Featured Students, Alumni, & News
Melanie Shaw
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An advocate for inclusion and diversity, Melanie Shaw is a graduate student in the Master’s of Occupational Therapy program. Melanie has presented on Autism and Neurodiversity at the Diversity Resource Center and presented on Autism and Double Empathy at the Idaho Occupational Therapy Association’s Fall 2023 Statewide Convention. She is committed to help bridge the gap between practitioners and the patients they serve.
“Often, people will assume a one-sided deficit in communication when interacting with someone on the autism spectrum, but it's important for both sides to make an effort towards mutual understanding, which means including autistic people in conversations about autism and valuing our input on these topics.”
Melanie was drawn to ISU for the real-world opportunities that the MOT Program provides to work with clients with the conditions students learn about in class. Once here, Melanie has enjoyed making connections and becoming a part of many campus groups and events.
“After I graduate, I hope to go into pediatric outpatient occupational therapy and work with neurodiverse kiddos and their families, giving them resources to better understand themselves and others, and helping them to be proud of their own accomplishments.”
It’s amazing to think Melanie is able to find free time amidst attending class, presenting, and volunteering, but, when she does, she enjoys reading, attending comic-cons, making Star Wars costumes for comic-cons, playing Minecraft, writing short stories, attending Crossroads, watching sci-fi movies with friends, researching favorite topics, and spending time with her cat, Kix.
Kyle Bowman
An Idahoan since childhood, attending Idaho State University was logical for Kyle Bowman, a Grad Bengal in the Occupational Therapy program. Kyle plans to practice as an Occupational Therapist somewhere between Rigby and Blackfoot after he graduates Spring 2026 - maintaining his Idahoan title. He is passionate about pursuing work in the hospital setting providing acute care to assist individuals getting back on their feet. With the time he has spent in graduate school so far, he has enjoyed the friendships made with other students while working and learning together. Kyle is proud of the fact he completed and passed a graduate level neuroscience course.
When not in class or doing schoolwork, Kyle enjoys being in the great outdoors with his wife and kids. Together, they enjoy camping, hiking, boating, and hunting.
Makenna Workman
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With a dream of specializing in neurological rehabilitation, Makenna Workman is another Grad Bengal in the Master of Occupational Health Program. You may encounter on campus with a coffee in one hand and a Diet Coke in the other. You can confirm it is her if her airpods fall out and you hear a history podcast echoing from them.
Passionately driven to help those who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke, Makenna has attended national conferences within her program and has even become certified to administer LSVT BIG, a program to aid in the rehabilitation of those with Parkinson’s disease. Makenna was drawn to ISU due in part to the accelerated program and is looking forward to graduating in May 2025.
“Throughout the program, I have grown close to many of my classmates. These are friendships that will last after graduation and I am glad to have gotten the chance to learn with these individuals.”
Makenna lives in Preston with her husband and daughter; she enjoys spending time outside, crocheting, reading, and baking when she is not busy with her coursework.
Valena Peterson
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Grad Bengal Valena Peterson is deep in the heart of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program here at ISU - planning to graduate in Spring 2025. In time, she hopes to combine her Bachelor’s degree in Equestrian Studies with her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy to become a Hippotherapist and further link her love of horses with her love of helping others.
Valena has no regrets in leaving a life that she had already established to pursue a meaningful path through attending graduate school. She was particularly drawn to study here at ISU because she felt ISU aligned well with her interests in program focus, cohort size, and tuition rates.
“It has been an amazing experience to learn more about how to support, better understand, and encourage people who experience mental and behavioral health struggles,” Valena shared.
As part of a research team, Valena is exploring how people who need or want power mobility devices are encountering barriers in long term care facilities. Her and her team’s hopes are to help establish evidence to improve the quality of life for long term care residents.
After graduation, Valena plans to return to her home in Twin Falls and establish herself as an Occupational Therapist in the Treasure Valley.
“I have made some great connections and I’m excited to become a part of the local occupational therapists supporting rural Idaho communities. In my professional career I hope to have the opportunity to assist geriatrics interested in aging in place and staying act
Juergen A. Riedelsheimer
Halle Thomson-Kidwell
Halle Thomson-Kidwell is a Grad Bengal from Pocatello, currently in the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program, with plans to graduate in the spring of 2026. Post-graduation as an occupational therapist, she hopes to help older adults continue to engage in the daily activities that bring meaning to their lives.
