Preparedness isn’t created during a crisis; it’s built in the relationships and planning formed well before. As part of Portage County’s plan to encourage and honor community partners who prepare, plan and test for emergencies, a new recognition program launched by the Portage County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) spotlights organizations demonstrating exceptional commitment to emergency management, readiness and community safety.şÚÁĎÍř has been named the inaugural honoree of the Portage Preparedness Initiative, and representatives from the Portage County agency visited...
Heather Null, lead teacher at the Child Development Center, recently receiving the Crane Excellence in Early Childhood Practice Award. Null was recognized for her innovative classroom practices, mentorship of emerging educators, and leadership in culturally responsive learning.Read the full story that includes a question and answer session with Null....
When Cameren Hicks graduated from şÚÁĎÍř in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a minor in finance, he knew he wanted to build a career rooted in numbers, problem-solving and analysis. Today, Hicks is a fraud modeling and analytics lead associate at KeyBank, where he helps protect customers and the company against fraudulent credit and debit card activity. A First-Generation Student With a Passion for MathHicks, a first-generation college graduate, said math always came naturally to him.“I was always into math in high school,” he said. “In high sch...
When Alexander Margetis took his first trigonometry class as a high school student in Stow, Ohio, he discovered that math came naturally to him.“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life and my career,” Margetis said. “But when you’re unsure, you always go with what you’re good at in school, right?” “That was the first time where I was thinking of pursuing a career in mathematics.”That early realization eventually led Margetis to şÚÁĎÍř, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics with a minor in finance in 2018. Today, he works as a senior...
Sarah Cook’s early interest in math turned into a major and eventually a career as a senior actuary at Pacific Life, a leading insurance company.Today, Cook helps ensure financial stability for thousands of policyholders through complex modeling, financial forecasting and risk analysis. Her path to that role started at şÚÁĎÍř.From Overwhelmed to OpportunityCook began her studies at Ohio State but quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit. “It was too big for me,” she said. “So I chose to go to Kent, to get closer to home.”She transferred to Kent State and didn’t look back.“I...
For David Liszewski, choosing a college major wasn’t about chasing a dream job. It was about chasing good problems.“I love solving problems,” he said. “I knew [mathematics] would be a great degree as a launching platform for what I wanted to do.”This mindset led him to şÚÁĎÍř, where he earned a degree in applied mathematics. Today, he’s a machine learning engineer living in Seattle and working remotely for Centerfield, a digital marketing and technology company based in Los Angeles.A Math Major with Real-World FocusLiszewski grew up in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. Kent State of...
Two faculty members from şÚÁĎÍř’s School of Media and Journalism have won top honors at the Oscar-qualifying St. Louis International Film Festival for a short film that tackles the complex issue of elder abuse. The film stars Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi, known for his role in “Captain Phillips,” as a rideshare driver who encounters an elderly woman struggling to secure housing after being displaced from a nursing home. Dana White, an associate professor in Kent State’s media program, wrote the screenplay, while Christopher Knoblock, an associate lecturer at Kent S...
As part of Kent State's Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series, and in partnership with the university's College of Architecture and Environmental Design and College of the Arts, internationally renowned artist Krzysztof Wodiczko returned to campus for a unique collaboration with Kent State architecture and art students. Wodiczko last visited Kent State in spring 2025 and spoke about the intersection of art, technology and social justice. His presentation can be viewed by following this link. He returned in November to lead an immersive workshop in the College of Ar...
The Kent State Men's Basketball team (7-1) extended their win streak to seven in a row on Saturday night defeating Penn State Shenango by a final score of 123-59. Nearly every Golden Flash scored as seven players tallied double-digits. Cian Medley set a new single-game school record in assists, and Kent State's 123 points on 51 shots made also updates the record book....