News
Congratulations to Graduating Political Science Majors!
April 25, 2020
Final exams at GVSU ended yesterday, and today is the day our graduating seniors would have walked across the stage during commencement ceremonies at Van Andel Arena and celebrated their accomplishments with family, friends, fellow students, and their professors. The ceremony has been postponed until October, but we want to acknowledge our graduating Political Science majors today as well.
The Political Science faculty heartily congratulates each one of you. We are proud of all that you have accomplished, and we wish you all the best as you leave GVSU and enter the next stage of your lives. You will be missed! Congratulations!
We offered graduating seniors the opportunity to have their name, major, and minor acknowledged here, along with a short statement about their future plans or a highlight of their time at GVSU. Listed here are those who responded and gave their permission to have this information posted. This is not nearly all of our graduating seniors, but it gives a taste of the accomplished and interesting students in our program and the exciting things ahead for them.
Austin Avison
Woodhaven, Michigan
BS in Political Science and Religious
Studies (double major), minor in Psychology
After graduating from
Grand Valley, I will be entering into a Masters of Arts program
studying Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University, where I
have been granted a teaching assistantship for an undergraduate course
in religious studies. After graduating from the Master's program, I
plan to pursue a doctoral degree within the discipline of psychology
or an interdisciplinary study of religion, culture, and politics.
Humzah Azeem
Grand Rapids, Michigan
BA in Political Science
I enjoyed
my time at Grand Valley and am looking forward to using my experience
to pursue a sales career in New York City.
Terra Bielby
Kalamazoo/Allendale
BS in Political Science, minor in
Philosophy
May 1st I will begin working as a field organizer in
Kalamazoo with the Michigan Democratic Party. In 2016, I switched from
majoring in Biology to Political Science with the hope of the exact
position for the 2020 election. Last month, I participated in a
program called Organizing Corp that really made this all possible, and
despite the circumstances, I could not be more excited for my future.
Berkley Bretschneider
Wolverine Lake, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in
Criminal Justice
After graduation I will be staying at GV to get
my master’s in higher education with an emphasis in college student
affairs leadership. I will also be working as a graduate assistant in
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Academic Advising Center!
Miranda Bryan
Lake Orion, Michigan
BA in Political Science and Religious
Studies (double major), minor in Women, Gender, & Sexuality
Studies
I plan on moving to Arizona and working until I can attend
law school, hoping to focus on civil rights and family law.
Ryan Edward Fritz
Muskegon, Michigan
BA in Political Science and Communications
(double major)
Despite our ending, I am extremely grateful to have
met lifelong friends and tremendous colleagues. Thank you to my
professors who worked tirelessly one on one with me to make sure I had
every opportunity to succeed. I would not have traded my experience
for the world and will be eternally grateful to Grand Valley for
setting me on a path for success. I hope to enter into Public
Relations in the Grand Rapids area, continue to learn throughout my
career, and leave the institution as a Laker for a Lifetime.
Samuel R. Fyfe
Traverse City, Michigan
BA in Political Science
My future
goals begin with hopefully being accepted into the Teach for America
program, with an emphasis on attending Law School later down the road!
Daniel G. Giddings
Grand Rapids, Michigan
BS in Political Science and Business
Management (double major), minor in Anthropology
While I am unsure
what the future holds, I yearn to travel and live abroad before
eventually returning to the U.S. to pursue a career in politics and
public service.
Daniel Gil
Grand Rapids, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in
Juvenile Justice
Future Goals: Get into law school. Career goals:
Become a practicing lawyer.
Highlights of GVSU: It got me out of
my comfort zone, it expanded my narrow world, and I got to meet great
peers and professors.
Carter Houtman
Sanford, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in
International Relations
I enjoyed my time at GVSU being part of
Student Senate working on important projects that I’ll help students
for years to come. This summer I will be working for Congressman John
Moolenaar on his campaign starting in late April.
Michael Woodward Jackson
Rockford, Michigan
BS in Political Science
I returned to
GVSU after a brief 15-year hiatus. The campus was just as it was
before in many ways, with many improvements. The Political Science
Department has some great new professors and I was thrilled with the
re-entry process. I will be entering the business world, but someday
I plan to run for public office. I hope GVSU continues to hold free
speech and public discourse as sacred in the future. I am sad to
leave, but happy I came back to finish.
