Benjamin Duran, graduate student pursuing a MS degree in Animal Science (mentored by Curt Youngs), received an ISU Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) Wakonse Fellowship on April 17, 2017. Ben was one of only five ISU graduate students to receive this award, and he was the only MS student to be named a Wakonse Fellow.
Ben will attend the 28th annual Wakonse Conference for College Teachers to be held May 25-30, 2017 at Camp Miniwanca on Lake Michigan. Wakonse is a word from the Lakota Indian language meaning “to teach, to inspire”. The aim of the Wakonse conference, the nation’s preeminent teacher conference, is to bring dedicated teachers together to learn from one another in a supportive environment where they can rekindle the spirit for teaching. Conference participants will: 1) display and discuss teaching talents, 2) learn about themselves as teachers, 3) consider the tasks and issues of creative teaching, and 4) provide meaningful feedback to one another.
Pictured above: Ben (far right) receiving the certificate that was presented by Muhammed Walugembe (far left), ISU GPSS professional advancement grants chair and PhD student under Max Rothschild.