Being a first-generation student is difficult, especially when your family does not support your decision to go to college or you don’t have someone to give you advice from a college point of view. Even if you feel as if no one truly understands what you’re going through, being a first-generation student has a lot of different hurdles to overcome. Like many Kent State University students, Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was a first-generation college student and has some advice for those who are struggling to feel a sense of belonging. She recently sat ...

As part of Kent State University’s annual Veterans Day Commemoration, cadets from the university’s ROTC programs joined staff from University Facilities Management and other volunteers on the site of the May 4, 1970, tragedy to plant daffodil bulbs. As a living memorial, 58,175 daffodils were originally planted – one for each U.S. service member killed in Vietnam. The daffodil bulb planting is an opportunity for the Kent State community to reflect on the events of May 4 and to demonstrate its commitment to the university’s core values of respect, kindness and the peaceful exchange of i...

In response to the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kacie Gikonyo, a former nurse with 13 years of experience in end-of-life care and a Kent State Uniersity graduate, has become a pioneering figure in the field of death doulas. Similar to birthing doulas who assist expectant mothers, death doulas support individuals nearing the end of their lives, aiming to ensure a more comfortable and empowering transition. Gikonyo's journey into this unique emerging field began during the pandemic, where she witnessed the sudden and often lonely deaths of individuals at a long-term care...

The NASA-affiliated Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, was founded in 1981 as the home base for Space Telescope operations. Now, it similarly functions as the center for science operations of the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes (JWST). The institute offers internships with its Space Astronomy Summer Program and receives hundreds of applicants every year. With just a small percent chance of acceptance, only 15 applicants were offered internships with the summer program, including Honors College student Turaba Rahman. The junior physics major, who ...

Hi, my name is Mark Stillion, and I am one of those people. I am one of the many, who signed the dotted line, before I even turned 18 years old to go and serve and protect something that I felt was worth fighting for: my freedom. ...