Terry Jackson
Howell, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in
Philosophy
I plan to attend law school with the hope of working in
the federal bureaucracy in the law enforcement or national security sector.
Madalynne Kowalik
Schoolcraft, Michigan
BA in Political Science, minors in
Human Rights and in Middle East Studies
I am spending a gap year
in Washington D.C. and then will be attending law school in Fall 2021.
I plan to complete a dual-degree program to receive my JD and my LLM
in international human rights law simultaneously.
Ashlyn LaBrenz
Frankenmuth, Michigan
BA in Political Science and Philosophy
(double major), minor in Human Rights.
At Grand Valley, I was the
president and a founding member of the Debate Club. I was also a
member of the Fencing Club. One of the biggest highlights of my senior
year was having my thesis accepted into an undergraduate philosophy
conference in Grand Rapids. After graduation, I intend on taking a gap
year to decide how I want to proceed with my education and career. I
hope to someday complete a master’s program in either public or
non-profit administration. My goal is to become a lobbyist for a human
rights organization.
Kate Marsh
Oxford, Michigan
BS in Political Science
I was just
offered a position with Teach for America in Detroit teaching
Secondary Mathematics. After my two years with TFA, I plan on
attending law school and practicing human rights law. I found my
experience at Grand Valley to be too short! I truly loved my
experience that I had in and outside of classes. I could never have
asked for a better college experience, from joining the improv team,
Subject to Change and meeting my best friends, to working as a Student
Manager at GV brew with amazing coworkers!
Morgan Mattler
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
BA in Political Science, minor in
Economics
While I eventually plan to move to our nation's capital
to pursue a Fellowship and eventual graduate degree, I will first be
traveling the United States as a Leadership Consultant for Alpha
Epsilon Pi, the International Jewish Fraternity. I am very grateful
for all of my experiences and professors at Grand Valley that helped
shape me, broaden my perspective, and encouraged me to serve others
and make a difference
Erin McIntosh
Royal Oak, Michigan
BA in Political Science, minor in Public
Administration
I will be pursuing my Master’s degree in Public
Administration at Grand Valley after one year in the Student Initiated
Combined Degree program. My emphasis is Policy Analysis, Advocacy, and
Evaluation. I'm super excited to continue school at Grand Valley, and
call Grand Rapids my new home! My goal is to work in local government
and work with municipal policy.
Elvia Mendez
Greenville, Michigan
BA in Political Science, minors in
Spanish and in Human Rights
I am hoping to give college students
the support they need to be successful during their four years of
college, just as I have found the support I needed during my time at GVSU.
Andrew Nurmi
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in
Legal Studies
This fall, I'll be starting at Wayne State Law
(Class of '23), and I hope to go into labor and employment rights law.
I'll always remember my time at Grand Valley as the happiest years of
my life, and I owe so much to so many, but I especially thank the
Political Science department - faculty, staff, and fellow students -
for being a great program that made my years of study so enjoyable and worthwhile.
Delaney Walsh
Livonia, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in
Philosophy
I am hoping to begin law school in the fall!
Wesley Wilson
Norton Shores, Michigan
BS in Political Science and
Public/Non-Profit Administration, with an emphasis in Community
Development/Planning, Personnel Management, and Budgeting &
Finance (double major)
Plan to work in the Michigan Legislature to
advance legislation that focuses on criminal, economic, and
environmental justice to help make Michigan a more equitable place for
working class families. Fun Fact: I am an elected (2016-2022) School
Board Trustee at Mona Shores Public Schools!
Becca Winalis
New Baltimore, Michigan
BS in Political Science and Legal
Studies (double major), minor in International Relations
I hope to
eventually become a lobbyist in dc fighting for accessible and
affordable healthcare.
Ellen Yope
St. Clair, Michigan
BS in Political Science, minor in Women,
Gender, & Sexuality Studies
The best part of my time at Grand
Valley were the opportunities I had to present educational workshops
on intersectionality, sexuality, and religion to others in the
community.