- Information collected and written by Karissa Rickman.
With an internationally benchmarked student employment program to supplement the myriad profession-based experiences Northwest Missouri State University offers its students, Martina Pascuzzo has taken advantage of those opportunities to prepare for her career.
Martina Pascuzzo (Photos by Lauren Adams/Northwest Missouri State University)
“I chose each of my campus jobs strategically as I saw them as an opportunity to explore different aspects of my personality and career paths as well as to better understand the University,” Pascuzzo said. “Thanks to my experience, I can say and show I’m adaptable to various environments and teams. I’ll always be grateful for the offices that allowed me to adapt the position to my career goals and needs, thus providing excellent hands-on experience for my future.”
Northwest offers 1,200 student employment positions on its Maryville campus that help students build professional skills. Pascuzzo, a senior from Argentina who is majoring in interactive digital media with an emphasis in new media, has worked within seven different campus offices since arriving at the University.
She has gained experience as a photojournalist with The Northwest Missourian student newspaper and a project assistant for Textbook Services. This fall, she works with Career Services on its social media platforms and as a career ambassador in addition to managing social media and working as a graphic designer for the Learning and Teaching Center.
Last year, she provided valuable support to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (IRE) as a data analyst – work that led to her recognition as Northwest’s 2022 Student Employee of the Year.
Dr. Egon Heidendal, who serves as interim vice president of culture and oversees the IRE office, nominated Pascuzzo for the award in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the IRE team.
While working in the IRE office during the fall 2021 semester, Pascuzzo wanted to learn more about one of its analytical tools, Tableau. She shared her interest with Heidendal, looking for a project that would help her professional career and increase her chances of finding a meaningful job after graduation. The project involved rebuilding the dashboards Northwest used to monitor COVID-19 case data for Nodaway County and the University. Through Pascuzzo’s work, the dashboards were launched a month ahead of schedule.
“This mammoth task had prior been a challenge to the full-time staff, but Martina was determined to make the project a success,” Heidendal wrote in his nomination of her.
Pascuzzo's Northwest involvement also includes the Adink advertising club and roles as secretary and vice president with the International Student Organization, a peer mentor with Lead Green, and a peer leader with Summer Orientation Advisement and Registration (SOAR).
As she plans to complete her bachelor’s degree next spring, Pascuzzo is deciding whether to further her education by pursuing a master’s degree or launching her professional career.
“Across all my experiences, from my first job in student publications to my current roles in Career Services and the Learning and Teaching Center, I can say I’ve grown and learned different transferable skills, not only for my future career but also for my personal development,” Pascuzzo said. “Each one of them was a unique challenge that required a specific skill set, which I learned to develop through my supervisors and peers, and always showed a willingness to improve.”
Join the Honors Program on the 14th of November, 2022 to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field?
Dr. Shantel Farnan, Assistant Professor (Education)
Shantel Farnan is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri and serves as the Program Coordinator for all Special Education Programs. Dr. Farnan has 26 years of experience as a special education teacher, special education director, regional special education cooperative director, and as a university professor. Dr. Farnan has held offices in state and national organizations with a focus on special education, including SIG/Caucus Liaison for Teacher Education Division, Past Chair, Chair, and Communications Editor of Small Special Education Programs Caucus, and board positions on Missouri Council for Administrators of Special Education, and Missouri Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Farnan’s academic and research interests are in special education leadership, collaboration, engagement, diverse field experiences, dyslexia, feedback, virtual teaching and learning, and K-12 partnerships
Monday, November 14 | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 128
Join the Honors Program Director Dr. Elyssa Ford and G.A. Bre Crawford!
November 9, 2022 | 7pm | Valk 128
Work towards your (optional) social engagement badge!
Join the Honors Program on the 14th of September, 2022 to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field?
