Four Finalists for the Threlkeld Prize for Excellence selected
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Four finalists for the Threlkeld Prize for Excellence have been selected from a pool of candidates nominated by CSU Pueblo faculty and staff across multiple departments. The finalists include Ryem Ansaf, Ché Casados, Jr., Katherine Higgins and Per Emil Toerje Joensson. The Threlkeld Prize for Excellence was established in 1990 in memory of respected faculty member and beloved community member, Budge Threlkeld. The award recognizes a graduating senior who has completed at least four semesters at CSU Pueblo, maintained a grade point average of 3.7 or higher, and has demonstrated service to CSU Pueblo and the community.
The winner will be announced during the Student Involvement and Leadership Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 10 at the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom. The Threlkeld recipient will be recognized at the spring commencement ceremony and will receive the first diploma and a monetary award on Saturday, May 11 at the ThunderBowl.
Ryeim Ansaf will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biology and minors in engineering and chemistry. Her research and laboratory experience includes the Mayo Clinic and the CSU Pueblo MAPS/C-BASE program. Ryeim is the president of the National Society of Leadership and Success, the CSU Pueblo president and founder of the American Physician Scientists Association and the TriBeta Biological Society Research events chair. Her research has been featured at several conferences and in several publications. After graduation, Ryeim plans to follow her passion of becoming a physician scientist and will be enrolling in a post- baccalaureate program to participate in full-time field-specific research before committing to an MD-PhD program.
Ché Casados, Jr. will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. He is currently an advanced care partner (nurse student extern) in the cardiac PCU at UCHealth Memorial North Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ché has completed clinical experience in advanced medical/surgical, mental health, pediatrics/OB and global public health. After gaining his registered nurse license in June, he will begin his professional career at Children’s Hospital in Denver, specializing in the pediatric emergency room. Ché will also soon become a psychiatric nurse practitioner for adolescents. Ché’s long-term plans are to return to Colorado State University Pueblo to become a nurse educator for the nursing program.
Katherine Higgins will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in middle school mathematics and a minor in education. She is currently the CSU Pueblo admissions orientation team lead and served as an orientation leader and mathematics tutor. Katherine is a track and field athlete and is a member of the student athlete advisory committee. She was honored by the athletic department in academic year 2023-2024 with the Tundra Spirit of the Pack Award and received the 2023 leadership award’s most valuable ThunderWolf. After graduation, Katherine plans to continue her education at CSU Pueblo in the Master of Education program and will be competing in her final year of track and field.
Per Emil Toerje Joensson will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in humanities and social sciences, minors in media communications and honors, and a Master of Business Administration. He is currently working remotely for Culinar AB located in his home country Kristianstad, Sweden as a junior business intelligence developer. Emil also serves as a graduate assistant and Healy fellow in the Hasan School of Business and as a public affairs volunteer at the American Red Cross. Emil He holds certifications in Data Science IBM (Python, Data Analytics, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Data Wrangling and Data Collection); Harvard Business CORe (Economics for Business). Emil plans to pursue a career in business and hopes to remain in the United States.
