Justin Hooks

Justin is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and educator, dedicated to advancing healthcare through both practice and teaching. He is pursuing his doctorate at Michigan State University and holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Simmons University in Boston, MA, as well as a bachelor’s degree in health promotion and disease prevention from Northern Arizona University. Additionally, he has specialized training in emergency management from Baker College. Justin’s healthcare journey began as a critical care flight paramedic, and over time, he expanded into roles such as director of quality improvement, registered nurse, and board-certified nurse practitioner.

After transitioning from EMS in 2017, he advanced into specialized fields, including primary care, internal medicine, LGBTQIA+ healthcare, and clinical research. Justin’s presentation today is deeply personal. After a bad experience as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community where he was denied preventative services by a healthcare provider, he became determined to ensure that no one else faces the same discrimination. This experience ignited his passion for creating inclusive and compassionate healthcare environments, and it continues to drive his work in both practice and education.

Vlademir Cardoso Lopes Rodrigues

As an African artist, I am constantly questioning while making my art. How can I artistically tell the story of my people without being victimized, having to justify the unjustifiable, or making the room comfortable in the discomfort that history has created? How can I celebrate my culture unapologetically without having to fear not being understood by a privileged system? How can we use those mediums to showcase the remarkable beauty and achievements of people on the continent and beyond while raising questions that challenge colonial and anti-Black biases?

My latest project, CAN WE ALL STOP PRETENDING, is a series of images collected in 6 countries of the African Continent (Cape Verde, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Kenya) from 2019 to 2023. It uses photography, sculpture and collage to showcase a Positive view of Africa and celebrate the diverse culture of the continent. It also raises questions about African Identity, The Right to Opacity, The exploitation of the Black Body/Identity, and Racism. It was presented during my second-year MFA solo exhibition at Kresge Art Center.

Ahmed Abdalla Hefni Tantawy

As a PhD student in the Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology (CMIB) program at Michigan State University (MSU), I have consistently demonstrated a passion for scientific discovery and cancer research. My journey in this field began at an early age and has been marked by significant achievements and continuous growth. My current research interest focuses on improving radiotherapy outcomes through combination therapies for cancer treatment.

I am involved in two primary projects: 1. Investigation of a novel radioisotope with high energy and short half-life, aiming to increase survival rates while reducing toxicity in cancer patients. 2. Exploration of combining alpha-targeted radiotherapy with specific inhibitors to prevent cancer relapse. These projects align with our lab's belief that combination therapy is crucial for advancing cancer treatment. Our approach integrates cutting-edge radiotherapy techniques with other therapeutic modalities to enhance overall treatment efficacy.

Joe Vetere

Joe Vetere is pursuing a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at the College of Engineering, Michigan State University, while working as a senior staff quantum engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has a strong academic and professional foundation in quantum computing and quantum engineering, supported by a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from Michigan State University, where he graduated in 2024 with a focus on quantum information science. Joe's research centers on cutting-edge technologies in quantum detectors, modeling and analyzing materials for quantum applications, developing quantum algorithms, investigating quantum states, and applying quantum information systems to solve realworld problems.

In addition to his research, he is an active member of NASA's Fundamental Physics Program Analysis Group (FunPAG), an interdisciplinary forum that supports the Fundamental Physics Program by coordinating community analysis and input on objectives, architectural planning, and activity prioritization for future exploration. He is particularly interested in visionary projects like a Quantum Communication Network for Deep Space Missions for NASA. This work leverages quantum entanglement and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to enhance communication security and reliability in space exploration. Joe's personal and professional goals reflect a commitment to advancing quantum computing while fostering community engagement and knowledge sharing, with the aim of demystifying quantum technologies and enabling collaboration within the scientific community.

Zhamilya Yessirkepova

Zhamilya Yessirkepova is a third-year PhD student in K-12 Educational Administration program at Michigan State University and an international student from Kazakhstan. Since 2023, she has served as Policy Council Chair and Board Member for the Capital Area Community Services (CACS) Head Start agency. Zhamilya represents Head Start families across Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, and Shiawassee Counties on the CACS Board and Michigan Head Start Association Assemblies.

In her leadership role, she collaborates with families, administrators, and policymakers to advocate for increased funding for early childhood education, improved workforce conditions, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the Head Start program. Her research focuses on engaging refugee families in the Head Start program, emphasizing culturally responsive approaches to family engagement.

