Ripon College experience leaves Jordan Stiede ’17 ‘well-prepared’ for graduate school

One of the main reasons Jordan Stiede ’17 chose to attend a small liberal arts college was to develop personal relationships with his professors in a small-class environment. He certainly found that at Ripon College.

“Ripon professors are completely committed to teaching and mentoring their students,” he says. “During a recent interview for the graduate school at Marquette University, the professor commented that I had some of the best letters of recommendation that he has ever read. This is a great compliment to the faculty at Ripon College who value the success of their students.”

After graduating from Ripon College Sunday, Stiede will attend Marquette’s Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. He plans to become a clinical psychologist, and a researcher in the field. He received a full scholarship as well as a stipend for living expenses.

Stiede has been active during his four years at Ripon. He majored in psychobiology with a physio emphasis, and minored in Spanish. He played basketball for all four years and was a member of 2017 MWC Tournament Champions and 2017 NCAA Tournament team.

He worked on the College Days staff and earned Clifford Crump Phi Beta Kappa Award.

He also spent hundreds of volunteer hours teaching children and serving children in the community, all while earning a near-perfect grade point average.

He also took advantage of many academic opportunities. “My advisers at Ripon helped me with finding summer research opportunities in the field of psychology,” he says. “Last summer, I had an internship in the Child Development Lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. This was a tremendous opportunity and turning point for me in my education.

“Moreover, (Associate Professor of Psychology) Kristine Kovack-Lesh helped me develop an independent study research project while I was staying in Marrakesh, Morocco, for a month in summer 2015. With her help, I investigated the influences of culture on nutrition and body image between adolescents from the American School of Marrakesh and high school students from my hometown of Pulaski, Wisconsin. I have presented my research at two conferences, and this opportunity certainly strengthened by graduate application.”

He says his Ripon College experience has made him well-prepared to enter graduate school. But he most values the relationships he has developed with friends, professors and community members. “These are relationships that I know I will have for the rest of my life,” he says. “It will be a very weird feeling next year when I don’t see these people every day.”

Posted May 12, 2017 in Student.

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