Meet the 2024 CAPS Fellows

My name is Jasmine Collins and I am a junior Music and English double major with a minor in Humanities in Christ College from Pottstown, PA. At Valparaiso University, I am highly involved due to the leadership positions I hold in student organizations and through my campus jobs. I am the Vice-President Membership and Editor of Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI), a women’s music fraternity, and I work as a Writing Center Consultant and a Music Librarian on campus. I am extremely excited to begin my CAPS Fellows placement at Grünewald Guild, because I feel as though it will allow me to learn many crucial and transferable skills about the profession of arts management. I cannot wait to cultivate and grow these skills through this amazing opportunity!

I am from Fort Wayne, Indiana and am a Public Health Major with a minor in Healthcare Leadership. I am Pi Beta Phi’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion because I am passionate about health and human rights. In my free time you can find me curled up with a good book, drinking tea. I am excited for the opportunity to intern with a nonprofit that works with both the community & environment, and understands the impact that they have on each other. I hope that my time as a CAPS Fellow gives me new confidence in my abilities and supplies me with knowledge that I can use in Graduate School!

I am from Valparaiso, Indiana and I am a social work and psychology double major. I am a research assistant in the Language and Learning Acquisition Lab and a student aide for the Social Work Department. I am also going to be a peer educator during the 2024-2025 school year as well as a Recruitment Counselor in the fall. I have an interest in spending time outside, hiking, baking/cooking, and writing. I am looking forward to building connections with new people, learning new skills, and helping others at my placement. I plan on being a social worker, so I believe that CAPS will help me gain more experience with the population that my placement works with, learn how to better accommodate others in an understanding and thoughtful way, and if/when I work with this population in my career (and just in life in general), I will be more prepared. I believe that CAPS will impact me in a personal way as well by allowing me to interact with new people, get to know others better, and get the chance to focus on personal growth and reflection.

My name is Colin Graves. I am from Seattle, Washington. I am a Healthcare Leadership major with a Public Health and Human Biology minor. I am planning on graduating next May and plan on attending graduate school the following fall. After I complete my schooling, I would love to work in a public health or hospital/ clinic setting. Currently, I am a member of the Valpo football team, and I am on the Leadership council for my team. I will be working with Jacob’s Ladder this summer in their Grant Program. I am super excited to work in a clinical setting and learn more about grants which are so key to funding public health programs. The CAPS Fellowship will give me real life experiences in the setting I am looking to join once I am done with school and I cannot wait to learn more about it this summer!

Hi! My name is Rasheed. I am a sophomore Social Work major, with a minor in Psychology from Kouts, Indiana. On campus, I am a member of Phi Sigma Kappa and the Honor Council. I am super excited about the CAPS program, specifically for the opportunity to learn in new ways! I see CAPS helping me find my calling by allowing me opportunities that I haven’t had up to this point!

My name is Lucas Lennen. I’ve lived most of my life in the small town of Fremont, Indiana. I am pursuing a double major in International Relations and Spanish, as well as a minor in Supply Chain & Logistics Management. It is my third year here at Valpo, and I’ve been staying quite busy with it; I work as an RA in Wehrenberg Hall, I am currently serving as the Student Body Vice President, I’d been helping with research into local bias incidents with the Community Research and Service Center, and I’m charged with managing alumni relations for my fraternity, Valpo’s chapter of Phi Delta Theta. I’m excited that CAPS has given me the opportunity to find purposeful work that centers on human value rather than profit. Before now, I’d hardly considered a career in education, but I’ll be spending this summer as an intern promoting literacy for low-income communities in Chicago. Can’t wait to see where this experience will take me next.

I am from Shelbyville, Indiana and a Communications/Digital Media Arts Major(s) with a Humanities Minor in Christ College. I am a part of the Valpo Fraternity & Sorority Life Exec Board and Public Relation Student Society of America. I am excited to be able to lead and serve in a different community that is also dedicated to serving. I see my experience with CAPS as a stepping stone to help progress me on my journey of life-long servitude by completely immersing myself in that mindset.

