In the College of Liberal Arts, we take the opportunity to celebrate each of our Outstanding Graduate nominees. Throughout the semester leading up to commencement, staff, faculty and mentors have the opportunity to nominate students who have accomplished remarkable things throughout their academic career.
This year’s nominees have triumphed in the face of obstacles like grief, rigorous coursework, and competing responsibilities, setting a standard of greatness for our community. Each of them represents unique kinds of intelligence and resilience and we are honored to celebrate them with our community.
Read more about each of their experiences below.
Jacquelyn Olivera
Degree: Music Therapy
“I’ve really enjoyed being part of a community that is so welcoming and friendly, and it’s been super cool to meet folks from all over Colorado, the country, and the world.”
Seojung Lee
Degree: Master of Fine Arts
“My current journey started with pursuing a degree in graphic design within the art and art history department at CSU in 2015, continuing now into graduate school to create a solid grounding for our immigrant community.”
Kaley Stephen
Degree: Music Therapy
“…When I began my degree in music therapy at CSU, I was being tested on skills instead of knowledge. This was a very challenging shift for me, and I am proud of my perseverance, hard work, and all of the skills I learned.”
Jacquelyn Olivera
Degree: Music Therapy
Jacquelyn Olivera (B.M. ’23) has been nominated as an Outstanding Graduate for the College of Liberal Arts by Associate Director of Bands Jayme Taylor. Specifically, Taylor calls out Olivera’s endurance and consistent success in roles like principal oboe, CSU Marching Band sousaphone player, and drum major. “…Operating as the head student leader of the largest and most visible student organization on campus I think qualifies Jacquelyn as an Outstanding Graduate from the CLA,” said Taylor.
I chose CSU because of three things: marching band, music therapy, and the mountains. When I took a campus tour in 2019, I knew that with these factors available to me, I’d be able to study in Colorado around like-minded folks, which sounded like a dream come true.
My background as an out-of-state student from Virginia has made my college experience quite unique. I’ve really enjoyed being part of a community that is so welcoming and friendly, and it’s been super cool to meet folks from all over Colorado, the country, and the world.
My advice to fellow out-of-state prospective students: don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! I’ve been able to meet and befriend such a variety of folks here that I would have never gotten the chance to meet elsewhere.
The experience I am most fond of in my time at CSU is being drum major of the Colorado State Marching Band. It has been such an honor to work with an incredible group of students, and represent the university at games, parades, and performances. I was able to accomplish this with the support of my peers in the band. It is such a supportive and fun group to be a part of.
The most challenging part of my CSU career has been managing my time between classes, ensembles, and work. However, I’ve overcome this by staying on top of my schoolwork and being fully present during classes, rehearsals, and shifts. Working as an Admissions ambassador has been a huge help, as my supervisor understands how busy we all are and accommodates our schedules.
Next spring, I am pursuing a 6-month music therapy internship at the University of Kentucky Healthcare where I will be working closely with supervisors to provide music therapy in all areas of the hospital. But don’t worry – I will always be a CSU Ram at heart!
The music therapy program in the College of Liberal Arts has a long tradition in clinical education, research, and scholarship in music therapy. With an academic focus on evidence-based practice, graduates from Colorado State University learn the necessary tools to be an integral member of a treatment team or pursue a career in private practice.
Seojung Lee
Degree: Graphic Design
Seojung Lee (B.F.A. ’20, M.F.A. ’23) has been nominated as an Outstanding Graduate for the College of Liberal Arts by Director of the Stanley G. Wold Resource Center Anna Bernhard. “What sets Seojung apart is her ability to take on new ideas, to drive with full force, and to include others in that passion be they peers, mentors, or students,” said Bernhard. She goes on to explain that from immigrating to the U.S. from Korea solo to giving birth to her son to losing her father during the pandemic, Lee never faltered academically, personally, or creatively. “Seojung stands as one of the most creative and vital students among the many young people I have met and worked with during my decade at CSU.”
Art became a source of comfort to me as it allowed me to explore my inner world and express my emotions. I dreamed of becoming an artist. Unfortunately, the art education system in South Korea gave me frustration as it required a practical art exam. At the time, I did not have the financial resources that would have allowed me to do well on the exam. I didn’t have an opportunity to pursue my dream. I set aside my dream of pursuing a career in art and I applied for the occupational therapy program at Howon University.
During my junior year in college, I applied for an exchange program in the U.S., and I was selected to get support to study abroad. I choose Colorado State University due to its highly ranked occupational therapy program and solid English courses for international students.
Surprisingly, I met my husband in Fort Collins and began to put down roots in the U.S. I gave my birth to my son in 2016. Since the birth of my son, I have developed a strong interest in supporting immigrants – especially women – as they adjust to life in the United States.
As a result, I have a strong desire to communicate belonging by using art to connect with other immigrant women. My current journey started with pursuing a degree in graphic design within the art and art history department at CSU in 2015 continuing now into graduate school to create a solid grounding for our immigrant community.
