The University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences has selected its outstanding graduating students for the 2012-13 academic year.
Each year, the A&S Scholarship Committee, which includes faculty members from each of the college's divisions, selects outstanding graduates from among top A&S students.
The names of the outstanding graduates have been engraved on a bronze plaque mounted in the lobby of the Arts and Sciences building. The students were recognized at the college's commencement ceremonies May 11.
"I have no doubt these students are among the best in the United States and am confident that they will be leaders in whatever vocation they choose," says Ollie Walter, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "I am proud that our fine university has contributed to their success."
The students, listed by hometown and major area of study, are:
Casper -- Gloria E. Wickman, anthropology.
Cheyenne -- Timothy C. Antinick, criminal justice and psychology; Jennifer E. Black, history and anthropology; Katherine Imig, communication; Ryan T. Ragaglia, political science and Spanish.
Cody -- Cheyenne M. Morrison, psychology.
Craig, Colo. -- Kirsten N. McAlexander, criminal justice and psychology.
Green River -- Kayli J. Westling, Spanish and communication.
Half Moon Bay, Calif. -- Stuart W. Smith, physics.
Jackson -- Mary L. Centrella, zoology and Spanish.
Laramie -- Stephen A. Bagley, mathematics and physics; Melissa G. Dozier, physiology; Anna J. Fahlsing, statistics and psychology; Charles S. Gibbs, history; Kali S. McCrackin, international studies and journalism; Annie R. Zhang, psychology.
Mills -- Clint D. Atkinson, wildlife and fisheries biology and management.
Powell -- Briana M. Johnson, English.
San Rafael, Calif. -- Sean P. Higgins, theatre.
Sheridan -- Bradley S. Boyles, Russian and philosophy.
Brief biographies of the students:
Timothy C. Antinick, Cheyenne -- A member of a military family, Antinick was born at F. E. Warren Air Force Base and grew up in Cheyenne. He is earning a minor in chemistry. He is a member of Golden Key Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi. After graduating from high school, he joined the United States Army and served two combat tours in Iraq. While attending UW, he received the Richardson Family Trust scholarship and the Oversees Combat Veteran scholarship. Antinick plans to attend graduate school to study forensic science, with the goal to work for a local or federal crime lab.
Clint D. Atkinson, Casper -- Atkinson graduated in December 2012. While attending UW, he conducted research comparing habitat quality and moose nutritional conditions across numerous Shiras moose herd units in Wyoming and Colorado. Atkinson received a Cheney Fellowship grant for international study in Kenya and is a member of Golden Key Honor Society. Currently, he is working with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to research Wyoming’s large carnivore species, primarily grizzly bears.
Stephen A. Bagley, Laramie -- Bagley is a member of the UW Honors Program and Golden Key honor society. While attending UW, he earned several scholarships, including the Howard H. Meady scholarship, the Robert Lagrange Memorial scholarship, the Dr. J. Ray Hannah scholarship, and the Carl A. Cinnamon Prize in Physics. In addition to his interest in mathematics, Bagley also is a gifted musician, playing both piano and clarinet and singing. He enjoys skiing, hiking and biking. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.
Jennifer E. Black, Cheyenne-- Black holds memberships in Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and the UW Honors Program. During her college career, she was selected as the UW representative for the Marshall Scholarship in 2012. She did field work in Romania, Croatia, Pompeii and Wyoming. While attending UW, she worked in the UW Athletics Department in both academic support and media relations, the Office of Institutional Analysis, and the State Historic Preservation Office. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in classic archaeology at either the University of California-Berkeley or Harvard University.
Bradley S. Boyles, Sheridan -- Following graduation from Sheridan High School, Boyles attended Sheridan College for one year, after which he joined the United States Army and became a paratrooper. While attending UW, he received several scholarships, including the Cheney Study Abroad scholarship, the UNIWYO FCU Study Abroad scholarship, and the James R. Burman scholarship. He and his wife, Lacey, have two children, Karlee and Adam. Upon graduation, Boyles will attend the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to work toward a master’s degree in labor studies.
Mary L. Centrella, Jackson -- Centrella graduated in December 2012. While attending UW, she was a member of the UW Honors Program and received several scholarships, including the Scholl Scholarship, the Frederic E. Clements Scholarship in Ecology, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. Centrella did undergraduate research in which she described four new species of parasitic wasps and worked on plant-pollinator interactions. She will enter a doctoral degree program in entomology at Cornell University this fall.
Melissa G. Dozier, Laramie -- Dozier conducted undergraduate research in which she looked at actin regulation of hormone secretion in pituitary gonadotropes. She also is earning a minor in sociology. While attending UW, she received the Dr. and Mrs. Linda Baker Pre-medicine scholarship. Her hobbies include snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking. After graduation, Dozier plans to attend medical school at the University of Washington and then return to Wyoming to practice medicine.
