Twelve Kettering University graduating students have been recognized as recipients of prestigious President’s Medal, Sobey Scholar and Leaders Fellow awards this year. The students will be recognized at an honors dinner and reception at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, June 19.

The awards recognize a variety of academic, service, leadership and professional achievements. The awards dinner will be held the night before Kettering University’s Commencement ceremony, which is at 11 a.m. June 20, in the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center.

The President’s Medal recognizes scholarship, professionalism on the job and community involvement.

Sobey Scholars awards are a distinction presented to students elected to the Robot Honor Society and one of Kettering’s academic honor societies.

Leaders Fellows awards recognize students who demonstrate significant leadership potential and personal integrity while committing to perpetuating the development of Kettering students through post-graduation involvement with the University.

Lance Jeffery Byers

• Award: President’s Medal
• Hometown:  Montrose, Michigan
• Major: Electrical Engineering, minors in Business and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
• Co-Op: Consumers Energy
• Activities: IEEE, President and Treasurer; Delta Tau Delta, Treasurer; Student Alumni Council, Special Events VP and Alumni Relations VP; Tau Beta Pi Honor Society, President; Kettering Student Government: Senior Representative; FYE Peer Mentor; Member of Eta Kappa Nu, Order of Omega, and Gamma Sigma Alpha honor societies; Volunteer, March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity and Youth wrestling coach
• Post-graduation plans: Just started a career in Texas with L-3 Communications, which is an Aerospace defense contractor; plan to pursue MBA in the near future.

Julie Ann Clark

• Awards: President’s Medal; Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Orchard Lake, Michigan
• Major: Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering specialty, Biology minor, Business minor
• Co-op: Brose North America
• Activities: Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority, COMPASS Orientation Leader, Kettering Student Government Operations Council, Panhellenic Council, Tau Beta Pi, Robot Honor Society, Kettering University Relay for Life, Flint College Town Initiative Representative, Rho Lambda, Gamma Sigma Alpha
• Post-graduation plans: Currently living in Coburg, Germany, for one year, working for Brose as a project engineer on a development program. The program will be transferred to the North American office for industrialization at which point she will transfer back to Brose North America. Plans to pursue a MBA when she returns to the United States.

Nathan John Dwarshuis

• Awards: President’s Medal; Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Major: Chemical Engineering
• Co-op: Corning Life Sciences
• Activities: Delta Tau Delta, Chemical Engineering Club, COMPASS Orientation Crew, Resident Assistant, Peer Tutor
• Post-graduation plans: Starting Ph.D program in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech in Fall 2015.

Elizabeth Catherine Facemire

• Awards: President’s Medal; Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana
• Major: Mechanical Engineering
• Co-op: Autoliv
• Activities: Orientation COMPASS Crew, realSERVICE, Relay For Life, Girl Scout STEM Day Camp, Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority, Robots, Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma Honor Societies
• Post-graduation plans: Plans to pursue master’s degree in Bioengineering.

Lixi Liu

• Award: President’s Medal
• Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
• Major: Mechanical Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Fuel Cells & Hybrid Technology
• Co-op: Hendrickson Truck Suspension & Vehicle Systems in Woodridge, Illinois
• Activities: Kagle Leadership Initiatives, SARC tutor, Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, Kappa Mu Epsilon, International Club, SHPE, SWE, MAGIC, Dance Club
• Post-graduation plans: Incoming Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student at University of Michigan; will be pursuing research in renewable energy.

Lisa Ann Mitchell

• Award: Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Maple Valley, Washington
• Major: Mechanical Engineering
• Co-op: Six rotations with OMAX Corporation; three rotations with UTC Aerospace Systems
• Activities: International Student Leader, Ethics Club Founding President , Tau Beta Pi - Engineering Honor Society, Robot Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority, Pi Tau Sigma - M.E. Honor Society
• Post-graduation plans: Participating in the UTC Operations Leadership Program, which is a 2-year management development program that features three 8-month rotations across each of the Business Units of UTC in Supply Chain, Quality and Manufacturing.

Ryan Thomas Neph

• Awards: President’s Medal; Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Waterford, Michigan
• Major: Double Degree in Engineering Physics & Mechanical Engineering
• Co-op: Siemens PLM
• Activities: Student Senate President, New Student Orientation Leader, Inter-Fraternity Council Vice-President, Sigma Chi Fraternity Chapter President, Society of Physics Students Chapter President, Order of Omega Chapter President
• Post-Graduation Plans: Currently a full-time NVH Applications Engineer at Siemens PLM; plans to attend UCLA full-time in fall 2015 on fellowship for Ph.D. studies in Medical Physics.

John Robert Oliver

• Awards: President’s Medal; Sobey Scholar; Leaders Fellow
• Hometown: Dexter, Michigan
• Major: Mechanical Engineering; minor in Applied and Computational Math
• Co-op: Celanese Engineered Materials
• Activities: President of Kettering Student Senate, Compass Crew Member, Resident Advisor at Thompson Hall, Journalist for the Technician, President of Tau Beta Pi, Fellow with Kettering LEADERS, Vice President Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, CETL Office Worker, Orientation / FYE Student Instructor, SAE Aero Design, Cliffhangers
• Post-graduation plans: Currently working at Celanese as a Design and CAE Engineer with the added responsibility of co-op coordinator and planning on continuing education in mechanical engineering focusing on modeling the strength of plastics.

Hayley Lauren Schuller

• Award: Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Sterling Heights, Michigan
• Major: Mechanical Engineering; minor in Business
• Co-op: General Motors
• Activities: Alpha Phi fraternity, Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, FIRST Robotics, real SERVICE, FYE Peer Mentor, Relay for Life, Robot Honor Society, Order of Omega, Gamma Sigma Alpha, Rho Lamda, Tau Beta Pi
• Post-graduation plans: Working full time at General Motors in Milford, Michigan, as a Drive Quality Specialist. Will be starting graduate school at University of Michigan for Global Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering this fall.

Jordan Patrick Syrowik

• Award: Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Holly, Michigan
• Major: Mechanical Engineering
• Co-op: General Motors
• Activities: Kagle Leadership initiatives, Ethics club, pi tau sigma, IFC, firebirds
• Post-graduation plans: Career with Chrysler, pursuing a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA at Harvard.

Hossein Tabrizi

• Awards: President’s Medal
• Hometown: Grand Blanc, Michigan
• Major: Biochemistry, Premed course of study
• Co-op: Hurley Medical Center
• Activities: Peer tutor, Model United Nations, Green Engineering Organization, Premed Club
• Post-graduation plans: Attending Central Michigan University College of Medicine.

Benjamin Stuart VanZoest

• Award: Sobey Scholar
• Hometown: Novi, Michigan
• Major: Electrical Engineering
• Co-op: General Motors
• Activities: Kagle Leadership Initiatives, Lambda Chi Alpha, Student Alumni Council, Kettnetic Thunder, Robot Honor Society
• Post-graduation plans: Working at GM as a Battery Development Engineer in their Global Battery Systems Lab in Warren, Michigan, on high voltage battery packs that go into the Cadillac ELR, Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Spark EV and Chevrolet Bolt; waiting to hear back from University of Michigan regarding graduate school application for their Energy Systems Engineering program; if accepted, will begin there in the fall and take classes part time while continuing to work at GM.