WSU Fall Commencement 2005/Highlight Students

Kunihiko Matsui

Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

With his wife, Rie, in the commencement audience, Kunihiko Matsui of Shiki, Nara, Japan, will receive a bachelor’s degree in crop science, biotechnology option. After graduation, Matsui plans to continue family tradition in the seed business developing improved melons. Matsui, 30, came to WSU in fall 2002 to learn English in the university’s Intensive American Language Center to enhance his position and his family’s seed company in Japan. He has a bachelor of commerce degree from Japan’s Chuo University. After his language center studies concluded, he decided to remain in Pullman to earn a WSU degree to assist his family’s seed company with breeding expertise. An excellent student with a 3.96 grade point average, he has worked in barley and wheat genetics and breeding programs at WSU. He received a WSU Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences Undergraduate Research and Creative Project award for 2004-2005 under the direction of Steve Ullrich, Crop and Soil Sciences faculty member. Matsui successfully completed his project with a poster at a CAHNRS Awards Banquet this year. The work has been published as a poster and abstract and is being prepared for publication in a refereed journal with Matsui as a co-author.

Contact:

Kunihiko Matsui, Crop and Soil Sciences student, 509.334.6143, kunimatsui@hotmail.com

Steven Ullrich, Crop and Soil Sciences faculty member, 509.335.4936, ullrich@wsu.edu

Marilue Von Bargen, CAHNRS Academic Programs, 509.335.4562, vonbarge@wsu.edu

Fernando Ortiz

Education

Fernando Ortiz, a psychology postdoctoral student in counseling services at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will receive a WSU doctoral degree in education with a specialization in counseling psychology. Ortiz’s career goal is to teach and serve students from minority backgrounds. He was born, raised and completed school in Baja California, Mexico. When Ortiz came to the United States in 1991 to further his education, he did not speak English. Unable to be supported financially by his family, he spent summers working to pay for his education. Ortiz learned English through an intensive six-month English as Second Language program, obtained a high school equivalency diploma and studied at Saint John’s Seminary College in California. At Saint John’s, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a 3.97 grade point average and won a National Public Speaking Award. Later, Ortiz entered California’s Santa Clara University, from which he earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology. “Throughout his undergraduate and graduate student years, Fernando has volunteered his assistance to special populations such as developmentally disabled individuals, incarcerated youth, ethnic minorities needing counseling and children in foster care,” said Timothy Church, WSU Counseling Psychology faculty member. While Ortiz was completing his WSU doctoral degree, he was a resident adviser for the university’s high school equivalency program and did voluntary recruitment activities for the program. As a doctoral student, he presented and published papers based on his cross-cultural research.

Contact:

Fernando Ortiz, Santa Barbara, Calif., 805.729.4323, Fernando.Ortiz@sa.ucsb.edu

Timothy Church, WSU Counseling Psychology faculty, 509.335.0927, church@mail.wsu.edu

Jim Peters

Veterinary Medicine

Jim Peters of La Grande, Ore., will graduate with a doctoral degree in neuroscience. He grew up in La Grande, graduating from La Grande High School and Eastern Oregon University. His mother lives in La Grande and father in Clarkston. When studying graduate schools some four and a half years ago, he was pleased to find that Washington State University met his needs. It kept him close to family in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington and it offered a neuroscience program with national prestige. At WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Peters was guided by faculty members Steve Simasko and Bob Ritter. Peters published four first-author manuscripts in leading scientific journals, one of which was the subject of a feature editorial in the American Journal of Physiology. The journal’s editors found it contributed a significantly new perspective on factors involved in regulating food intake and in turn, influencing body weight and obesity.  As a WSU student, Peters has presented his work at international meetings in the United States and has traveled to Europe and Australia to present his work. His postdoctoral work will keep him in the Pacific Northwest at the Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, where he will continue his studies in the integration of nutritive signals by the peripheral nervous system. This research will contribute to understanding the obesity crisis recognized as one of the major health threats in the developed world. Peters credits his education before WSU with providing a solid foundation upon which he earned his doctoral degree. He thanks La Grande High School teachers Norman Heir (chemistry) and Greg Franklin (biology) and EOU faculty members Richard Ettinger (psychology) and Denny Swanger (biology) for their efforts and guidance.

