Kennesaw State University

Growing up with an interest in space exploration, Casey Hampson knew physics would take him a long way. The Kennesaw State University rising junior has fulfilled that promise, as one of 15 students from the United States selected for a research opportunity this summer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Looking to make a difference for years to come, the Interfraternity Council has established Kennesaw State's first scholarships by students for students. The IFC's contribution - with a match from the KSU Foundation - will result in two $25,000 endowed scholarships providing $1,000 per student annually beginning in Fall 2025.

Sarah Chang achieved the goal of her self-designed academic journey - bachelor's degrees in biology and music performance from Kennesaw State University. "Even though it might not be traditional and it took me an extra year, my professors and advisors were really supportive and helped me out a lot," said Chang, who also was a KSU Journey Honors College student.

Kim Amaya, who came to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was only 3, has worked hard to afford herself the types of opportunities her parents didn't have. Amaya has worked as many as three jobs at a time while attending college, as she prepares for a career as a teacher and becomes the first person in her family to graduate college.

Theatre and performance studies student Lance Avery Brown has appeared in multiple Kennesaw State productions, formed a freestyle improv troupe, and written and workshopped two original hip-hop musicals. Brown also has served as a peer leader for the Juvenile Justice School System, collaborating with students to tell their stories using poetry and songwriting.

The Spring 2024 Symposium of Student Scholars drew more than 1,000 attendees, providing a stage for undergraduate and graduate students at Kennesaw State University to present their research projects. The biannual event hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research featured 319 projects submitted by 587 students.

One thing always guides Tracey Graves' endeavors: service. Graves has volunteered to help underprivileged children in Los Angeles while working as an actor, traveled to Zambia with the Peace Corps, and now sits on a nonprofit board there helping to pay girls' way through school. She and her sister recently formed a nonprofit organization in memory of their grandmother.

Lexie Thrasher was captivated by a presentation on the chemistry behind hair dye, which she found more interesting than her day job as a hairdresser. Thrasher would find her way to Kennesaw State University, where that lesson led her to seek a chemistry degree and conduct prize-winning research in assistant professor Mohammad Halim's laboratory.

The Graduate College held its ninth annual 3-Minute Thesis competition, tasking master's and doctoral students with presenting their research to a non-specialist audience within a strict three-minute timeframe. A master's student in exercise science and one in information technology were recognized with the top awards.

While still a junior in high school, Tahsin Kazi started emailing professors at Kennesaw State asking to join a research team. His research endeavors since then have included working alongside senior graduate students on GlucoCheck, a device using light shown through a finger or an ear lobe to determine blood sugar level.

Exercise science master's student Lacey Harper has thrived as a graduate research assistant at KSU. Along with the important mission of improving the health of older women, Harper has immersed herself in the data analysis of her various projects as well as the hands-on aspects of studying the effects of exercise.

Kennesaw State University has named nearly 5,900 students to the President's List in recognition of their academic excellence for the Fall 2023 semester. To achieve this honor, each undergraduate student must have completed at least nine semester hours with a term grade point average of 4.0.

Kennesaw State congratulates the more than 8,000 Owls named to the University's Dean's List, which recognizes students for their academic achievement during the Fall 2023 semester. Undergraduate students enrolled in at least nine credit hours and with a term grade point average of at least 3.5 were named to the list.

At Kennesaw State University's Fall Analytics Day, Desyne Martinez's project told a powerful personal story through data. Martinez, a senior majoring in mathematics, presented his semester research project on stage 3 of multiple myeloma, a rare form of bone marrow cancer his father is battling.

Taking advantage of dual enrollment, Amari Cody was a college junior when she came to Kennesaw State to pursue a bachelor's degree. Only 16 months later, the KSU Journey Honors College student graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and looks forward to working on a Master of Social Work at Kennesaw State in Fall 2024.

In just three semesters at Kennesaw State, sophomore Ra'Nya Malone has made an impact. She joined a chemistry professor's laboratory, co-authored a published paper in a prestigious journal, spent a summer in a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates, and presented her research at KSU's Symposium of Student Scholars.

Maria Gonzalez said her parents are proud she is the first one in her extended family to graduate from college. Plus, they are in awe of her journey from a 9-year-old little girl in a new country, to the woman she is today earning a civil engineering degree with honors from Kennesaw State.

Competing with a prosthetic leg, Mary Tankersley has placed in the top 5 of multiple national and international competitions in sport climbing. Tankersley, whose right leg was amputated after a bone cancer diagnosis, developed a passion for sport climbing two years ago and quickly elevated to one of the world's best.

As a teenager, Issa Solis found a community in the world of theater. At Kennesaw State University, she connected with the concept of immersive storytelling, telling her own story and helping others tell theirs. Solis is graduating with a bachelor's in theatre and performance studies, as well as a slew of experiences in building community through theater.

KSU student Jordan St. Louis is using high-tech imaging technology to improve the safety of law enforcement officers and the community. His company, Generalized Robotics, founded during his freshman year, has created a 360-degree police camera called Patrol Buddy Go and has found its first client.

Kennesaw State was the first university Temi Aladegbemi visited for a tour, and from the moment she arrived on the Marietta Campus, she knew her place was in the College of Architecture and Construction Management. A first-generation college graduate, Aladegbemi sought out new experiences and encourages others to do the same.

The mood was festive, with music pumping, a palpable competitive energy in the air and 10-pound pumpkins flying down the field. Kennesaw State's 13th annual Pumpkin Launch was a huge success by all measures as engineering students launched pumpkins from hand-built trebuchets.

Kennesaw State University student Edwin Trejo-Rivera said that having opportunities to conduct research is an experience he never expected to have at an undergraduate level. The junior psychology major not only had that opportunity but also presented his research on a global scale at the Interamerican Congress of Psychology in Paraguay.

Kennesaw State congratulates the 982 Owls named to the University's Dean's List, which recognizes students for their academic achievement during the Summer 2023 semester. Undergraduate students enrolled in at least nine credit hours and with a term grade point average of at least 3.5 were named to the list.

Kennesaw State University has named 971 students to the President's List in recognition of their academic excellence for the Summer 2023 semester. To achieve this honor, each undergraduate student must have completed at least nine semester hours with a term grade point average of 4.0.

The Birla Carbon Scholars Symposium marks the completion of an intensive summer research program that allows students to apply their studies toward sponsored projects under the guidance of Kennesaw State faculty mentors. The Birla Carbon scholars are chosen based on the recommendations of faculty members, submission of an undergraduate research project abstract, and a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Kennesaw State University student Emma Hunt has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics scheduled for Paris. Hunt, an exercise science major, earned her spot in the Olympics by winning a silver medal in the speed climbing world championship in Bern, Switzerland.

Baseball brought Kennesaw State student Yemi Agesin face-to-face with the leader of one of the world's leading technology companies, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook. The senior computer science major created a baseball game app that was selected as one of the top entries in Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference Swift Student Challenge.

To satisfy an elective course requirement for the KSU Journey Honors College, nursing major Trinity Johnson stumbled upon a class in data science. During that course, Johnson uncovered a raw talent for analytics and wound up being the youngest student to place in Kennesaw State's Analytics Day data science competition.

Throughout his journey at Kennesaw State University, Dalton Shaver found a unique passion that combines his interest in international affairs with his skills in math modeling. From an internship with the Air Force to undergraduate research on Operation Enduring Freedom, Shaver readied himself for a career in the defense industry.