May 2026 Graduate Degree Candidates
James Lowell Baustert, Posthumous Honorary Doctorate in Science
Theo Janet Bahwell Baustert, Posthumous Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters
James Lowell Baustert’s pioneering work in biomedical engineering has saved and improved millions of lives worldwide. Mr. Baustert co-founded Cardiac Pacemakers Inc, a company that revolutionized the field of cardiac rhythm management. He and his business partners are widely credited for the development and commercialization of the lithium-powered implantable cardiac pacemaker a breakthrough technology that remains a cornerstone in the treatment of heart conditions. His vision, technical expertise and innovation changed the trajectory of modern medicine.
Mr. Baustert’s lifelong dedication to scientific advancement, his unwavering support of future healthcare professionals, and his enduring ties to NIU exemplify the spirit of this university. His legacy will live on through the countless lives impacted by his innovations and generosity. His contributions have already shaped the world, and his impact on NIU and its surrounding communities will continue to grow for decades to come.
Theo Janet Bahwell Baustert lived a life defined by philanthropy, community impact, intellect, grace, and steadfast partnership in advancing human health, education, community service and innovation.
She met her future husband, James Baustert, in 1954 while studying at NIU, then known as Northern Illinois State Teachers College. Their legacy at NIU is deeply personal and enduring, a partnership that would span decades and leave an indelible mark on medicine and higher education.
Ms. Baustert was a woman of reflection and quiet conviction, a visionary benefactor and a woman whose life embodies the university’s enduring spirit of purpose and possibility. She balanced intellect with compassion, artistry with practicality, and a devotion to family with a belief in the transformative power of education. While their philanthropy will shape NIU’s future for generations, it is Ms. Baustert’s support and influence, her intellect, compassion and courage, that merits this recognition.
Given the recent passing of both James and Theo Baustert in early 2025, these degrees are being awarded posthumously.
The list of graduate degree candidates was compiled from information received from the Graduate School as of February 2026, and should not be regarded as conclusive evidence of graduation.
Mariam Abiola Adegbenro
Atakora Ouro Nimini Agoro
Lamyaa Saud S Alowaysi
Thamarah Awad Alqahtani
Ghazi Alqhtani
Logan Ray Bundy
Jared Coles
Nicholas Dertinger
Emily Frame
Regina Mae Dimalanta Francia
Matthew Geisler
Kevin Joseph Hamilton
Christopher William Herbig
Farzana Ehetasum Hossain
Allie Katherine Jessen
Yiwei Jin
Megan Clare Kennedy
Loryn Chás Kimbrough
Eileen Cowles Lindemann
Grace Olivia Louis
