Introducing the Class of 2018
The College of Applied Health Sciences welcomed 196 freshmen this fall, bringing our total enrollment to 2,254. According to the Beloit College “Mindset List,” this year’s freshmen were in kindergarten when the World Trade Center towers toppled. When they see wire-rimmed glasses, they think of Harry Potter, not John Lennon. Celebrity “selfies” are far cooler than autographs. Women have always attended the Virginia Military Institute and the Citadel, and Hong Kong has always been part of China. Bill Gates has always been the richest man in the U.S. They have probably never used Netscape as their web browser.
Among our newest crop of students are:
Nelly Casas
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health—Kinesiology
Nelly came to the University of Illinois from Oswego High School in Illinois, where she was active in competitive swimming and soccer, band, and clubs. She co-founded the League of United Latin American Citizens and served as chair of communications and recruitment. She also was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Science Honor Society. She took a class in sports medicine that required 500 hours of service, which she fulfilled by assisting physical trainers at a variety of high school sport games. For another class, she shadowed nurses and doctors in several units of a local hospital. She found she liked the hospital setting and set her sights on a career as a Physician Assistant. Here at Illinois, Nelly is a member of the swimming and diving teams and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and a scholar in the Mannie L. Jackson Illinois Academic Enrichment and Leadership Program, the James Scholar Program, and Illinois Promise.
Margaret Thomas
Department of Speech and Hearing Science—Speech-Language Pathology
Margaret attended Seneca High School in Seneca, Illinois. She was involved with America Reads* America Counts, through which she tutored pre-kindergarten through eighth- grade students in reading, language fluency, and math skills. As a high school student, Margaret also shadowed a variety of speech-language pathologists working in the schools, and hopes to work in a school setting after completing her master’s degree in speech-language pathology. Her mother attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but that’s not the only reason Margaret decided to attend Illinois. She loves the campus and is looking forward to all of the opportunities being at a larger university will present to her. She successfully auditioned for the Marching Illini, one of fewer than 400 students to do so, and plays in the trumpet section.
Julia Ghering
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program—Health Behavior Change
As a student at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, Julia was a member of the marching band, president of the Music Honors Society, and president of the AP Student Association. She continues to be involved with music, playing oboe in the University of Illinois Concert Band. Julia plans to attend medical school after completing her undergraduate degree and already has become involved with the American Medical Student Association on campus. She says she decided to prep for medical school with a degree in interdisciplinary health sciences because the program takes a broader look at health, considering prevention, healthy lifestyles, and more. Born in Illinois, Julia moved with her parents to Arizona when she was eight years old. While she is far from home, her grandmother continues to live in Aurora, Illinois, and her older sister is a student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Sydney Taylor
Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism—Sport Management
With her eye on a career as a sports agent representing NBA or NFL players, Sydney plans to attend law school after completing her bachelor’s degree. She attended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and the girls’ volleyball team. She plans to focus on her studies at Illinois, but will keep up her volleyball skills by playing recreationally. Sydney chose Illinois because of its reputation and incredible opportunities for internships and jobs. She also researched schools that offered sport management majors and found that RST has one of the top programs in the country. Sydney volunteered as a mentor to a younger girl through Sisters, Inc., during high school. Here at Illinois, she has become involved with S.T.A.R., a student organization for RST majors, and is a scholar in the Mannie L. Jackson Illinois Academic Enrichment and Leadership Program.
Maureen Sanderson
Department of Speech and Hearing Science—Speech-Language Pathology
Maureen wants to work as a speech-language pathologist with children who have communication difficulties after completing her undergraduate and graduate studies. Active in theater and choral groups at Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois, she firmly believes in the importance and power of voice. A tour of campus, trip to “Experience AHS,” and conversations with SHS advisor Kathi Ritten convinced her that the University of Illinois was where she needed to be. During high school, Maureen successfully auditioned for the Illinois Music Educators Association’s district 9 chorus, making the honor choir of top four singers from each district in her senior year. She also was a member of MUSE, a literary club for writers. Here at the University of Illinois, she is a James Scholar, has already become active in Illini Student Musicals, and is looking forward to joining the American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Club.
Victor Abarca
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences—Health Behavior Change
Victor has known since the age of seven that he wanted to be a doctor. That was when his grandmother began her fight against cancer, and he made it his mission to become an oncologist or radiologist. He chose to major in i-Health because he didn’t want to focus only on the physical aspects of health. His high school internships with a pediatrician had taught him that health has social, psychological, and spiritual aspects as well. He was a member of the National Honor Society at Chicago Bulls College Prep, were he also played soccer, serving as team captain in his senior year, and participated in the Marine Corps Junior ROTC. Here at Illinois, he is a scholar in the Mannie L. Jackson Illinois Academic Enrichment and Leadership Program, but is choosing to focus on his studies and getting used to his new lifestyle this year rather than joining teams and clubs.
Jackie Hirn
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health—Kinesiology
Jackie plans to go into medicine, either oncology or cardiology, and chose kinesiology because she wanted a broader and more applied preparation than the hard sciences offered. As a Yorkville, Illinois, High School student, she became interested in cancer and stem cells, an interest she hopes to pursue as an undergraduate research assistant. She was a member of the high school Math Team, Robotics Team 3695 Foximus Prime (which she helped to found), varsity choir, National Honor Society, National Society of High School Scholars, and WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering). Jackie also was a track and field athlete, specializing in discus and shot put. As a volunteer, she organized, managed, and ran numerous food drives, and participated in annual mission trips to the Upper Cheyenne Reservation in South Dakota. At Illinois, she is a member of the Marching Illini color guard and is determined to study abroad in Spain.