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Seven students complete LU Honors Program

Apr. 25, 2022

Seven Lakeland University students completed LU’s Honors Program this academic year. Students in the Honors Program successfully complete four years of study, culminating with an extensive independent research project of their own design.

This year’s students and their projects include:

• Sterling Gardner planned an event to measure participants’ preparedness for police academy and military forces physical fitness requirements. Skills include running, push-ups, sit-ups, vertical jumps and an agility course. At the close of the event, guidance for building and maintaining these skills were shared. He has secured a position in local law enforcement.

• Jessica Leicht’s project merges her passions for graphic design and raising awareness about mental health challenges for college students. She created an animated video which depicts several college students sharing their experiences with mental illness. The video was released through various Lakeland social media sites. tremendous asset to her future employer.

• Kimmy McKay, who graduated in December, founded a new student organization on campus known as Pawsitism LU which assists Pawsitism Inc., a local organization, to train service dogs to support children with autism. To support the mission of Pawsitism LU, McKay developed and carried out a highly effective recruiting and training event on campus. She is applying to join a local police department and hopes to be a K9 officer.

• After reading “Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching,” Samantha Olsen became curious about the presence of math anxiety in Lakeland’s student body. In particular, she is exploring whether there is an association between a student’s chosen major and the level of math anxiety they report. Olsen plans to apply for graduate programs in mathematics and pursue a career as an educator, market researcher or statistician.

• Lizzie Randa developed a resource packet that will be distributed to local high school students and is available online. The resource provides important tools for high school students to support their college application process and foster a growth mindset. Post-graduation, Randa will apply for positions in her chosen field of psychology.

• Kurtis Scharenbroch conducted extensive research on cryptocurrency/crypto-mining including a data analytics sub-project on the historical performance of how placing 1% of your cash into Bitcoin has performed relative to placing those funds in a traditional savings account. He shared his findings in a presentation and Professor of Computer Science Cindy Lindstrom said Scharenbroch is a budding authority in all things “crypto.” He is applying for positions in programming and software development in Sheboygan County.

• Tracey Sery carried out her research on two subjects she is most passionate about: criminal justice and mental health. Using the wealth of knowledge she accumulated, Sery is creating materials for local organizations to deliver programming to high-risk youth. Her work includes recruitment materials, a user guide, program materials, data collection tools and analytic steps. She will pursue a master’s degree in social work.