Dr. Rodd Barr, Senior Instructor (Agricultural Sciences)
Rod Barr is a Senior Instructor for the Department of Agricultural Sciences and was previously the Program Coordinator for the department. Dr. Barr is currently the Director of Agricultural Sciences. He became the director in 2013. Dr. Barr received his M.S.Ed. in Secondary Education teaching Agriculture from Northwest Missouri State University along with his Ed. S. in Educational Leadership, Superintendent, and Secondary Principal. He completed his Ed. D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis through the University of Missouri. His academic and research interests include experimental learning, student retention, and agricultural advocacy. At the state-level, Dr. Barr is apart of the Missouri Joint Staff on Agricultural Education, Missouri Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association,
and the Missouri Association of Career and Technical Education.
Monday, October 12 | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 128
Join the Honors Program Director Dr. Elyssa Ford and G.A. Bre Crawford!
October 3, 2022 | 5pm | Valk 90
Work towards your (optional) social engagement badge!
Join the Honors Program on the 14th of September, 2022 to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field?
Dr. Rick Toomey, Associate Professor (Natural Sciences)
Rick Toomey is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri and serves as the advisor for the Gamma Sigma Epsilon National Chemistry Honor Society. He graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Chemistry along with attaining a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Brandeis University. Dr. Toomey has 31 years of experience in the chemistry department and teaches several courses on and off campus. His academic and research interests include chemistry education, application of mathematics in science education, and laboratory revision. He is also a member of the American Chemical Society and the National Science Teachers Association.
Wednesday, September 14th | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 128
Join the Honors Program Director Dr. Elyssa Ford and G.A. Bre Crawford!
August 29, 2022 | 5pm | Valk 90
Work towards your (optional) social engagement badge!
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 13th of April, 2022 to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field? Dr. Cindy Zhiling Tu, Program Coordinator (MS-IS) Dr. Cindy Zhiling Tu is an Associate Professor of Information Systems in the School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Northwest Missouri State University. She received her Ph.D. degree in Information Systems from DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Canada. She also has an MSc in Management Science, an M.B.A. in E-Business and Information Systems, an M.Eng in Computer Science, and a B.S. in Computer Science. She has published research papers in peer-reviewed conference proceedings and journals such as Information & Management, Information & Computer Security, the International Journal of Mobile Communications, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Information Systems Education Journal, and Journal of the Midwest Association for Information Systems. Her research interests are in the areas of information systems security and privacy, mobile commerce, technology acceptance and usage, and information systems. She teaches IS courses such as Information Systems Analysis and Design, Business Intelligence and Analytics, Cybersecurity and IS Security Management, Project Management in Business & Technology, Enterprise Networking, MIS Capstone Project, Practical Data Evaluation, etc. Wednesday, April 13, 2022 | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 128 |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 2nd of March, 2022 to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field? Dr. Vincent P. Hustad, Instructor Dr. Vince Hustad, Instructor of Biology at Northwest Missouri State University, holds an ASA from Olney Central College, a BS emphasis in Botany with honors and an MS in Biological Sciences from Eastern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He currently teaches General Biology lecture and lab, Principles of Biology lab, Zoology lab, Senior Seminar, and, when the mycelium gods smile upon him, Mycology. Dr. Hustad has several peer-reviewed publications in national and international mycological journals, primarily focusing on the systematics of the earth tongue fungi class Geoglossomycetes. Dr. Hustad's research has taken him all over the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Dr. Hustad has named and described several species and genera of fungi new to science. Dr. Hustad's research interests include diversity of fungi and lichens, fungal evolution and systematics (focusing on earth tongues and Leotiomyctes sensu lato), and fungal symbioses. Wednesday, March 2nd | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 128 |
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Donuts with the DirectorJoin the Honors Program Director Dr. Elyssa Ford and G.A. Robinson Oturugbum!
