Student Success Stories

Each year, Roosevelt University students are accepted into prestigious graduate schools and win awards in national and international competitions. We are pleased to share the accomplishment of our students with you.

If you know of someone who should be added to this list, please contact the Office of Public Relations at 312-341-3510.

Amy Kile received a science writing internship at Argonne National Labs, one of the nation’s largest science and research centers. Kile majored in science as an undergraduate. She enjoyed laboratory work in her field but decided she wanted to write. She was accepted at Roosevelt University where she went on to receive her master’s in journalism, with honors, on May 17.

Rachel Allen, who just received her bachelor’s degree in music and voice, came all the way from Napa, California to attend Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Allen has appeared in two operas, Johnny Gianni and The Magic Flute, and sang with the Western Suburban Symphony this past April. She is scheduled to sing with the Wheaton Symphony in July. Rachel plans to return to Roosevelt in the fall to pursue her master’s degree and then it’s off to New York to pursue a profession as an opera singer.

Kristy Yundt, a recent Roosevelt graduate, has been accepted into the School of Nuclear Medicine Technology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital beginning August 2003.

Elementary education major Juliana Paz furthered her understanding of nutrition and Mexican culture over the summer thanks to an internship she received from the National Science Foundation. Paz, 20, a Scholars Teach and Reach (STAR) student in her third year at Roosevelt, was among 15 students, and the only education major in the country, selected for the internship from a pool of 160 applicants from across the nation. She and four others studied calcium intakes and bone densities in rural vs. urban areas, and the group concluded based on testing that rural residents take in more calcium and have stronger bones because they eat more homemade corn tortillas than their urban counterparts, who are more likely to eat store-bought, chemically-enhanced tortillas. In addition, Paz did her own study on women’s status in the rural Mexican community of Nepopoalco where she stayed during July. “It was a great opportunity for me, and I really felt like I made a connection to the people in Nepopoalco,” said Paz, who is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and among the first generation in her family to pursue a college degree. “It was great to be able to see the kind of rural community that my parents grew up in,” she said. Linda Pincham, assistant professor of education and director of the STAR program, said she wasn’t surprised Paz had been selected for the competitive internship. “She’s an intelligent young lady who is motivated, humble and respected by her peers,” said Pincham.

Jan Schultheiss has been an excellent and involved student. While attending the University from 1999 through May 2003, he was an art history major, Roosevelt Scholar, member of the Franklin Honor Society and the Green Key Society, the Outstanding Student of the Year in 2002 and a student trustee on the Roosevelt University Board of Trustees. Now, one year after his graduation, Schultheiss has been accepted into Harvard University where he is working on a master’s degree in urban planning at the Harvard Design School. As an urban planner, Schultheiss hopes to one day take a leadership role in the quest for social, economic and environmental change and to help make communities more livable. “Roosevelt University has helped me develop an inquisitive mind and to be passionate about my studies,” said Schultheiss, a German national who is currently looking for financial support in order to attend the Harvard program. “These are some of the necessary ingredients that I hope will help me at Harvard,” he said.

Tanya Butvinnik knew very little English when she immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in 1997. While she studied long hours, first at Niles West High School and later at Oakton Community College, her hard work paid off in May when Butvinnik, an honors business major with a 4.0 grade point average, became the 65,000th graduate of Roosevelt University. “I’m ready to move on to the next stage and to see where life takes me,” said Butvinnik, who received her diploma on the Auditorium Theatre stage from Roosevelt Trustee Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, the granddaughter of the late Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, for whom the University is named. Butvinnik, who has plans to pursue a graduate degree, was feted by Roosevelt University President Charles R. Middleton, who called Butvinnik “hardworking, determined and a typical Roosevelt University student.” As she received her diploma from Roosevelt, Butvinnik’s family cheered. “You always want your kids to do better than you,” said Yelena Butvinnik, Tanya’s mother. “She’s a great kid and I’m proud of her.”

Graduate accounting major Gwenae Jackson realized a dream this summer as an accounting intern with the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Jackson, who received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Roosevelt in December 2003, was competitively selected for the paid internship that ran from June 2 through Sept. 2. “I was honored to be chosen for the position,” said Jackson, who has been a straight A student throughout college, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average in her graduate studies. Jackson, who will graduate in May 2005, is planning to work on her Ph.D. in accounting, and hopes to become a certified public accountant and certified internal auditor. During her internship, Jackson assisted the CBOT with implementation of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, which includes a set of new, more stringent corporate reporting requirements and disclosures put in place by Congress as a result of large, well publicized financial frauds including the Enron scandal. She also assisted with fixed asset review and testing of payroll system updates at the CBOT.

Before earning her second bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt in May, biology major Anastasia Khoubaeva began applying to medical schools. Little did she know then that she would be accepted by all eight schools she applied to! “I come from a family where science has been a tradition,” said Khoubaeva, who received her bachelor’s degree in biology and is now attending medical school at Boston University. The daughter of a nuclear physicist and the granddaughter of a brain surgeon, Khoubaeva came to America from Russia in 1993. A year after arriving, she enrolled in the University’s Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration where she earned her first bachelor’s degree with a 4.0 grade point average in 1997. Upon graduation, she went to work for Scudder/Kemper Investments, rising in four years from a staff accountant to assistant vice president and manager over 18 people. However, Khoubaeva didn’t feel she was making enough of a difference in the lives of others. She decided to change careers, enrolling in the University’s undergraduate biology program where she aced her science courses, received the Share Family Fellowship in the healing arts, and became fascinated while working in a University internship at Louis Weiss Memorial Hospital. Now she is among a growing number of students at the University who have opted to go on to medical school. Some of these students, all recent graduates of the University’s graduate program in biotechnology, include: Laura Dougherty, attending medical school at Drexel University in Philadelphia; Flora Levin, enrolled in medical school at the University of Nevada; and Paula Skowronski, admitted to dental school at Southern Illinois University. “Roosevelt University has reached me through its extraordinary diversity and its singular tradition of learning,” said Khoubaeva. “I am privileged to count myself among its distinguished graduates.”

