Celebrating the Class of 2019

As Indiana University graduates enter the next chapter of their lives, we honor the legacies they will leave behind

IU Bloomington: Krishna Pathak

"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."

Krishna Pathak standing outside the Sample GatesView print quality image
   

This quote from John F. Kennedy encompasses why Indiana University senior Krishna Pathak has felt drawn to public service for the majority of his life.

The law and public policy major in IU's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairshas interned for Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton, for U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, at the U.S. Department of Defense and the at U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He was elected at 18 as the youngest delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Indiana, and this year, he will be presenting the student address at IU's spring commencement ceremony.

Read Pathak's story

IUPUI: Sunnih Flores

Psychology Today claims it only takes seven seconds for first impressions to be cemented in a person's mind. Judgments are then quickly made.

Sunnih FloresView print quality image
   

IUPUI made a positive first impression on Sunnih Flores, a human resources and business management major in line to graduate in May, during her tour as an incoming first-year student.

"I noticed the amount of care that they put with their interactions here right away, and the engagement they had on a micro and macro level," Flores said. "They accommodated me as a scared incoming freshman. And the tunnels helped a lot. I'm always cold, so I really like the tunnels."

Read Flores' story 

IUPUC: Elzbieta Bidwell

When Elzbieta Bidwell receives her Bachelor of General Studies degree from IUPUC, she will be thinking back.

Elzbieta Bidwell View print quality image
   

She achieved her degree to honor her parents, whose own dreams of higher education were crushed when the Germans and Soviets invaded Poland in 1939. Her parents met shortly after World War II in a displaced persons camp in Bad Saulgau, Germany, where Bidwell was later born.

She is using the writing and research skills she has acquired at IUPUC to document the history of her parents' time in forced labor camps during the war -- including Auschwitz, Birkenau, Mauthausen and Natzweiler-Struthof, as well as Schomberg for her father -- and to tell her own story of emigration, first to Australia and ultimately to the United States.

Read Bidwell's story: http://go.iu.edu/2atf

IU Northwest: Jesus Fajardo

When Jesus Fajardo graduates from IU Northwest, the 22-year-old from Hammond, Indiana, will be both proud and thankful. 

Jesus FajardoView print quality image

He's proud of tackling the rigorous course of study necessary to receive a bachelor's degree in nursing. He's thankful for the never-ending support that poured in from every direction while he pursued his studies. 

But Fajardo isn't done yet. He will return to IU Northwest in the fall to complete his prerequisites for medical school while also working part time as a nurse. His ultimate goal is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon in the U.S. and return to his hometown in Michoacán, Mexico, to open a clinic.

Read Fajardo's story ​

IU East: Breanna Nowak

Breanna "Bre" Nowak is this year's Naomi Osborne Scholar, an honor given to the IU East graduate with the highest grade-point average, and will lead the graduating class during the alumni induction ceremony.

Breanna "Bre" NowakView print quality image
   

She will receive a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and has been accepted to the IU School of Medicine, which she plans to attend in the fall.

Nowak came to IU East as a freshman from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin -- the first Red Wolf student-athlete from the state.

She became the first IU East golfer to earn All-America honors during a memorable week in May 2018. It was there that she celebrated a birthday and then finished in 10th place at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Women's Golf National Championship in Florida. She made the national event's all-tournament team, an honor that includes automatic qualification for the national tournament in May.

Read Nowak's story

IU Kokomo: Jocelyn Aguilar Castro

Before they became parents, José and Maria Aguilar made a hard choice: They left behind their family and farm in Mexico, willing to start over to give their future children a better life in the United States.

Jocelyn Aquilar in the classroom.View print quality image

Because of that sacrifice, and the long hours they've worked at a Logansport pork processing plant, their daughter, Jocelyn Aguilar Castro, now teaches first-graders after earning a degree in elementary education from Indiana University Kokomo. 

Commencement on May 7 will be an emotional day for the family, as they see the culmination of all their sacrifices when Aguilar Castro crosses the stage to receive her diploma.

"I just know if I look out in the crowd and see their faces, I'm going to start crying," said Aguilar Castro, who completed her degree in December. "My parents worked hard with their hands so I could work with my brain and achieve all of my dreams. I'm just very happy to get this far with their support and their love. It really does mean the world to me."

Read Aguilar Castro's story

IU South Bend: Juan-Carlos Alarcon

Juan-Carlos Alarcon, a senior music education major at IU South Bend, was featured on an album that won three Grammys this year and hopes to continue using his gift of music to inspire others.

Juan-Carlos AlarconView print quality image
   

The album, "American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom" by John Daversa Big Band, was developed to raise awareness and offer support to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, also known as Dreamers.

Alarcon, who was born in Mexico and grew up in Elkhart, played percussion, piano and pipe organ on the album, in addition to contributing a monologue about his experience as a Dreamer. After graduation, he plans to work as a music teacher and continue spreading his passion for music as a way to connect people from all walks of life.

Read Alarcon's story

IU Southeast: Miranda Ochoa

Miranda Ochoa, an IU Southeast business student from Richmond, Indiana, served as a resident assistant for two years and said the experience introduced her to people from all over the world who "built a small community" in the campus lodges. "I have made lifelong friends because of living on campus."

Miranda OchoaView print quality image
   

She also worked as a peer mentor for three years, helping first-year students transition to college by offering guidance and advice.

Ochoa, a member of the Marketing Club and the National Society for Leadership and Success, is one of eight students to receive the 2019 Chancellor's Medallion Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding students for their academic achievement and leadership potential. She will also be the student commencement speaker for IU Southeast.

After graduation, she hopes to stay in Southern Indiana and work in a marketing or sales position in the radio industry.

Read Ochoa's story

IU Online: Tracy Dawson

When looking to pursue higher education, Tracy Dawson found the academic quality and flexibility she needed at IU Online.

Tracy DawsonView print quality image
   

"The flexibility online learning afforded my family was phenomenal," said Dawson, a mother of two who was named the Outstanding Student in Psychology for 2018-19 academic year. "I was able to earn my degree and still be there for my kids."

Dawson also credits her success to the number and range of courses offered through IU Online, as well as her advisor and professors who went above and beyond to make her feel she was truly a part of IU.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a minor in neuroscience, Dawson plans to take a year off to work in a school setting. She then wants to pursue a graduate degree in school psychology or school counseling.

Read Dawson's story

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