Feng Luan
Lauren Francesca Luchetti
Tochukwu Cynthia Madueke
Fortunata Upendo Msilu - Agrey
Timothy Marlin Olsen
Conny May Pfeifer
Cassandra Phillips
Ritesh Ray
Margaret Remus
Stephanie Layne Richter
Bethany Rohl
Kevin William Rutter
Peter Bergstrom Sassman
Venkata Devesh Reddy Seethi
Benjamin Daniel Simons
Andrew Edward William Slany
Nicholas Aaron Smith
Maksim Andreevich Sultanov
Sebastian Istvan Szollos
Maw Maw Tun
Courtney Anne Weaver
Elizabeth Williams
Jared Elijah Patrick Wilson
Hongchao Yu
Zachary Alan Zoet
Stacy Amedeo
Justin Matthew Antos
Brian Allen Berchtold
Amal Mohammad Bindlil
Alicia Marie Cieszykowski
Jeanine Anne Clark Bremer
Kelli Anne Danielski
Ivone De Jesus
Mellissa LouAnn Isham Douglas
Blake Anthony Hand
Richard Dwane Jasch III
Cathy Lynn Johnson
Randa Nael Melms
Moria L Nagy
Amanda Colleen Pelsor
Colleen Marie Rockafellow
Derrick Stanley Smith
Kathleen Stompor
Robert Patrick Tesmond
Kimberly Triche
James Michael White
Sarah Jane Avery
Kathryn Virginia Beam
Allyson Claire Hague
Kaelin Hansen
Nikitha Mary Soney
Thekra Ayman Ziyadi
Amparo Abrego
Onique Christina Bryson
Victoria Isabel Cantu
Cassidy Jade Gagalski
Emily Gaskins
Sloan Olivia Gayan
Angel Dawn Keith
Addison Lea Kitzmiller
Alexandra Klepacki
Phillip Kolk
Trevor John Laffin
Cassidy London
Trevan Lowtharp
Dylan Meyerhofer
Anastasi Austin Selas
Aiden J Siegel
Joshua Starner
Zachary Jason Uecker
Kelly Walinski
Ariyana Janiece Williams
Friday Bassey Agala
Samantha Anderson
Addo Anim Adinkrah
Kristen Aragon
Andrea Yasmine Armenta
Sara Bahaji
Yunchao Bai
Colleen Bartlett
Mouni Bhattacharjee
Tejas Bhojraj
Stephanie Chase
Julie Choi
Gabriela Maria Clarke
Viviana Cortes
Abigail Grace DeeWaard
Jessica Yawa Deh
Milena DeMario
Autumn Deppe
Joel Diameh
Adriana Lee Dinello
Darcy Ann Douglass
Emrys Michael Kershisnik Draper
Emelia Essumanba- Josiah
Zarin Fabiha
Ethan Michael Forsberg
Juliana Marie Garcia
Amelia Jane Gericke
Kyrellos Ghattas
Doriann Alyssa Gliesman
Selena Norma Heinlein
Isabela Luisa Hernandez
William Steven Holladay
Mackenzi Noel Jackson
Mahek Jain
Fangjiasheng Jiang
Dominoe Jones
Minju Kim
Grant Kolean
Samuel Koomson
Casey Alexa Kruger
Ryan Charles Lambert
Charles Afful Maccarthy
Cheyanne Nicole Mackender
Ryanne Christine Anderson Madden
Marianna Martinez
Lottie Maria Maynard
Kylie Danielle McManus
Anthony Michael Mickens
Alicia K Moore
Aaron O'Halloran
Maire O'Malley
Sally Agyeman Opoku
Felix Boakye Oppong
McKeown Boadi Owusu
Margaret Lily Palanca
Maria Parada
Dannielle Elizabeth Pilz
Hongjia Ren
Jean Marie Rocher
Abigail Schickling
Nanyun Shen
Mohammad Shoaib
Milie Mae Smith
Johan Soto
Mommarolin Srey
Kimberly Michelle Stallworth
April Lynn Startzel
Nancy Tapia Espindola
Hannah Leath Tarleton
Kimberly Teal
Clement Tetteh
Henry James Tomiser
Skylar Jordan Totz
Noelle Nicole Veome
Jamie Laurel Ward
Mitraya Chante Williams
Yuk Chuen Wong
