2024 Student Leadership and Engagement Awards

Samuel Anders Aannerud is a native of Minot studying management information systems with a certificate in cyber defense.  He is a senior and carries a 3.641 grade point average.  He has served as the treasurer and president of the SWIFT Club and has represented the club in numerous competitions.  He has been on the planning committee for NoDAKoN for two years.  He was a student in the Looyenga Leadership Institute and subsequently served as a student mentor for the program for the following two years.  He was instrumental in developing the Looyenga Volunteer Center for the campus.  He has received numerous scholarships, including the Emerging Scholars Award, the Edson and Margaret Larson, the Roger and Ann Looyenga Scholarship, and the Jan Barlow Scholarship.  He has been named to the President’s List and the Vice President for Academic Affairs Honor Roll.  Following graduation, he hopes to continue to gain technical and professional knowledge to advance in a cyber security role with an eventual goal of obtaining a master’s degree in cyber defense.

Taryn Bennett, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a senior exercise science and rehabilitation major with a 3.72 grade point average.  She has been an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and is currently the president of that group.  She is an infielder for the Beavers softball team and works with the Minot State softball campus.  She has also been involved with Prairie Grit Adaptive Sports.  Taryn completed the Emerging Leaders Program and has received multiple scholarships and honors, including the NSIC Spring All-Academic Team of Excellence, the College Sports Communication All-District Team, and the NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association Achievement Award.  Taryn hopes to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.

Maxwell Boeckel, from Minot, completed his first bachelor’s degree in physical education and corporate fitness in 2015.  He is now completing a second degree in nursing with certifications in first aid and mental health first aid.  He holds a 3.465 grade point average and is currently the secretary of the Minot State Nursing Association. He has been active with their events such as blood drives, suicide prevention and awareness walk, and Trunk or Treat community events. He was previously a member of the Minot State cross-country and track teams.  Max is a substitute teacher for Minot Public Schools and has taught youth classes for his church, as well.  He is the recipient of the Halvor and Orma Nesheim Scholarship, the Gertrude M. Eck Scholarship, the Power of 1 Nursing Scholarship, the Rand and Holly Arneson Scholarship, and the Patrick Kelly Muus Memorial Nursing Scholarship.  He hopes to secure a nursing position in an intensive care unit before going back to school to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist, which requires a three-year doctoral program.

Emmett Espino is a senior accounting and finance major from Fairfield, California, with a 3.712 grade point average.  He is a member of the Minot State football team and is on the team’s leadership council.  He has been named an NSIC Academic All-Conference Athlete twice, received the NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association Achievement Award, and was named to the 2023 Academic All-Region Team.  He has served as the MSU Life director of student entertainment, helping to plan more than 100 campus events.  He was recently elected Student Government Association vice president.  Emmett has been a speaker at new student convocation as well as the Minot State Empower President’s Luncheon.  He has been involved with Meals on Wheels and the Miss Amazing pageant.  He has received the Looyenga College of Business Leadership Scholarship, the Tim and Laura Mihalick Scholarship, the Magic City Networking Scholarship, and the Gary Hovdestad Accounting Scholarship.  He plans to pursue master’s degrees in both sports management and business management with the ultimate goal of becoming a stockholder relations manager at the corporate level.

Faith Hauck is a junior from Minot majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry and concentrations in leadership studies and physical science and carries a 3.881 grade point average.  As a member and president of the Science Club, she has helped to plan and present the Science Open House, bringing surrounding schools to campus.  She is a Student Government Association senator, an MSU Life member, a member of the Pre-professional Club, a STEM ambassador for the Space Grant Consortium, the former Student Ambassador president, a peer mentor for the Looyenga Leadership Institute, and a chemistry tutor.  She also volunteers with the Magikix Dance Team.  She has been involved in research on adrenal medulla cells and, more recently, doing collaborative research with UND isolating nuclei.  She has presented “Methamphetamine-induced Epinephrine Secretion in Pure Bovine and Porcine Adrenal Medulla Isolates” at the 2023 INBRE Conference. Among her many scholarships are the Rose Morgan Scholarship, the Erma Fahlgren Scholarship, the UND Aerospace Scholarship, the API Bakken Scholarship, and the Cyril Moore Scholarship.  Faith hopes to attend medical school and eventually be an OBGYN in the Minot area.

