Profiles

How Covid Created a New Career Path for Kacie Gikonyo
Kent State alumna and former nurse Kacie Gikonyo has founded the Death Doula Collective, a nationwide group for death doulas, and plans to establish her own death doula school in the Cleveland-Akron area to provide clinical hands-on training.

Mind, Body and Multiple Sclerosis
Marwan Shalih Maraicar challenged himself to explain cellular research on multiple sclerosis to a non-specialized public, and he walked away the People’s Choice Award winner.

Moving from Private Industry to Academia
Meet Raiful Hasan, a new assistant professor of computer science at Kent State University.

Kent State Student and Army Veteran’s Mission: To Serve Those Who Served
Matthew Helmick-Bickel, 29, spent five years in the U.S. Army as an airborne paratrooper stationed at Fort Bragg North Carolina, now known as Fort Liberty, before he enrolled at Kent State in 2020.

Kent State Student Featured in Upcoming WWII Docuseries
Kent State University at Stark student Chris Billings serves as the on-air host for the program. In the series, Billings dons authentic uniforms reminiscent of the young pilots who flew during World War II.

‘Bring Your Best Curious Self’
After 24 years of teaching English, Tammy Clewell, Ph.D., has some advice for students: “Bring your most curious version of yourself to every class that you attend.” Clewell's student-centered, passionate approach gives her students room to grow and has earned her one of the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Awards.

Focus on Kigali: ‘This Experience Solidified My Love for Documenting Experiences’
Sophia Lucente went to Kigali, Rwanda, with a camera in hand and rarely set it down the entire three weeks she was there.

The Domino Effect of Loving the Classroom
“If you come in as an instructor and you really like what you're doing, you enjoy the classroom. You enjoy the class and the students pick up on it,” Jeffrey Osikiewicz, Ph.D., said. “They give it back to you. It goes for every classroom, and it makes for a beautiful experience.” This is his domino effect.

Activism in Action
“For students especially, this is our future. This is about your individual rights as a person, and it's incredibly important because this is the future that we have for Ohio,” said Sam Zern, a graduate student in Kent State University’s College of Public Health and regional field organizer for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights. Zern is working to help others see what she believes is the Issue 1's value.

Broadcasting in the Big Leagues
From a young age, ESPN associate producer and Kent State University alumnus Jason Kostura fell in love with the world of sports. Long before his days at ESPN, you could find Kostura on the field ... or mat or court.