Sanjida Sultana Zerin
Abigail Leigh Zipse
Thekra Ayman Ziyadi
Soad Abdullah
Sandra Aguirre
Zahra Ahmad
Sriharshini Aitha
Zoya Alam
Matthew Richard Bleicher Albaugh
Brianna Marie Alexander
Rachel Marie Alma
Nouf Saleh M Almutham
Jaren M Alnutt
Racheal Obenewaa Anti
Stephanie Avila
Tracy Chinasa Bach
Ashley Baribeau
Brittany Bright Beltran
Katelyn Elizabeth Benjamin
Nimish Rajesh Bhangale
Isabella Marie Boccia
Elijah Peter Brooks
Leilanis Cancel-Lopez
DeAndre Canty
Jocelyn Capetillo
Joseph Robert Carnana
William H Carter
Luc Murray Charlebois
Jalen Isaiah Charlson
Chunting Chen
Yen-Jung Chen
Rohit Reddy Chenreddy
Sonal Ankush Chibire
Benjamin Daniel Choi
Jacob Christensen
Viola Cipriani
Dominic Luigi Cosentino
Alexis Curry
Abhishay Dakka
Elizabeth Bari Danilow
Sri Sai Aakash Varma Datla
Devon Dawson
Sophia de Chaud
Adrian Jonathon Delgado
Sai Subrahmanyam Dendukuri
Alex Michael Desimone
Dhyan Dileesh
Dalibor Djukic
Alexander J Dominguez
Sree Shambhavi Sharw Dudam
Ayush Vinubhai Dungrani
Harihaaran Duraisamy Karunambigai
Madeleine Espinosa Escobar
Sarah Fatima
Ava Fiandaca
Sydney Reese Fields
Nichaela Marie Fiorenza
Kamilah Nadeem Fleming
Valerie Kate Franklin
Ace Dean Frieders
Likith Koushik Gandham
Alek B Gasiel
Diksha Gautam
Michael Thomas Giaimo
Nickolas John Giffen
Connor Michael Golden
Deepika Gollapudi
Austin Angelo Gorsline
Rodney Grovelle Graham Jr
Logan Richard Gresser
Ram Dheeraj Reddy Gudapu
Grace Eva Harlan
Taylor Lynn Headley
Kareem Deshazor Henderson
Scott Alan Herman
Maritza Hernandez
Michelle Hernandez
Brenda Lizbeth Herrera
Adiba Ibnat Hossain
Connor James Howard
Olivia Loren Howard
Kenidie Johnson
Peytan Janelle Jones
Shea Catherine Jones
Elise Jordahl
Surya Venkata Rajeev Kadiyam
Paul Kaggwa
Aleksandra Kaleta
Shruti Kareti
Rishika Reddy Karra
Vennela Kataram
Dinesh Kaveri
Dalia Khaizaran
Bilal Mohammed Khan
Malavika Kilaru
Emily Marion King
Zachary Thomas Klonicki
Yagnesh Kollu
Asritha Reddy Konde
Kimberly Grace Krivensky
Nathaniel Kundanis-Grow
Laura Lei Lando
Tori Leanne Larrabee
Jacob William Larson
Sonisha T LeSure
Jehonathan Librun
Jeryah Allen Littlejohn
Claire Mae Lofquist
Mike Lyon
Harshitha Maartha
Karissa Elyse Olsen MacNeal
Venkata Sai Darshan Madamsetty
Sree Harshita Maddipati
Sohan Mahaenderkar
Sebastian Malekpoor
Pavan Sai Reddy Mali Reddy
Lencia L. Marshall
Xzavier A Marte
Ashley Janery Martinez
Varshini Maskapuri
Hunter Gary Mason
Yazan Tarek Masri
Mya Lee Mathes
Jennifer McBride
Sean Gannon McNamee
Patrick David Mekalski
Francelia I Melgarejo-Couturier
Albert Enoc Mendez
Anyjah Tonique Meyers
Jenna Renae Meyers
Ashutosh Pradip Mode
Junaid Mohammed
Sufiyan Abdullah Ghori Mohammed
Spencer Mooberry
Eloy Moreno
Brooke Mueller
Davonte Isiah Murray
Mark Avery Nabors
Siri Namala
Prasanna Venkatesh Reddy Neelapu
Vanessa Myree Neeley
Vamsi Nelaturi
Adam Michael Nelson
Jacob Carl Nelson
Marangelique Noguez
Leonardo Nunez
