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Supporting the Needs of Students in STEM

Keneeshia WilliamsDr. Keneeshia Williams, MD ’03 knows that when a student encounters a bumpy college ride full of twists and turns and more downs than ups, helping hands are crucial. That is why she is donating $25,000 to support the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO) and aid for STEM students.

Now a critical care surgeon at Wellstar Trauma Acute Care Surgery in Marietta, Georgia, Williams has impressive credentials, not only as a trauma surgeon but also as a director of medical student education and an activist for violence prevention. But her path was not always clear or easy.

Growing up in Chicago, Williams was 14 when she witnessed the gunshot murder of a neighbor and determined that her brother, then in prison, was probably safer than she was. A student at Kenwood Academy on the south side, she was plagued by nightmares, depression, and anger. She needed a change and found a sympathetic ear in the Augsburg recruiter who had stayed in touch since her sophomore year.

“When they put me in touch with the basketball coach, I thought it would be a nice possibility for me. I liked playing basketball, and I really did not want to stay in Illinois at all,” she says. She was already familiar with the Twin Cities, having visited with her high school choir.

But academic goals? She wasn’t sure. She had enjoyed being part of a citywide creative writing program so thought English and/or history might work. “Pediatric surgeon” was the goal she’d noted in her high school yearbook, in light of a friend who’d had open heart surgery, so she put “premed” on her application but thought it unrealistic. Her parents had college degrees in theater arts, but her father’s vocation as a hotel bellman and her mother’s as a model turned hairdresser promised limited means.

Augsburg offered her a chemistry scholarship. “I loved school, but chemistry was my least favorite subject,” Williams recalls. She accepted anyway.

“Sometimes it is all about confidence,” she adds. “If you ever needed help, you could go find a professor. There were only three of us in our analytical chemistry class, and the quality was superb. Professor (emerita) Arlin Gyberg even made me like chemistry after all those years.”

Biology proved a better fit, however, and her summer research program studying the coral reef aquarium with associate professor Bill Capman proved pivotal.

“It pushed me more toward medicine. I couldn’t imagine a career in research,” though the experience became key in later medical school interviews, she pointed out, and definitely “made a difference.” Capman’s enthusiasm for his subject matter was infectious, and she loved how he taught and encouraged her to play with ideas, to explore and make them her own.

Capman was only one example of the support Williams discovered in Augsburg friends and faculty. She cites the contributions of now URGO director and former McNair Scholars director Dixie Shafer as well as English professor emerita Cass Dalglish, whose kindness and special attention helped Williams not only improve her writing but also tackle mental health challenges. The campus was much less diverse then, and she often felt isolated. In retrospect, however, she recognizes the positive aspects of such a defining period in her life.

“Something about it makes me want others to experience it,” she says. When her first medical school entrance scores fell short and she could not afford to test again, a benefactor stepped in to pay. She hopes her gift will encourage STEM students and ensure that their essential needs are met.

Williams did eventually return home, dedicated to preventing the violence she’d witnessed and treating its victims. She earned her MD at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, intending to specialize in pediatrics or family medicine until a surgery rotation sparked her passion. After her general surgery residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, she pursued trauma and burn research training at Loyola University Medical Center and a surgery critical care fellowship at Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson before spending five years with the Emory University Department of Surgery in Atlanta.

As keynote speaker at the Agre Symposium, Williams returned again this year to Augsburg, where she enjoys sharing her wisdom and experience with future students. With her help, they, too, will be able to flourish in their chosen careers.

Pursuing a Passion for Research

Iszavier MoeIszavier Moe ’24 first stepped onto Augsburg’s campus in 11th grade when he was part of the college prep program, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). “I remember being on campus with all my friends and loved how small it was,” he recalled. Although it was the close community that drew him to Augsburg, Iszavier didn’t find his place until his sophomore year. “My first year was during COVID. I had a dorm to myself and all my classes were online. In my second year, Augsburg started to relax some of its restrictions. I had classes with people and started to build a community with others who were on the same track as me, and that’s when I knew I loved being at Augsburg.”

