HC Graduates

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Alexis Merker! Alexis earned an H.B.S in fisheries, wildlife, and conservation sciences and completed her thesis, “Community, Conflict, and Enabling Conditions: A Qualitative Analysis of Oregon's Marine Reserve System to Inform Adaptive Management,” under the mentorship of Dr. Jenna Sullivan-Stack, research associate in the Department of Integrative Biology. This summer, Alexis is serving as a Summer Scholar with Oregon Sea Grant, working with the Oregon Coastal and Ocean Information Network (OCOIN) to promote long-term collaboration among policymakers, managers and researchers involved in coastal and marine projects. After the internship, Alexis plans on attending graduate school to pursue her interests in the human dimensions of marine mammal or marine ecosystem conservation. 
 

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Ainsley Beck! Aisnley earned an H.B.S in nutrition with a minor in human development & family sciences and completed her thesis, “Veggie Village Camp: Exploring Art to Teach Nutrition to 3rd-5th Graders,” under the mentorship of Dr. Siew Sun Wong, Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist in the School of Nutrition and Public Health. After graduation, Ainsley plans on attending the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University to purse a master's in nutrition and complete a dietetic internship.

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Sarah Khan! Sarah earned an H.B.S in biochemistry and molecular biology and completed her thesis, “Vaccine Hesitancy in First Generation Muslim Immigrant Communities in Oregon: A Study of Socio-Cultural Factors, Healthcare Structure, and Current Vaccine Guideline Revision for Relevancy,” under the mentorship of Dr. Courtney Campbell, Hundere Professor in Religion and Culture in the School of History, Philosophy & Religion. Sarah plans on attending Pharmacy School at OSU after graduation.

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Jenna Tompkins! Jenna earned an H.B.S in animal sciences with a minor in chemistry and completed her thesis, “Measuring Equine Allo-MHC Class 1 Responses Following Mesenchymal Stem Cell Treatment,” under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Dolan, an associate professor of immunology in the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, Jenna will be starting vet school at the OSU Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine to pursue her doctorate in the fall. She hopes to become a large and small animal veterinarian.

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Andrew Monkarsh! Andrew earned an H.B.S in biohealth sciences with a certificate in medical humanities and a minor in chemistry and completed his thesis, “Being Mindful in Biology Labs: A Pilot Evaluation of the Impact of Mindfulness on Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Academic Self-Efficacy.,” under the mentorship of Dr. Dee Denver, a professor of integrative biology in the College of Science. After graduation, Andrew plans on working as a medical assistant and applying to medical school for the next cycle.

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Ashton McCracken! Ashton earned an H.B.A in history with a minor in Spanish and completed his thesis, “An Irish Tragedy: John Redmond, the Tragic Flaw, and the Great War in a Divided Ireland,” under the mentorship of Dr. Mason Tattersall, a senior instructor of history in the College of Liberal Arts. After graduation, Ashton will begin working as a teacher. 

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Jordan Lopez! Jordan earned an H.B.A in history with a minor in economics and completed her thesis, “Post-Pandemic Recovery in Public Libraries: An Oral History,” under the mentorship of Dr. Kelly McElroy, an associate professor and librarian to the School of Language, Culture, and Society in the College of Liberal Arts. Following graduation, Jordan will be pursuing a master’s degree in Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Annabelle Owyoung! Annabelle earned an H.B.S in environmental sciences with a GIS certificate and completed her thesis, “Taking action before the heat: a review of current humanitarian policy and protection around dangerous heat exposure in East African refugee contexts,” under the mentorship of Dr. Jamon Van Den Hoek, an associate professor of geography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. After graduation, Annabelle will be working in nature-based solutions in the compliance or voluntary carbon market!

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Shelby Galipeau! Shelby earned an H.B.S in biochemistry and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry and completed her thesis, “Characterizing the Interaction between Environmental Iron Exposure and p38 MAPK in Parkinson’s Disease,” under the mentorship of Dr. Alysia Vrailas-Mortimer, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the College of Science. After graduation, Shelby will be staying at OSU as a part of the Accelerated Masters Program and continuing the research she did in her lab for her Honors thesis.

Congrats to 2025 HC graduate Lex Egan! Lex earned an H.B.S in biology with a minor in chemistry and completed her thesis, “Examining the Consequences of Amplification: Objectification, Self-Presentation, and Impression Formation,” under the mentorship of Dr. Regan Gurung, a professor of psychological science in the College of Liberal Arts. Following graduation, Lex will be continuing her education at the OHSU School of Dentistry.