WSU Spokane’s graduating class of 2012

SPOKANE, Wash. – Nearly 440 students from Washington State University Spokane will be the first in the Spokane area to celebrate their successful degree completion during the 2012 commencement celebration at 2 p.m. Friday, May 4.
 
Chancellor Brian Pitcher will preside over the formal ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. in the INB Performing Arts Center at 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. All family, friends, and faculty are invited to attend; tickets are not required.
 
Background on the class of 2012
The graduating class of 2012 is represented by seven doctoral candidates in the areas of design, criminal justice, molecular biosciences and nursing and 80 professional candidates in pharmacy. Included in the class are members of the inaugural cohort of WWAMI Spokane first-year students. They are to receive doctorate of medicine degrees from the University of Washington, School of Medicine at a later ceremony in Seattle.
 
The 111 master’s candidates will receive degrees in architecture; coordinated program in dietetics, nutrition and exercise physiology; criminal justice; education; health policy and administration; interior design; teaching; nursing; nutrition and exercise physiology; and communication disorders/speech and hearing sciences – a joint Eastern Washington University/WSU program.
 
The 240 bachelor’s candidates will receive degrees in the areas of interior design; social sciences; nursing; nutrition and exercise physiology; and communication disorders/speech and hearing sciences – a joint EWU/WSU program.
 
The nursing baccalaureates total 147 students who will receive degrees from the WSU College of Nursing and its consortium partners EWU and Whitworth University. All baccalaureate nursing graduates receive joint degrees from WSU and from the institution at which they did their first two years of study.
 
The student spotlight
The following students were chosen to be highlighted during the 2012 WSU Spokane commencement ceremony based on nominations by faculty and peers:
 
Safa and Ahmad* Ahmed and Safa al-Husban, Interdisciplinary Design Institute, doctor of design degree
 
Ahmed and Safa al-Husban are husband and wife. They came to Spokane from Jordan in fall 2009 to study in the doctor of design program. During their 2 1/2 years here, they not only finished their coursework, exams and dissertations, but also raised four children.
 
With their degrees in hand, they look to go back to their home country and universities – Hashemite University and Al al-Bayt University – to teach and do research.
 
Contact info: safaalhusban@yahoo.com, alhusban2001@yahoo.com, 509-251-3119
 
Nominated by Jaime Rice, jlrice@wsu.edu, 509-358-7945
 
* Faye Mezengie, College of Nursing, bachelor of science degree in nursing
Faye Mezengie is from the African nation of Eritrea. As a teenager, he was a member of his nation’s armed services, where he helped wounded soldiers as a medic. The experience so moved him that he wrote poems about his military service and won a national poetry contest. The prize was a chance to go home and see his family.
 
He used that opportunity to flee his country and take refuge in Sweden, where he became a citizen. From there, he came to WSU to pursue a career as a nurse. He didn’t speak English when he came, but he does now. He speaks publicly about his experiences in war and the need for peace. He hopes to join the Red Cross to help war-stricken people in Third World nations rebuild their lives.
 
Contact Info: faye.mezengie@wsu.edu
 
Nominated by Renae Richter, academic coordinator, College of Nursing, and 25 nursing students, renae.richter@wsu.edu, 509-324-7337

 
Obert Xu* Obert Xu, College of Nursing, bachelor of science degree in nursing
 
Obert Xu is the youngest student ever to graduate from WSU College of Nursing. He will graduate at age 19, thanks to his participation in the Running Start program. He has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout his studies while serving as an active student leader and community volunteer.  He was president of the College of Nursing Student Nurse Leaders; served as one of the college’s student ambassadors; advocated for his fellow students as a member of the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Committee; and assisted in development of the Steps to Success group tutoring program and serves as lead tutor. 
 
He has volunteered in various settings in Tacoma and Spokane, most recently with the Spokane Police Department and at Second Harvest Food Bank. His career goal is to serve as a nurse in an emergency department as part of an interdisciplinary team committed to excellence in holistic, quality care to patients, families and communities.
 
Contact Info: obertxu@gmail.com, 253-254-9180
 
Nominated by Jo Ann Dotson, assistant professor, College of Nursing, joann.dotson@wsu.edu, 509-324-7261
 
* Beth Sheeran, College of Nursing, bachelor of science degree in nursing
Beth SheeranBeth Sheeran was nominated not by one professor, not by two, but by six faculty members representing different programs and colleges. They like her academic work: “One of the most outstanding students with whom we’ve ever worked,” says one nominator. She has a 4.0 GPA.
 
They cite her service work. She is an advocate for victims of crime and has assisted to develop a program combating human trafficking in Spokane. Nominators also praise her commitment to diversity, not only in ethnicity but also on behalf of people with disabilities and financial needs. She will travel to Uganda and Kenya this year to do relief work with Partners for Progress and Every Child Ministries.
 
Nominated by Carol Allen, clinical associate professor, College of Nursing, and five other faculty members, carola@wsu.edu, 509-324-7262