Profiles

Kent State Today
Flash Friday Heather Thrush

Heather Thrush is a nontraditional student majoring in psychology at Kent State University at Geauga, working on research related to mental health care. She's also a competitive weightlifter.

Student chef Alexander Richardson

A student chef's culinary journey to his dream took him from Cuyahoga Community College to Kent State. 

Kent State Today
Raiful Hasan, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science at Kent State, meets with students from his research lab.

The 2023-24 academic year has been a life-changing one for Raiful Hasan, Ph.D., an assistant professor of computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences, who embarked on his first faculty position at Kent State last semester.

Jon Jivan preparing for the 2017 Eclipse

Jon Jivan, senior coordinator of videography, shares his family's 2017 eclipse experience in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Kent State Today
Flash Friday Sally Maltempi

Sally Maltempi, a senior chemistry major with a focus in biochemistry and a music minor at Kent State University from Rootstown, Ohio, tests foodborne diseases by day and sings opera at night.  

Chukwuemeka (Emeka) Chukwukere

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Kent State University College of Nursing senior Chukwuemeka (Emeka) Chukwukere relocated to Cleveland, OH, when he was eight years old. Growing up he was inspired to go into the healthcare field by his parents who are licensed practical nurses.

Kent State Today
Alumna McKenzie Morgan, fashion influencer

Kent State University alumna McKenzie Morgan has been there, done that, and has seen it all from fashion to travel. Morgan began her fashion blog in high school, writing about trends and other aspects of the fashion world. Now she travels a world Styled By McKenz.

Kent State Today
Maria McDonald in Massillon Museum’s Studio M

Since childhood, Maria McDonald loved painting. But it wasn’t until she got to college that she saw how painting could be a career. Now, this Kent State alumna is enjoying her first solo art show in Massillon Museum’s Studio M.

Senior Hannah Fender is preparing to defend her honor's thesis.

Hannah Fender is entering the home stretch.

She crunched her bachelor’s degree studies into three years, packed them full of research and other activities and now she is staring down the final 10 weeks of her undergraduate college career.

Leah Benson

Leah Benson's childhood dreams were filled with visions of flight. If you asked what creature she'd choose to be, she'd promptly reply, "A bird!" Her parents always encouraged her to pursue her passions, and now she's doing just that as a senior aerospace engineering student at Kent State's College of Aeronautics and Engineering (CAE). For Leah, this field combines her love for planes, space, math, and physics. Imagine her excitement upon learning that she's been selected for an internship at NASA!