Chibuzo Uchechukwu Victor Obasi
Francis Ikechukwu Odinaka
Pheobean Atieno Odongo
Praise Ayodeji Oguntokun
Argyle Alexander O'Leary
Nicholas Steven Oliva
Claudia Ornelas
Kendra Ashley Owens
Anthony Gabriel Padilla
Sucheth Palagummi
Sai Srinivas Ganesh Panda
Rahul Reddy Pannala
Sindhura Lakshmi Paruchuri
Vazravirat Pasumarthi
Tejaswini Patcha
Dhruvish Rakeshkumar Patel
Hitendra Patel
Minhaz Suleman Ibrahim Patel
Suman Aslam Perwez
Keaton Scott Peters
Audrey Peterson
Bhargav Pitchika
Vaishali Prabhakaran
Cat Brian Prescott
Jessica L Prothe
Dharani Srireddy Pujari
Mohammed Razeen Pulikkal
Jocelyn Quinones Solis
Subikshaa Ramachandran
Divyarajsinh Rana
Sadgun Ranga
Vignesh Rayani
Mary Sindhura Veena Rayapudi
Natalie L Retrigue
Nadechka Angelee Reyes Laccen
Tykaiya Lashawn Robinson
Fatima Ariana Rodriguez
Kyle Thomas Rodriguez
Christopher Matthew Roeder
Emily Romancew
Klaudia Jozefa Ryczek
Fred S Sabet
Satya Narayana Raju Sagi
Numa Anis Samnani
Nayeli Ines Sanchez
Mandeep Sangha
Jocelyn Rhea Schueler
Ashley Nicole Schultz
Camryn Schultz
Madison Augustine Scroggin
Hayden Shaddix
Shayan Shafiei Nikou
Paige Avery Shinberg
Sailee Shingare
Shoaib Mahmud Shizu
Odelia Shohet
Ramya Siliveri
Amanda L Sincere
Matthew Smola
Lindsay Miriam Spring
Srinithi Sridhar
Navaneeth Sudheer
Anu Pallavi Sunkara
Nirovro Niloy Swadhin
Robyn Renee Sykes
Anjali Tallapally
Emma Elizabeth Thomas
Heather Ann Thornton
Akarsh Thota
Brenda Elizabeth Torres Pina
Theadora Trammell
Meghana Undi
Mariana Vergara
Joseph Wasiqi
Eduardo West
Cecil Deantone White Jr
Bethany Williams
Jennifer Lynn Wilson
Shaibu Yahaya
Yoji Yamakawa
Sri Novita Yanda
Sivakumar Reddy Yenna
Leslye Zariñana
Jiaqi Rachael Dianne Zimmerman
Dylan Jacob Zupec
Jeffrey Michael Donohue Jr
Diana Papuciu
Jennifer Schroll
Natalie Anne Bodmer
Anthony Joseph Drewes
Nathan James Galas
Maddison Elise Gentry
Caden Daniel Hansen
James Michael Innis
Eduardo Lozano
Xiomara Tanay Myles
Kalyan Nandanavanam
Ajla Omerovic
Lucy Ani Parra
Neha B Patel
Madeline Josephine Reddington
Arbri Riska
Kulbeer Singh
Brandon Richard Stover
Luke Henry Tranel
Laura Villagomez Ortiz
Dylan Matthew Williamson
Nia Jameel Williams Arnold
Earl Green
Krista Nichelle Williams
Marwa Abedelsalam
Gabriel Acosta
Marina Adele Adamany
Victor Alberto Altamirano Asmat Sr
Matthew Anderson
Aparna Iyer Anil Kumar
Joshua Louis Auxier
Kristopher Barber
William Henry Barnes
Jodie Braskich
Lucian Brink
Catherine Calash
Ismael Antonio Camacho
Michael Brian Carlisle
Avery Kamryn Carnahan
Resty Cayanong
Hareendhar Chandran
Natasha Chetty
Kane Lucas Clendenen
Gavin Riley Crofoot
Logan Patrick Doughty
Jakub Drazek
Carmen Rocio Echevarría Sierra
Lewis Forero
Brooke Ann Gabor
Jose Angel Gonzalez
Jessica Lynn Graff
Amanda Brown Hausman
Brenda Huerta
Rachel Lynn Hunter-Rosene
Gonzalo Jeronimo
Ledell Johnson
Vince Patrick Johnson
Bryan Jones
Sonal Prabhakar Joshi
