Featured Undergraduates
Brooke Bruinekool, Family Community Services graduate
Brooke was elected to serve on the Executive Board for the 2011-2012 Great Lakes Association of Child Life Professionals as the Student Member-at-Large. Brooke completed a Child Life internship, which will allow her to apply for national certification as a Child Life Professional; and served as the Organizational Chair for the MSU student group, Child Life Organization for Spartan Students (CLOS).
Kathryn Kosko, Child Development 2011 graduate
Katie was selected as Michigan's Student Teacher Intern of the year and went on to be awarded the honor of National Student Teacher of the Year. Katie will be attending the Association of Teacher Educator's conference later in 2011. Katie was just hired in the Wayne-Westland Community School system in Michigan. The full article on her accomplishments is available at: http://edwp.educ.msu.edu/news/2011/msu-intern-kosko-named-national-student-teacher-of-the-year/
Emma Maylen, Family Community Services Graduate
Emma was the recipient of the Jacobs Scholarship for Family and Community Services for 2011-2012. Emma and her mother attended the ceremony and got to thank Dr. Lee and Mrs. Joy Jacobs personally for the tuition assistance. The scholarship was named after Lee's mother, who passed away in 2011.
The department gave away almost $30,000 in scholarships for undergraduate students. Congratulations to one and all!
Meghan Rhoades, Family Community Services 2009 Graduate
Meghan was completing her Family Community Services internship at Haven House, an economic crisis center in East Lansing when she was offered a full-time position when she graduated. Megan is now a Shelter Coordinator and meets daily with residents to review their goals toward locating permanent housing. Congratulations, Meghan!
Linda Rau, Child Development 2011 Graduate
Linda took advantage of the opportunities provided by the department to grow both as an individual and a professional. Over a two year period she has had the opportunity to work closely with Drs. Hope Gerde and Desiree Qin on research in child language and identity development and has presented some of the finding at conferences both at the departmental and university level. In courses, such as HDFS 320 and 321, she gained invaluable experiences by learning research-based practices in the classroom and then applying them in the MSU Child Development Laboratory Schools. She would definitely recommend that all students in HDFS explore the opportunities provided by the department as they pertain to their personal interests and professional goals.
Linda completed her student teaching internship year in Beijing China as part of the College of Education's Global Cohort at the 3e International School.
We just got word that Linda was HIRED by the school to be a lead teacher and will continue there in 2013-14! Best wishes and congratulations to Linda!
Beth Rood, Child Development 2011 Graduate
Beth is a Child Development senior and has been active with the Human Development and Family Studies department for the past three years. She is one of two representatives for the department last year and in 2010-2011 on the College of Social Science Dean's Student Advsiory Council. During Spring 2010, she volunteered at Marathon of Majors and was an undergraduate teaching assistant for HDFS 442 (Ethnic Families in America). Both HDFS 320 and 321 (Early Childhood Interactions and Curriculum courses) provided her with the opportunity to gain real world experience with young children. She created and implemented lesson plans, and practiced teaching techniques learned from lectures and textbooks. Her advice for freshmen is to "introduce yourself to your academic advisor and communicate regularly by scheduling advising appointments and e-mail them with questions. The more involved you become, the more likely the advisors are to remember you on a first name basis and recommend opportunities that come up. They help you stay on track and reach your goals".
Nicole Tanghe, Family Community Services 2010 Graduate
Nicole took an active role as a student in the department. She held a leadership position in the HDFS Club for two years and founded the Child Life Organization for Spartan Students in her junior year. She served as a peer learning assistant in FCE 347 during the fall of 2009. Nicole completed a 600 hour child life internship at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit during her last semester and was hired in the outpatient cardiace care center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Nicole became a Certified Child Life Specialist in June after successfully completing the Child Life Council's certification exam in Phoenix, AZ. Her advice to incoming freshman is to "Become as involved as possible, as the more passionate you are for the field you are going into, the easier it will be for you to work hard in order to reach your ultimate goal. If you put your best effort into all that you do, you will be rewarded with excellent opportunities. Go Green! :)"