Kennesaw State University

Three sisters born minutes apart, but vastly different in terms of interests and career goals, thought about going separate ways for college. In the end, the Okafor triplets found that Kennesaw State University fit all their needs and their varied degree pursuits: Angela in digital animation, Benita in chemistry, and Jessica in management.

Diagnosed with fibular hemimelia, a condition in which a child is born missing part of or all of a bone in a lower leg, Adam Kiel received his first prosthesis at 11 months old. Now, through the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program at KSU, Kiel is pursuing a career as a prosthetist, hoping to use his lived experience to reach others.

Isabelle Boughadou traded a life of training elite athletes for a future as a researcher in biomedical science. She earned a master's degree in exercise science from Kennesaw State University while conducting award-winning research on maternal health, a turn from her original destination conducting research in high-performance sports.

Gabby Miller, Juliane Balog, and Zaire Breedlove had never gone to the Georgia State Capitol before, let alone covered a committee meeting during the General Assembly's legislative session. Undeterred, the trio of Kennesaw State journalism students hit the ground running at the start of their internships last semester with the Center for Sustainable Journalism.

This summer, Corey Mack is trading the classroom for a cyber command center. The Kennesaw State University computer engineering and cybersecurity dual major has been selected for the prestigious VICEROY MAVEN Internship, a Department of Defense program focused on cutting-edge research in cybersecurity and electromagnetic spectrum operations.

A dual major in biochemistry and psychology, Emily Clarke has taken the road less traveled at Kennesaw State. The rising junior is working toward a career in cognitive neuroscience and engaging in interdisciplinary research, with one hand in the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the other in the College of Science and Mathematics.

DarVarous Jones and Charlotte McClung became the latest Kennesaw State students to earn their degrees as beneficiaries of the Paul Radow Scholars Program. The program was established in 2014 by longtime KSU benefactor Norman Radow in honor of his late father, Paul, an accomplished NASA engineer.

KSU sophomore Valeria Ruiz won the Perfect Pitch Competition at the 2025 American Marketing Association (AMA) International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans. Tasked with telling a panel of judges in 90 seconds what makes them the ideal candidate for a job, Ruiz bested nearly 600 students from around the U.S. and the world for first place.

George Chavez, Allison Behrend and Charlene Font have all received scholarships to prestigious dance workshops. Chavez will attend the Professional Intensive Summer Division at the Alvin Ailey School in New York City, while Behrend and Font travel to the American Dance Festival at Duke University.

Sean Spencer has been named to the MetropolisFuture100, recognizing the top architecture and interior design students across the U.S. and Canada who demonstrate design excellence and leadership. Spencer was nominated by KSU's Department of Architecture based on his academic performance, creative portfolio, and leadership within the program.

KSU graduating senior Kaden Buford likes being hands-on with exercise science, immersing in a clinical environment and helping people heal from injuries. Her classmate Kayla Anderson prefers research, delving into the scientific "why" using data, experiments, and observation. Together, they form a formidable team studying effective measures of muscle function.

Equipped with robust internship experiences, the leaders of the Kennesaw State University Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) are full steam ahead into their careers after graduating this week with Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance degrees. SMIF CEO Matthew Brown and COO Hannah Hunt have landed jobs with competitive companies.

While enrolled in the educational leadership doctoral program at Kennesaw State University, full-time assistant principal and mother of two Jennifer Wilson had classes to take and research papers and discussion posts to write. Graduating this May, Wilson will be the first in her family to have earned a doctorate.

Matt Eaton had to convince himself that he could be what he wanted to be - an engineer specializing in robotics. This week, Eaton - his self-doubts long removed - is graduating with an engineering degree, a Master of Intelligent Robotic Systems from Kennesaw State University's Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

Graduating senior Maya Patel packed four years of college life into just three years. She took a rigorous course load as an Honors student, carried a 4.0 grade-point average in biology, belonged to several organizations, served in multiple leadership roles, and was a laboratory assistant for a research project designed to entice younger people to donate blood.