When: Tuesday, February 8, 2022, 5 p.m. Work towards your (optional) social engagement badge! |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 3rd of February to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? Hod did they get started in that field? Dr. Casey Abington, an Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Casey Abington, an Associate Professor of Economics at Northwest Missouri State University, holds an M.B.A. from the University of Central Missouri and a Ph.D. in Economics from Kansas State University. She currently teaches Survey of Economics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, and Managerial Economics. She is the recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education and Faculty Excellence Awards for Teaching and Research. Dr. Abington has peer-reviewed publications, and her research interests are labor economics, economic growth, human capital, and the economics of education. Dr. Abington is passionate about making a difference by providing students with tools that will help make them more knowledgeable and productive citizens. Thursday, February 3 | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 128 |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 25th of October to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? Hod did they get started in that field? Dr. Ethan Bottone, a historical Geographer Dr. Ethan Bottone is an Assistant Professor of Geography at Northwest. He is a historical geographer by training, with interests in tourism, mobility, and race .His dissertation research explored landscapes and mobility networks of the Green Book, a Jim Crow-era travel guide developed and used by black travelers. He is particularly interested in "tourist homes," private homes and apartments rented to travelers, that were listed within the Green Book, as these spaces represented a very personal form of resistant hospitality to the pervasive injustices of institutional white supremacy. Also, Dr. Bottone is interested in other forms of "Just" tourism, including accessible tourism and indigenous heritage. He has published peer-reviewed journal articles such as beyond accessibility, Jim Crow Journey Stories, National Discourses Materialized. In 2021, he has had at least 12 citations in his research work and a total of 30 citations for his research activities. Monday, October 25 | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 129 |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 6th of October to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? Hod did they get started in that field? Dr. Chase O'Gwin, Theoretical Psychologist Dr. Chase O'Gwin is an assistant professor and also the coordinator of the General Psychology program at Northwest. He has been studying the psychology of horror for the last 10 years, writing his Master's thesis on the relationship between personality variables and horror genre engagement and his dissertation on the qualitative experience of the horror fan as viewed through the psychoanalytic framework of Jacques Lacan. Dr. O'Gwin has published work on the nature of weird fiction and the ineffable, his expertise in horror has been featured in Bustle Magazine, has presented his work on horror to more than a dozen national and international psychological conferences and is currently co-authoring a book with Palgrave Press on the role of race in horror. He has also published work in parapsychology, exploring apparition experiences created in a laboratory and recently co-authored a book with Routledge, exploring the implications of recent social justice movements and their implications for subjectivity as viewed from the lens of theoretical and philosophical psychology Wednesday, October 6 | 4-5 p.m. | Valk 129 |
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Honors Program Presents
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Donuts with the DirectorJoin the Honors Program Director - Dr. Elyssa Ford - on the 1st Friday of the month.
When: 1st Friday of the Monday, 1-2 p.m. |
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Christmas Ugly Sweater ALC Honors EventMake Your Own Ugly Christmas Sweater When: Sunday, November 22 at 7 p.m. |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 9th of November to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? Hod did they get started in that field? Dr. Emily Frazier, Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Emily Frazier is an assistant professor of Geography in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is a critical human geographer and migration scholar, with particular interests in forced displacement, refugee resettlement, and humanitarian responses. In the context of rising global displacement and growing unease around immigration, her dissertation examined refugee resettlement in the southeastern U.S. This work analyzed third-sector resettlement volunteers to understand how integration works for resettled refugees. She seeks to understand the ways that people navigate forced migration, negotiate a sense of home and belonging, and work towards future goals after displacement. Monday, November 9th, 4-5 p.m. at Valk 129 |
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Northwest Honors Program Invites You To
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Plan Your Career the Right Way.Let the experts from Career Services guide you through the overwhelming process of constructing resumes and cover letters, and finding internships.
