What the Distinguished Capstone Recognizes
The Distinguished Capstone is meant to foster a more academically competitive and rigorous Capstone environment. The Distinguished Capstone provides the Capstone Committee and faculty advisors with a means of recognizing exceptional work.
Students who receive the Distinguished Capstone Award have demonstrated they have:
- Gone above and beyond the expected learning outcomes
- Expressed their experience in a meaningful manner through both their presentation and essay
- Demonstrated that they have impacted a community during their Capstone experience
- Demonstrated their presentation was an act of leadership by influencing the audience
2025-26 Distinguished Capstone Award Recipients
Name | Capstone Presentation |
|---|---|
Ahmed Al Hadeethi | Embracing The Journey: Getting Lost, Finding Purpose and Building My Med School Road |
Raneem Barakat | |
Jona Elam | |
Eric Frazier | From Doubt to Discipline: How UMR Shaped My Path to Medicine |
Favour Gerald Ugwu | Learning Through Care, Care Through Learning: How UMR Taught Me to Learn and Care Differently |
Joud Haj Sakor | |
Ellenie Haugen | Where Small Moments Lead: My Journey to Occupational Therapy |
Brody Kleven | |
Jack Kujath | The Journey, Not the Dragon: Discovering My Path in Microscopy |
Molly McNallan | |
Nora Obikwelu | GPS Rerouting: Took the Art Therapy Exit, Med School in the Rearview |
Becca Tupy | From Patient to Provider: Integrating Science, Care & Systems - A Journey Shaped by Resilience |
Past Distinguished Capstone Award Recipients
2024-2025
| Name | Capstone Title | Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
Moukarama Afoda (Fall 2024) | Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Harnessing Patience in a Fast-Paced World | |
Kaitlyn Jones (Fall 2024) | A Seed in the Wrong Soil: My Journey Into Blossoming Into My Passion | |
Frank Weber (Fall 2024) | Authenticity in Career Exploration: A Bayesian Analysis
| |
Rachel Agyei (Spring 2025) | Blossoms of Pink: Growing Compassion & Perseverance for Pediatric Care | |
Anthony Arias (Spring 2025) | Lost in the Right Direction: Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones | |
Kauthar Al-Khiqany (Spring 2025) | Rooted in Resilience: My Journey to Medicine | |
Ozzy Ayebo (Spring 2025) | Lessons in Health Literacy in my Path to Physician-Scientist | |
Keera Braun (Spring 2025) | Be Present, Not Perfect | |
Ellie Glende (Spring 2025) | Rooted in Adaptability: Growing Through Changing Plans
| |
Sydney Kowarsch (Spring 2025) | By Women, For Women: My Journey as a Pre-PA Student Guided by a Passion for Women's Health | |
Gabrielle Nicola (Spring 2025) | Beyond the Needle: Where Resilience and Anesthesia Meet | |
Muntas Osman (Spring 2025) | I can’t do everything myself: The Breaking of a Cycle
| |
Esmee Solberg (Spring 2025) | Where Empathy Grows: Through Patients and Patience | |
Priyanka Streblow (Spring 2025) | This Garden of Mine: Cultivating A Physician Through Capstone Roots | |
Aalunya Teso (Spring 2025) | Two Worlds, One Family |
2023-2024
| Name | Capstone Title | Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
| Afi Dumenya (Fall 2023) | Falling Out of Love With General Pediatrics and Embracing the Journey Ahead | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Clancy Nguyen (Fall 2023) | 3 | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Intisar Abdullah (Spring 2024) | Diversifying my Perspectives: A Journey to Becoming a Multifaceted Physician | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Bontu Ambo (Spring 2024) | The Bleeding Heart of an Empathetic Physician: Redefining Mental Health And What It Means To Be A Doctor | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Jake Atencio (Spring 2024) | Discovering the Humanity Behind Yourself and Others | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Anikka Bjornson (Spring 2024) | Blazing My Own Trail: My journey of connecting a Health Sciences major to the fields of Conservation and Environmental Health | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Ugyen Dorjee (Spring 2024) | The One Who Wears the Crown, Bears the Crown | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Jennifer Iwuchukwu (Spring 2024) | Big Dreams Blossomed to Big Achievements | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Sophia Moore (Spring 2024) | Rough Road Ahead: Paving My Future In The Face Of Uncertainty | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Lisa Osei (Spring 2024) | Navigating Medicine: My Journey of Learning Empathy, Resilience, and Advocacy | Link to Capstone Presentation |
2022-2023
| Name | Capstone Title | Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