Halle chose to pursue graduate school at ISU due to the proximity of her friends and family, while still having fieldwork opportunities in nearby states. So far, her favorite graduate school experience has been meeting the Meridian half of her cohort and spending their day doing collaborative, in-person labs.
"Becoming involved with my program and peers has allowed me to start building a community of future practitioners that I look forward to working with in the future," she said.
In her free time, Halle enjoys kayaking, reading, skiing, walking her dogs, and spending time with her family and friends.
Ana Stalzer
Meet Grad Bengal, Ana Stalzer, a PhD candidate in the clinical psychology program.
She is from southern California, and after college was in the military as a Surface Warfare Officer. "Serving in the military was a pretty formative time of my life, but my childhood of spending time in the great outdoors has also stuck with me," she said. "During the winter, I enjoy skiing, and in the summer backpacking in Idaho and Wyoming."
Stalzer's academic work focuses on incarcerated women who experienced sexual violence and how that consequently turns into suicide-related behaviors and substance use. "Broadly speaking, my interests are in suicide, substance use, and stigma," Stalzer said.
Stalzer chose to pursue her degree at ISU due to her love for the great outdoors and the clinical psychology program specifically. "ISU is in the middle of some world-class adventure (skiing, backingbacking, river rafting, mountain biking)," she said. "I also really liked the clinical program and was impressed when touring the campus and facilities."
Post graduation, expected in 2027, she plans to get licensed as a psychologist and work with service members providing evidence-based care.
Stalzer recently won a competitive ethics essay competition from the American Psychological Association. The award includes the publication of her essay in Ethics and Behavior, $1000, and all expenses paid to attend the APA conference. Her essay focused on HIPAA rights of service members seeking mental health care and the stigma that occurs when they do not have confidentiality.
Joules Emerson and Julia Duran
Congratulations to PhD Clinical Psychology students, Joules Emerson and Julia Duran, for creating the Neurodivergent Social Support Group here on campus! Read more about their efforts to create a safe and welcoming environment for neurodivergents in our community.
Amy Blankenship and Garrett Hair
PhD student, Amy Blankenship, and DNP student, Garrett Hair, had peer-reviewed posters at a recent Nursing Conference, along with nine other graduate nursing students.
Nelson Snow
Nelson Snow, a graduate student in nuclear engineering, took home the Best Lightning Talk award at the American Nuclear Society’s Student Conference.
Norra Cardillo
Norra Cardillo, a second-year master's student at Idaho State University, recently conducted research in Exeter, New Hampshire, at the American Independence Museum (AIM).
Morgan Frost
Morgan Frost is a Grad Bengal in the Master of Counseling program and plans to graduate next spring of 2025.
Frost chose to pursue Idaho State due to the Master of Counseling's accreditation, CACREP. She is currently being trained in talk therapy. In her program, she has learned about different theories and models to operate under, and how our worldviews play into what theory we work under. She is the youngest member of her cohort, starting the program when she was just 20 years old.
"Through this past year in the program I have fallen in love with the counseling profession, and look forward to my career post-graduation," she said. "(I want to) open my own private practice clinic, specializing in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy working with Veterans."
Frost loves the outdoors and activities Idaho has to offer. She spends her free time with friends, exploring, or shopping. She says that her work ethic, compassion, and intuitiveness are crucial parts of what makes up her values.
Suparna Sinha
Meet Suparna Sinha, a PhD candidate in English and the Teaching of English. Sinha chose to pursue graduate school at ISU because of the faculty in the Department of English and Philosophy who share her areas of interest. She hopes to work with Dr. Alan Johnson, an authority in Postcolonial Studies. Sinha also received full funding from ISU in the form of a Tuition Fee Waiver and a Graduate Assistantship.
Post-graduation, Sinha would love to work as a tenure-track professor at ISU or any other university and do extensive research in her areas of interest (Postcolonial Feminism, Postcolonial Dalit Feminism, and Eco-criticism), publish research papers in reputed journals, and present at conferences.
In her free time, Sinha is a freelance writer of Positive Literature and enjoys posting articles on her blog. She is an avid cryptic crossword solver, and a self-styled film critic, who feels that no movie can be an absolute disaster; there is some positive in every movie, maybe the art direction.
"I am a steadfast believer in compartmentalization," she said. "We have to stop branding people and things and presume a community to have certain attributes. Every human being is different, and we can't just push a body of 6 billion pairs of DNA into one box! Let's embrace diversity, and celebrate inclusion. Love All is the mantra I live by. A rich person may need love as much as a needy one. Proud to be a part of the ISU Family!"