Outstanding Graduating Students
The Outstanding Graduating Students of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning are selected by their faculty based on their academic achievement, professional activities, and participation in the life of the University through service to the program, college, and/or University. DAAP is proud to share the achievements of these students.
Class of 2024
School of Design
Ellen Stevenot Communication Design / Bachelor of Science in Design
Ellen is a praiseworthy communication design student committed to design research, innovation, and practice. She is self-motivated, sensitive, thoughtful, and vigorously embraces a challenge. Driven by her intellectual curiosity and sensitivity to functional design strategy, Ellen’s work ethic is extraordinary. She is an amiable individual who is an inspiration to her peers and a positive role model for students in the communication design program. Ellen is the definitive model of the next generation of design professionals. (Graphis New Talent Awards 2023 - Silver)
Sydney Theiss Fashion Design / Bachelor of Science in Design
Sydney models exemplary talent, representing high levels of success as a dedicated student in the Fashion Design program. Throughout her time at DAAP, Sydney continually demonstrated exceptional effort in research, development, and realization. Her work ethic is admirable – willing to explore, refine, and improve her craft and design perspective in pursuit of outstanding outcomes. Sydney has earned high praise from her instructors and peers, proving her status as an exceptional student, peer, and designer.
Joseph Curtsinger Industrial Design / Bachelor of Science in Design
Joe is a standout student from the UC-ID class of 2024. Joe consistently demonstrates strong industrial design skills across his projects such as sketching, prototyping, and rendering. He has a positively contributive overall attitude and dedicates thoughtful and rigorous effort toward his projects. He has a great rapport with the faculty and his fellow students and has been a valuable member of the UC ID culture. (1st Runner Up at UC's Cincinnati's Center For Entrepreneurship 2024)
Urvi Prabhu Design / Master of Design
Urvi has a talent that blends creativity and communication. She is passionate about typographic design for helping non-native language learning through symbol-sound association as well as brand communication. She applies her talent in art and cultural sensitivity to bringing people from diverse perspectives together. Her leadership through creative practice is demonstrated in her current activities as the President of the Design Graduate Student Association at UC.
School of Architecture & Interior Design
Cooper Kadish Architecture / Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Cooper is an exceptional student who has consistently displayed a high level of rigor, dedication, and design talent throughout his time in the architecture program. Driven by his commitment to design, Cooper’s studio investigations have consistently displayed a high quality of exploration, depth of detail and overall development. Challenging himself to new adventures, he participated in the UC Study Abroad Exchange program, spending a semester in Stuttgart, Germany at the Hochschule fur Technik, immersing himself in a new culture and life changing experience.
Lydia Blues Interior Design / Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Lydia has excellent visual and verbal strengths, crafting a provocative, poetic, and compelling capstone project that reimagines abandoned oil rigs off the Atlantic coastal region into self-sustaining aquatic educations research facilities. She engages with the world and design through a lens of curiosity, always asking meaningful and thoughtful questions. Lydia is a natural leader, projecting a collaborative and confident demeanor, often spearheading design dialogue with her peers and elevating the work of others around her.
Gavin Sharp Architecture / Master of Architecture
Gavin has consistently performed at the highest level throughout his time in the graduate program as well as serving as an excellent teaching GA. His thesis research on pre-fabrication techniques has been thorough and the design proposals he is developing are mindful of the material constraints, site conditions, and delivery systems while offering compelling imagery for the next generation of housing. Gavin exemplifies the research values championed by the school and the professionalism expected of our students.
May Khalife Architecture / Doctor of Philosophy
May’s research focuses on the role that the social sciences played in the adoption of Modern Movement architecture in the United Kingdom and the United States. Her dissertation establishes that many of the most prominent actors in the revisionist, interdisciplinary work of the Post-War period, were women. Long underappreciated, these designers questioned the focus on purity of form and urban reconstruction espoused by many architectural institutions and instead championed contextual forms of infill development.