Kimberly Anne Keith
Caroline Ray Kent
Diya Kikani
Michael M Lampley
Conner William Lutes
Damien Armani Maldonado
Miguel Angel Mendoza
Thomas Frederic Meyer
Victor Hugo Morales Marroquin
Tara Morse
Zeba Mumtaz
Seisuke Narita
Janine Elyse Newman-Ezimoha
Pierce Severus Oppong
Diego Armando Peña Maldonado
Bennett Edward Piscopo
Kacie Lee Quick
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas
Mason J Rhodenbaugh
Martin Shuan Rosenfeld
Beesan H Salama
Reenad Saleh
Ethan Skyler Seloover
Eric Thomas Serena
Ethan Henry Rohde Shap
Graham Isaac Rohde Shap
Amy Lynn Sherwood
Gavin Skelly
Douglas R Smothers Jr
Jahari Alaye Thompson
Christopher Narain Toolsie
Sofiia Vdovychenko
Michael Patrick Wakefield
Fiona Jane Njoki Wangari
Renae Michelle Warbritton
Alissa Rickia Williams
Wesley Kevin Williams
Andy Zavala
Drew Michael Dzurko
Elyse Marie Herrera
Mary Grace O'Connor
Douglas Mark Overton
Tonya Whitlock
Crystal Leeann Bragg
Connor Devon Butler
Brien Patrick Carney
Nathaniel Phillip Guerra
Tiajuana Tenisha Hernandez
Jared Malone Hurn
Isaiah Jones Jr. Jr.
Oskar Westhoff Kaut
MinJung Kim
Hyun Ah Lee
Kayla Marie Lockhart
Spencer Michael Mackey
Fernando Marroquin Mendoza
Evan D Miller
Madeline Grace Miller
Georgios Moustakas
Patcharita Pankaew
Anya Pasowicz
Nyein Lynn Phyu
Javier Santiago Polania Cleves
Gabriel Jachja Roethle
John Arthur Sundstrom
Elizabeth G Vieyra
Sofia Vrettou
Sally Waterhouse
Rachel Renee Yasutake
Nolan Thomas Allen
John Dee Burner
Amy Josephine Clark
Nickon Etminan
Eric James Faulkner
James A Greenwood
Haley Holtz
Astri Indirawati
Zander Leon Jones
Giovanni Jungo
Harrison Mitchell Maddox
Rave Meyer
Alaina E Murphy
Levi John Myers
Oliver Myers
Misty Odom
Onassis Rivera
Vida Tsaras
Jacob Dean Uhlmann
Jay VandeBerg
Alexander Wall
Taylor Jordan Wegrzyn
Abigail Rosemarie Arient
Kendra Wilson Faries
Samrah Shakeel Khan
Sindhuja Kota Venkata
Sarah Catharine McElwee
Stephanie Reyes
Leila Santos Tollerud
Katelyn Eve Zelek
Robert Frederick Adams II
Jennifer Agyeman
Deborah Yamoah Ahenkorah
Connor Reese Al-Ashkar
Kenneth Kwaku Amponsah
Catherine Marie Andrews
Juana Naa Akosua Appiah
Emily Diane Azzano
Aliya Nicole Bailey
Madeline Nicole Bennett
Bianca Ann Berryhill
Alazee Bey
Elizabeth Mary Biondo
Kara Ann Blangin
Benjamin Matthew Bohanek
Karla Anne Bryant
Crystal Maria Camacho
Valerie Rose Capriglione
Kevin Carmody
Braylee Alizabeth Cebuhar
Jennifer Celis
Makyla D'Asia Charles
Tabita Christiana
Tiffany Irene Clash-Shaw
Ajahnaé Zykeya Clay
Pauline Elizabeth Cooper
Hailee Elizabeth Cox
Ana Rita da Costa Silva
Lauren Elizabeth DeHaan
Jaylen Jermaine Dellahousaye
Michael Anthony DeOrian
Tiffany Ann Dixon
Maria Denise Donovan
Mitchell Scott Doty
Tyler James Easterling
Monica Iittah Edem
Obed H Fernandez
Yukari Miyata Finley
Emily Josephine Fisher
Dionna Ford
Silas Lynn Gallagher
Ximena Gama Diaz
Katie Sue Garcia
Mirela Gavric
Lisa Giancarlo
