2021 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.
School of Design
Codie Chang
Communication Design | Bachelor of Science in Design
Codie Chang has exhibited exceptional academic achievement, as seen through her excellent GPA. She is highly regarded by her faculty and peer for her professionalism, talent, and drive. She was able to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded her by taking classes here in DAAP and Basel, Switzerland at Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, which has shaped her into a talented, highly knowledgeable designer.
Samantha Hughes
Fashion Design | Bachelor of Science in Design
Samantha Hughes is an exceptional student who demonstrates academic excellence in the classroom and design excellence as highlighted by the cohesive and future focused design signature that she has developed through all of her design projects. Her thesis project is a culmination of this design signature where she explores fashion’s potential for finding solutions to the global climate change crisis through fusing good design with regenerative practices.
Samantha has applied her strong design and technical skillset across all her co-ops, contributed to the Design for America initiative, and provided student support in the Fashion Technology Center.
Matt Whitby
Industrial Design | Bachelor of Science in Design
Matt Whitby is an exceptional student who has demonstrated an outstanding capacity for exploration and learning from the onset of his education in our program. His expertise in Virtual Reality has established him as a leader amongst his peers and as a highly desirable young design professional. He has made lasting and meaningful contributions through an assistantship in the Future Mobility Center. We are very pleased to recognize him for his relentless drive, his commitment to learning, and his inspiration to peers and faculty of the Industrial Design program.
Karolyn Hasselfeld
Design | Master of Design
Karolyn Hasselfeld is an exemplary graduate student, dedicated to research, innovation, and application. She is self-motivated, sensitive, thoughtful, and vigorously embraces a challenge. She is driven by intellectual curiosity and sensitivity to substantive design issues. Karolyn's empathy and social responsibility is manifested in her thesis research resulting in A Caregivers Guide to Developing a Personalized Activity for a Loved One Living with Dementia. Her work demonstrates great promise as a design practitioner and leader in the design community.
School of Architecture & Interior Design
Lamia Albunni
Architecture | Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Quite apart from Lamia's Albunni's impeccable competence as an architect, she demonstrates the most desirable quality in a designer/collaborator, namely her capacity to anticipate problems and to seek out, develop and adapt the tools needed to keep design work flowing and flourishing. Her work ethic was truly unmatched in studio as well as her thoughtful and rigorous preparation for each day. Although still a student, Lamia has shown herself to be a diplomatic and enthusiastic member of her class and has been able to harness her own creativity in a generous, and selfless manner.
Callie Forsythe
Interior Design | Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Callie Forsythe is a student who deserves to be recognized for her academic excellence. Callie has been an exceptionally strong student with well-formed ideas and a notable interest in visual communication and design theory. Her verbal and written abilities are exceptional at the undergraduate level. She exhibits an excellent ability to express herself graphically, conceptually, and verbally. Callie is a talented and rigorous student who sets the pace for the studio. Callie has been a wonderful ambassador for SAID in the college and in her professional involvements during her time in DAAP.
Todd Funkhouser
Architeture | Master of Architecture
Todd Funkhouser always asks a tough, thoughtful question in the classroom and in public lectures. His studio work is consistently excellent. In his three years, he has been a student leader, an excellent GA, and shown great professional promise in his co-ops. His thesis for a wellness center has looked at the “21st century sublime” in provocative ways, and he has taken on every challenge raised by the faculty and most of all by himself.
Sinhea Lee
Architecture | Master of Science in Architecture
Sinhea Lee was a sincere, consistent, and dedicated individual throughout her academic journey for MArch as well as the MINTD programs. In her master’s thesis, Sinhea explored confined spatial environment focusing on Goshiwon, a uniquely specialized residential type in Noryangjin, South Korea. In her thesis, Sinhea exhibited a multifaceted understanding of the sociocultural and economic dimensions that are deeply engrained in the development, evolution, and critical consequences of this unique spatial type.
Kory Beighle
Architecture | Doctor of Philosophy
Kory Beighle engages in conversation with the world around him through scholarship, service, and teaching. His doctoral research, exploring the intersection of tools and disciplinarity in our kaleidoscopic paradigm, has been recognized and presented in national and international conferences, art exhibitions, film competitions, and journal publications. Additionally, Kory has contributed to our community by serving in student government, conference committees, and by passionately engaging the role of educator and teacher at the undergraduate and graduate level.
