International Student Graduates

Congratulations to the following 40 graduates. They represent 17 countries. We are so proud of you! Go Bods!

Spring and Summer Graduates

Name

Fisal Alanazi

Saud Alanazi

Ata Balkhair

Bijaya Basnet

Manish Bhatta

Svea Crohn

Romain Henry

Ukpekor Jarigbe

Rajesh Kandel

Ashmita Kharel

Lia Kitiashvili

Nikki Kraaijeveld

Chika Murakami

Kenya Oi

Jorge Henrique Ornelas Queiroz

Christian Paez

Shela Pierre Noel

Alisha Pyakurel

Maria (Laura) Rivas Wright

Kasumi Sawaki

Dipesh Thapa

Yuxin Zheng

Abdulrahman Alghanem

Rakan Alhuwaimel

Nuria Barrientos Pereira

Muhannad Bin Radhyan

Matheus Mota Lima de Morais

Christian Paez

Irene Sanz Gistau

Virginia Scardanzan

Nancy Acharya

Country

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Nepal

Nepal

Germany

France

Nigeria

Nepal

Nepal

Georgia

Netherlands

Japan

Japan

Brazil

Paraguay

Haiti

Nepal

Paraguay

Japan

Nepal

China

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Spain

Saudi Arabia

Brazil

Paraguay

Spain

Italy

Nepal

Degree & Major/s

BCJ, Forensic Investigation

BCJ, Security Administration

LL.M., Law

BS, Physics

BS, Chemistry

BA, Psychology

MBA, Business

BSN, Nursing

BS, Chemistry

BSN, Nursing

LL.M., Law

BA, Mass Media

BA, Mass Media

BA, Communication

BBA, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Marketing

BBA, Data Analytics

BA, French, AA in Early Childhood Ed

BSN, Nursing

BBA, Economics, Management

BBA, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Management

BS, Biochemistry

BM, Music Performance

BBA, Management

MBA, Business

MBA, Business

LL.M., Law

BA, Kinesiology

BBA, Entrepreneurship & Innovation

BS, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology

MBA, Business

BBA, Accounting, Finance

Latin & Department Honors

Magna Cum Laude

Magna Cum Laude

Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude

Summa Cum Laude

Communication, Magna Cum Laude

French and Education, Cum Laude

School of Nursing Honors, Summa Cum Laude

School of Business Scholar, Magna Cum Laude

Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude

Cum Laude

Sch of Business Scholar/Honors

Cum Laude

Sch of Business Scholar/Honors

Fall Graduates

Name

Avaya Dhungana

Niels Meier

Karla Molina

Shota Nagino

Ojashwi Rana

Sambridhi Regmi

Shiori Saeki

Yueyi Sun

Country

Nepal

Switzerland

El Salvador

Japan

Nepal

Nepal

Japan

China

Degree & Major/s

MBA, Business

BBA, Economics, Management

BED, Elementary Education

BA, Sociology

BBA, Accounting, Finance

BBA, Finance

BBA, Management, Marketing

BA, Computer Information Science

Latin & Department Honors

Cum Laude

School of Business Scholar, Magna Cum Laude

Summa Cum Laude

Spring and Summer Graduates

left to right

First row:, Kenya Oi, Matheus Mota Lima de Morais, Ata Balkhair, Fisal Alanazi, Abdulrahman Alghanem, Tilak Thapa, Manish Bhatta

Second row: Virginia Scardanzan, Laura Rivas Wright, Dr. Jerry Farley, Kasumi Sawaki, Alisha Pyakurel, Ashmita Kharel, Bijaya Basnet

Third row: Jorge Ornelas Queiroz, Irene Sanz Gistau, Nuria Barrientos Pereira, Romain Henry, Svea Crohn, Nikki Kraaijeveld, Rajesh Kandel, Dipesh Thapa

One on One with Dr. Farley

Dr. Jerry Farley retired after serving as president of Washburn University for 25 years. During his storied tenure, he was actively involved in international education every step of the way. The editor sat down and had a conversation with him:

Editor: What is/are your most proud achievement(s) in international education during your tenure at WU?

Dr. Farley: I am proud of the work our International Programs Team did in the growth of international programs and participants. International enrollment over my 25 years has grown from fewer than 100 to well over 200 until the global pandemic disrupted exchanges. I’m glad to know we are once again back at the pre-pandemic level. We have strengthened relationships with universities around the world and provide our exchange students with solid support and rich experiences. We have also grown significantly in the number of opportunities for students to study abroad, scholarships available to them, and the number of faculty participating in international education.

Editor: How did you see international education as part of the Washburn experience?

Dr. Farley: The transformational experience program gives U.S. citizen students an opportunity to learn from international studies. The international students we bring to Washburn gives everyone the opportunity to grow from learning about other cultures.

