted for publication in the near future. This is the third consecutive year Patrick has received the Nancy J. Robertson Graduate Fellowship. Not only does Patrick find joy in helping students solve math problems, he is very passionate about unlocking the beauty of mathematics to his students in every course he teaches. Patrick’s current plan for the future includes teaching at a university and continuing mathematical research.