As a freshman biology major, Nidhi Patel began her KU journey with a path in mind. What she didn't anticipate, however, was that she would find a perfectly complementary second major in English. Now, having recently been accepted into KU's School of Medicine, she's making her dreams a reality by continuing her education, and applying lessons learned with the goal of making the world a better place.

Trevor Bashaw has found an outlet for his creativity in KU’s Department of English. He’s the winner of the Spencer Museum Brosseau Creativity Award for his diverse media project that combines poetry, critical and philosophical writing, personal accounts and visual art. Committee members were impressed by his ability to “connect personal experience in such a complicated, multilayered work.” Learn more about Bashaw and his award winning project in our student spotlight.

Hometown: Santa Monica, CA

What are your research interests and why did you choose them? Was there a moment when you decided this is what you wanted to study? What was that journey like?

Where are you from? And why did you decide to come to KU?

What’s the foundation of a city? For urban planner Ward Lyles, the spaces we inhabit are defined as much by an approach to life, and the people we encounter, as they are by the systems and physical structures that make up a sound infrastructure. The way he sees it, the true bedrock of a strong community lies in a simple, yet immensely powerful, guiding principle: compassion. 

What are your research interests and why did you choose them? Was there a moment when you decided this is what you wanted to study? What was that journey like?

Where are you from? And why did you decide to come to KU?

I’m from Overland Park, Kansas. I decided to come to KU because I attended a summer camp here with Duke TiP in middle school, and I absolutely fell in love with campus. It’s also a nice mix of just close enough to home, but just far enough, too.

After her professor, Bob Hurst, recommended she apply for a position working on his documentary, third-year film & media studies student Bailey Dickman found herself on location in Garden City, Kan. There, she and the rest of the film crew worked together to put a spotlight on the city and its diverse populace. Learn more about her hands-on experience working side-by-side with the College’s faculty.

Hometown: Tonganoxie, Kansas 

Major(s) / Minor(s): Communication Studies / Journalism 

Internship title and organization:  Social Media and PR intern for the Kansas City T-Bones 

What were your responsibilities during the internship? I was responsible for running the team Snapchat account, and I helped out with the other social media accounts. I was also responsible for helping out with promotions and really just assisting my boss in any way she needed. 

Hometown: Komárom, Hungary 

Major(s) / Minor(s): Major is Communication Studies, minors are French and Business. 

Hometown: Abilene, KS 

Major and Minor: Major: Biotechnology / Minor: Business 

Internship title and organization: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Institute for Bioengineering Research Dr. Candan Tamerler. 

What were your responsibilities during the internship? My responsibilities during the internship were to help my mentors with various projects, collect data, and present the data and scientific techniques during group lab meetings.

Preferred Name: Everyone calls me A-A-Ron, but Aaron works too!

Major(s) & Minor(s): I’m not going to lie, I’ve been jumping around in the Biology field quite a bit, but I’m currently majoring in microbiology pre-medicine.

Where are you from? And why did you choose to come to KU? 

I’m from El Paso, Texas originally, but as a child we moved quite a bit and settled in Newton, Kansas. My mother wanted me to stay in state and study Engineering. KU had all of those and the distance from home made it the best fit.