DENISON UNIVERSITY The One Hundred Eightieth Annual COMMENCEMENT May 22, 2021 1 One Hundred Eightieth Annual Commencement at Denison University Marking Completion of The One Hundred Ninetieth Year Saturday, May 22, 2021 11 a.m. 1 Commencement Exercises Thomas E. Szykowny ’79, B.A., J.D., Denison Trustee Adam S. Weinberg, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., President of Denison University Cheryl Kennedy McFarren, B.A., M.F.A., Ph.D., Head Faculty Marshal Seth L. Chin-Parker, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Faculty Marshal Frederick Christopher Porcheddu-Engel ’87, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Faculty Marshal Emily Annette Nemeth ’04, B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D., Faculty Marshal Processionals Welcome Thomas E. Szykowny ’79 and Adam S. Weinberg Senior Class Address Sara Nizar Abou Rashed ’21 “Come Celebrate with Me” Announcement of Senior Gift Fatimah AlZahraa Elghazawi ’21 and Jacob Allen Primack ’21 Class Co-Governors Recognition of Retiring Faculty Presented by Susan L. Kennedy, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Chair of the Faculty David A. Baker, B.S.E., M.A., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of English Brenda Marie Boyle, A.B., M.A., M.A., Ph.D. Professor Emerita of English Tom C. Bressoud, B.S., M.S., M.S., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Computer Science Kirk Clayton Combe, B.A., M.A., D.Phil. Professor Emeritus of English Anthony J. Lisska, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Robert Stephen Russo, B.S., M.A. Professor Emeritus of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies Lynda Joy Sperling, M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D. Professor Emerita of Art History and Visual Culture Conferring of the Honorary Degrees Adam S. Weinberg Peter Mohler, B.S., Ph.D. Presented by Alexandra Schimmer, B.A., M.Ph., J.D. Alison Norris, B.A., M.D., Ph.D. Abigail Norris Turner, B.S., M.S.P.H., Ph.D. Kelly Brown Douglas ’79, B.S., M.Div., Ph.D. Presented by John L. Jackson, B.S., M.Div., Ph.D. Biographies of retiring faculty and the honorary degree recipient are located on pages 35-43. 2 Commencement Address The Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas ’79 “Little Words” Presentation of the Class of 2021 Kimberly Ann Coplin ’85, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Provost Awarding of Degrees in Course Kimberly Ann Coplin ’85 The Awarding of Degrees to Senior Class Co-Governors* The Awarding of Degrees to President’s Medalists** The Degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts The Degree of Bachelor of Science The Degree of Bachelor of Arts * Fatimah AlZahraa Elghazawi and Jacob Allen Primack ** Sara Nizar Abou Rashed, Max Curtin, Madelyn Kay Dirrim, Fatimah AlZahraa Elghazawi, Jacqueline Maricela Figueroa, Jacob Alan Rains, Shruti Shankar, Megan Nicole Wong Alma Mater “To Denison” Written by V.E. Field, Class of 1903, and sung To Denison, we raise our song, by Madison Gordon ’21. Fair College on the hill, The name that sets our souls on fire, And makes our senses thrill. To Denison, my Denison, In praise our voices swell, The scenes of happy college days, The home we love so well. Recessional Program Notes Graduates are listed alphabetically under the degree they Reeth, violin; Corinne Keefer ’21, violin; Nicole Harris ’20, are receiving, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science or viola; Cora Kuyvenhoven, cello; Douglas Richeson, bass; Bachelor of Arts. In some cases, a student may earn more Whitney Davis, trumpet; Julian Davis, trumpet; Allyson Krupa than one bachelor’s degree during his or her undergraduate ’21, horn; Ryan Hamilton, trombone; Thomas Hellman ’21, years. The student’s major(s) are listed to the right of his or her euphonium. The commencement orchestra is conducted by hometown, with a concentration indicated within parentheses. Assistant Professor of Music Chris David Westover-Muñoz. Directly below each name is the student’s hometown. Titles of Flowers for the program are provided by Village Flower Basket. yearlong Senior Theses or Senior Creative Projects judged to Interpretive signing is done by Hallenross and Associates, merit recognition appear in italics underneath the hometown, LLC. The program concludes when the platform party and along with the name and terminal degree of the faculty faculty have recessed. The audience and graduates are asked to supervisor. remain seated during the recessional. President’s Medalists wear gold medals awarded in recognition Academic Regalia of their status. Students graduating summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude Latin honors wear gold, silver and red The academic costume which makes the Commencement tassels respectively on their caps. Student members of Mortar procession so colorful is more than 800 years old, dating Board, a national honor society that recognizes college seniors back to the days when students were members of the minor for their