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K-State Today

May 14, 2013

K-State First selects new learning assistants for fall semester

Submitted by Jenna Brack

K-State First, the university's first-year experience program, has selected 15 Connecting Across Topics, or CAT, community learning assistants for the fall 2013 semester.

CAT communities connect first-year students with similar interests by enrolling them in two general education courses and a one-hour connections course during the fall semester. First-year students benefit from a challenging academic environment and close interaction with a K-State faculty member and an undergraduate learning assistant.

Learning assistants serve as peer mentors for each CAT community, providing students with social and academic support during their first semester of college. Learning assistants help plan and facilitate the one-hour connections course, design co-curricular educational activities for students and serve as student representatives for the K-State First program.

New learning assistants for fall 2013 include:

Caleb Amundson, interior architecture and product design, Shawnee, learning assistant for the Design Matters CAT Community taught by Ryadi Adityavarman.

Daniel Berg, political science and economics, Wichita, learning assistant for The Law and Society CAT Community taught by John Fliter and Donald Wilson.

Emma Brace, biological systems engineering, Topeka, learning assistant for the Art of Engineering CAT Community, taught by Stacy Hutchinson.

Grant Brady, biological systems engineering, Shawnee, learning assistant for the Art of Engineering CAT Community, taught by Stacy Hutchinson.

Shaun Dowdell, sociology, Denver, Colo., learning assistant for the Who Will You Be? CAT Community taught by Anna Goins.

Derek Feist, kinesiology, Lenexa, learning assistant for Pre-Physical Therapy CAT Community, taught by Robert Pettay.

August Fitch, chemistry and philosophy, Manhattan, learning assistant for What's the Matter with Matter? CAT Community, taught by Scott Tanona and Christopher Culbertson.

Daniel Foster, secondary education, Broken Bow, Neb., learning assistant for The American Story CAT Community, taught by Charles Sanders.

Carrie Keck, modern languages, Stilwell, learning assistant for Spanish in Action CAT Community, taught by Laura Kanost.

Michael Kelley, political science and international studies, Overland Park, learning assistant for Making the Ultimate Playlist CAT Community, taught by Alfred Cochran.

Chase Miller, animal science, Bridgewater, Va., learning assistant for Profitability in Livestock Enterprises CAT Community, taught by Don Boggs.

Marilyn Ortega, American ethnic studies and women's studies, Manhattan, learning assistant for Gender, Race, and Class CAT Community, taught by Valerie Padilla Carroll.

Heidi Ramzel, general physics and geography, Bartlesville, Okla., learning assistant for Understanding the Weather CAT Community, taught by John Harrington.

Laura Schorn, hotel and restaurant management, Grayslake, Ill., learning assistant for The Business of Hospitality CAT Community, taught by Nancy Hansen.

Darrah Tinkler, psychology, Olathe, learning assistant for Psychology of Prejudice CAT Community, taught by Donald Saucier.