Finding Internships
Resume and Cover Letter
Invitations have been sent via email. Please RSVP if you are able to attend the event. You are encouraged to carry your resumes. Snacks will be provided. |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 1st Monday of the month to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field? Dr. Trevor Meyer, Rhetorician Dr. Trevor C. Meyer is an assistant professor in the Department of Language, Literature and Writing. He also serves as Internship Coordinator for the department, as well as faculty advisor for Scribblers, bathe undergraduate writing club, Magic the Gathering Club, and serves as junior advisor for Alpha Chi. He is currently working to expand professional writing opportunities at Northwest. His scholarship focuses broadly on rhetorical theory and history, with special interest in the ancient and comparative rhetorics, and the fundamental questions of conflict, violence, and death throughout many discourses. His current projects are thinking through racial justice in writing pedagogy through kobudo, their martial art created by Okinawan farmers to defend themselves from bandits and rogue samurai, and also using professional wrestling as a theoretical lens to engage the works/"works" of Plato. Monday, March 2nd | 4-5 p.m. |
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Honors ALC
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 1st Monday of the month to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field? Dr. Rebecca Dunnell, Flautist Dr. Rebecca Dunnell, Professor of Music, teaches flute, music history, World Music, and other courses for the music program. She has led three Study Abroad programs to London in May 2015, 2017 and 2019, which were inspired by her residency in London as part of the Missouri-London Program, teaching at Imperial College. Her research interests are varied, and her "Popcorn with a Prof" talk will be about the twists and turns of her dissertation topic (and beyond) focusing on Mozart's work in Paris during the 1770s as reflecting the socio-musical issues of the decade. Her articles and talks relating to this topic have been presented/published by National College Wind and Percussion Instructors, National Flute Association, British Flute Society, British Isles Chamber music Symposium, Flute Talk, and more. She is grateful to Northwest for a Faculty Research grant supporting a stay in Paris in order to pursue research at the Archives nationales de France. Monday, December 2nd | 4-5 p.m. |
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The Honors Program
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The Honors ALC
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 1st Monday of the month to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field? Dr. Karen Britt, Art Historian Dr. Karen Britt is assistant professor of art history in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. As an art historian engaged in archaeology, her research focuses on the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. She has worked on archaeological projects across both regions and is currently the mosaics specialist for the Huqoq Excavation Project in Israel. In her scholarship, Dr. Britt explores how architectural decoration, in particular mosaics, can illuminate culture and society in the late Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic worlds. She has received extensive research funding, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. State Department's division of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Her current book project is titled An Uneasy Silence: Empress Eudokia and Non-elite Women in Byzantine Palestine and Arabia. Monday, November 4th | 4-5 p.m. |
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Honors Field Trip
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Peace Corps Info SessionThe Peace Corps is a service opportunity for motivated changemakers to immerse themselves in a community abroad, working side by side with local leaders to tackle the most pressing challenges of our generation. Wednesday, October 2, 2019 | 1pm - 2pm |
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Popcorn with a ProfJoin the Honors Program on the 1st Monday of the month to learn more about Northwest's faculty members & their research. What is their current project? What is their research process? How did they get started in that field? Dr. Tyler Tapps, CPRP Dr. Tapps is a proud Northwest alum and has been a faculty member in the School of Health Science and Wellness since 2014. He earned his Ph.D. in health, leisure, and human performance at Oklahoma State University and previously worked as the executive director of a contract research nonprofit and served as the editor for the state health science peer-reviewed journal. He publishes often and has authored five books and more than 30 peer reviewed works. Dr. Tapps is working on his 6th book, which focuses on dimensions of recreation pursuits over the lifespan. He was selected as the "Young Professional Award" winner in 2014 by the National Recreation and Parks Association and that same year was honored as the first research fellow by the Oklahoma Health Association for his multiple projects to enhance the health of the residents of Oklahoma. Monday, October 7th | 4-5 p.m. |
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Honors Advising & RegistrationJoin us for chips and dip at the Honors advising and registration night, where you can:
Tuesday, October 8 | 6pm - 7pm |
