The Successes and Achievements of some Dexter and Chelsea Grads at the College Level

From the Dean’s List to traveling to Guyana to study traditional ecological knowledge, here’s a look at the achievements of some local high school graduates at the college level.

At Albion College, Dexter High School grad Marissa Genske was recently accepted as a new member of Albion College’s Lisa and James Wilson Institute for Medicine and the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program.

The Wilson Institute supports and prepares students to be exemplary and altruistic physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and other healthcare professionals. Through an innovative academic curriculum and immersive clinical, research, and community service initiatives, Wilson students become leaders in healthcare.

According to Albion College, students in the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program have access to a number of challenging and rewarding experiences – exploring, creating, and learning in a different way than traditional classes. It’s a balance of academics and social support that works, with a curriculum that immerses Honors Program members in intellectual inquiry, then connects and expands their thinking through a senior Honors thesis.

Genske is majoring in kinesiology – exercise science.

As a student at Miami University, Avrey Baron of Dexter traveled this past summer to Guyana to study traditional ecological knowledge of the Makushi and the potential of local wisdom to guide conservation initiatives. Baron is earning a master’s degree through Project Dragonfly’s Global Field Program (GFP).

As a transformative education initiative, Miami University said the Department of Biology, Project Dragonfly oversees the world’s largest graduate degree programs dedicated to community-driven ecological and social change. Dragonfly students join the frontlines of community innovation, working across an extraordinary network of leading U.S. zoos, botanical gardens, and community organizations around the world. Dragonfly offers the Advanced Inquiry Program and the Global Field Program master’s degrees, which combine online and on-site experiential learning, as well as individual field courses through Earth Expeditions. 

Kettering University recently announced that more than 250 students were named to the Summer 2024 Dean’s List. The Dean’s List recognizes overall academic performance based on the student’s term grade point average (GPA). To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must satisfy the following requirements: be a degree-seeking student with a minimum term grade point average of 3.5, no grades below B, and a minimum of 16 earned credits for the term.

“Being named to the Dean’s List is a testament to the dedication and excellence of our students,” Kettering University Provost James Zhang said in the announcement. “It reflects their hard work and their ability to thrive in a challenging academic environment. Our rigorous programs are designed for driven students to push boundaries and inspire growth. I am very proud that so many of our students have risen to that challenge with remarkable success.”

Here are the local students on the list:

Jack Bearman of Dexter

Spencer McMichael of Dexter

Isaac Menze of Chelsea

Connor Zatkovich of Chelsea

And finally, the University of Alabama’s Brooke Steere, of Dexter, was named to the Southeastern Conference Women’s Soccer Community Service Team. The SEC office announced this recently. Alabama said Steere has served as a leader “for the Tide both on and off the field. The redshirt junior has volunteered with several organizations over her four years including working with both young children and animals.”

Here are some of the things she did:

• Visited breast cancer patients at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, where she listened to stories and talked with patients
• Prior to the season, she volunteered with Reading Allies twice a week, helping young, below grade-level readers meet reading standards
• Helped at the local animal shelter, providing a much-needed break and companionship to the animals
• Assisted with Halloween Extravaganza, an event that brings the Tuscaloosa community together with the Alabama Athletics Department through fun and games