INTRODUCTION TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FALL 2013 STUDENT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Chair Lewis, Members of the Board of Trustees, President Haynes:

One of the special components of tomorrow’s graduation ceremonies is the student speaker’s commencement address.  I am pleased to introduce the young woman who was selected as the student who will address the graduates tomorrow, Ms. Charlotte Cialek.

Please join me, Charlotte.

Charlotte enrolled at NMU in the fall of 2010, after earning an Associates degree from Washtenaw Community College while she was finishing high school.  She came here as a Presidential Harden Scholar.  She is from South Lyon, Michigan.  Charlotte is a Biochemistry major, and has earned a Spanish language certificate.  She has completed the full honors program. She will graduate magna cum laude tomorrow. 

Charlotte has been involved in several research endeavors.  She interned at Western Washington University and did biochemical research there under a National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduates grant.  She has done conservation genetics research here at NMU with Dr. Alec Lindsay.  And she has done cancer research at our Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center under a Lundin Honors Research Fellowship with Dr. Rob Winn.

Charlotte has completed the Student Leader Fellowship Program and all four edges of the Superior Edge.  She is a member of three honor societies:  Tri Beta Biological National Honors Society, Alpha Lambda Delta National Honors Society, and Mortar Board.  She has served on the AQIP task force for general education.  She is a member of the Honors Student Organization and the Chemistry Club, and is captain of the Dance Association. 

Charlotte will be joining the Teach and Learn in Korea program, a teaching-exchange program in rural South Korea, where she will teach English in an elementary school for six months. She will then travel throughout eastern Asia before she begins her doctoral studies in biochemistry. She hopes to one day conduct biochemical or biomedical research.

The theme of Charlotte’s address tomorrow is the Wildcat identity that all graduates possess.

Chair Lewis, I believe you have a presentation to make.