Iszavier is pursuing a biology degree with a minor in psychology and hopes to earn his Ph.D. someday. “One of my favorite classes has been developmental biology, it’s this perfect mix of molecular biology and genetics,” he shared. When Iszavier first had the chance to take part in summer research through the Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO) program, he initially hoped to pursue a career in genetic counseling, but it wasn’t long before he realized his passion for research. “Being able to conceptually think about genetics is something that I would only get to do if I went the research route, thanks to URGO I’ve been exposed to different areas and can see all the possibilities of what I can do with my biology degree.”

Summer research enables students to explore topics in-depth and discover their interests, build professional relationships with faculty mentors, and prepare them for future success. Stipends are given to students conducting these research projects so they can focus on their work. Funding these opportunities alleviates the financial stress of finding outside work. 

During Augsburg’s Great Returns campaign, over $1,000,000 has supported student research. One of those benefactors was Terry Lindstrom ’73, who funded the research Iszavier completed. “When I looked into who Terry was, I realized he was a big deal at Augsburg!” Iszavier said. “Terry made it a point to sit down with all the researchers he funded. It was nice getting to meet someone who cared about applied research and also shared his failures with us. It helped me overcome the obstacles I faced during my project.”

Research funding and opportunities like the Summer Bridge Promise Grant, and Honors Regent Scholarship have impacted Iszavier’s experience at Augsburg. “I’m so fortunate to receive a full ride for my education,” he shared. “I wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to school if I didn’t have this grant. My parents didn’t go to college, but they worked hard so I could focus on my studies and not have to have a job in high school. Because of these opportunities, I’m able to break this generational barrier.” 

One aspect of Augsburg Iszavier wanted to stress was the student-professor relationship “The relationship that I have with the faculty here, is unmatched like anywhere else. I’m so fortunate that my professors not only know me by my first name, but also know who I am. Augsburg is a small school with big opportunities for development for our future.” One of those opportunities for Iszavier will be conducting research over the summer at John Hopkins University, an institution where Chemistry Nobel Laureate Peter Agre ’70 works and campaign chair, Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 graduated from. 

Learn more about the Great Returns campaign. 

Justin Grammens ’96 Helps STEM Students By Giving

Justin smalls for the photo in front of a blurred backgroundJustin Grammens ’96 is a mathematics major who grew up in Minneapolis. His mother was a teacher for Minneapolis public schools, and his father worked as a doctor at Fairview Riverside, located across the street from Augsburg.

Grammens said he was familiar with the area and Augsburg, and one aspect that drew him to the school were the small class sizes which gave him a better connection to his classmates and instructors.

“My original plan was to start at a liberal arts school [Augsburg], then transfer to an engineering school,” Grammens said. “But when I transferred from Augsburg, I was sitting in a classroom with hundreds of other students and being taught by a TA, and I felt like why am I here?”

He ended up transferring back to Augsburg and completing his degree. But Grammens said it wasn’t just the small class sizes that inspired him to return to Augsburg, it was also the urban environment and the abundance of diversity that Augsburg offers.

At Augsburg, Grammens was able to build relationships with many different people that he maintained after graduation. He has even come back to campus on multiple occasions and spoken with students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields about his career.

Grammens is an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, teaching a class for their masters of software engineering program. He said that he is proud to bring the skills that he learned at Augsburg and share them with his students.

“A lot of the classes at Augsburg were exploratory and non-traditional,” Grammens said. “It was really about thought process, application, collaboration, and problem solving.”

Around 2006, he started a company that was one of the first in the Twin Cities to develop mobile apps for major companies, and that’s when he said he felt like he had the income to give back.

“It breaks my heart if somebody is kicking butt in math, chemistry, or physics, and they know they want to be an engineer, but the barrier is just that they don’t have the money,” Grammens said. “I’m passionate about giving to STEM programs because those students are working with technologies that are changing our lives, and I want to support that.”

Grammens continues to make a positive impact on the lives of Augsburg students with annual donations to STEM programs, and you can too.

Donate to STEM programs and support Augsburg students as they conduct research with faculty, attend and present at national conferences, and hear from leading researchers.

Any gift made to any program will automatically count towards your class’ total for the Alumni Class Challenge!

Learn more ways to give.