achievements in scholarship, leadership and service, clergy and wore monkish gowns and hoods. Today, the hood also wear gold tassels on their caps. is used only as an ornament. It is lined with the colors of the university conferring the degree: the border in which it is edged Today’s processionals are selections chosen from The Water indicates the scholar’s field. The colors seen in today’s Denison Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749) by procession and the fields they represent are: Dark Blue: George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). The recessional is a Philosophy; White: Humanities; Golden Yellow: Science; Light selection from String Quartet No. 7, K. 160 (1773) by Wolfgang Blue: Education; Brown: Fine Arts; Pink: Music; Silver Gray: Amadeus Mozart. Fanfare for the Class of 2021 is an original Oratory (Speech); Scarlet: Theology; Lemon Yellow: Library composition by Associate Professor of Music HyeKyung Lee, Science; Sage Green: Physical Education; Drab: Commerce, B.M., M.M.,D.M.A. Musical selections are being performed Accountancy, Business. by Hanna Hurwitz, violin; Katherine Ji, violin; James Van 3 Awarding of Degrees in Course Adam S. Weinberg, President, Presiding Presentation by Kimberly Ann Coplin ’85, Provost Degrees Summa Cum Laude - Gold Tassel Cap Degrees Magna Cum Laude - Silver Tassel Cap Degrees Cum Laude - Red Tassel Cap Alexander Cruz Bachelor of Fine Arts Framingham, Massachusetts Biochemistry Shruti Shankar, Summa Cum Laude Chennai, India Studio Art Kezia Danso The Spaces In-Between Chicago, Illinois Biology Supervised by Sheilah ReStack, M.F.A. Caeli Alexis Davis Bachelor of Science Wilmington, Delaware Biology Hope Naomi Adams, Cum Laude Denver, Colorado Biology Philipp Rajah de Moura Srivastava Hamburg, Germany Computer Science Teya Adams Rochester, New Hampshire Biology Can Deng Chengdu, China Biology Kabita Adhikari Pataskala, Ohio Biology Emily Ann DeSheles Lake Elsinore, California Biology Emily Ruth Allen, Magna Cum Laude West Chester, Ohio Mathematics Kristina Marie Diez, Cum Laude Highland Park, Illinois Biology Hannah Mae Austin Knoxville, Tennessee Biology Gabrielle Pearl Dufresne, Cum Laude Naperville, Illinois Biology Marco Jure Balic, Cum Laude The Impact of Tank Size and Hormone Westlake, Ohio Mathematics Concentrations on Male-Male Clasping in Xenopus laevis Daniel Hunter Biddle Supervised by Heather J. Rhodes, Ph.D. Lexington, Ohio Biology Lucy Everett Elsie Grace Bunyan La Grange, Illinois Biology Accra, Ghana Biology Ransly Onuel Familia Ethan Steward Cain, Magna Cum Laude Bronx, New York Biology Loveland, Ohio Biology Sara Caitlin Flatt Meghan Alexandra Callahan, Magna Cum Laude Wayne, Pennsylvania Biology Murrysville, Pennsylvania Biology Edgar Eduardo Garcia Emily Jane Campbell New York, New York Biology Buffalo, New York Biology Mireya Atiana Gomez Catherine Alexandra Cash Chicago, Illinois Biology New Albany, Ohio Biology Henri Hegemier, Cum Laude Guanzhi Chen Upper Arlington, Ohio Computer Science Ningbo, China Psychology Stephanie Joy Jackson Clotilde Ann Cirilano, Cum Laude Worthington, Ohio Biology Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Biology 4 Megan Jaffy, Summa Cum Laude Christopher Negrete Bexley, Ohio Computer Science Chicago, Illinois Biology Matthew Kelsey Sydney Lee Nyquist, Magna Cum Laude Naperville, Illinois Chemistry Highland, Illinois Biology Investigating PKHD1L1 as a Kailey Elizabeth Knopf, Cum Laude possible tumor suppressor St. Louis, Missouri Biochemistry Supervised by Lina I. Yoo, Ph.D. Alysia Bella Nyikos Kohrs, Summa Cum Laude Alondra Ortega Tulsa, Oklahoma Biology Chicago, Illinois Biology Exploring the Role of the PKHD1L1 Gene in Epithelial Cancer Cells Ramón Ortega IV Supervised by Lina I. Yoo, Ph.D. Parkland, Florida Biology Danica Kontic, Cum Laude Freddie Daniel Ortiz Windsor, Canada Biology Athens, Georgia Biology Varishta Lallbeeharry Casey Lynn Pearce, Magna Cum Laude Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius Physics Brook Park, Ohio Biology Clairine Indigo Star Larsen, Magna Cum Laude Hana Marie Piatt, Cum Laude Cross Plains, Wisconsin Biology Pataskala, Ohio Biology Role of Histone Modifications in Novel Epigenetic UV Hyper-resistance Phenotype Remington Ponce in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Miami, Florida Physics Supervised by Jeffrey S. Thompson, Ph.D. John Flaherty Pulford Byunghoon Lee, Cum Laude Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Biology Seoul, South Korea Chemistry Uncovering the relationship between Sarah Katharine Radziewicz small-molecule structure to bulk properties Greenville, South Carolina Biology in donor-acceptor columnar liquid crystals Supervised by Joseph J. Reczek, Ph.D. Abby Marie Reppert Reading, Michigan Biochemistry Greta Annette Leissa, Magna Cum Laude Brookeville, Maryland Biology Victoria Kenworthy Sauve, Magna Cum Laude Nashville, Tennessee Chemistry Sirui Liu, Magna Cum Laude Understanding the electronics of Fuzhou, China Physics donor acceptor columnar