2015 Class Success Stories

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Tackling the future Dec 14, 2015 7:00 AM Kayla Tesmer is no stranger to adversity. The Barberton, Ohio, native has overcome multiple hardships in her short 23 years, giving her a level of maturity and balance well beyond her years. As a first generation college student and the first of her siblings to traditionally graduate from high school (one of her sister's received her GED), she came to Bowling Green State University on a mission to succeed.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Advocating for Social Justice Aug 10, 2015 7:00 AM Like many high school seniors, Rachel Allen wanted to get away from home after she graduated from high school. Allen’s family moved to Bowling Green from Terre Haute, Ind., when she was five years old.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Executive Master of Organization Development Aug 3, 2015 6:30 AM The Executive Master of Organization Development (EMOD) program at BGSU is among the top programs in the country. Since the inaugural class graduation in 1976, College of Business faculty members have spent nearly four decades cultivating and perfecting a curriculum designed to help individuals effectively lead and manage organization development and change efforts.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: All Smiles Dec 14, 2015 7:00 AM Sarah Jasinski has not let adversity or poverty deter her from reaching her goals. The Vermilion, Ohio, native graduates Dec. 19 despite being told almost four years ago that she might not be successful in college. Not only did she finish in three and a half years, she also recently was accepted into dental school at The Ohio State University.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Double major builds collaborations Aug 10, 2015 7:00 AM Douglas Furia from West Chester, Ohio, near Cincinnati, knew he wanted to study architectural engineering, but when it came to deciding between Bowling Green State University or the University of Cincinnati, he chose BGSU. Even though BGSU didn’t specially offer architectural engineering, it did offer architecture and environmental design, and construction management programs. BGSU also provided Furia more scholarship support than Cincinnati, so he decided to take double majors. He would learn the artistic and design background from architecture and the technical background from construction management.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Classes and co-ops deliver the skills Dec 21, 2015 8:49 AM In high school Collin Dozier was compelled by design, but wasn’t sure which college to attend or which program he was interested in until he heard about Bowling Green State University’s Visual Communication Technology (VCT) program and the co-op opportunities as part of the curriculum.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Co-op to Coordinator Aug 10, 2015 7:00 AM Brooke Mobilian always knew she wanted to be in the health care field, so when she decided she didn’t want to be a doctor or nurse, her interests quickly turned to health care administration. Mobilian is thrilled with her career choice. On Aug. 8, she received a degree in applied health science with a specialization in health care administration. She already has a job as program coordinator with Canton Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Google Grad May 4, 2015 7:00 AM Ever curious about the digital world, Rita DeRaedt discovered the fun of playing with computer programs at a young age. By 14 she owned her own copy of Photoshop and by 15, after teaching herself how to design and code websites, she was taking on freelance projects for both local and international companies.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: An Educational Journey May 4, 2015 7:00 AM Rokya Miller earned an associate degree in business management from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, a bachelor’s degree in business and communication from Pigier Ivory Coast, and a master’s degree in marketing from Pigier Ivory Coast—schools in Africa.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: From Brazil to BG May 4, 2015 7:00 AM For graduating senior Pedro Petribu, no distance is ever too far to travel toward his dreams. The Recife, Brazil, native has never been shy about seeking out success. Luckily for both him and BGSU, his personal success has gone hand in hand with that of the organizations with which he has become involved.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: The teacher-student connection Dec 21, 2015 8:48 AM As an educator, Carol Puder flipped the proverbial script in 2014 when she decided to enhance her education by enrolling in BGSU’s master’s degree program in education for classroom technology. The teacher became the student and Puder found herself studying right alongside her respiratory care students.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Research and leadership lead to success Dec 7, 2015 10:08 AM At a young age, Lauren Yacapraro’s parents took a proactive approach when they had her visit a dietitian for a predisposed medical condition. Years later, when Yacapraro determined she wanted to work in the health care field, she looked into becoming a dietitian or a physician assistant (PA). She couldn’t pick one, so decided on both.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Musical Arts Dec 21, 2015 8:49 AM Maria Ziegman picked up the flute in fifth grade and knew it was the instrument for her. Now 22, the Bowling Green State University senior graduated with a 3.8 GPA and degrees in music education and music performance.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Long distance diploma Dec 21, 2015 8:40 AM On his first day at BGSU, Derrick Loy got an extensive tour of campus usually reserved for prospective students, followed by a reminder to not be late for his graduation. That’s right, Loy received his degree on Dec. 18, the same day he stepped foot on the Bowling Green State University campus for the first time.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Power Play Dec 7, 2015 7:00 AM Reid Mankowski’s day begins early and ends late. In fact, you might wonder when he finds time to sleep. Mankowski manages to fit classes, several jobs, student activities and coaching youth hockey into his day. Despite a schedule that often exceeds 80 hours per week, Mankowski will graduate summa cum laude Dec. 18 with his business administration degree and a specialization in accounting. And if that isn’t impressive enough, he is graduating a semester early and funding his college education.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: It all leads to this point Aug 10, 2015 7:00 AM “So many different things led me to this point in my life,” said Viola Ratcliffe, who will receive her Master of Fine Arts degree in art history at the August commencement ceremonies.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Have Tuba Will Travel Aug 3, 2015 8:00 AM It doesn’t matter that BGSU was 2,360 miles from his hometown of Portland, Ore.; Joseph Ready knew it was a good fit to continue his tuba studies. Ready will receive his master’s of music in performance during the University’s historic 100th commencement ceremony on Aug. 8.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Building A Life Aug 3, 2015 6:30 AM David Neely ’14, ’15 came to BGSU in the fall of 2010 to develop his leadership skills and receive an education that could help him for the rest of his life. Originally from Perrysburg, Ohio, he was very familiar with Bowling Green and the northwest Ohio community. But, graduating for the second time in five years, he could not have predicted the impact the University would have on him.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Using Art to Bridge Cultures May 11, 2015 7:00 AM When Federico “Rico” Cuatlacuatl left his home in a tiny Mexican town at age seven, he had no idea what lay ahead of him. He had not even seen his father for over a year. “My father left one year for America. My mother left to join him later and finally my brother and I came,” said Cuatlacuatl. “When we landed and saw New York, it was complete cultural shock!”

Class of 2015 Success Stories: True Grit May 11, 2015 7:00 AM When Tanya Schardt accepted her diploma from Bowling Green State University on Saturday (May 9), she defied many odds. The Army veteran from Fremont, Ohio, who was critically injured in 2008 while deployed in Iraq, wasn’t expected to live, let alone graduate from college.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: Criminal justice nabs motivated student May 11, 2015 7:00 AM Senior Matt Dove, a criminal justice major from Columbus, is already planning to return to BGSU for his master’s degree in criminal justice after graduating this May and gaining some work experience in law enforcement.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: All the world is a stage May 11, 2015 7:00 AM Katie O’Leary believes that if you are flexible enough to believe that anything can go wrong at any time, but it can also go incredibly right, things will probably turn out okay.

Undergraduate students show research prowess May 4, 2015 7:30 AM From medical research to investigations of literary theory, undergraduate students are conducting serious scholarly work with faculty mentors. On May 6, President Mary Ellen Mazey presented awards to some of the top presenters from the recent Northwest Ohio Undergraduate Symposium for Research and Scholarship.

Class of 2015 Success Stories: A dedication to those in need May 4, 2015 7:30 AM Adriana Darris is not one to sit back and let others take the lead. The senior is graduating from Bowling Green State University with degrees in biology and Spanish and a lengthy list of accomplishments that span leadership positions to community volunteering.