WSU Vancouver Spring Commencement 2006

NOTE: WSU Vancouver will have its commencement ceremony at 2 p.m., May 13, Clark County Amphitheater. Val Ogden, retired Washington State Representative, will give the keynote address. The following names are a sample of students who are set to graduate and are willing to take calls from the media.

Laurie Giacomini of Vancouver will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and receive the Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement during WSU Vancouver’s commencement ceremony. The criteria for this award include academic achievement and love of learning, perseverance in academic pursuits despite personal or situational barriers, educational/personal growth while at WSU Vancouver, future potential contributions to her professional/community and service to WSU Vancouver. Giacomini exemplifies a commitment to excellence both in the classroom and in her dedication to her career and family. While pursing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development, she quickly distinguished herself in classes as a student with a high capacity for learning and achievement. Contact Giacomini at (360) 882-2832.

Deborah Palmer of Vancouver will graduate with her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.  During her studies at WSU Vancouver, Palmer was named to the WSU President’s Honor Roll each of seven semesters and has accumulative grade point average of 3.65.  While pursuing her degree, Palmer was a single parent to her 4-year-old granddaughter. Confronted with the challenges of finding good day care, splitting her time between work, home and study and creating a loving environment for her granddaughter, she persevered and has been a successful student and caregiver. In the fall of 2005, Palmer was in a car accident, resulting in broken vertebrae in her back. Despite being in a body cast and confined to bed for all but one hour per day, Palmer resolved to complete her degree this May as planned. Contact Palmer at (360) 883-6135.

Brenda (Shawa) Starr of Vancouver will graduate with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development and is one of two family members participating in Vancouver’s commencement this spring. Starr’s mother, Tracy Shawa, will also participate in commencement ceremonies in Vancouver, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration via WSU’s Distance Degree Program. Starr comes from a family of Cougars with both her father and sister graduating from WSU and her grandfather, Azmi Shawa, retiring from WSU in 1989 after teaching for the department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture for 24 years. Contact Starr at (360) 693-8236.

Carla Brim of Kelso will graduate with her master’s degree in Nursing after receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from WSU Vancouver in 2003. Recently, Brim was awarded the 2005-06 Washington State Nurses Association Foundation Scholarship. Brim is the first of her family to graduate from college, first receiving her Associate degree in Nursing from Lower Columbia College. As part of her graduate studies, Brim has been researching barriers to health care access and has worked to influence state policy by providing background on Senate Bill 6195 for the joint committee for health care disparities. Brim is engaged in the community and serves on the Cowlitz County Access to Health Coalition. Brim practices nursing at St. Johns Hospital in Longview. Contact Brim at (360) 636-9740.