Editor: What have you done to advance Washburn’s international education programs?

Dr. Farley: We traveled tirelessly to visit institutions in many countries to develop and strengthen relationships. For example, we travel regularly to Japan, Thailand, Paraguay, Nepal, China, India, Finland, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Brazil, Ireland, etc. We have been supportive in growing the number of international faculty. We have enjoyed hosting events for visiting international students, faculty, and administrators both in our home and on campus. Getting to know students who participate in the international programs is most rewarding.

Editor: What is the most memorable trip you have taken internationally?

Dr. Farley: They are all memorable and it is difficult to choose. One stand out is visiting Korea when we presented their president, Kim Dae-Jung, with Washburn’s honorary doctorate. He had been a political prisoner and could not attend the graduation ceremony. Another occasion was a celebration on both the Washburn and Fukuoka University campuses of 30 years of cooperation.

Editor: Anything else you would like to add?

Dr. Farley: I value the international experience because it is life changing. It gives one the chance to see other viewpoints, exchange ideas, and appreciate other cultures.

Student Athlete (Basketball Player), Software Engineer, and Chief Marketing Officer, Oh My!

– A Conversation with Ewan Auguste

Editor: What is your pathway to where you are since graduating from Washburn?

Ewan: Most professionals would categorize my pathway as nonlinear. I started my post graduation career as the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Washburn University. I have always had a passion for teaching, mentoring, and nurturing talent. Coaching was an avenue to put these skills into practice as well as grow and refine them. After four plus years at Washburn, I moved into my first role in Corporate America as a Software Engineer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. I was able to develop my business knowledge and acumen opening up an opportunity to IBM who recruited me into a Product Marketing role because of my background working with their WebSphere MQ product.

I always say, IBM is where I grew up as a Marketer and professional although I was highly skeptical of my ability to be a Marketer going into the role. I spent eight years at IBM refining my marketing skills and learning to lead in a business setting. In my final role at IBM, I was the leader of the Social and Digital Marketing Team, a role that brought me back to one of my passions Digital Experiences and Technology. I left IBM to pursue my first executive role at Workfront, a PE owned SaaS company. After two plus years at Workfront, we were acquired by Adobe. I spent one year plus at Adobe Leading their Global Marketing Operations Team and left after accepting my first Chief Marketing Officer role with PlanSource.

Editor: Please share the impact of your Washburn experience on your professional and personal growth.

Ewan: A huge part of college is finding yourself, your passions, and independence. Washburn’s campus gave me a big enough environment to experience discomfort that fostered growth, while its small class sizes provided a safe learning environment that fostered participation in ideation and sharing of ideas. Skills that have applied in my professional journey, daily.

Editor: Could you share a few words of wisdom for international students / CIS majors?

Ewan: Mostly for CIS majors. The best advice I ever got that I would like to pass on is, coupling your technical degree with a business degree can exponentially grow your value to the business and create avenues to career growth other professionals will not have.

Kun “ Adam” Xie (China)

BA in CIS, 2021

Software Engineer III, Walmart Inc. Headquarters

Kun Xie once studied at Washburn for two bachelor’s degrees: Accounting and Computer Science. He graduated in 2021 May and started working as a software engineer until now. Last Autumn, he moved from Topeka Kansas to Bentonville Arkansas, since the policy of remote

Vladislav Baidin (Russia)

work is lifted by his employer. ��

“…the CIS Department of Washburn provides a high-quality education, helping me to be successful in my software engineering career. The faculties are knowledgeable, friendly and patient. My experience of studying here is great. I would recommend Washburn University to anyone who is planning to start a software engineering career.” studied at Washbvurn under the YEAR program sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

My time at Washburn University was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. As a Russian student, I have been exposed to a diverse range of perspectives and ideas that have broadened my knowledge and understanding of the world. At Washburn, I had the opportunity to learn from some of the most knowledgeable and experienced professors in their respective fields. The professors were not only experts in their subjects, but they were also passionate about teaching and ensuring that every student understood the material thoroughly. It was evident that the professors cared deeply about their students’ success and they went above and beyond to provide the necessary support to help us succeed. What I appreciated most about my time at Washburn was the attention to detail in each subject. We didn’t just cover the surface of a topic, but we delved deeply into each concept to ensure that we fully comprehended it. This approach to learning has equipped me with a solid foundation of knowledge that I can apply to various aspects of my life. The experience I gained at Washburn University will continue to have a significant impact on my life. The knowledge and skills that I acquired will be useful in my future studies and career. I feel more confident in my abilities and better equipped to tackle challenges that may arise in my life. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to study at Washburn University and I will forever cherish the memories and knowledge that I gained during my time there.