Contact:

Jim Peters, 509.335.6624, petersj@vetmed.wsu.edu

Sandi Brabb, WSU Neuroscience Program asst. dir., 509.335.2190, brabb@wsu.edu

Ayumi Imai

Nursing

Ayumi Imai of Takasaki, Gunma, Japan, will receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Her career goal is to work in a hospital setting and then study psychiatric midwifery or community health nursing in graduate school. When she was 13, the death of her grandfather made her decide on a nursing career. “I couldn’t take care of (my grandfather) although he had done a lot for me when I was very young,” Imai said. “…. I decided I really didn’t want to have such a sad experience anymore, so when someone else … becomes sick and needs help, I want to care for (them) with knowledge and skill.” In addition to gerontological nursing (care for the physical and psychosocial needs of older adults), she is also interested in obstetrics, midwifery, home health, end of life care, AIDS, operating room, gynecology and oncology nursing. In the United States for four and a half years, before transferring to the WSU College of Nursing, she earned an associate’s degree from Seattle Central Community College. Imai thanks her parents and academic adviser, Carol Allen, for their support. “She really understood how it would be difficult studying nursing in the different culture and always helped me a lot,” Imai said.

Contact:

Ayumi Imai, : 509.456.6892, aimai@wsu.edu

Carol Allen, nursing faculty, 509.324.7262, carola@wsu.edu

Anne Hirsch, nursing academic affairs associate dean, 509.324.7335, Hirsch@wsu.edu

Kristina Hendrix

Sciences

Kristina Hendrix, a WSU Honors College student with a 3.60 grade point average, will graduate with two bachelor of science degrees, one in genetics and cell biology and the other in biology. She has minors in psychology and pre-genetic counseling. After graduation, she plans to earn a genetic counseling master’s degree. A 2001 graduate of Federal Way High School, she is the daughter of Sue and Jimmy Hendrix, Gig Harbor. Growing up in a military family, she lived and was educated all over the country before entering WSU in 2001. Hendrix loves science and the “concreteness” of genetics. Her Honor College thesis about gene expression and protein analysis involved research with Thomas Okita, WSU Institute of Biological Chemistry faculty member. In addition to her studies and research, Hendrix was a WSU student peer advisor and a volunteer for both the Pullman Regional Hospital emergency room and Palouse Regional Crisis Line

Contact:

Kristina Hendrix, 509-333-1697, khendrix@mail.wsu.edu

Thomas Okita, Institute of Biological Chemistry, 509-335-3391, okita@wsu.edu

Nora McCabe, School of Molecular Biosciences, 509-335-1134, nrmccabe@wsu.edu

Valorie Fisher, WSU College of Sciences, 509-335-4549 / fishervk@wsu.edu

Fausto Guillen-Valdovinos

Engineering and Architecture

U.S. Navy veteran Fausto Guillen-Valdovinos of Chelan will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. A 1997 graduate of Manson (Chelan County) High School, Guillen-Valdovinos has a steely determination to achieve his and his family’s dream. He is the first in his family to graduate from high school or college; his parents moved from Mexico to the United States in 1993 with 11 children and the dream of having their younger children attend college. His father, Luis, works in Washington apple orchards and in Alaska fish processing. His mother, Felipa, runs a daycare business. Guillen started at Manson High School at age 14. After initial struggles with academics and learning English, he did well, particularly in math and science, graduating with a 3.92 grade point average. After high school, he served four years in the Navy as a machinery operator. A week after his honorable discharge from the military, he was at WSU, where he had registered as a student before joining the Navy. Guillen was on the President’s Honor Roll five times and graduates with a 3.37 grade point average. His scholarships include a Boeing Scholars Award, which provides a scholarship and internship for selected students who complete a design project for the company. Guillen is a role model for others in his family. One brother is a WSU senior in civil engineering. A sister is in her third year in education, recently transferring to WSU from Wenatchee Valley Community College. Another sister studied at the University of Washington. Guillen’s plans include working as a mechanical engineer to pay off student loans. After that, he hopes to earn a master’s or doctoral degree.

Contact:

Fausto Guillen-Valdovinos 509.630.8199, fguillenv@hotmail.com Tina Hilding College of Engineering and Architecture, information coordinator, 509.335.5095, thilding@wsu.edu

Char Grimes, College of Engineering and Architecture student services, 509.335.1584, char2@wsu.edu

Estella Gatewood

Liberal Arts

Estella Gatewood lacked motivation as a student at Walla Walla High School. She dropped out of Wa-Hi after her freshman year. But, at age 24, she envisioned a different and better life. Toward that goal, she earned a general equivalency diploma (GED) and entered Walla Walla Community College, from which she earned an associate’s degree. Then, she enrolled at WSU. Now 30, she will graduate from the university with a 3.6 grade point average with a bachelor’s degree in sociology (social welfare option) and a minor in criminal justice. In the commencement audience will be proud family members: husband, Rod, a WSU premed student; their children, her parents and parents-in-law. Gatewood credits sociology faculty, husband and parents-in-law for inspiring her. The next goal for Gatewood is to earn a master’s degree, after which she hopes to work in child protective services and, later, teach.

Contact:

Estella Gatewood, 509.332.7410, egatewood75@yahoo.com

Arlene Parkay, College of Liberal Arts academic coordinator, 509.335.6708, parkaya@wsu.edu