News Release

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April 4, 2006          

(Part 1 of 2)

Boise State Alumni Association Names Top Ten Scholars

From top to bottom: Deborah Allen, Simon Billinge, Kendall Burgemeister, Lisa Burns, Deniza Constantinescu, Michael Hagler, Nancy Henke, Jessie Nilo, Christine Pearson, Kasey Reed. (Click to enlarge)

Later this month, 10 of the best and brightest among Boise State’s Class of 2006 will gather to be honored by the BSU Alumni Association at the university’s annual Distinguished Alumni and Top Ten Scholars awards banquet. The event will be at 6 p.m. April 18 in the Student Union. Boise State’s 2006 Distinguished Alumni award winners also will be honored. (See separate press release.)

 The banquet is open to the public. Tickets are available for $25 per person by calling Renee White at (208) 426-1831.

 Top Ten Scholars are chosen from among the top 10 percent of Boise State’s graduating class for 2005-06. They are selected based on academic performance, recommendation from college deans and extracurricular and research activities. Each student also honors a Boise State professor who was particularly influential to his or her success. This year’s award winners, in alphabetical order, and their honored professors are:

 Deborah Allen, Twin Falls, is a social science major with a minor in gender studies. The recipient of a McNair Scholars Program scholarship, Allen conducted two research projects on issues affecting blind individuals under the auspices of the program, one of which she presented at the national McNair Scholars Conference last fall. An activist for the rights of blind citizens, she led a committee of people from various government agencies and volunteer organizations to successfully revise Idaho’s laws pertaining to people with disabilities who are assisted by animals and need public access. In addition, she has tutored students and served as a guide-dog trainer. Allen hopes to continue to influence the policies of non-profit human rights organizations. She is a member of the American Council of the Blind, Guide Dog Users Inc. and the Idaho Women’s Network. Her honored faculty member is Dr. Virginia Husting, associate professor of sociology.

 Simon Billinge, Eagle, is a criminal justice administration and psychology major.  A former policeman from Great Britain, Billinge is the current national student president of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society. This year he presented a paper that he co-wrote with Boise State CJA department chair Craig Hemmens to the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He also is involved with the Idaho Innocence Project, a program that reviews criminal cases and uses DNA evidence to exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted and incarcerated. He has received numerous scholarships as a BSU student and served on the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs Promotions and Tenure Committee. In 1995 he participated in a three-month trip to Zimbabwe to participate in various community-based projects. Billinge plans to enter law school and practice criminal or environmental law. His honored faculty member is Dr. Andrew Giacomazzi, associate professor of criminal justice administration.

 Kendall Burgemeister, American Falls, is an economics major with a minor in applied mathematics and finance. The recipient of numerous scholarships at Boise State, Burgemeister took first place in the College of Business and Economics Division in BSU’s Wallace G. Kay Writing Competition in 2004 and second place for a market analysis and presentation in competition sponsored by the Idaho National Laboratory in 2005. In 2004 he represented Boise State at a regional economics conference titled “Economics Beyond the Textbook and Classroom.” He has participated in several volunteer activities, including serving as a site leader for Boise State’s Volunteer Services Board and Students International. Burgemeister, who plans to enter law school, has served as activities coordinator for the BSU Economics Club, vice president of the BSU Ambassadors and treasurer of the university’s Honors Student Association. His honored faculty member is Dr. Charlotte Twight, professor of economics.

 Lisa Burns, Boise, is a political science major with an emphasis in international relations and a minor in Spanish. In 2005, Burns was awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which allowed her to study in Heredia, Costa Rica. This semester she received a paid internship with the U.S.  Department of State at the Consular General in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she increased her knowledge of Latin American-U.S. relations, sharpened her Spanish-speaking skills, and explored the possibility of a career in the foreign service. Her senior thesis analyzed the impact of different organizational types of human rights groups on the quality of democracy. In addition to the Gilman Scholarship, she was also awarded five other scholarships at Boise State. Burns plans to eventually earn a doctorate in political science with comparative politics as her major field of study. His honored faculty member is Dr. Brian Wampler, assistant professor of political science.

