College of Arts and Sciences

Katie Benjamin
Theology and English
Pinellas Park, Fla.
Benjamin plans to pursue a career in theology.  She wishes to spend time traveling the country and studying Greek and Hebrew before going on to divinity school. 

Jennifer Butz
Music Education
Stroudsburg, Pa.
Butz plans to reside in New Jersey, where she will seek a job in middle school instrumental music.

Joel Dreessen
Meteorology
Fenton, Mo.
In fall 2007, Dreessen will begin a graduate program at Texas Tech University, studying meteorology with a focus on tornado research.

Benjamin Krause
Music and Humanities
Carlsbad, Calif.
Krause will be attending the University of Oregon – Eugene to pursue a master’s degree in music composition.

College of Business Administration

Joel Troxel
Accounting
Hanna, Ind.
While at Valpo, Troxel worked for a company that produces computer software for the payroll industry.  He has now assumed the company’s position of chief financial officer.

Christ College

Sarah Benczik
International Justice, Public Relations, and Humanities
Plymouth, Ind.
Benczik will pursue a degree in international law at either Syracuse University or Case Western Reserve University.  While studying law, she also will earn a master’s degree, either in international relations or public administration.

College of Engineering

Kevin Ford
Civil Engineering
Orland Park, Ill.
Ford planned to spend the summer of 2007 working for a private engineering firm before pursuing his Ph.D. in transportation engineering at Purdue University.  He hopes to conduct research on innovations to combat climate change.

College of Nursing

Sarah Cottrell
Nursing
Hampton Cove, Ala.
Cottrell has been commissioned as an officer in the Navy Nurse Corps, and will take part in officer indoctrination training.  She hopes to earn a master’s degree in nursing and to travel abroad as a nurse anesthetist. 

School of Law

Mary Caskey
Law
Columbia, S.C.
Caskey will take the bar examination in September 2007, after which she will be employed with a business litigation law firm.

College of Graduate Studies

Ross Moret
Theology
Valparaiso
As a student in Valparaiso University’s LEAPs program, Moret will earn a master’s degree in education while holding a teaching position at Marquette High School in Michigan City, Ind.

Distinguished Student Award for Undergraduate Non-Traditional Students

Sandra Carpenter
Elementary Education
Portage, Ind.
Carpenter will spend the next year teaching English as a Second Language to students in Michigan City, Ind., and will pursue a position in elementary education.