School of Art
Riley Haag Art History / Bachelor of Art History
Riley is a hard-working student with enthusiasm for collaboration, community outreach, and university involvement. Her recent endeavors include participating in art history outreach in local high schools, partnering with an Art Therapy professor conducting pedagogical research, working with a community organization to support older artists in exhibiting their work, and presenting at the annual DAAPcares showcase. Riley will also graduate with a Museum Studies Certificate and has completed two internships, gaining curatorial and archival experience.
Esra Kanisicak Fine Arts / Bachelor of Fine Arts
Esra joined our program with a hunger to synthesize her background in scuba diving and a passion for the health of our planet. She has been a positive role model to her peers, demonstrating how to bring a well-rounded life into the studio. Her experimentation guided her through an impressive evolution into being a widely skilled interdisciplinary artist. Esra creates sophisticated forms and images that balance a visceral quality, aesthetic and informed messages.
Devin Hatcher Art Education / Master of Arts
Devin explored reflective educational research during his time in the program. His work as an artist-educator at East High School in the Cincinnati Public School system created a novel and model reflective curriculum for teachers. Through his self-reflective practice, his research demonstrated that a critical pedagogy aimed at tolerance and understanding of student contexts leads to fewer disciplinary issues in the art and design classroom.
Andy Demczuk Fine Arts / Master of Fine Arts
While it is common for students to experiment with their studio practices, much rarer is the full-fledged dedication to research in three significant academic areas. Andy came to UC with a command of creative writing and dove headfirst into a practice that was informed by but not limited to his previous work. Andy’s practice deals with sonic components, animation, and theory through a painting practice rooted in experimentations with sound, motion, and visualizing electronic compositions.
School of Planning
Jack Schaefer Horticulture / Bachelor of Science
Jack has excelled both professionally and academically. He was awarded the International Plant Propagators Society student research award. He developed a project to propagate and introduce an unknown native plant to the local horticultural community. He presented his results at an international conference in Canada. Jack is pursuing graduate school in Biology. He currently works at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden where he is the head arborist. Jack's career goal is to help individuals and local communities through public horticulture outreach.
Sophia Ferries-Rowe Urban Planning / Bachelor of Urban Planning
Sophia has demonstrated critical thinking, thoughtfulness, and care throughout their education. They have consistently approached new topics with curiosity and enthusiasm, ultimately producing work of many kinds at a professional level. They have also undertaken co-ops in a variety of fields, from design to research to audio communications. Beyond this core work, they have shown ingenuity and drive in founding a group that does pop-up clothing swaps to serve fellow students and promote the cause of sustainability.
Sarah Day Urban Studies / Bachelor of Science
Sarah has embraced the multi-disciplinary and exploratory nature of Urban Studies. Her capstone pulls together her interests in transportation, community engagement, and history to imagine a Cincinnati-area mass transit system that would appeal to suburban riders and motivate them to leave their cars at home. She is highly organized and approaches problems with systems and structures in mind. Sarah is generous with her time and ideas and always willing to spend time supporting her fellow students.
Xavier Yozwiak Community Planning / Master of Community Planning
Xavier is an exceptionally hardworking and productive scholar with an extraordinary academic record. He made key contributions to a GIS-based-research/public service project for prioritizing replacement of lead water lines in Cincinnati using technical efficiency and social justice criterion. He presented results at a statewide conference. His master’s thesis examining impacts of these replacements on home values has garnered attention from scholars and water professionals and is expected to be published in a scholarly journal.
Jessica Frazier Landscape Architecture / Master of Landscape Architecture
Jessica continues to demonstrate the model of an outstanding student by not only her exceptional academic achievement, but also by her unique abilities to communicate with others by her demonstration of service as a DAAP Ambassador, her active service within the landscape architecture profession through the student chapter of ASLA, and her positive and sympathetic demeanor that invites conversation. Her exceptional listening and collaboration skills make her a leader in DAAP and the MLA program.
Yue Wu Regional Development Planning / Doctor of Philosophy
Yue combines design skills, statistical modelling, policy analysis, dedication, and compassion to her research in the area of heritage and culture in economic development. Her dissertation creatively pushed the understanding of impacts of national and state heritage designations and is now being used by the State of Pennsylvania. Additionally, her exemplary skills, creativity and knowledge have led her to excel in teaching, consulting, and professional networking. She will no doubt continue to represent DAAP and SOP well as a scholar and practitioner.
