Graduates of
Friday, May 12, 2023
Ready to launch Graphic by Sam Beebe
International students leave prepared
Suarez is currently Bella Casey and looking for a job and said Stephanie Landaverde
Courtesy of Pierce Jones Pierce Jones, a 2022 graduate, is a restaurant manager. He said there are lots of unexpected costs when transitioning from college to work.
OSU alumni tells 2023 class, ‘Try not to stress’ in first year out of school
Braden Bush Assistant Sports Editor Alexis Vance Williams’ first job out of college kind of is rocket science. “When you think of Apollo 13 and the scene when they say, ‘Houston, we have a problem,’ I am Houston,” she said. Vance Williams has many duties. She’s in charge of water, oxygen, nitrogen, pres-
sure, carbon dioxide removal and other parts of human spaceflight for Johnson Space Center in Houston and does emergency management for the International Space Station. Everything that keeps a person alive in space, she said. But first, Vance Williams was a 2022 OSU graduate. “I joke that even though I do emergency management for the International Space Station, managing fires in space is way less stressful than being an engineer in college,” Vance Williams said. See Advice on 5A
Senior Pete’s time: ‘I was a part of something bigger’ “I tried out a lot,” Hayden Alexander Price said. “I’d seen Staff Reporter
two of my good friends get it.” Pistol Pete is During the trymany things, but the outs last year, a panel man under the hat is of former Pistol Petes a student and future interviewed and put graduate of Oklahoma Price through differState University. ent scenarios while in Pistol Pete brings costume. the rowdy to every field At the end of the he takes to keep the day, the 93rd Pete was students, faculty, fans announced: his friend and alumni’s spirits Traber Smithson. But high. He attends every the 94th Pete spot was game and event imagstill up for grabs. inable to support the “The nerves reCowboy family. ally sat in because it Cooper Price, was my last chance,” one of the current Price said. “Then they Pistol Petes, has held called me and I don’t the title for a year. He think I stopped smiling auditioned for the role for a week; it was a surmultiple times after real experience.” being inspired and encouraged by friends and watching them take on the mantle. See Pistol Pete on 5A
she is ready for something outside academia. She Oklahoma State wants to work in a research University is a bridge lab, specifically with between dreams and real- fungal diseases, but said ity for many international she would also love a job students. working with bacteria, For these viruses, nemaSalome Suarez eight graduattodes or any ing students, other plant OSU was pathogen. a place to “Exgrow proamining fessionally, different personally toxins, and socialpeptides or ly. Here they metabolites share their stothat are prories, advice for duced by fungi, future international I think that that students and accomplishwould be like my dream,” ments during their time at Suarez said. “I would love OSU. to have a team that does Salome Suarez research on that. And OSU has not disapif I get to travel around pointed Suarez. the world doing research Suarez is from Quito, in different parts of the Ecuador, and she came to world, that’s my dream.” OSU to earn her Ph.D in Rabia Ahuja plant pathology. As she prepared to “I think my childleave her family and home hood was pretty great,” for the first time, Ahuja Suarez said. “I really loved packed enough food, toiletit.” ries and clothes to last her Suarez said aside a month. from different majors, she Ahuja had not been had similar opportuniaware of the resources ties in Ecuador as in the OSU offers to its students, US. She came to OSU and she anticipated life because Carla Garzon, a away from home would be now retired professor from hard. She was living with Ecuador, had a program her family in a to bring Ecuadorian small town students to OSU. in the Suarez liked Punjab the program, region department and of Inprofessors, so dia, and she chose OSU. moving Suarez to the Rabia Ahuja studied abroad US was a for a year in Belbig change gium when she was for her. 17, so preparing to move “While I to the US was not difficult was boarding for my first for her. international flight for “The beginning is America, I was very scared always sad because you’re to go away from my famalways going to miss ily,” Ahuja said. “But with your family and friends,” motivational family and Suarez said. “But then you supportive friends, I was start making new friends able to do this.” over here and you start getAhuja came to OSU ting to know other people to pursue research in the and getting involved in field of plant biology. The other activities. That land-grant research in the makes it a lot better.” field of plant pathology Since high school, was a specific motivator she has known she wants for attending OSU. to work in a field related Ahuja is graduating to biology, so she earned with her master’s degree her bachelor’s degree in in plant biology and will biotechnology engineering. pursue her Ph.D in the She is interested in plant same field at the University pathology because of how of Nebraska-Lincoln. Once it can be useful to people, she graduates with her such as protecting plants Ph.D, she plans to find a from diseases, which in job in the field of molecuturn, increases food secu- lar biology, but as of now rity. is unsure whether she will
continue to live in the US. or an explosion.” “My expectations Neira advises (for college in the international US) were to have students to experience live the inand research ternational progress in student the field of experiplant bioloence gy, and OSU without perfectly fear and matched my to get to Santiago Neira expectations,” know as Ahuja said. many people as Ahuja said she had possible. Neira also a great experience at OSU, wants international stuand she advises future dents to be aware they are international students to representing their homes access the available rewhen they come to OSU. sources. Being a positive represen“Since there are tation opens the door for many WhatsApp groups other students from those and other online resources countries to be able to for international students, come here, Neira said. everyone should try to “Don’t be afraid, (...) have access to them, beand in a certain way, we cause they can get answers are representatives from for their questions,” Ahuja our country,” Neira said. said. “Usually there are “Every single day when (a) tremendous number of I work, I want people to queries and doubts, but if know Colombians can do incoming students can pay these things.” attention to the available Jennifer Tapia resources, they can easily Roses provided her get answers for their ques- everything she needed as tions.” a child. Santiago Neira Now she is graduatNeira’s nightmare ing with a master’s degree became a reality on his in plant and soil science. first day in the US. Jennfier Tapia was He arrived a week raised in Ecuador, and her later than planned with no father exported roses for a SIM card and, because he living. Tapia said Ecuador enrolled late, no access to is a beautiful country full the school Wi-Fi. Neira of biodiversity and natural had no way to contact his resources. When she first family, friends and girlapplied for her master’s friend back in Bogotá, degree, she applied to plant Colombia. pathology and plant sci“I actually arrived ences. right here at like 9 a.m., “I have always been and by 7 p.m. still didn’t fascinated to work with contact my family, so that plants,” Tapia said. “I feel was difficult,” Neira said. like with all the problems Neira did not choose with climate OSU; OSU chose him. change that Jennifer Tapia He went to the Cois haplumbian School of penEngineering Julio ing, I Garavito and his think adviser told him there about an opportuwill nity OSU. He apbe a plied, interviewed point and was selected for we will the master’s program need to in fire safety and exploproduce sion protection. more food to en“In this program we sure global food security, don’t only focus specifical- because the population is ly on fires and explosions,” going to increase, but the Neira said. “We also try to food should increase as prevent that (from) happen- well.” ing. I chose this program Tapia will continue because I work with hazgrowing her love of plants; ardous material team men- she will be working toward tors, so my focus in my a PHD in plant biology in first thesis was to develop the fall at North Carolina safety management from State University. those materials in order to avoid or prevent tragedy in case of an incident of a fire See International on 4A