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My name is Katherine Naylor, and I am from Cicero, Indiana. I am a junior Sociology and Psychology major getting ready to head into my senior year. So far in college, I have been a part of the Spanish Club, Dance Ensemble, Spanish House, the LaLA Psychology Lab, and Christ College. What I am most excited about about CAPS is getting to learn new skills, get involved with an organization doing work that I am interested in, meeting new people, and hopefully doing some helpful work. I believe the CAPS internship will help me learn more about my calling by showing me new perspectives, providing me with new information, and by giving me the opportunity to explore different ways of plugging myself into the world.

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 I am from Dubuque, Iowa and am an Economics Major with a Spanish and Math Minor. I am a part of Christ College, Phi Kappa Psi, Ambassador in Admissions/Tour Guide (AIA), Dance Marathon (2022-23), and TedX (2024-25) at Valparaiso University. I am really excited to learn about the programs and initiatives that nonprofits carry out through working at one. The best way to learn is through experience! I think CAPS will help me better understand my own sense of vocation both through the kind of work I want to do and through my broader purpose in the world.

My home town is Seward, Nebraska, and I have a BS Geography and English double major and am a student in Christ College. I am involved in FSL, where I am the VP of communications, I am also the secretary and co-founder of the Creative Writing Club, I sing in Mattons for morning prayer, attend Celebrate, and do research for the Geography department. Reading and an interest in landscapes have been lifelong passions that motivated me toward my double major. What I am most excited for this summer is to work with an organization doing such good work in Northwest Indiana. Additionally, the research I have been working on is on Shirley Heinze land, so it will be amazing to meet the people who will be using the results of the research.

Lucia Otten is a rising senior studying International Relations and Spanish and is a student in Christ College. Born in Valparaiso, IN, Lucia loves expanding her worldview, and she has studied abroad in Costa Rica, Spain, and Washington, D.C. (which is basically another country compared to Indiana). On campus, Lucia is a Resident Assistant for the Spanish House, an Ambassador in Admissions, and a violist in the orchestra. Through helping to organize the annual World Cultural Festival, Lucia is excited to get to know and celebrate the abundance of cultures right here in Valparaiso. She hopes to apply the skills needed to put on a large event to future jobs working for the government or non-profits, potentially internationally.

My name is Gabby Unzicker. I’m a junior Biology and Environmental Science double major, also minoring in Spanish and Humanities in Christ College, from Valparaiso, IN. I’m a member of the VU Chorale, I’m part of the sacristy for the Chapel and I’m also a member of the intramural swim club. I love music, photography, and taking long nature walks. I’m excited to be a part of CAPS, I think it will open me to new experiences and new people. I want to learn more about the larger community and myself this summer, and by being involved in community and stewardship, I think CAPS is setting me up for a really fulfilling journey

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I am a rising senior from Trenton, MI majoring in Social Work. As a Social Work major, I have interned at Family House in Valpo and will be interning with the LaPorte Department of Child Services this upcoming school year. I have minors in Music and Psychology, and I am also a member of Christ College. On campus, I work as the Lead Welcome Desk Attendant for the Harre Union and manage the Social Work department’s social media. I am involved with Gamma Phi Beta, Order of Omega, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Valpo Music. I am excited for the incredible opportunity to intern for the American Red Cross through CAPS! I hope that through this fellowship, I will have opportunities to try new skills and projects outside my ‘niche’ with the hopes of further clarifying my calling and purpose in life. I am looking forward to serving an organization that is doing so much good in the world and having my own positive impact on the American Red Cross.

My name is Noemi Vela and I am from Goshen, Indiana. I am a rising senior double majoring in Sociology and Spanish at Valparaiso University. I’m also a student in Christ College. On campus I serve as the President of Spanish Club and Vice President of LIVE and I volunteer in various off-campus organizations. What excites me most about the CAPS internship is the ability to be fully immersed and supported in an environment that empowers students to achieve their full potential. Throughout this experience, I see CAPS providing an opportunity to learn new skills, gain more confidence, and connect with new people.

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