Anna J. Fahlsing, Rock Springs -- Fahlsing is a member of the UW Honors Program and Mortar Board, as well as Psi Chi, the international honors organization for psychology students. She worked with Associate Professor Suzanna Penningroth to study prospective memory (memory for intention), with an emphasis on social prospective memory. Fahlsing received several scholarships and awards during her UW career, including both the Outstanding Junior and Outstanding Senior in Psychology awards. She plans to attend Texas A&M University to work toward a Ph.D. in psychology. She minored in professional writing.
Chad S. Gibbs, Laramie -- Gibbs is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key Honor Society, Phi Alpha Theta (the honor program for history students), and the Salute Veterans Honor Society. He served in the United States Army for more than eight years, and, after being wounded in Iraq in 2006, he chose to retire from the Army in 2009. While attending UW, Gibbs concentrated on Holocaust and genocide studies, focusing on perpetrator motivation and ideology. Nominated for the Tobin as UW’s outstanding graduating male student, Gibbs also was a McNair Scholar.
Sean P. Higgins, San Rafael, Calif. -- Higgins is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key Honor Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the UW Honors Program. He has worked professionally as a company member at both the Livermore Shakespeare Festival in California and the Idaho Repertory Theatre. He was selected as a finalist for the Irene Ryan Acting award at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and he received the Department of Theatre and Dance Jack Oakie Memorial Award for Excellence. Higgins will attend the Yale University School of Drama.
Katherine A. Imig, Cheyenne -- Imig is a member of Cardinal Key Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi. She has always enjoyed singing and participated in all city children’s chorus in Cheyenne and also was involved with school choir, beginning in elementary school and continuing throughout high school. While attending UW, Imig worked with Heaven Fest, a Christian music festival in Colorado. She is earning a minor in graphic design. Imig is interested in serving as a public relations professional and graphic designer for nonprofit organizations.
Briana M. Johnson, Powell -- Johnson is a member of the UW Honors Program. Before coming to UW, she attended Tulane University. The oldest of six children, Johnson has worked in museums and archives, spaces that she says she very much enjoys. After graduation, she plans to move to Phoenix, Ariz., in search of a career.
Kirsten N. McAlexander, Craig, Colo. -- McAlexander is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the Golden Key Honor Society. After gaining experience working in a treatment facility, she hopes to complete a Ph.D. in psychology and counsel troubled youth. She enjoys spending time outdoors and reading. McAlexander also likes to bake and would like to spend the next couple of years exploring cake decorating.
Kali S. McCrackin, Laramie -- McCrackin was a nominee for the Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri award as UW’s outstanding graduating female student and is a member of the UW Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa, and Golden Key Honors Society. McCrackin did an independent study on education and language in Tanzania. In addition to her double major, McCrackin minored in French and creative writing. She recently received certification to teach English as a second language and plans to move to South Korea for a year to teach English. McCrackin is interested in a career in journalism or as a communications coordinator.
Cheyenne M. Morrison, Cody -- Morrison is a member of the UW Honors Program, and her main area of research at UW has been aggression and bystander behavior in adolescent bullying. She enjoys hiking, reading, listening to music and being outdoors. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to study psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Eventually, Morrison hopes to work with children who have autism and help create a school setting in which children with disabilities are better accepted and accommodated.
Ryan T. Ragaglia, Cheyenne -- Ragaglia was named an outstanding graduate of the Department of Political Science. He is a member of the UW Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Mortar Board and Iron Skull. Ragaglia has focused on preparing himself for a vocation in international relations. After studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, Ragaglia decided that he wanted to become a polyglot and has studied Spanish, French and Portuguese for several years. He is receiving a minor degree in European studies.
Stuart W. Smith, Half Moon Bay, Calif. -- Smith is a member of the UW Honors Program and has received several scholarships and honors while attending UW, including the Carl A. Cinnamon Prize in Physics. After graduating from Jackson Hole Community School, Smith came to UW, bringing with him two great loves, physics and snowboarding, both of which he continues to avidly pursue. He is receiving a minor degree in philosophy. After graduation, Smith plans to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study physics.
Kayli J. Westling, Green River -- Westling graduated in December 2012. While attending UW, she spent summers studying abroad in Northern Ireland, Honduras and Spain, and she completed three internships in public affairs. Last spring, Westling earned a Gold Congressional Medal before traveling to India to study Hindi through the Critical Language Scholarship with the U.S. Department of State. Last fall, Westling worked at the United States embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she focused on cross-cultural communication and interethnic conflict. Westling minored in international studies.
Gloria E. Wickman, Casper -- Wickman is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and the UW Honors Program. She always has had an interest in languages and linguistics and enjoyed learning French, for which she is receiving a minor, while studying anthropology. While attending UW, she received many scholarships. After graduation, Wickman plans to study linguistics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Annie R. Zhang, Laramie -- Zhang holds memberships in Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key Honor Society and Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology students. While attending UW, she received several scholarships and was given the Outstanding Junior in Psychology award. Annie also worked as an assistant in the Anxiety Disorders Research Laboratory, where she focused on obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia and panic disorder. Zhang enjoys playing piano and figure skating. After graduation, she plans to attend the clinical psychology Ph.D. program at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.