Adyson Jelleberg is a senior elementary education major from Bottineau with a 3.975 grade point average.  She has been active in MSU Life and the Student Government Association, serving as chair of the Mental Health Committee.  She has also been involved in the Students of North Dakota United organization.  She has worked as a small group instructor for the Literacy/Reading Camp. She is currently gathering volunteers for a Popsicles and Pages reading event for students at Washington Elementary School.  She has been named to the President’s List and has received scholarships, including the Alumni Scholarship and Hometown Pride Scholarship.  She was elected the 2023 Homecoming Queen.  Upon graduation, she hopes to obtain a teaching position in the area and complete a master's degree in education.  Eventually, she hopes to work in school administration or become a college faculty member.

Gloria Nyantakyiwaa Kennedy is a native of Kumasi, Ghana.  She is a junior nursing major with a 3.5 grade point average.  She has served as a peer mentor for both ASTEP (Advancing Students Toward Education and Employment Program) and the First-Year Experience.  She has also been involved in the Nursing Student Association, Student Government Association, and Nursing Student Association of North Dakota, where she serves as the director of membership.  She has been a volunteer for the Minot Suicide Awareness Week and the State Science Olympiad.  She presented “Comparing Nosocomial Infection Risk: Adults and Adolescents in Hospital Care Settings” for Scholarship Day.  She is the recipient of several scholarships, including the Rick and Andrea Hedberg Scholarship,  the Jim and Karen Jensen Nursing Scholarship, and the John and Leslie Coughlin Nursing  Scholarship. She is a member of the National Student Nursing Association.  She hopes to pursue a career as an Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Nurse and open a clinic in Ghana to advocate and educate about IDD patients and how best to assist them.

Kennedy Koshman, a senior communications sciences and disorders major from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada, has a 3.752 grade point average.  She is the vice president of the National Student Speech and Hearing Association on campus, and identifies volunteer opportunities for the organization as well as planning social activities.  She recently participated in the Miles for Smiles walk and fundraiser.  She is a member of MSU Life, planning events for the entire campus, and is a peer mentor for the First-Year Experience.  She volunteers with Prairie Grit and Special Olympics.  She has been accepted into the speech-language pathology graduate program at Minot State. She hopes to stay in Minot following graduation to work in a medical setting with children and adults, eventually opening her own clinic where she can supervise future Minot State students in their externships.

Kennedy Koshman, a senior communications sciences and disorders major from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada, has a 3.752 grade point average.  She is the vice president of the National Student Speech and Hearing Association on campus, and identifies volunteer opportunities for the organization as well as planning social activities.  She recently participated in the Miles for Smiles walk and fundraiser.  She is a member of MSU Life, planning events for the entire campus, and is a peer mentor for the First-Year Experience.  She volunteers with Prairie Grit and Special Olympics.  She has been accepted into the speech-language pathology graduate program at Minot State. She hopes to stay in Minot following graduation to work in a medical setting with children and adults, eventually opening her own clinic where she can supervise future Minot State students in their externships.

Isabella Penner is a senior communication sciences and disorders major with a concentration in deaf and hard of hearing education with a 3.88 grade point average.  She is from Blumenort, Manitoba, Canada.  “Izzy” is a part of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association on campus and has been part of the group planning and organizing the Miles for Smiles event.  She works in the Campus ID office, serves as an international ambassador for the International Office, and has been very active in intramural volleyball.  On top of that, she is a four-year member of the MSU softball team, and as such, has twice been named to the NSIC All-Academic Team, received the DII Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award, was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma (the National College Athlete Honor Society), and received the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award.  She has been named to both the Vice President for Academic Affairs Honor Roll and the President’s List at Minot State.  She will be returning to Minot State after graduation to complete a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and hopes to work as a speech pathologist while also coaching softball.

