Greetings from the Master’s Degree in Sociology Program! The Program continues to admit stellar students while also graduating others with big plans for their futures. We are excited to welcome a new cohort of students while keeping in touch with those who have earned their degrees and moved on to the next big thing in their lives!
We welcomed one new student in January 2025. Ben-Carl Dzogbo joined us from Ghana, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Ben-Carl is focusing his studies on immigration adaptation and integration.
We welcomed four new students in August 2025. In the Master’s Degree in Sociology Program, we welcomed Nicole Batkiewicz, who earned her Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from ISU. Her research interests lie in environmental sociology. Nicole was also one of our Kinneman Scholarship Award winners last spring. Kate Christian joins us from Illinois Wesleyan University, where she majored in sociology and minored in psychology and in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Kate is interested in pursuing research in the sociology of sports. We also welcomed two ACED Fellows. Noa Sadeh earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Holyoke College, with a double-major in sociology and psychology. Noa was a Peace Corps volunteer who served in Mongolia. She plans to pursue research in rural development. Finally, Nathalia Tchaikovsky earned a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Universidad Centro Americana in Nicaragua. Nathalia is an AmeriCorps Member who served in Chicago. Her research focuses on immigration policy.
Kat Johns, one of our second-year ACED Fellows, is working at ISU’s Office of Research for her professional practice. Jackson Garrett, our other second-year ACED Fellow, is working at Corewell Health’s Healthier Communities Office in Grand Rapids, MI.
Congratulations to our graduates who completed their degrees in the last year!
December 2024 grad:
Fiona Fleming, “An Exploration of Menopause: Young People’s Perceptions of Women in Menopause, and Menopausal Women’s Experiences”
May 2025 grads:
Erin Hennessy, “Perceptions of Eating Disorders and Gender: A Vignette Study”
Taylor Kanuk, “Slovakian Migration in the Aftermath of the Velvet Revolution: A Qualitative Study Exploring Gender Relations Through Migration to the United States”
August 2025 grads:
Rainah Folk, “More Than Players, More Than Coaches: Institutional Agents and Youth Development Across Minority-Majority Neighborhoods”
Meghna Gogoi, “Interfaith Marriages: Exploring the Role of Upbringing and Lived Experiences on Interfaith Couples’ Accommodations and Union Decisions”
