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Future Stewards

Student Profiles & Honors



Student Profiles


Caitlin Kavanaugh, NASA President Tanner Newcomb, AISES President Wuttachki Myles, AISES Treasurer


Caitlin Kavanaugh

Caitlin Kavanaugh

I am Kahnawake Mohawk - Turtle Clan, from Brooklyn, New York, the second generation in my family to be born off the reservation. I am a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering w/Aerospace Option and Computer Science undergraduate. Aside from AISES and NASA, I'm a member of Alpha Xi Delta, a sorority on campus.


Through FSP I have had so many opportunities that I could never have dreamed of otherwise. My freshman year I was put into contact with a Native faculty member who was looking for a student to assist with research that summer. Not only did I have a chance to gain more experience in my field, but to expand my connections within the Native community. From February thru August of 2011, I worked at NASA's Glenn Research Center, something that came as a result of attending the Career Fair Affinity Reception with AISES, to meet employers the day before the start of the career fair.


One of the greatest things I've had a chance to do through FSP was attend the AISES National Conference. Spending time with other Native students and professionals, while hearing their research and achievements was incredibly inspiring.

Wuttachki Myles

Wuttachki Myles

I am Navajo and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. I am a 5th year student majoring in Mechanical Engineering Technology.


FSP has provided me with the opportunity to attend the AISES conference where I bonded with new friends and gained valuable connections with my co-op, Toyota. FSP's AISES chapter has given me opportunities to apply for scholarships, and its staff has assisted me in applying for them as well.


Tanner Newcomb

Tanner Newcomb

I am a third year Biotechnology major interested in genetic manipulation and tissue culture. Born in Maryland with Blackfoot lineage, I spent my formative years in Gettysburg, PA.


In the past, I have served as an E-board member for NASA and AISES, a FYE Peer Mentor, and a Biology Lab Teaching Assistant. This fall I plan on beginning a research project with Dr. Connelly and will serve as the President of the RIT AISES chapter and Vice President for NASA.


FSP has opened up my college career to an extensive number of tremendous opportunities. Socially, the program introduced me to many new friends at RIT and in other colleges. Academically, the directors and advisers have been there to help me through any pertinent issues on campus, or personal. Career-wise, I was blown away by the amazing job, co-op, and internship opportunities that were presented to me at the AISES National Convention, and although I wasn't ready to take advantage of all of them last year, I fully intend to do so in 2011. Overall, however, FSP has been most beneficial to me in that it has provided me with amazing friends and colleagues whom I know I can count on in any respect.

Future Stewards Graduates 2010 - 2011

  • Taylor Adams, BS, Business-Accounting
  • Tracey Baird, BS, Electrical Engineering
  • Erin Ball, MS, Teaching-Visual Arts
  • Caelin Cacciatore, BFA, New Media Design
  • Randy Cheiker, BS, Electrical Engineering Technology
  • Jacob Connors, BS, Civil Engineering
  • Dwight Cooke, MS, Mechanical Engineering
FSP Graduation 2011
  • Michelotte Cotes Sifres, MS, Man. Leadership
  • Ryan Duffy, BS, Business-Marketing
  • Giovanni Go, BS/MS, Comp. Eng. Tech/Comp. Sci.
  • Melissa HallBS/MS, Industrial Engineering
  • Kenneth Hertzog, BS, Computer Engineering
  • James Kolb, BS, Computer Science
  • Joshua La France, BS, Elect./Mech. Engin. Tech.
  • Leston Lewis, AAS, Applied Computer Technology
  • Jessica Lucas, MS, Health Systems Administration
  • Alana Malina, BS/MS, Information Technology
  • Anand Matalia, MS, Information Technology
  • Randy Muldrow, BS, Criminal Justice
  • Joseph Pfenninger, BS, Computer Eng. Tech.
  • Awenheeyoh Powless, MFA, Fine Arts-Studio
  • Emily Rigoni, BS/MS, Physician Assistant
  • Summer Saraf, BS, Physics
  • Leah Shenandoah, MFA, Metal Crafts and Jewelry
  • Timothy Sikora, MS, Serv. Leadership and Innovation
  • Amanda Stillwagon, AAS, Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Martin Strenczewilk, MS, Environ., and Safety Mgt.
  • Dori Tarbell, BS, Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Christopher Trembley, BS, Hosp. and Serv. Mgt/

    Awards Received By FSP Scholars 2009-2010

  • Summer Saraf: Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship - Awarded to exceptional undergraduates planning to pursue a career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering
  • Dwight Cooke: 1st Place - Graduate Research Paper, AISES conference: "Modeling the intrusion of a gas diffusion layer into flow channels of a proton exchange membrane and Fuel Cell Lab"
  • Robyn Wilson: 3rd Place - Undergraduate Presentation, AISES conference: "Building a Plant Database Using C-map Tools"1st Place - RIT's 1st Annual Sociology/Anthropology Photo Essay Exhibition - "Weaving Two Worlds"
  • Ryan Buckley: Bruce R. James '64 Distinguished Service Award
  • Cheyenne Davis: Alfred L. and Ruby C. Davis Award for Campus Leadership
  • Eugenia Santiago: Frederick Douglas Memorial Scholarship - Awarded to RIT undergraduates who represent the attributes of Douglas, including leadership characteristics and appreciation of diversity.

    Nations Represented By Current FSP Scholars

    • Cherokee
    • Chippewa
    • Coeur d’Alene
    • Creek
    • Inuit
    • Keetoowah
    • Lumbee
    • Mohawk
    • Narragansett
    • Navajo
    • Oglala Sioux
    • Ojibwa
    • Oneida – NY
    • Oneida – Wisconsin

      • *First Nations
    • Onondaga
    • Potawatomi
    • Quinte Bay*
    • Seneca
    • Snuneymuxw*
    • Tlingit
    • Wampanoag

    FUTURE STEWARDS GRADUATES - 2010

  • Nathan Green, BS/MS, Computer Science
  • Jaye Lascelles, MS, Health Systems Administration
  • Jessica Lucas, MS, Health Systems Administration
  • Anand Matalia, MS, Information Technology
  • David Burnette, BS, Economics
  • Nicholas Jackson, BS, New Media Interactive Development
  • Kyleen James, BFA, Professional Photographic Illustration
  • Chelsea Palmer, BS, Packaging Science
  • Joseph Pfenninger, BS, Computer Engineering Technology
  • Ashley Shoum, BS, Mechanical Engineering
  • Breanna Shartzer, AS, Applied Computer Technology
  • Amanda Stillwagon, BS, Administrative Support Technology
  • Richard Yastrzemski, AAS, Applied Arts and Sciences
  • Leston Lewis, AS, Applied Computer Technology

    FUTURE STEWARDS GRADUATES - 2009

  • Justin Blackchief, MS, Applied and Computation Mathematics
  • Dwight Cooke, BS, Mechanical Engineering
  • Aric Rininger, BS, Biotechnology
  • Timothy Sikora, BS, Hospitality and Service Management
  • Owen White, BS, Mechanical Engineering Technology
  • James Wright, BS, Business Administration - Finance
  • Bryan Woodward, BS, Computer Science