Quinn Sullivan is from Butte, Montana, and is a senior double majoring in computer science and cyber security and operations with a leadership studies concentration and a 3.888 grade point average.  Quinn was a member of the MSU football team and an intramural bowling champion.  He was a peer mentor for two First-Year Experience programs this past fall.  Quinn has also completed the Emerging Leaders Program and presented at the annual Student Leader Summit.  He is a member of the Computer Science Club and has competed for Minot State at the DigiKey Electronics Coding Competition.  He developed and implemented a program to prepare computer science students for employment interviews.  He is a tutor in math and computer science.  He has received the NASA Space Grant Consortium Scholarship, the Robert L. Holmen Scholarship, and the Integrity Viking Funds Computer Science Scholarship.  He was named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and presented his research “Darknet Classification Using Deep Learning,” at the Midwest Instruction and Computing Symposium.  Six times, he has been named to the President’s List.  After completing his degree, he will be working full-time as a software engineer for DigiKey Electronics.

Stephen Tao (Jihao) is from China but grew up in Rome, Italy, and speaks both Chinese and Italian.  He is a junior double major in data science and finance with a concentration in economics and a 4.0 grade point average.  He is a member of DECA, FBLA, and the Data Science Club and the treasurer for both the Finance Club and the SWIFT Club.  He was a math lab assistant, a peer tutor for economics, and an orientation leader.  He has been involved with Freezin’ for a Reason and has volunteered for Roosevelt Park Zoo.  He completed the Emerging Leaders Program and earned leadership badges in Self-Awareness and Collaboration.  He has been named to the President’s List every semester.  He received the North Dakota Collegiate DECA Outstanding Service Award and has competed for both DECA and FBLA, placing several times.  Stephen’s long-term plans include obtaining Chartered Financial Analyst certification and a master’s degree.  He hopes to contribute positively to society by working on projects promoting informed financial decision-making, economic growth, and technology-related fields.

Kevin Vandal is a junior music major with a concentration in keyboard performance and leadership studies.  He is from Perth and has a 4.0 grade point average.  He participated in the Leadership Living-Learning Community and is currently serving as president of the Music Teachers National Association club, having previously completed a term as vice president.  He is a student leader for Cru, a Music Student Advisory Council member, and was previously a Division of Performing Arts Student Alumni Ambassador.  He was the inaugural recipient of the Virginia Geesaman Chamber Music internship.  He has also served as a peer mentor for the First-Year Experience program.  He has volunteered with the Western Plains Opera Company and recently took part in the orchestra for the “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” He has also been a part of the Dakota Chamber Music summer program.  He was instrumental in the creation of the Looyenga Volunteer Center.  Kevin has received several scholarships, including the Gay Gidley King Scholarship, the Wuttke Scholarship, the Gwenlyn Lawler Scholarship, the Guy Stenehjem Scholarship, and the Ralph Wallin Keyboard Scholarship.  He won the Music Teachers National Association State Young Artist Solo Piano Competition, the Bismarck Mandan Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the MSU Division of Performing Arts Honors Competition.  This summer, he will participate in the Rocky Ridge Music (CO) College Intensive, and he hopes to pursue a career as a collaborative pianist. He is also equipping himself for careers in orchestral conducting, audio engineering, and video production.

Cayden White is a senior mathematics and computer science double major with a 3.803 grade point average.  He hails from Marysville, Washington.  In addition to being a four-year member of the wrestling team, he was also secretary of the Computer Science Club and an active participant in intramurals.  In 2022, over a period of 5 months, he conducted research on the spread of opioid drugs and gathered statistical data. Working with a partner, he developed a graph based on an SIR model to predict the spread of these drugs. This model was used to estimate the number of opioid cases within the state and the country and predict the future number of cases.  He has been named to the Vice President for Academic Affairs Honor Roll, the President’s List, and the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.  Four times, he was named an NWCA DII Academic All-American and received the prestigious NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award.  He is a two-time recipient of the NDSGC NASA Space Grant STEM Scholarship.  He serves as a greeter, onsite maintenance worker for Pursuit Church, and a math tutor on campus. He also completed the Emerging Leaders Program. Cayden plans to pursue a master’s degree in either business administration or computer science and a career in software engineering or data engineering.