Featured Students, Alumni, & News
Juergen A. Riedelsheimer
Halle Thomson-Kidwell
Halle Thomson-Kidwell is a Grad Bengal from Pocatello, currently in the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program, with plans to graduate in the spring of 2026. Post-graduation as an occupational therapist, she hopes to help older adults continue to engage in the daily activities that bring meaning to their lives.
Halle chose to pursue graduate school at ISU due to the proximity of her friends and family, while still having fieldwork opportunities in nearby states. So far, her favorite graduate school experience has been meeting the Meridian half of her cohort and spending their day doing collaborative, in-person labs.
"Becoming involved with my program and peers has allowed me to start building a community of future practitioners that I look forward to working with in the future," she said.
In her free time, Halle enjoys kayaking, reading, skiing, walking her dogs, and spending time with her family and friends.
Ana Stalzer
Meet Grad Bengal, Ana Stalzer, a PhD candidate in the clinical psychology program.
She is from southern California, and after college was in the military as a Surface Warfare Officer. "Serving in the military was a pretty formative time of my life, but my childhood of spending time in the great outdoors has also stuck with me," she said. "During the winter, I enjoy skiing, and in the summer backpacking in Idaho and Wyoming."
Stalzer's academic work focuses on incarcerated women who experienced sexual violence and how that consequently turns into suicide-related behaviors and substance use. "Broadly speaking, my interests are in suicide, substance use, and stigma," Stalzer said.
Stalzer chose to pursue her degree at ISU due to her love for the great outdoors and the clinical psychology program specifically. "ISU is in the middle of some world-class adventure (skiing, backingbacking, river rafting, mountain biking)," she said. "I also really liked the clinical program and was impressed when touring the campus and facilities."
Post graduation, expected in 2027, she plans to get licensed as a psychologist and work with service members providing evidence-based care.
Stalzer recently won a competitive ethics essay competition from the American Psychological Association. The award includes the publication of her essay in Ethics and Behavior, $1000, and all expenses paid to attend the APA conference. Her essay focused on HIPAA rights of service members seeking mental health care and the stigma that occurs when they do not have confidentiality.
Joules Emerson and Julia Duran
Congratulations to PhD Clinical Psychology students, Joules Emerson and Julia Duran, for creating the Neurodivergent Social Support Group here on campus! Read more about their efforts to create a safe and welcoming environment for neurodivergents in our community.
Amy Blankenship and Garrett Hair
PhD student, Amy Blankenship, and DNP student, Garrett Hair, had peer-reviewed posters at a recent Nursing Conference, along with nine other graduate nursing students.
Nelson Snow
Nelson Snow, a graduate student in nuclear engineering, took home the Best Lightning Talk award at the American Nuclear Society’s Student Conference.
Norra Cardillo
Norra Cardillo, a second-year master's student at Idaho State University, recently conducted research in Exeter, New Hampshire, at the American Independence Museum (AIM).
Morgan Frost
Morgan Frost is a Grad Bengal in the Master of Counseling program and plans to graduate next spring of 2025.
Frost chose to pursue Idaho State due to the Master of Counseling's accreditation, CACREP. She is currently being trained in talk therapy. In her program, she has learned about different theories and models to operate under, and how our worldviews play into what theory we work under. She is the youngest member of her cohort, starting the program when she was just 20 years old.
"Through this past year in the program I have fallen in love with the counseling profession, and look forward to my career post-graduation," she said. "(I want to) open my own private practice clinic, specializing in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy working with Veterans."
Frost loves the outdoors and activities Idaho has to offer. She spends her free time with friends, exploring, or shopping. She says that her work ethic, compassion, and intuitiveness are crucial parts of what makes up her values.
Suparna Sinha
Meet Suparna Sinha, a PhD candidate in English and the Teaching of English. Sinha chose to pursue graduate school at ISU because of the faculty in the Department of English and Philosophy who share her areas of interest. She hopes to work with Dr. Alan Johnson, an authority in Postcolonial Studies. Sinha also received full funding from ISU in the form of a Tuition Fee Waiver and a Graduate Assistantship.
Post-graduation, Sinha would love to work as a tenure-track professor at ISU or any other university and do extensive research in her areas of interest (Postcolonial Feminism, Postcolonial Dalit Feminism, and Eco-criticism), publish research papers in reputed journals, and present at conferences.
In her free time, Sinha is a freelance writer of Positive Literature and enjoys posting articles on her blog. She is an avid cryptic crossword solver, and a self-styled film critic, who feels that no movie can be an absolute disaster; there is some positive in every movie, maybe the art direction.
"I am a steadfast believer in compartmentalization," she said. "We have to stop branding people and things and presume a community to have certain attributes. Every human being is different, and we can't just push a body of 6 billion pairs of DNA into one box! Let's embrace diversity, and celebrate inclusion. Love All is the mantra I live by. A rich person may need love as much as a needy one. Proud to be a part of the ISU Family!"