Submitted by Saint Martin University
Saint Martin’s University is pleased to announce the valedictorian and salutatorians for the 2018-2019 academic year. Valedictorian Jeffrey Seath of Aberdeen has a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Salutatorian Kaylin Fosnacht of Rochester will graduate with a 3.99 grade point average and salutatorian Brianna Huhmann of Puyallup will graduate with a 3.99 grade point average.
Valedictorian Jeffrey Seath
Valedictorian Jeffrey Seath graduated in December 2018 with dual bachelor’s degrees in accounting and business administration with a concentration in finance. Seath earned a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. He is currently working at the accounting firm of Littlefield, Fanning & Co., in Olympia, where he recently finished his first tax season and is now focused on completing the four sections of the Certified Public Accountant examination.
After graduating from Aberdeen High School, Seath earned his associate degree in science at Grays Harbor Community College. In 2008, he enlisted in the Army as an explosive ordnance disposal candidate and, after he finished technical training, he was assigned to the 47th Ordnance Company in Fort Hood, Texas. While in Texas, Seath met his wife, Rachael, and in 2011, they had a daughter, Jade, whose birth Seath witnessed while at home on leave from his deployment in Iraq. Seath re-enlisted for another four years and changed duty stations to Fort Lewis, where he joined the 129th Ordnance Company. He became team leader and was certified as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. During a nine-month mission in Kuwait, he was promoted to staff sergeant. In 2015, Seath started using the Army’s tuition assistance program to attend Saint Martin’s classes at the Stone Education Center on base. He completed his enlistment with the Army in March 2017.
Salutatorian Kaylin Fosnacht
Salutatorian Kaylin Fosnacht of Rochester is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a minor in biology. She earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.99. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to earn her doctorate degree in organic chemistry, with a focus on medicine as well as green chemistry. Fosnacht envisions herself one day becoming a researcher with an institute like the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and perhaps turning to teaching later in her career.
At Saint Martin’s she has served as vice president of the American Chemical Society Chemistry Club and the Physics Club, as well as a member of the Benedictine Scholars, Phi Kappa Phi and Circle K. She visited Vietnam on a summer study-abroad trip to teach English to high school students. In addition, Fosnacht received the Organic Chemistry Tetrahedral Award her sophomore year and the Chemistry Research Award her junior year.
Salutatorian Brianna Huhmann
Salutatorian Brianna Huhmann of Puyallup is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a minor in physics. She earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.99. This fall, she will continue her education at Saint Martin’s in the Master of Engineering Management program.
At Saint Martin’s she has worked with peers to publish two papers, one about the vibrational analysis of a dolphin’s acoustic system, and another about the design and production of an autonomous solar panel cleaner. She is under contract with the U.S. Navy to serve as a civilian nuclear engineer and she looks forward to the new experiences, knowledge and possible travel that the job will offer. Huhmann has been a member of several clubs at Saint Martin’s, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, for which she served as secretary, the Society of Military Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers and Engineers Without Borders, for which she served as vice president. In her spare time, Huhmann enjoys volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club STEM workshops and fostering curiosity in tomorrow’s college graduates.
The Saint Martin’s University 2019 Commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at Marcus Pavilion on the University’s Lacey campus, 5300 Pacific Ave SE. Tickets are required for attendance; doors will open at 9 a.m. For more information on 2019 Commencement, please go to www.stmartin.edu/commencement.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent, four-year, coeducational university located on a wooded campus of more than 300 acres in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 13 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 29 majors and 11 graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, nursing and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes more than 1,300 undergraduate students and 250 graduate students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its Lacey campus, and more students to its extended campus located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Visit the Saint Martin’s University website at www.stmartin.edu.