School of Design
Marcus Djuhadi Communication Design / Bachelor of Science in Design
Throughout his time in the Communication Design program, Marcus has consistently demonstrated excellence in his academic and studio work. He has been recognized by Graphic Design USA as a 2023 Student to Watch. His critical questions, attention to detail, and rigorous approach to design as both an inquiry and a craft have produced exemplary projects. He has been both a supporter and leader amongst his peers. Outside the classroom, Marcus’s work with Design for America shows his commitment to putting design to work for positive social change.
Chutine Wei Fashion Design / Bachelor of Science in Design
Chutine Wei is an exceptional example of dedication, integrity, and professionalism. Throughout her career at DAAP, Chutine has demonstrated exceptional technical and design skills, excelling in coursework across the program. She is held in high regard by her instructors and peers, all of whom are always appreciative of her thoughtfulness and spirited energy. Chutine’s excellence has been recognized through numerous scholarships and external partners, chiefly the Fashion Scholarship Fund.
Allison Widzinski Industrial Design / Bachelor of Science in Design
Ally Widzinski is a student who excels in our program. Her strong capacity to grow has stemmed from her ability to listen, apply newfound knowledge, and DESIGN! In class, her work ethic is at the highest level. She is organized and focused. While focused, Ally is never too busy to share her knowledge with her peers. Sharing, collaborating, and exceptional skills make her the perfect candidate for the ID Outstanding Senior Award.
Loran Sanvido Design / Master of Design
Loran Sanvido is a praiseworthy Master of Design student dedicated to research, innovation, and application. She is self-motivated, sensitive, thoughtful, and vigorously embraces a challenge. Driven by her intellectual curiosity and sensitivity to substantive design issues, Loran’s work ethic is extraordinary. Given her phenomenal strengths, she remains modest, respectful, and open to critical dialogue. Her demeanor is friendly and empathetic. Loran Sanvido exhibits unlimited aptitude as practitioner, educator, and leader in the design community.
School of Architecture & Interior Design
Donovan Staab Architecture / Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Donovan possesses a unique talent that blends an innate creativity with a solution-focused approach. Driven by his commitment to discover and integrate design technology into his work, he consistently delivers projects that are surprising, rigorous, and, above all else, innovative. Donny's design talents and intellect are complimented by his altruistic teamwork and readiness to assist his peers. His exemplary character has earned him a reputation as an exceptional collaborator, leader, and friend. Donny, and his work, are truly unique.
Brianna Schaaf Interior Design / Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Brianna Schaaf is an exceptional student who continually sets a high bar for the studio. Brianna is a very thoughtful, creative and rigorous student who isn’t afraid to challenge conventional norms. She is not intimidated to take risks and works hard to see her ideas through. For the last five years Brianna has been on the Dean’s list, and been an active member of the DAAP Tribunal and IIDA.
Lamia Albunni Master of Architecture
Lamia was selected as one of Metropolis magazine’s Future 100 and was the student representative to the AIA Large Firm Roundtable conference. Her thesis “Migrating Sandscapes: From the Microparticle to the Architecture” is a rich investigation using desert sand from the Saudi desert as design inspiration, a construction material, and as a metaphor for thought as drivers for a refuge and study center north of Rhiad. Her design and writing capture the culture of nomadism and its impact on contemporary theory and the poetics of the Saudi desert.
School of Art
Madelyn Shea Fine Arts / Bachelor of Fine Arts
Madelyn Shea is an exceptional and engaged student. Top of her class, with fantastic academic and leadership skills, her artwork has undergone huge transformations over the course of her time at DAAP. She has built strong conceptual and technical skills, is an avid reader and writer, and is meticulously organized. Further, she demonstrates generosity to her peers – offering valuable critique, insights, and support to those she works alongside. We look forward to following Madelyn’s career as she graduates and takes on the world.