Carolina Blair Gómez (Colombia) MA in Clinical Psychology, 2012

Since graduating in 2012 from WU, my husband (Solmer Alvarez, also a WU alumn) and I continued to live in Topeka for two and a half more years. During this time, I worked as a Staff Clinician at Family Service and Guidance Center, where I saw children and teenagers with severe mental and emotional difficulties. Also, during this time, Solmer and I had a beautiful baby girl named Isabel while Solmer got his Master’s in Music Performance at Wichita State University. In 2015 we returned to Medellín, Colombia where I went back to teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, supervising practicum students, and seeing a few clients. I have seen some ex-pats living in Medellín, who needed to see a therapist who spoke their native language (most of them from the US, but I had others from the UK, Australia, and also Colombian ex-pats living in Canada), so it’s been nice to keep up with my English and to use it in therapy. Coworkers and students commend me constantly on my knowledge and experience and I feel extremely grateful for all the things I learned at Washburn, especially from professors like Dr. Dave Provorse, who made a special impact on my clinical abilities. I feel very much an Ichabod still. As a University Professor, I have a few papers published and at least one of them came from my academic work during one of the classes I took in the Master’s Program (Blair-Gómez, C. (2013). The biological basis of parent-infant attachment: Foundations and implications for further development. Informes Psicológicos, 13(1), 23-40). In 2018 we had another baby girl (Elena) and we continue to live in Medellin.

Liting “Angelina” Guo (China)

studied at Washburn from 2009-2010 as an exchange student from ZJNU

I am in Ningbo of Zhejiang province. I have two lovely daughters, one is in the middle class in kindergarten and the other one is in first grade of primary school. I am now a full-time mom enjoying taking care of my children.

Fu Chenning (China)

studied at Washburn from 2009-2010 as an exchange student from Zhejiang International Studies University.

For her, the 9-month experience at WU is unforgettable and it enabled her to dive deep in American culture. Chenning loves studying languages, especially English. She graduated in 2011 as an English major. In 2022, she participated in several online competitions including English translation contests and vlog-making competitions. She won the 3rd prize in the semifinal of the “CATTI” (Chinese Accreditation Test for

Translators and Interpreters)

Cup Chinese National Competition of Translation and Interpretation. And her vlog, introducing Chinese cuisines, won the International Communications Award in the 2022 “In Sync with China” video show competition. The vlog was chosen to be posted in a prestigious Chinese app. She is currently working at U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai. Fu Chenning is now self-studying Spanish and she looks forward to exploring more possibilities in her life.

Dipesh Thapa (Nepal)

Bachelor of Biochemistry, 2022 Graduate student and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC)

After graduating from Washburn in May of 2022, I decided to start a new chapter by joining the Ph.D. at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC).

I am a very result-oriented person as I constantly seek the way to find the final goal of the study and exercise my ideas to motivate myself, believing in the process of getting the result. I enjoy doing research as I think it is one of the most powerful ways of learning in the scientific world. My purpose of studying in the United States of America is to have a research career in Biomedical Science. I am currently doing the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical

Sciences (IGPBS) at KUMC. This program at KUMC providing exceptional opportunities in broad cancer as well as other scientific research fields is particularly intriguing to me. At Washburn, I was able to start my research career, which contributed to the advancement of various scientific knowledge in a lot of different directions. This had a significant impact on me through the scientific conferences to broaden my view on how a researcher should conduct their life. Washburn brought people together from diverse backgrounds, providing opportunities for students and faculty to broaden their perspectives and engage in cultural exchange which was another opportunity from Washburn provided for me during my four years there.

Three Outstanding International Scholars Join the Washburn Faculty

Dr. Kosman Rajapaksha Assiant Professor, Math

Dr. Kosman Rajapaksha was born and raised in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Peradeniya. He joined the Mathematics Department as a demonstrator after finishing his B.Sc., where he developed an interest in teaching. At the same time, Dr. Kosman began his first master’s in Applied Statistics where he discovered his passion for statistical methods and applications. This motivated him to come to the USA for higher education. Dr. Rajapaksha joined Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he received his M.S. in Mathematical Statistics and his Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics. Dr. Kosman Rajapaksha is an Assistant Professor of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Washburn University. Before joining Washburn University, he was an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Augustana University. Robust statistics, Bootstrapping, Machine Learning, and Data Science are among his specialties. He won the gold medal at the awards for outstanding research projects 2014 competition, post-graduate category, Institute of Applied Statistics Sri Lanka (IASSL). Southern Illinois University awarded him the Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award for 2019. Dr. Kosman enjoys volunteering at educational and research events and in his free time, he likes to play Cricket. He is eager to contribute to Washburn University’s goals by working and serving the University. Dr. Rajapaksha enjoys the collaborative environment of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.