 Deniza Constantinescu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, is a music performance major. An accomplished pianist who graduated in December, Constantinescu has performed in numerous recitals as a solo performer and an accompanist. As a student she performed with BSU’s University Orchestra after being named the winner in a major music competition sponsored by the university. The recipient of two scholarships from the Boise Choristers, Constantinescu performed in four recitals sponsored by the organization. In addition, she has received numerous other scholarships while a student at BSU. Constantinescu and her husband, Andrei, who earned his master’s degree in piano performance from BSU in spring 2005, are involved with Compassion International, an organization that seeks to bring relief to impoverished children worldwide. She has made public presentations on behalf of the organization in the United States and in her native Romania. Her honored faculty member is Dr. James Cook, department chair and professor of music.

 Michael Hagler, Eagle, is a mechanical engineering major and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. To help retain students in Boise State’s engineering programs, Hagler worked as an active learning facilitator for the College of Engineering, tutoring entry-level students in calculus and pre-calculus. He also collaborated with two graduate students to develop a curriculum for the college’s Introduction to Engineering course, which was implemented in fall 2004. While working toward his degree, Hagler developed an interest in ferromagnetic shape memory alloys and helped establish a magnetics laboratory at Boise State. He has traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, to conduct research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Hagler is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers student chapter at BSU and will pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering with an emphasis on materials science and engineering after he graduates in May. His honored faculty member is Dr. Peter Mullner, associate professor of materials science and engineering.

 Nancy Henke, Boise, is an English major who graduated in December and was a member of BSU’s national championship speech and debate team. As a member of the Talkin’ Broncos, Henke earned more than 50 individual speaking awards including both regional and national honors. She was named one of nine Pi Kappa Delta All-Americans for forensics success, academic achievement and community service. She has visited local high schools and middle schools to support current and future forensics students and has been involved with the Idaho High School Activities Association as a speech and debate judge the past four years. She also helped organize and coordinate the BSU High School Speech Tournament. Henke received an Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award and served as a peer adviser with the university’s Academic Support Office. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in American literature. Her honored faculty member is Marty Most, forensics director and assistant professor of communication.

 Jessie Nilo, Boise, is a graphic design and illustration major with an English minor. She recently was hired as a fine arts instructor at the Landing Art Institute, which is part of the Landing Community Center in Eagle, a non-profit organization that creates community-building for the educational, emotional, economical and spiritual needs of individuals and families. She has donated her artwork to organizations such as the Boise Rescue Mission, Birthright Crisis Pregnancy Center, the Boise Family Advocacy Center and several Boise-area churches. In 2004 she established the Vine Arts League, which includes more than 70 amateur and professional artists. Last year she was appointed director of Let’s Tend the Garden, a community environmental initiative that is designed to break down religious and political stereotypes and embrace environmental responsibility. Her honored faculty member is John Francis, assistant professor of art.

 Christine Pearson, Boise, is a psychology major who was the first recipient of the Boise State Gender Studies Scholarship. A first-generation college student, Pearson won the Idaho Psychological Association Outstanding Undergraduate Presentation Award last year. She has also received three undergraduate research and creative activity awards and has made presentations at the annual meetings of the Undergraduate Research Initiative and the TRIO Northwest Association of Special Programs. Pearson served as president of the BSU chapter of the Association of Psychology Students and treasurer of the BSU chapter of Psi Chi in 2004-05. She is an inductee into the Founders Leadership Society class of 2006. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology and become a clinician and researcher in the field of borderline personality disorder. Her honored faculty member is Dr. Diana Doumas, assistant professor of psychology.

 Kasey Reed, Garden Valley, is a history major with a minor in Latin language and literature. Currently, she is president of the Boise State chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, treasurer of the BSU chapter of the Golden Key Honor Society, student vice president of BSU’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, and vice president for community service for the Honors Student Association. She has received nine awards or scholarships at Boise State. Reed has traveled internationally in pursuit of her studies of Latin language and Roman history and presented her research at the Phi Alpha Theta Northwest regional conference. She has done volunteer work for relief effort for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Boise River cleanup, the Idaho Food Bank and Boise State’s Volunteer Services Board. Reed plans to pursue a master’s in history and eventually earn a Ph.D. and teach classics. Her honored faculty member is Dr. Charles Odahl, professor of history

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 Contact: Renee White, Alumni Association, (208) 426-1698, ReneeWhite@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and staff. More than 190 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical degrees are offered within eight colleges. A metropolitan university located in the capital city, Boise State is committed to life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and public service.

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007