2015 Cohort of CAPS Fellows

Hannah Albers

Hannah is a senior International Business and Global Service double major with a minor in Spanish. This summer, she will be working at National Lutheran Communities and Services as a philanthropy intern, where she will be learning the intricacies of fundraising and developing metrics that measure community impact of grant funding. She is excited to be a part of an organization that assesses the needs of their community and addresses those needs.

Lars Anderson

Lars is a senior civil engineering major working in Austin, TX and Ethiopia with Water to Thrive. He is pursuing a vocation to work in humanitarian engineering with international communities. He loves getting to know new people and collective problem solving, and sees a deep need and opportunity for those in technical fields to go and serve communities that lack basic human necessities. He is thankful, blessed, and humbled to use his gifts to benefit the communities that Water to Thrive is involved in and looks forward to each way he can do so as a CAPS Fellow.

Katie Bernabei

Katie is a senior History and Classics major working in Chicago this summer with Concordia Place, a non profit that serves the community’s needs. She loves reading, and has always been been passionate about helping serve the community around her. She feels so blessed to be working with Concordia Place this summer and learning about what it means to serve the community so she can take these skills with her in her future work.

Cogan Blackmon

Cogan is a senior Theology major from Anderson, IN. This summer he has the privilege to intern at the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants (ICDI). ICDI aims to accompany our immigrant sisters and brothers who are caught in the detention and deportation system and to work for more just immigration policies. Operating for more than nine years, ICDI is directed under the leadership of Sister JoAnn Persch and Sister Pat Murphy. The organization has grown to include four ministries: Pastoral Care at two Detention Centers, Prayer Vigil at Broadview Deportation Center, Post Detention Accompaniment, and Court Watch. His role while interning at ICDI will be to experience and participate in each of these ministries. Additionally, he will work with their new Director of Development to help with their primary fundraising event as well as to look for new ways to grow their donor outreach. Interning at ICDI will undoubtedly bring about unique experiences that will both challenge and expand his theology as he learns to welcome and care for strangers who are also his neighbors.

Faith Briggs

Faith is a junior business management major and is also minoring in Philanthropic Leadership and Service, Psychology, and Cinema and Digital Media Studies. She is interning through the CAPS program with EMPOWER Porter County. She is designing a curriculum for their upcoming youth initiative.

Mychal Brim

Mychal is a senior English major with minors in Creative Writing and Latin. Through his internship with EMPOWER Porter County, he is researching various youth development programs throughout the country in order to help create an effective and efficient program that will allow youth in our community to help develop fun and educational programming for teens in our area. His favorite things to do are writing for my personal blog (mycbrimz.wordpress.com) and singing whenever and wherever he can. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity and through this organization he has been involved in Valpo’s Day of Caring, St. Baldrick’s, Color for a Cause 5k charity run, and the Christopher Patterson Memorial Music Festival. He is a member of Hooked on Tonics, the mixed a Capella ensemble on campus, as well as VuVox, the all male ensemble. He plays the guitar, ukulele, mandolin, saxophone, and recorder, and he also enjoys playing video games and reading. He enjoys spontaneous dancing, talking about life, and watching people do what they’re passionate about. He speaks a little French and German, but is fluent in sarcasm and internet lingo.  In the future he’d like to do anything from writing best selling novels to touring with a small band around the world.

Makenna Cannon

Makenna is a 2015 graduate of Valpo. She majored in English and minored in Business and French while at school. During her time in school, she also was a captain of the women’s varsity swim team and an e-board member of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor’s Society. This summer she is interning at the Federation of State Humanities Councils in Washington, D.C., and exploring her call to leadership and service in the humanities.

Kelli Chavez

Kelli is a 2015 graduate of Valparaiso University. She studied Sociology and Criminology and was able to spend a semester in Washington, DC as an intern for the non-profit organization The Constitution Project. As a native of Northwest Indiana, she is excited to be able to spend this summer interning at the Urban League of Northwest Indiana where she hopes to make lasting connections with leaders throughout the Region. After graduate school, Kelli wants to come back to Northwest Indiana and serve the underrepresented and impoverished people in her community.In her spare time, she loves to read, cook, and visit the Indiana Dunes.

McKenzie Cobban

McKenzie recently graduated with a degree in International Economics and Cultural Affairs and French and a minor in Political Science. She loves to travel, read, and meet new people. Her internship is with the United Nations World Food Program USA in Washington, DC working with climate change agriculture to help end world hunger.

Jonathan Haggis

Jonathan is a recent graduate and part of the inaugural class of the Health Care Leadership program.  During his time at Valpo, he participated in various activities including the Chorale (freshman and sophomore year), the Kantorei (junior and senior year), Alpha Phi Omega, studying abroad for a semester in Costa Rica, and serving on two spring break trips.  He is serving at Wittenberg Village as his placement, because he has always enjoyed interacting with the elderly. He is interested in seeing if long term care administration is for him!