| Petra Algadi (Fall 2022) | When Worlds Collide: A Journey to Bring Intersectionality-Focused Research into Research Sciences | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Tessie Burley (Fall 2022) | A Tragic Love Story: My Breakup and Reconciliation with Nursing | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Ashley Eikren (Spring 2023) | The view from now | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Carly Hampton (Spring 2023) | A Journey to Find Self-Confidence and Prepare for my Future as a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Patricia Hernandez (Spring 2023) | The "Why": Embracing Lifelong Learning | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Pal Koak (Spring 2023) | The Path You Make: a story about self-doubt, self-belief, and the formula to making things work for you. | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Kaitlyn Komoszewski (Spring 2023) | Unplanning for the Future | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Chloe Line (Spring 2023) | Reframing the Healthcare Trio: The Learner, the Provider, and the Patient | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Eliza Meyer (Spring 2023) | Growing with the Flow; understanding how to put my passions into a career | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Doan Nguyen (Spring 2023) | A Deep Dive Into Perspectives: The Journey to Understanding How Factors Can Influence An Individual’s Health | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Lilly Nwaokorie (Spring 2023) | Applying My Perception: Understanding Diverse Viewpoints of Mental Health | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Kara Nyhus (Spring 2023) | Slow and Steady Wins The Race: A Personal Take On "The Tortoise And The Hare" | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Jordan Palmieri (Spring 2023) | Regaining Balance: Finding a Sense of Self in Relation to Trauma | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Jack Roesler (Spring 2023) | A Modern Odyssey: The Journey of a PA Student | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Safa Sheikhibrahim (Fall 2022) | Eyewitness: Disillusioned but Determined. | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Grace Thyen (Spring 2023) | Connecting Creativity, Contentment, and Confidence in Myself and Medicine | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Yusra Yusuf (Spring 2023) | Bridging differences as an activist in medicine and in everyday life. | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Sydney Ziemer (Spring 2023) | Loving Dandelions | Link to Capstone Presentation |
2021-2022
| Name | Capstone Title | Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
| Olivia Kressin (Spring 2022) | Digging Deep: Incorporating Passion with Profession Through Environmental Studies | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Marcela Montes (Spring 2022) | Performer, Researcher, Advocate: Pathways Towards Becoming a Well Rounded Nurse | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Kristen Newton (Fall 2021) | The Journey to my Future in Discovering and Building on Intercultural Relationships and Utilizing my Voice to tell my Truth and Create Change | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Nevaeh Nez (Spring 2022) | Two Worlds: Walking the Path of Higher Education as an Indigenous Student in Health | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Rachael Ojeikhodion (Spring 2022) | Eeny, meeny, miny, moe | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Emily Tullis (Spring 2022) | Building my Bridge | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Melody Yang (Fall 2021) | Meet Me at the Crossroads: Embodying Intersectionality to Become a Better Health Care Provider | Link to Capstone Presentation |
2020-2021
| Name | Capstone Title | Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
| Anika Evers (Fall, 2020) | Mission In-Pieces: Putting the Puzzle Together | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Kadley Harmon (Fall, 2020) | Evolution of a College Student: An Exploration of Murphy’s Law, Cytotechnology, Histology, 2020, and Adaptation | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Rafaelle Baglio (Spring, 2021) | Nothing Ever Goes as Planned: Navigating Towards Medical School in the Middle of a Pandemic | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Charly Vang (Spring, 2021) | Finding My Soul: A Journey Into Medicine | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Faduma Ali (Spring, 2021) | Walking Uncertain Plains Instead of Climbing Mountain: Finding Peace Within In Life's Unanswered Questions | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Danniella Balangoy (Spring, 2021) | Gender, Health, and Ethnicity: A health science student’s intersectional perspective | |