The Rev. Thao Xuan Nguyen already had composed more than 200 sacred songs for the Vietnamese Catholic Church when he enrolled in 2002 in the master’s music composition program in Chicago College of Performing Arts. A 29-year Franciscan priest who lived at St. Peter’s Church in Chicago during his studies, Nguyen overcame the difficulties of working in English to compose 10 new works including The Light and the Canticle of the Creatures, a full cantata for voices and orchestra. “In his home country, Thao is a celebrated music composer who has written books on singing and conducting,” said Stacy Garrop, assistant professor of composition. “During the time he has studied with me, he has been extremely dedicated and a joy to work with.” Nguyen, 58, received his master’s degree in music composition in May. He is considering working on a doctorate before returning to Vietnam to teach and write more music.

James F. Taylor was the oldest graduate to receive a degree in the spring Class of 2003. Taylor, a substance abuse counselor who is 70 years old, received his masters degree in sociology with a concentration in gerontology. When asked, “Why gerontology?” Mr. Taylor responded, “My age! Long term care is the wave of the future and I knew I wanted to learn about it.”

Denise Renee Avant realized a lifelong dream when she recently received an internship at the Chicago Reporter. Avant, who has been blind since birth, graduated with honors this semester with a master’s degree in journalism. She credits the new adaptive technology, such as computer voice technology, and support from Roosevelt’s Disability Services Office and Learning and Support Services for playing a large role in her successfully completing her master’s degree

John Waugaman, an undergraduate student in the College of Education has been awarded a Chicago Public Schools Fellowship. He will be working in the CPS Summer School Program with a master teacher.

The Roosevelt University student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (RU-SHRM) has earned the Superior Merit Award for the 2002-2003 school year. The chapter, led by Robert McPherson, chapter president, was one of 99 chapters out of 400 to earn this award.

A senior from Casablanca, Morocco, Mohamed Reda Elkhadiri was named Student Employee of the Year at the recent Employee Recognition Ceremony. A part-time operator in the Educational Technology Resource Center here at Roosevelt University, Elkhadiri is majoring in computer science and mathematics and has a 4.0 GPA.

Marcia Wade has been awarded an internship with Black Enterprise magazine. Wade, who just stepped down as the editor and chief of The Torch, Roosevelt’s student newspaper, was chosen from among 600 applicants for this very prestigious internship. She graduated on May 17 with a master’s in journalism and heads to New York in June to begin her internship.

Carolyn Stevenson has accepted a full-time tenure track position as assistant professor of rhetoric and communication at East West University in Chicago. Stevenson was also co-presenter with Valerie Janesick, department chair and doctoral program director in Educational Leadership and Organizational Change, at the Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association. Their session was entitled: Making Sense of Qualitative Data: Analyzing Interview Transcripts, Observations, Research Reflective Journals and Archivals Documents and Photographs. Stevenson received her doctorate in education in January 2003 from Roosevelt University.

Inesa Synkevich, a graduate piano student in Roosevelt’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, won first prize in the 49th Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona in March 2003. Ms. Synkevich was among 79 pianists who were invited to compete in the competition. Ukrainian by birth, she is a citizen of Israel and studied at the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. She is currently a student of Professor Solomon Mikowsky.

Brian Mastenbrook, a member of Roosevelt’s Scholars Program double majoring in Computer Science and Math, has been awarded a Chancellor’s Fellowship from Indiana University. This is Indiana’s most prestigious graduate award. He will receive free tuition to study computer science plus $20,000 a year for five years. Brian, at the age of 18, is the youngest graduate to date to receive a degree from Roosevelt University.

Indriani Dermawan had an abstract accepted for oral presentation at the 50th Annual Society of Nuclear Medicine Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 21-25, 2003.

Pauline Barlow placed first in the Lawyer’s Assistant Program’s 2002 Eleanor Roosevelt Scholarship Essay Competition. Ms. Barlow, who is currently pursuing her paralegal certificate in the Lawyer’s Assistant Program, received her Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Roosevelt University. She is a National Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor, and is presently working full-time as a program supervisor of relative and traditional foster care for the Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois. Her essay was titled, “Violation of a Sacred Trust: Sexually Abusive Church Leaders and the Responsibilities of the Church.”

Sun Ha Kim, a second-year graduate student who studies with Ludmila Lazar, won first prize in the Society of American Musicians Competition. Ms. Kim won in the Collegiate Division of this regional competition, where she competed with pianists from DePaul and Northwestern University, as well as other institutions.

Heather Voight, a member of the Roosevelt Scholars Program, with a double major in History and English, has received a four-year scholarship from the University of Rochester to attend graduate school and study English. She will also have a teaching assistantship after her first year.

George Velev, who is graduating May 2003, received a Fellowship from the University of Chicago to pursue his Masters in International Relations. He is student trustee on Roosevelt University’s Board of Trustees.

Cheryl Brooks has been accepted to several medical schools.

Harry Lesner, a student in the Bachelor of General and Professional Studies program, received the Rose and Jacob Reichler Award for the Outstanding Bachelor of General Studies Senior Thesis. His thesis examines the erosion of civil liberties and issues of constitutional law in the face of post-9/11 American society. He presented his thesis at the Counter Terrorism and Civil Liberties Conference in late March.