Samantha Nakata Guirola
Jennifer Guzman-Vieyra
Kylie Patricia Hatfield
Myeisha Chante Heidleburg
Ashley Cline Hernandez
Mary Elizabeth Hockison
Megan Holmberg
Logan Houser
Cari Ann Ioriatti
Heather Janette Jackson
Alicja Jaworska
Max Michael Jenks
Mikaela Van Laarhoven Keeney
Alya Khan
Natalie Kiernicki
Bess Claire Kirch
Danielle Christine Knaak
Katie Rose Lester
MacKenzie Austin Lewis
Katelin Marie Link
Alondra Lozano
Matthew Mak
Jessica Jo Malleris
Tatiana Nicole Maravillas
Micaela Arambula Mateus
Matthew Allen McConnell
Sophia Rose Miller
Noah Elias Min
Jake Chambers Montgomery
Natilee Lynnae Morey
Payton E Morris
Samantha Muhlena
Olivia Page Newman
Lauren Rose Nguyen
Carter James O'Brien
Sean O'Callaghan
Shem Ricky Ogutu
Jocelyn Ortiz
Nina Evonne Osborne
Marissa Louise Ott
Miranda Owens
Samantha Christine Patterson
Brenden Tyler Phelps
Alma Rosa Pizano-Onofre
Amy Gabriella Price
Hannah Leigh Punter
Amanda Susana Quinonez
Sovannak Ra
Ana Karen Ramirez
Megan Dawn Reyes
Michael Edward Rojas
Sharadiant Uriah Royster
Sarah Jean Sandrok
Nancy Marie Santoro
Ee Nwe Saung
Ryan Schar
Grace Anne Schneider
Colleen Marie Seymour
Vicki Lynn Sherman
Allison Louise Slama
Luke Stacey
May Hnin Yee - Swe Oo
Zachary Tolan Taylor
Alexis Leigh Thies
Patricia Susan Tomlinson
Anna S Trippiedi
Stephanie Lynn Turner
Lori Darlene Ulrey
Steve George Verghese
Jessica Taylor Walsh
Ashleigh Walter
Tonita Rashonda Webster
Savannah Marie Wibiral
Morgan Wilson
Ethan Hunter Wybourn
Marie Alexis Zaknoun
Raymond Ziecina
Matthew Stephen McCulley
Tanner Andrew Jackson
Hyun Ah Lee
Meng-Hui Lin
Segun Emmanuel Owele
Joseph Akwetey Quaynor
Jacob Thomas Seabrook
Robert Frederick Adams II
Hannah Lynn Binkley
Viviana Edith Castillo
Adrien F Fell
Tabethe Lee Galle
Kaela Ann Harber
Lindsay Hays
Justin Elliott Jaeger
Megan Mary Kroehnke
Jennifer Lynn McCormick
Rebekah Moore
Marissa Louise Ott
Isabella Jolie Sibenaller
This commencement program lists the names of individuals who have applied for graduation on the presumption that all the requirements have been, or will have been, met by the end of the semester. To be listed in this program, individuals were required to apply for graduation by the respective posted dates at the Graduate School or at the Office of Registration and Records. The fact that a candidate’s name is listed in this program does not indicate that they will in fact qualify for graduation.
A professional photograph of each graduate will be taken during the ceremony by Grad Images. To ensure that all graduates and their families and friends can view and enjoy the ceremony, we ask that guests be considerate of one another when taking photographs.
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students who have chosen not to release directory information to public disclosure (which includes, but is not limited to, degrees conferred) will not appear in this program.