| Chandi Katoch (Spring, 2021) | Building a Strong Foundation: Combining Skills and Experiences to Prepare for Medical School and Beyond | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Natalya Wells (Spring, 2021) | Breathing in the Possibilities: Preparing Myself for a Future Career in Anesthesiology | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Daniel Turin (Spring, 2021) | Sorry means thank you: How self reflection, science and a few fruit flies ushered in my future | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Hunter Olson (Spring, 2021) | The Queer Eye: A Reflective Analysis of a Queer Students Understanding of Humility, Determination, and Regret | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Valerie Yarbrough (Spring, 2021) | I Am Resilience: Being an African American in Contemporary America | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Ethan Moser (Spring, 2021) | Making an Epidemiologist: Acquiring Knowledge, Expanding Skill Sets, and Looking Beyond Myself | Link to Capstone Presentation |
| Yaqoub Yusuf (Spring, 2021) | The goal of stoicism | Link to Capstone Presentation |
2019-2020
| Name | Capstone Title | Presentation Link |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon Holmberg | I’m Not Scared of Bugs, I’m Scared of Uncertainty | Video Link |
| Audra Gaikowski | The Uncertainty of Life: How Learning to Enjoy Life’s Unanswered Questions Made me a Happier Person | Video Link |
| Samantha Kreps | Defining my Identity: The Process of Self-Discovery in Both the Medical Field and Within Myself | Video Link |
| Maha Siddiqui | Rang ke saath dekho: Finding balance in a world of black and white | Video Link |
| Besima Majetic | Serving Among Diversity: A Story From a Healthcare Soldier | |
| Breanna Enger | A Pursuit of the Unknown: A Journey of Self-Discovery Through Exploration | Video Link |
| Paola Gomez Tapia | Painting a Picture of Who I Am | Video link |
2018-2019
| Name | Capstone Title |
|---|---|
| Mohamed Addani | Applying multiple lenses: A refuge, a student, and future scientist to understand an identity |
| Charles Brick | A Lost Identity: Learning to face my past to gain self-awareness |
| Annika Shelstad | Refuting and Reflecting upon the Single Story of my Condition |
| Casandra Jefrey | Assembling my Puzzle: How trauma of my past has guided my future |
| Kao Ly Thao | Far but Closer to Home |
2017-2018
| Name | Capstone Title |
|---|---|
| Alecia Alto | Finding Potential Through Uncertainty of Research in the Face of Complex Problems |
| Mariah Arneson | Thriving in Complexity: Understanding the value of crafting the complex integration of patient care, research, and international health into a medical career |
| Rebecca Houston | Empowering others to tell their story: exploring creativity and vulnerability in therapy and speech pathology |
| Drew Kerska | In Search of Self-Discovery: Gaining Intellect through Pharmacology, Reflection, and Change |
| Roy Montgomery | Perseverance and how my Capstone Became a Major Turning Point in My Life |
| Paige Oklon | Learning My ATGCs: Decoding the Pathway to a Genetic Counselor by Amplifying My Scientific Knowledge and Personal Strengths |
2016-2017
| Name | Capstone Title |
|---|---|
| Nitya Chandiramani | Catalyzing Passion into Action: Challenging Uncertainty and Pioneering a Path in Health Policy |
| Haley Pysick | It’s all about perspective: exploring medicine through research, humanitarian, and cultural lenses |
| Nolan Meyer | Health Science, Optimized: A Medic's Mathematical Metamorphosis |
| Isaac Horn | On conflict: emotional, spiritual, and social reconciliation |
| Glen Morris | Health Sciences and our Environment: Integrating Academic Learning, Professional Experiences, and Research |
| Sarah Styer | Focusing on the Person: The importance of relationships while preparing for a career in rural medicine |
2015-2016
| Name | Capstone Title |
|---|---|
| Hawa Ali | Driven by Distrust: Addressing Disparate Outcomes in Health & Education through Scientific Literacy & Sociological Perspectives |
| Brianna Allen | It’s All About the Why: a Lesson in Humanity |
| Kelly Dano | Healing: A Journey through Destruction |
| Melissa Folstad | An Exploration of Women’s Health through Medical History, Public Health, and Emergency Medicine |
| Eric Mehlhaff | A Realization of What Matters Most: The Intersection of Science and Culture |
| Megan Zimmerman | Reflection of Mortality: Stories of Disability, Disparity, and Dying |