Stella Kelley Art History / Bachelor of Arts
Stella Kelley is an excellent student who pursues academic and professional opportunities with a personal drive and enthusiasm that is quite admirable. She is a member of the University Honors Program and will earn a bachelor’s degree in Art History, with a minor in Fine Arts and a certificate in Museum Studies. Stella completed a semester-long internship at the Contemporary Art Center and spent a semester studying abroad at the Academia Italiana in Florence, Italy.
Dani Clark A/rt Education / Master of Arts
We selected Dani Clark because of the interdisciplinary research she explored in the program. Her work as an artist-educator equips healthcare providers, patients, and communities with art and literary skill to improve care and patient-provider communication; ultimately, paving the way for more arts integration within medicine that supports co-constructed, collaborative care. Through interdisciplinary research and community collaborations, she aims to cultivate critical compassion within her community and larger public health systems.
James McKenna Fine Arts / Master of Fine Arts
James McKenna’s tireless work ethic has taken him, and his faculty and fellow students, on an unpredictable and exhilarating creative journey. Responding enthusiastically to critical input from others, James quickly evolved from metal sculptures to experiments in large-scale drawings, installations, and performances. His Wolfstein Fellowship funded an inspiring walk across part of Iceland and his memorably atmospheric final CAC thesis show was an outstanding environment of metal supports and draped dyed tarpaulins resembling walking specters.
School of Planning
Stella Dionysiou Horticulture / Bachelor of Science
Stella Dionysiou has achieved high marks throughout her academic career and had the highest GPA in her class. She has been recognized by the American Society for Horticulture Science as a 2023 award winner. Stella has demonstrated strong personal initiative, determination and has achieved academic success in her chosen discipline. She has worked up to 25 hours a week during her academic year, including a seasonal position at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Stella has been a student representative for a VAP search in the School of Planning. She is a Cincinnatus scholarship recipient and a member of the UC Honors Program.
Jay Leman Urban Planning / Bachelor of Urban Planning
Jay Leman is an exemplary student - a talented artist with a probing mind and strong work ethic and a tireless advocate for environmental justice issues and ecological restoration. Jay entered the program as a scholar with an exceptional academic record and has exceeded expectations with success. Jay has also been actively engaged in speaking for the environment and communities disproportionately impacted by environmental and social disparities. Civic advocacy and activism are valuable traits for planners and Jay’s empathy for the causes are applaudable.
Lucille Jordan Urban Studies / Bachelor of Science
Lucy Jordan has displayed academic excellence in the classroom as exemplified by her high GPA, having parlayed her success at Walnut Hills into similar success in the Honors Program at UC. She has demonstrated the ability to navigate academic life with flexibility, moving from urban planning into urban studies, and onto law school. In her courses, Lucy was a good team member, displaying a strong work ethic, and always open to criticism, propelling her to greater levels of achievement. She is a strong and positive force in the classroom and will no doubt continue to inspire her colleagues.
Darby Schozer Community Planning / Master of Community Planning
Darby Schozer has a talent for combining creativity with an attention to detail. Her work products stand out because of her incisive analysis, clear prose, and compelling narratives. The way she works is impressive because of her strong organization and time management. Darby has maintained her stellar academic record while interning at the City of Cincinnati. She has represented herself well to the School of Planning and the City. She will no doubt continue to represent DAAP well in the planning profession.
Gauri Patil Landscape Architecture / Master of Landscape Architecture
Gauri Patil represents excellence in her ability to absorb information and to carefully consider its context, meaning, and ultimately its value – she exhibits critical thinking skills that allow her to design, to lead, and to make her mark. From her role as president of the student chapter of ASLA to her pace-setting role in her graduating class, Gauri continues to excel creatively, academically, professionally, and collegially.
Seunghoon Oh Regional Development Planning / Doctor of Philosophy
Seunghoon Oh excelled during his time here at the University of Cincinnati and graduated with a Master in Science in Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Regional Development Planning. Hoon further demonstrated excellence in his applied research work and has published as many as four papers in peer-reviewed journals. He has received the prestigious Charles Tiebout prize in Regional Science for his contribution to the understanding on how transit revenues impact employment growth and create opportunities for low- skilled workers in Ohio.