BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard honored seven graduates as Presidential Scholars during Commencement on Saturday, June 13.

Presidential Scholar awards honor top students in seven colleges and were instituted by President Emerita Karen W. Morse during Western’s Centennial in 2000 to honor graduates for their exceptional scholarship and service to the university and community.

Paula Berg earned a Bachelor of Arts in Management and a 3.93 cumulative grade point average. She is a Management Department Scholarship recipient and has been included on the WWU President’s List. Her academic success has also been recognized by many awards, including membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, Sigma Iota Epsilon, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Theta Kappa. In the community, Berg volunteers with such organizations as Big Brothers Big Sisters Northwest, the Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department, Happy Valley Elementary School, Ridgemont Neighborhood, Sustainable Connections, and the Mother Baby Center (MBC) a local non-profit organization. Berg will continue to work with the Mother Baby Center, where she has worked for the last five years. The organization provides health and support services to a diverse population of pregnant women and new mothers, with a special focus on programs for low-income families. She is the wife of Devin Berg of Bellingham and the daughter of Barbara Cummins of Bellingham and Patrick Robinett of Kent.

Christina Mae Berger is the unanimous selection for the 2008-2009 Theatre Department’s Presidential Scholar. Berger earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an acting and directing concentration, and Psychology minor. A Longview native, Berger participated in several productions including “Stuff Happens,” “cheat.,” “Dog Sees God,” and “Nine Parts of Desire.” All of these roles required Berger to work with complex multicultural issues; her activism for a more diverse world fueled her script and role selection. Berger also worked with the Women’s Center to promote V-week, and performed in “The Vagina Monologues.” Her anthropology coursework reveals a “theater for social change” practitioner-in-the-making. Berger’s volunteer activities include researching for Planned Parenthood the right to privacy and the right to accurate information. She also participated in emergency disaster drills with Whatcom County first-responder agencies and St. Joseph Hospital. She’ll remain at Western after graduation to complete a post-baccalaureate major in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology before applying to graduate school for either psychology or theatre. A graduate of Mark Morris High School in Longview, Berger is the daughter of Barbara and Michael Berger of Longview.

Forrest Copeland, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology, is also the Outstanding Graduate in Engineering Technology. He helped launch Western’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, now in its second year, and led the club in assisting a Mayan community in Guatemala manage a water pollution problem. Copeland promotes the club’s philosophy of sustainable development through solutions that are in harmony with the cultural background of the communities being served. Copeland, from Cheney, is also a Certified Manufacturing Technologist who, for his senior project, worked with a company to investigate a paint process to discern how to improve it. He is now working with the company to implement the solutions he developed. After graduation Copeland plans to travel. He is the son of Gerry Copeland and Margie Heller of Cheney and a graduate of Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane.

Holly Faulstich earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. While at Western Faulstich, of Sequim, achieved a 3.97 cumulative grade point average and presented her research on rare plant community biodiversity at the Ecological Society of America in 2008 and was so impressive that she was offered a position as a graduate student at Brown University. A participant in Western’s Rainforest Immersion Conservation Action biology research program in Costa Rica, Faulstich took her training in environmental science and applied it in a multicultural setting. She was also one of two students selected to participate in the Polaris Project, a field course and research experience for undergraduates in the Siberian Arctic. She served as the student representative on Western’s Academic Technology committee, has volunteered for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association to improve salmon spawning habitat, and has helped researchers understand canopy ecosystems in the Quinault Rainforest. After backpacking two months in Tasmania, Faulstich has returned to Washington state to work as a biological science technician at Mount Rainier National Park, monitoring forest vegetation in the backcountry. A graduate of Sequim High School, Faulstich is the daughter of Dale and Heather Faulstich of Sequim.

Ra’Jeanna Ann Foxx earned a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and a certification in both P-12 special education and K-8 general education. Foxx, from Seattle, believes all students can learn and she is committed to making a difference in the lives of students with emotional and behavior disorders. In order to challenge herself and improve her skills Foxx participated in internships such as the LINK program at Black River High School and the African American Academy. Foxx also was selected to present her research at the national conference for the Council for Exceptional Children, and was the first Woodring College of Education undergraduate to receive this honor. Foxx now begins her teaching career. She’ll work this summer as a lead counselor in a summer day camp at Delridge Community Center in West Seattle, then begin as a special education teacher at Kilo Middle School in the Federal Way School District. After a year of teaching, Foxx plans to return to school for her master’s degree. A graduate of Renton High School, Foxx is the wife of LeAndré Connerly of Seattle, daughter of Yvette Roberson of Renton and granddaughter of Otis and Linda Roberson of Seattle.

Gina Kim, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Sociology and Political Science, is known for her academic independence and devotion to service. The Outstanding Graduate in Sociology, Kim earned prestigious spots with the Norm Mineta Internship Immersion Program and the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program, two national programs for promising students of color preparing for careers in public service. Her aptitude and interest in sociological data analysis also led her to a highly coveted internship at the University of Michigan to learn new data-crunching techniques alongside graduate students and faculty from all over the world. Kim, of Everett, also held two research assistant positions at Western: one analyzing U.S.-Canada trade, the other co-authoring a book chapter on family demography. Her volunteer work reaches refugee women, homeless people, a wide variety of campus organizations, and youngsters in Kenya, where she volunteered as a teacher and tutor. After graduation, she’ll spend a year as an Emerson Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center, fighting hunger and poverty at the local level and learning about national anti-hunger advocacy. A graduate of Woodinville High School, Kim is the daughter of Mona Kim of Everett and John Kim of Seattle.

Shardé Mills, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities – History of Culture and was named the Outstanding Graduate in Liberal Studies, is honored both for the quality of her scholarship and her contributions to understanding multicultural diversity in the Western community. Her professors praise Mills’ meticulousness, tenacity and originality of thought as well as her outstanding communication and leadership skills. These traits have served her well not only in her independent interdisciplinary research efforts but in her service on and off campus. As a leader in the Mixed Identity Student Organization, Mills has helped expand and deepen the organization’s purpose, from serving students from ethnically mixed families to serving all students who want to explore how to live in a multicultural world. She also participated in “Naked Truth Monologues” productions on campus, which explore – and dispel – stereotypes. The daughter of Donavon and Elizabeth Mills of Spokane and a graduate of Joel E. Ferris High School, Mills plans to return to Spokane to work with non-profit organizations on issues related to diversity.

WWU honors seven students as Presidential Scholars