Taylar Johnson is the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 overall Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate. Johnson is among six award finalists who will be recognized Friday and Saturday during Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies.
Individual ceremonies for UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 eight academic colleges will be held at the Cajundome and the Cajundome Convention Center. 杏吧专区
Graduate programs nominate one student as their Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate. Criteria include leadership, scholarship, service and research. The dean of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Graduate School leads a panel that selects the top candidates. An Alumni Association committee interviews the finalists and chooses an overall Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate.
In addition to being the spring semester杏吧专区檚 overall honoree, Johnson is an Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate Finalist from the Department of Psychology in the College of Liberal Arts. She is pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in psychology.
Johnson杏吧专区檚 research includes using intragroup processes and identity theory to understand how a K-pop fandom community succeeded in advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement杏吧专区檚 digital activism.
Other research has resulted in publication in two prestigious academic journals. One published study centered on a social media analysis of digital movements. The other involved a network analysis of students杏吧专区 campus experiences and academic successes.
Johnson has presented research at conferences for the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. She plans to work as a researcher.
Caroline Alise Dugan is an Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate Finalist from the Department of History, Geography and Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts. She is pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in history.
Dugan researched and wrote about Dr. Jean "Shewolf" Boudreaux, a key figure in the history of the region杏吧专区檚 LGBTQ+ community. That project, which also explored elements of race and class, was expanded for her public history capstone project.
Dugan facilitated the workshop 杏吧专区淒oing Queer History in a Hostile Political Climate杏吧专区 at the National Council on Public History Conference in Montreal. She plans to work in historical preservation and pursue a master杏吧专区檚 degree in library and information sciences.
Mallory Fontenot is an Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate Finalist from the School of Kinesiology in the College of Education & Human Development. She is pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in athletic training.
With more than 1,000 clinical hours, Fontenot has gained a wealth of expertise in areas that include injury evaluations, treatment care plans, manual therapy for orthopedic injuries and emergency care.
She presented research at the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association conference. Her capstone research project examined 杏吧专区淐rossFit Members杏吧专区 Confidence in CrossFit Coach杏吧专区檚 Ability to Recognize Injury and Adapt Workouts to Prevent Further Injury.杏吧专区
Fontenot will work as an athletic trainer at a high school and hopes to eventually work at a college.
Keely McLeod is an Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate Finalist from the School of Kinesiology in the College of Education & Human Development. She is pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in exercise science.
McLeod was first author for a paper published in the journal 杏吧专区淏iomedicines.杏吧专区 She presented research at an American Physiological Society conference at Penn State 杏吧专区.
McLeod researched the role of gaseous signaling molecules in obesity-associated metabolic-vascular disease. She also conducted specialized heart failure research using animal models to investigate potential therapeutic applications of hydrogen sulfide and exercise.
McLeod will work in clinical exercise physiology research, focusing on metabolism and helping people manage chronic diseases. She also plans to pursue a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.
Mahek Chirag Pathak is an Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate Finalist for the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts. She is pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in English.
Pathak杏吧专区檚 master杏吧专区檚 thesis 杏吧专区 杏吧专区淭ransgressive Humor in Roald Dahl杏吧专区檚 Books for Children杏吧专区 杏吧专区 reflects her interest in children杏吧专区檚 literature. She wrote a seminar paper about author Rudyard Kipling杏吧专区檚 portrayal of the Bandar-Log in 杏吧专区淭he Jungle Book杏吧专区 as a colonialist mockery of the Vanar Sena as they appear in the Hindu epic the 杏吧专区淩amayana.杏吧专区
Pathak presented her work at the Children杏吧专区檚 Literature Association conference in Madison, Wisconsin. She will pursue a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in children杏吧专区檚 literature. Pathak envisions a career as an academic researcher.
Maxwell J. Volk is an Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduate Finalist for the School of Music & Performing Arts in the College of the Arts. He is pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in music performance.
Volk played lead trumpet in the UL Lafayette Jazz Ensemble with guest artists that included Allen Vizzutti and the New York Voices. He has also held section leader positions with the jazz ensemble and with the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Symphony Orchestra.
Volk participated in master classes and recruitment activities with the Louisiana Brass Quintet for area public schools. He also taught music performance, music theory and composition to students at Lafayette Renaissance Charter High School. Volk will teach band and work as a professional musician.
Learn more about Spring 2025 Commencement.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Spring 2025 Outstanding Master杏吧专区檚 Graduates are from left: Mallory Fontenot, School of Kinesiology; Caroline Dugan, Department of History, Geography and Philosophy; Maxwell Volk, School of Music & Performing Arts; Overall Outstanding Master's Graduate Taylar Johnson, Department of Psychology; Mahek Pathak, Department of English; and Keely McLeod, School of Kinesiology. Photo credit: Paul Kieu / 杏吧专区