My research as an artist reflects on my immigrant experiences using autobiography and printmaking with graphic design. I created a series of Artists’ Books as an arts-based autobiography project, to research within the realm of ‘finding my roots’.
I used design as a tangible process-oriented tradition combined with print making technology – called cyanotype – to coat Korean traditional Dak Paper (Hanji). After 24 hours, I put Hanji under the bright sun which helped to transfer the typographic messages such as, ‘I am strong, I am loved, and I belong here.’
My typography turns to cyan blue color under the sun. This process is a crucial metaphor for my identity as I am transitioning from Korean to Asian American under the sun of the U.S. I aim to deliver my art to immigrant women who have been struggling to feel belonging in the U.S to bring healing moment while they are observing my works.
The biggest advice I can give people with similar identities is find your own happiness in your life for yourself and your body. For me, it is physical movements such as yoga, snowboarding, and hiking. This happiness helped me balance life, work, and motherhood in college life while not losing myself.
I completed several communities-based projects with grant funding from the University of Colorado at Boulder (July 2021), City of Fort Collins (May 2023), and ArtFest at CSU (September 2023) under the title, ‘I am blooming where I am planted.’
My community art celebrates Asian American identities and encourages viewers to imagine inclusive future in the U.S. I made four images of Asian American women, each of whom is confident and determined to bloom in the place they call home.
The silk-screening works are for target audience members between the ages of 18 and 30. I imagined them using my silk screens to make and wear t-shirts, thus raising awareness of Asian American identities in Colorado.
I believe social change begins through small and tangible actions like wearing my shirts to uplift Asian American women’s voices and physically identify as an ally.
Sadly, my experience at the university has not been free of racism. One formative experience I had was in a psychology course here at CSU. We learned that second language learners beyond the age of 9 or 10 years may exhibit native-like behavior but will still have an accent.
The professor wanted to show a cute video related to this topic which was, “Words that Korean People Can’t Speak” on YouTube. In the video, a Korean dad who had a strong Korean accent was speaking with his son who is the native English speaker. The son pronounced words, and the dad repeated it. The Korean dad pronounced ‘fork’ as ‘pork’ and ‘sheet’ as ‘shit.’ The U.S students in the classroom laughed loudly at the father’s mistakes, but I could feel my face turn hot and red in embarrassment. When I looked around the room for someone else who felt similarly, I noticed I was the only Asian student in the class. I felt stupid, and inferior to the Americans in the class.
This microaggression in class distressed me for a long time but inspired me to use my artworks and research to help and empower Asian immigrants and students like me to challenge U.S. people’s misconception toward immigrants and international students.
In the art education field, various Asian American scholars engage with art-based research written by Asian American scholars.
I want to continue the legacy as an Asian woman in higher education, teaching and researching in American academia with my immigrant’s perspective to help immigrant women and BIPOC students. I have been creating positive images of how immigrants contribute to otherness and diversity in the U.S. through my art, research, and workshops.
This vision will continue in my master’s program to pursue immigrants’ right and freedom based on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I hope for and imagine a U.S society that welcomes immigrants, is culturally tolerant, and sees that differences are natural.
In the Department of Art and Art History at CSU, we approach learning in a holistic fashion with an eye toward helping students develop their creative problem-solving skills. Our visual art degrees are thinking degrees where students learn to communicate within historical and contemporary context to find their place in the world.
Kaley Stephen
Degree: Music Therapy
Kaley Stephen (B.M. ’23) has been nominated as an Outstanding Graduate for the College of Liberal Arts by College of Liberal Arts Academic Success Coordinator Marjorie Moss. Moss cites Stephen’s academic diligence, kindness, and positive attitude as factors guiding her to success. Moss notes that far too frequently, students in Stephen’s position go unrecognized. “Students like Kaley need to be recognized for their hard work so they know that someone noticed their dedication, perseverance, and accomplishments,” said Mos. “Kaley would not expect to get this award because she is a very humble person – but that is exactly why she deserves it.”
I chose to study at CSU because I was pursuing a degree in music therapy and CSU has an incredible music therapy program – one of the best ones in the country, in fact!
One thing that I accomplished during my CSU educational career that I am especially proud of is the number of musical skills I learned and improved.
Previous to my college experience, I was familiar with learning and demonstrating knowledge in an academic setting. However, when I began my degree in music therapy at CSU, I was being tested on skills instead of knowledge. This was a very challenging shift for me, and I am proud of my perseverance, hard work, and all of the skills I learned. Several factors contributed to my ability to accomplish this including support from God, my family, and caring professors in the music department.
As mentioned before, one of the most challenging aspects of my educational career has been shifting to the skill-based aspects of my degree in contrast to the knowledge-based approach that I was accustomed to in high school. Seeking counsel from a variety of professors, spending time working with professors during office hours, and investing time into independent practice were all ways that I overcame this challenge.
In my last semester at CSU, I completed an internship where I earned clinical hours in order to become eligible to sit for the board certification exam. After I graduate from CSU, I plan to take the music therapy board certification exam, and then begin working as a certified professional music therapist!