A semifinalist for the Fulbright Student Program, Bon Varlet is keenly interested in using her skills to ward off cyber threats, work that reflects her commitment to global collaboration and digital protection. Her proposed project not only explores digital defense strategies but also examines the political, social, and economic factors that influence cybersecurity policy.

Anh Duong, a senior majoring in computer science, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the President's Award of Distinction. The award has been established to celebrate the accomplishments of one exceptional graduating student each semester "who serves as an inspiration to their peers, their community, and the entirety of Owl Nation."

The Wellstar-Tom and Betty Phillips Elite Honors Nursing Scholars program aims to produce top-notch nurses who benefit from a strong emphasis on academic scholarship. Each scholar belongs to the KSU Journey Honors College and participates in nursing-focused research projects in addition to rigorous curriculum in the Wellstar School of Nursing.

Ella Goode and Allisa George received the Siegel Outstanding Student Leader Scholarship, celebrating students who reflect the true spirit of servant leadership and a commitment to helping others rise alongside them. The Tumlin Rising Leader Scholarship, which honors a student who embodies living a leadership lifestyle, was awarded to Aliyah Johnson.

The Division of Student Affairs hosted its 10th annual Student Leadership Awards at the Carmichael Student Center, honoring exceptional students for their commitment to serving and bettering the KSU community. This year's awards committee received more than 365 nominations across individual student, program, and student organization categories.

Students at Kennesaw State University are often led to research through personal connections, demonstrating how passion can spark action. Student researchers presented their findings at the Spring Symposium of Student Scholars, a three-day event hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research that allows students to explain their work in a public forum.

Computer science student Mason Pederson is contributing to an initiative between Cobb County public safety officials and KSU's Cooperative Human-AI Teaming Lab. The collaboration explores artificial intelligence-driven approaches to community behavioral health, enabling Pederson to lead a focused effort on mental health crisis response.

Andrew Bramlett is well beyond his years, recalling history like a scholar who has long been in the field, longer than his lifetime. At 19 years old, Bramlett sits on the Kennesaw Historic Preservation Commission. A decade ago, he was appointed vice president of the Kennesaw Historical Society and served in the role until the group disbanded in 2023.

Imani Adenuga dove into research immediately upon arrival at KSU last fall, landing in the lab of chemistry professor Daniela Tapu where she took on a project involving sustainable catalysts. It constituted a huge leap for a freshman, given that the project is grounded in organic chemistry, a critical class for chemistry majors that she hasn't taken yet.

Senior architecture students Sean Spencer and Michael Rixom earned silver in Commercial Architecture/Cultural/Educational Architecture for "A Framed Story," a sustainable, community-driven architecture project based in Marietta Square. They were selected among submissions from more than 80 countries.

Kennesaw State University junior Siam Sarower has been awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, one of the highest honors bestowed on undergraduate STEM students. The sixth Goldwater Scholar from KSU, Sarower was chosen from a pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors representing 445 institutions nationwide.

An undercurrent of restlessness and curiosity fuels Jess Maillet. The nontraditional, first-generation Kennesaw State University student has embraced change at every turn, from leaving her longtime restaurant job to enroll in college, to juggling several research projects across multiple disciplines as a mother of four.

Growing up, Luke Gamage was often captivated by video games and found himself pondering his own future as a game designer. Now a student in Kennesaw State University's College of Computing and Software Engineering, he has turned a class project into a design studio with its first game set to launch on Steam.

Kennesaw State construction management student Aria Lavender was recently honored with the Outstanding Student Award at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. Presented by the National Association of Home Builders, the award recognizes student members for their leadership, academic achievement, and dedication to the construction industry.

Kennesaw State University Honors student Allisa George isn't just studying science. She's using it to change lives. Inspired by her family's battle with Alzheimer's and her passion for health policy, George seeks a career as a physician and researcher at the intersection of neurology and public health.