Nathan Hynek

Nathan is a senior Sociology major from Rolling Prairie, Indiana. He is serving with the United Way of LaPorte County, his home. He coaches Pop Warner football here in Valparaiso as well as being involved in BRO, PBL, and Criminology Club on campus. His future plans are joining a police department and/or gaining a law degree.

Miranda Joebgen

Miranda is a senior Theology and Global Service double major who plans on pursuing seminary after graduating from Valpo next year.  She is a Christ College student as well as a member of Sigma Alpha Iota (the international music fraternity).  She loves journaling, photography, and hiking. Her faith is a driving force in all of her choices, which is why she is thrilled to be serving with Lutheran Services in America this summer as the Marketing & Development intern.

Emily Knippenberg

Emily is a senior nursing major with a minor in Spanish from Centennial, Colorado. This summer she is working with National Lutheran Communities and Services as a strategic planning intern on the development of a new healthcare delivery model. Emily is excited to be a part of an organization where her passions for community health, equitable health care, and ethics come together, and is greatly looking forward to learning how to best serve others both in care and in policy.

Tommy Morrison

Tommy is a senior at Valparaiso University studying political science and business administration. This summer he is interning with National Lutheran Communities and Services with his work focusing on the strategic planning and development of various initiatives of the organization, including the formation of a cutting edge health clinic. In his free time he enjoys reading, any kind of physical activity, golfing, and sometimes watching Netflix.

Graciela Payán

Graciela Payán is a senior Nursing major. She strives to be a nurse practitioner to become a strong advocate and change agent in the health care system for underserved communities. Graciela has been part of Latinos in Valparaiso for Excellence, a student group whose goal is to educate and promote cultural awareness, along with building strong, lasting friendships. This summer she will be interning at Urban League of Northwest Indiana where she hopes to expand her horizons, and extend a helping hand.

Jesús Payán

Jesús is an alum as of May 2015 and graduated with B.S. in Biology. He has always been passionate about voicing the struggles of those in need, whether it was through Latinos In Valparaiso for Excellence or the Office of Multicultural Programs. He  will continue to channel and further cultivate his passion with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which is the oldest Hispanic serving institute since 1929, by connecting young adults and high school students to accessible and affordable resources.

Rocío Pulido

Rocío is a first generation American citizen of Mexican descent and a first generation college student from Aurora, Illinois. She recently graduated from Valpo with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Latin American and Latina/o Studies with a Spanish minor. This summer she will be working with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) with the local council in her hometown of Aurora. She will be facilitating and providing information to the local Latina/o community on finances, education, healthcare and political information so that they can be informed and the community can thrive. Her parents emigrated from Mexico almost thirty years ago. Being a child of immigrants and a first generation American citizen has influenced her academic interests and what she subsequently would like to dedicate to her career to. Her personal experiences have fueled her desire to pursue a career in public policy to help provide underserved and historically oppressed communities with the quality services that they deserve. In addition, being a first generation college student has also sparked her interest in helping other students of color as well as students from marginalized groups gain access to higher education, succeed and eventually graduate.

Anna Scudiero

Anna is a senior Political Science major with minors in Communications and Professional Writing. At Valpo, she is the Career and Personal Development Chair for her sorority, Chi Omega, the Director of Fundraising for Valparaiso University Dance Marathon, and an Ambassador in Admissions. She had the pleasure to spent a semester in Washington, D.C. as a policy research intern at the Children’s Defense Fund. She is thrilled to be back in D.C. interning with Horton’s Kids, a nonprofit that works with youth in one of D.C.’s low-income neighborhoods. As the youth development intern, Anna is researching youth development and enrichment programs in order to help create a new curriculum for the upcoming school year. Additionally, she is preparing lesson plans for this summer’s Career Preparation Program for high school students and helping facilitate summer programs. She is loving working with at-risk youth and giving back to the community in D.C. Her favorite quote is from Marian Wright Edelman,  “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.”

Scott Staal

Scott is a senior Business Management major and Philanthropic Leadership and Service minor from Grand Haven, Michigan. Scott serves as president of Valparaiso University’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and also plays on the football team. This summer, he is interning at Legacy Foundation in Merrillville, Indiana, where he will focus on grant-making research and evaluation.

Alex Uryga

Alexander K. Uryga graduated from Valparaiso University on May 17th, 2015 as a Christ College Honors College Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history. Before being a Valparaiso University Institute for Leadership and Society Calling and Purpose in Society Fellow at Venn Strategies, a public affairs and government relations firm for the summer of 2015, Uryga was an intern for one of Indiana’s United States Senators in spring 2015 and was the Valparaiso University President of the Student Body from 2013-2014. He received the Valparaiso University Student Affairs Outstanding Leadership and Service Award in 2015 and was nominated President of the Year in 2014. Uryga has been inducted into seven prestigious honor societies: Phi Beta Kappa (Nation’s Oldest Liberal Arts and Sciences); Mortar Board (Senior); Pi Gamma Mu (Social Science); Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science); Phi Alpha Theta (History); Order of Omega (Leadership); and Alpha Lambda Delta (Freshman).