School of Art
Lauren Darpel
Art History | Bachelor of Arts
Lauren Darpel has excelled academically while exhibiting impressive initiative in securing internships and curatorial opportunities at notable galleries such as VOX Populi in Philadelphia, and locally at Wave Pool Gallery and 1628 Ltd. In addition to her accomplishments in art history and curatorial studies, she is also a major in the Fine Arts program. Lauren is graduating with a BA and BFA, and plans to continue pursuing her interests in research, curating, and arts administration.
Alex Macon
Fine Arts | Bachelor of Fine Arts
J. Alex Macon has strong technical skills and personal values that include issues of representation and community building. He has strong communication skills and the ability to start and finish projects with professionalism and perfectionism. He has been an invaluable participant in classes by example of his commitment to artmaking, his steadfast optimism, and unstintingly selfless support for the larger mission of enabling his fellow students to realize their own artistic potential and participate confidently in the studio discussions.
Ryan Tinney
Art Education | Master of Arts
Ryan Tinney has been very involved in all aspects of the Master of Art Education program. He served as a research assistant, adjunct instructor, and a mentor to his fellow students always with distinction. With an open, collaborative, and curious mindset, he has pursued his research interest in the interconnection between technology, in particular gaming, and education throughout the program and became an asset to students and faculty interested in those topics not only at DAAP but beyond. We expect Ryan will be leading many innovative art education projects in the future.
Josie Roebuck
Fine Arts | Master of Fine Arts
Josie Roebuck has consistently produced excellent artwork far above the expectations of any MFA student in her time at the University of Cincinnati. During this time she has exhibited nationally at notable venues including Untitled Art Fair in New York; Denny Dimin Gallery, and LatchKey Gallery (both New York); and at Roy G BIV (Columbus, OH). Through her focused hard work and collegiality, Josie is also a great example to fellow students.
School of Planning
Anthony Vergara
Horticulture | Bachelor of Science
Anthony Vergara is an outstanding student in our Horticulture program. Anthony has maintained his excellent GPA, while also doing volunteer work for the horticulture program and working at several jobs in the horticulture industry. He is recognized as a leader by his peers and by faculty. His passion for plants, original thinking and problem-solving abilities have earned him the Outstanding Student award. Congratulations, Anthony!
Sean Buckley
Urban Planning | Bachelor of Urban Planning
Sean Buckley is an exemplary student with an impressive academic record. He is a curious, thoughtful and deeply empathetic person with a winning attitude. Sean has enriched his education by gaining invaluable professional experience with a range of public, private and non-profit organizations in planning and urban design through cooperative educational opportunities, studying abroad in Amsterdam and interning with an NGO run by a Peace Corp Alumni on community empowerment in Morocco.
View Sean Buckley, LeeAn Treffinger, Yi Liu, and Hanna Puthoff's DAAPworks project
Ryan Collingwood
Urban Studies | Bachelor of Science
Ryan Collingwood has displayed academic excellence in the classroom as exemplified by his excellent GPA, and his consistent presence on the Dean’s List. He has earned a reputation among faculty and peers as a leader who helps organize and readily contributes to group projects. With a strong interdisciplinary background, Ryan exemplifies the strength and potential of the Urban Studies program.
Anna Parnigoni
Community Planning | Master of Community Planning
Anna Parnigoni has displayed academic excellence in the classroom as exemplified by her impressive GPA. She has been lauded by faculty and peers as a thoughtful student willing to challenge convention and ask hard questions. In her role as a graduate assistant, she has been outstanding in a demanding position as Associate Managing Editor of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding.
Binita Mahato
Regional Development Planning | Doctor of Philosophy
Binita Mahato has consistently displayed academic excellence in the classroom as exemplified by her excellent GPA, and her motivation to complete her dissertation on Social Class and Public Space in a timely manner. During her studies at DAAP she has shown a dedication to her work, a high level of motivation, and leadership qualities. In addition to her exemplary research skills, she has been an enthusiastic participant in teaching our undergraduate and graduate students.