Enrique Núñez-Mussa

Enrique Núñez-Mussa is a Fulbright scholar and a Ph.D. student in the Information and Media program at the School of Journalism of Michigan State University (MSU). His research interests are journalism's epistemology and societal function. Before coming to MSU, he was a full-time faculty member at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC), where he instructed journalism courses and was a faculty advisor for the School of Communication’s student publications. Since his first year in the Information and Media program at MSU, he has been an instructor of record of core visual literacy and photojournalism courses in the Journalism’s curricula. His teaching has been characterized by developing innovative learning experiences recognized with awards and invitations to present at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He currently serves as the co-graduate student liaison of the Visual Communication Division of AEJMC, leading its first mentorship program. He participates in the College of Communication Arts & Science’s Center for Teaching and Learning Advisory Board. In 2024, he was selected as a winner of Michigan State University’s Excellence in Teaching Citation. In 2023, he received the Love of Learning Award from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. His work has been published in journals like Digital Journalism, Communication & Society, and Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication.

Wendy Leuenberger

Wendy runs a session called “Ask a Biometrician” at The Wildlife Society’s annual national conference. This session is set up with two main goals: 1) provide statistical guidance to conference attendees, particularly students; and 2) train student and early career biometricians. Over the past three years, they have provided over 40 conference attendees with statistical advice tailored to their questions and provided training and experience to eight student and early career biometricians. It’s been a great way to network with other student and early career professionals while also engaging in service towards others in the wildlife field. Wendy looks forward to running the session again in 2024!

Lamia Bagasrawala

Lamia Bagasrawala is a Ph.D. student in the School Psychology program at Michigan State University. Her research and praxis center and apply decolonial approaches and critical theories to develop school-based preventative mental health services for students from marginalized groups, in the U.S. and in India. Since her move to the U.S. for graduate school, Lamia is most proud of her contributions to both national-level organizations that oversee graduate training and professional practice in school psychology. As Chair of the Science committee of the American Psychological Association for Graduate Students (APAGS), Lamia has collaborated with graduate students across all specializations of psychology to support graduate students through advocacy and programming to support graduate student research in psychological science. Through her role as the Graduate Student Leader for the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Lamia has enjoyed developing outreach and programming to expose undergraduate students to opportunities in school psychology. As a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) subcommittee of the Multicultural Affairs Committee of NASP, Lamia has led advocacy efforts for AAPI and international graduate students in psychology. Lamia has also mentored undergraduate and graduate students as a mentor through the NextGen Psych Scholars Program (2023-24), NASP (2023-24), and APA Division 16 (2022-23) mentorship program. Lamia is passionate about advocacy at various levels and looks forward to continued collaboration with peers globally to promote equitable and inclusive graduate training opportunities, research, and practice in psychology.

Christi Druskovich

As a medical student passionate about education, Christi Druskovich is proud about providing health-related education to thousands of youth in communities across Michigan. Using creativity, she was able to curate slides at the end of a sun protection and skin cancer presentation to inspire and encourage local middle school and high school students to think about a career in medicine. Additionally, this year education has been expanded to adult learners experiencing hardships in our communities. They have also partnered with a LatinX group to deliver presentations in Spanish, expanding the reach of her education project. Lastly, Christi's national leadership position through the Dermatology Interest Group Association has enabled her to connect medical students across the nation to resources and opportunities in the field of dermatology and continued to make Michigan State a nationally recognized name.

Laxmi Prasad Ojha

Laxmi Prasad Ojha is a Ph.D. Student in Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education program in the College of Education. His research focuses on multilingualism, language, literacy, and teacher education. Currently, Laxmi is working on multiple projects to understand the issues of language and literacy development of multilingual children and youth from immigrant backgrounds. He also works with in-service and pre-service teachers to understand their professional trajectories and support them in creating equitable learning opportunities for students from linguistically, culturally, and socio-economically diverse backgrounds. Laxmi is currently serving in the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Division-K Community Building Committee where he works to support the professional development of graduate students having an interest in teaching and teacher education. Previously Laxmi served as the Co-Chair of the Graduate Student Council at American for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) for two terms (2020-2022) and as a member-at-large (2019-2020). Laxmi also served AAAL as the graduate student representative in the Executive Committee (2021-2022), a member of the Conference Connection Committee (2020-2022), and a trustee in the Funds for the Future of Applied Linguistics (2020-2021). He was a member of the AAAL conference organizing committee for the AAAL 2023 conference. Before moving to the US, Laxmi served as the Central Committee Member (2015-2017), Membership Secretary (2018-2018), and Secretary (2018) of Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA). Laxmi’s research has been published in several journals and edited volumes including International Multilingual Research Journal, Modern Language Journal, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Routledge International Handbook of Language Education Policy in Asia.