Theme: Pale Blue Dot

Its been said that some of the best things come in the smallest packages. And in the grand ethos of the universe, earth is simply a Pale Blue Dot. But that little spec in the Milky Way Galaxy has history, passion, lessons, and most importantly: it has potential for the future.

1075 Risman Drive
Kent, Ohio, 44243
United States

Amanda Leu

Coordinator for the Office of Academic Diversity Outreach.

Amanda Leu earned a Master's in Education in Higher Education and Student Personnel in 2014 from Kent State University. Throughout her years at Kent State, Leu has worked with many KSU offices including the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the LGBTQ Student Center, the Women’s Center, the Center for Student Involvement, the College of the Arts, and the College of Communication & Information. Currently, Leu serves as the Coordinator for the Office of Academic Diversity Outreach.

Amanda Leu

Originally from southwestern Pennsylvania, Amanda Leu first came to Kent State University (KSU) in 2008 as an undergraduate student. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree, Leu continued her education at Kent State by earning a Master's in Education in Higher Education and Student Personnel in 2014, a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching in 2015, and a Graduate Certificate in Institutional Research and Assessment in 2016. Throughout her years at Kent State, Leu has worked with many KSU offices including the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the LGBTQ Student Center, the Women’s Center, the Center for Student Involvement, the College of the Arts, and the College of Communication & Information. Leu has conducted research in a variety of areas related to diversity initiatives in higher education, with a focus on success and retention strategies for various underrepresented and underserved student populations. Currently, Leu serves as the Coordinator for the Office of Academic Diversity Outreach in the College of Communication and Information at Kent State University.

Bruno Beidacki

Bruno Beidacki is a Brazilian journalist, writer, and storyteller based in the United States. He has worked for the CBS News’ true-crime show 48 Hours, the CBS News Investigative Unit and most recently been a Pulitzer Center crisis reporting fellow in Macau, where he reported on the dangers of the extinction of Portuguese culture and language in the region. Bruno is devoted to the process of language learning and has done extensive traveling in order to explore cultural preservation efforts; he visited more than two dozen countries in the process, and plans on continuing to do so.

Cason Brunt

A Chicago native, Cason Brunt currently serves as Director of Student Support Services and Academic Diversity Outreach at Kent State University. His primary responsibilities include serving as a principal advocate for the success of first generation, designated income, diverse and students who are differently abled. Prior to Kent State, he served within varied capacities at Purdue University, Saint Joseph’s University and Rosemont College. Cason is a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated and currently serves as Advisor to the Epsilon Delta chapter at Kent State.

Colten Dalton

Colten Dalton, originally from Canton, Ohio, graduated from Tuslaw High School in 2014 in Massillon, Ohio. He is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Kent State University on Kent Campus. He serves as the senator for the College of Nursing on the Undergraduate Student Government and serves on multiple committees. He aspires to be an ICU nurse and plans on pursuing an MSN/MBA post-undergraduate.

Evan Delahanty

Evan Delahanty is the Founder and CEO of Peaceful Fruits, a social good snack startup that employs people with disabilities to make healthy, delicious, rainforest-friendly fruit snacks. Peaceful Fruits has been featured on NPR and ABC’s Shark Tank and is focused on scaling sales and production after a successful pilot. Prior to launching, Evan graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School (2003), Cornell University (2007), and then worked in operations management before serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Amazon interior of Suriname, South America. He will be giving a TEDx talk on how owning a business but giving back to your community can make you more money and improve more lives.

Ile-Ife Okantah

Ile-Ife Okantah is a senior magazine journalism major with a minor in fashion media. She is the current co-editor in chief of UHURU magazine, the serving vice president of Kent's chapter of NABJ, a CCI Student Ambassador, and a Kupita mentor. Ile-Ife aspires to use her skills as a communicator and storyteller to provide a voice for people in marginalized communities.

Jessica Kotik

Jessica Kotik is a senior Psychology major here at Kent State University. She plans to attend graduate school for School Psychology. She is the President of the Psychology Peer Mentor Program, a mentor for the Provost’s Leadership Academy, and a sister of Sigma Delta Tau. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, acting, and dancing.

Michael Gershe

As a survivor of a drunk driving crash that killed his mother and nearly himself as an infant, Michael Gershe is a “Pale Blue Dot” that makes a difference. For over 20 years he has been performing stand-up comedy and presenting his “non doom and gloom” impaired driving prevention program, “The Magic of Life.” Michael is the founder of The Magic of Life Foundation a non-profit organization that helps his mission in preventing impaired driving in all communities.

Nikki Costa

Nikki is a mentor for young women, High School English teacher, and founder of the non-profit organization, Retreat Yourself. Her classroom, yoga classes, and wellness retreats all offer a unique space for students to show up as their true selves, move past limiting beliefs and lead empowered lives.

Oleg Lougheed

Oleg was nine years old when he became an orphan. He grew up in a small apartment in Russia with his older sister, and an alcoholic mother, born into poverty. For Oleg developing an entrepreneurial mindset was not an option, but rather a necessity, even when he was only six years old. After coming to the United States for a better life Oleg became an entrepreneur and started a venture called Overcoming Odds with the mission to help other adoptees live a better life, despite their hardships and misfortunes.

Pam Harr

Pam Harr is a wife, mother, high school English and Women’s Studies teacher, and an adjunct professor for the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University. She achieved both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Akron and currently serves on the Advisory Board for Safer Futures, the battered women’s shelter in Portage County.

Shawn Rohlin

Shawn Rohlin is the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at Kent State University and an Associate Professor of Economics at Kent State University. His fields of research are in Urban Economics, Public Finance, Entrepreneurship and Labor Economics. His research primarily focuses on the determinants of businesses such as agglomeration, displacement and government policies. He has studied the effects of location-based tax incentives, taxation, bankruptcy law and the minimum wage. His research has published in general interest economics journals (Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Law and Economics, and Economic Inquiry), urban and regional economics journals (Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Regional Science, and Regional Science and Urban Economics) and public economics journals (Public Finance Review). He recently received funding from two major sponsors. First, from the Kauffman Foundation ($76,600) to study how local taxation affects entrepreneurship using regression discontinuity design. Second, from the National Institute of Justice ($280,000) to study how police officer learning and mentoring affect racial profiling. He received the Junior Scholar Award from the Lincoln Land Institute in 2011. In 2012, he received the David C. Lincoln Fellowship in Land Value Taxation. He received his Ph.D. and Master's degree in economics from Syracuse University in 2009 and 2006, respectively. Shawn also graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2004.