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Student Success Profiles

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Lead On to a Bright Future

No matter how you measure successwhether it’s by landing that coveted job, moving up to a highly regarded graduate school, or going abroad and chasing your dreams—TCU will help you achieve it. Meet some new alumni who, through their undergraduate research, found inspiration and are finding success for the greater good.

Hayden Nguyen

Hayden Nguyen '24

Hometown: Houston, TX

Degrees: B.S. in Youth Advocacy Educational Studies and B.A. in Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies with a minor in Social Work

Research Focus: Creating more awareness about food insecurity on campus and beyond, with ideas for more substantial and accessible discussions of this topic for first-generation college students

Success Story: Working on a Master of Arts in Higher Education with a focus on Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Michigan

 

Claire Abele

Claire Abele '24

Hometown: Novato, Calif.

Degree:
 B.S. in Communication Studies and World History minor with an emphasis in World History and Consultative Selling

Research Focus: The effects of political narrative surrounding refugees, immigrants and displaced people on the social and political world of the United States

Success Story: Working as an associate at AlphaSights in their New York City office

 

Jackson Keese

Jackson Keese '24

Hometown: Rogers, Ark.

Degree:
 B.S. Engineering with Mechanical Emphasis and B.A. Mathematics with an Economics Minor

Senior Design Project: Autopiloted Sonar Survey Craft

Success Story: Hired as a Supply Chain Manager at Sam's Club in Bentonville, Ark., while working on an M.S. in Engineering Management at the University of Arkansas

 

Isabella Marrin

Isabella Marrin '24

Hometown: Issaquah, Wash.

Degrees: B.A. in political science and B.A. in Spanish and Hispanic studies with a Minor in Philosophy, emphasis in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Research Focus: Resistances to Critical Language Awareness: Understanding the Role of Social Class and Double Consciousness
 
Success Story: Isabella received the 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Award to Vietnam — the first TCU student to win an award to the Southeast Asian country

 

Avery Kokinda

Avery Kokinda '24

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.

Degree: BFA in Graphic Design

Senior Thesis Project:
Marketing and branding of an NHL expansion team based out of Austin, Texas.

Success Story:
Working as a Graphic Designer at Sovic Creative in Fort Worth, Texas. She has also completed various freelance projects ranging from product/package design to branding for a local coffee shop.

 

Matthew Fitzgerald

Matthew Fitzgerald '24

Hometown: Haltom City, Texas

Degree: BBA in Business Information Systems with a Certificate in FinTech

Capstone Project:
 Cocktail Creator Project for Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits

Success Story: 
Working as a Business Technology Solutions Analyst with Deloitte Consulting in Dallas, Texas

 

Isabel Van Vleet

Isabel Van Vleet '24

Hometown: Portland, Ore.

Degree: 
BS in Speech-Language Pathology with a Minor in Child Development

Research Focus: 
Longitudinal Study of Lexical-Semantic Organization as Measured by Repeated Word Associations in Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Success Story: After being accepted to three graduate programs, she chose to stay in Fort Worth and earn her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology at TCU