Believe it or not, graduate students will have more time to dedicate to professional development than at any other time in their career. The Graduate School aims to provide opportunities to help students grow as researchers, teachers, and even as a person of faith. One of our most prestigious programs that helps students develop professionally is the Conyers Graduate Scholars Program. It is intensive program for Baylor doctoral students interested in questions regarding faith, learning, and vocation The program convenes dinners and seminars in an effort to foster intellectually rich discussions about faith and scholarly inquiry as students are introduced to the writings of first-rate Christian scholars. Named in honor of A.J. “Chip” Conyers (1944-2004), a founding faculty member at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, the Conyers Scholars Program invites students to think of an academic career as a form of Christian service or a vocatio, a religious vocation.
This week we would like to introduce you to our 2021-2022 Conyers Scholars. If you are interested in applying to the Conyers Scholars program, you may find more information here.
Will Best grew up in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, before receiving degrees in Mathematics and Economics from Concordia University in gorgeous Irvine, California. During his undergraduate years he competed in cross country and track and field, earning multiple academic and athletic all conference honors. He then headed east to Baylor where he earned a masters in statistics and is currently a doctoral candidate in the same field. His research areas focus on satellite trajectories, collaborating with NASA on a project. When not in the classroom he can found either outside in the sun running marathons, such as Boston in 2019, or at his local church Harris Creek.
David Criscione, from Portland, Maine, is in his second year of the History doctoral program here at Baylor University. Having earned his bachelor’s in History and International Relations from Wheaton College (2018) and a master’s in Early Modern History at the University of St Andrews (2019), David’s research interests focus on the comparative encounters between English Protestant and French Catholic missionaries and Native peoples in New England and New France during the seventeenth century. Outside of class, David enjoys creative writing, playing the bongos, and enjoying the outdoors. He is also presenting a talk at the Mayborn Museum on September 14 at 2pm about Baptist missionaries’ donations of Brazilian specimens to the museum; he hopes to see you there!
Brigid Flaherty is from Rhode Island. She received a BA in History and Philosophy from Providence College (magna cum laude). Before beginning her graduate studies, she participated in a fellowship with the John Jay Institute and worked in Washington, DC. Brigid is currently a third-year Ph.D. student in Political Science. While not yet at the dissertation phase, her research interests focus on American Political Thought, constitutional interpretation, and Ancient and Medieval political theory, especially questions concerning ethics and education. An avid baseball and college basketball fan, she also enjoys hiking and long walks (preferably accompanied by a dog) and is making her way through a list of the top-100 novels of the 20th century.
Nick Hadsell is from Fort Worth, Texas. Before coming to Baylor, he graduated from Houston Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in philosophy. During his time in Houston, he also served on staff at a local church. Nick is now a second-year graduate student in the philosophy department. Broadly, his academic interests are in ethics and political philosophy. In his spare time, Nick enjoys running, keeping up with Texas sports teams, and hanging out with his family.
Lila Musegades is a second-year doctoral student in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at Baylor University. She works in the Cyran Lab Group to study ice nucleating biomolecules with Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy. Research through her undergraduate studies at Concordia University Irvine in California also focused on spectroscopic techniques as she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with an emphasis in research and a Mathematics Minor. She spent the next two years studying Food Science at Washington State University focusing on wine and cider fermentation. During her time at Baylor University, Lila has been awarded an Outstanding Teaching Assistantship Award from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department and was nominated for the Outstanding Student Instructor Award from Baylor University. She is a member of Present Your Ph.D. and an officer for the Chemistry Graduate Student Association. Lila spends her precious free time teaching Sunday School and singing in the choir at St. Mark Lutheran Church, quilting, fishing, or having bonfires with friends, planning trips abroad to take after the pandemic, and fostering an orphaned week-old kitten. Waco is the tenth place she has lived and is a favorite.
Kevin Scott is a doctoral candidate in the Religion department from Gates, North Carolina. He earned his B.A. in Religious Studies and Political Science from the University of North Carolina and his M.A. in Religion from Wake Forest University, where he studied under Kenneth G. Hoglund. His thesis focused on the use of locust imagery in the book of Joel. Before coming to Waco, Kevin worked in homeless ministry at the Raleigh Rescue Mission. Kevin currently studies under James D. Nogalski, and his dissertation focuses on the use of quotations and allusions in the book of Joel. His research interests include the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible, intertextuality, inner-biblical interpretation, and disability studies. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles on biblical texts. Kevin attends St. Francis on the Brazos Catholic Church and, when he is not engaging in scholarship, enjoys running throughout Waco, exploring central Texas, taking road trips to watch Tar Heel basketball, and being a cat dad to Rupert.
Casey Spinks is from in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he earned his B.A. (2016) at Louisiana State University with a double-major in philosophy and religious studies and a minor in German. He then earned an accelerated M.A. (2017) in philosophy at LSU, writing his thesis on the relationship between Protestant theology and the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. He also served as an interim college minister at University Baptist Church, Baton Rouge that same year. He then went on to attend seminary for two years at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, where he supply-preached (without much skill) for country churches and volunteered in his local church’s ministry. From there, he was accepted into the Ph.D. program in Theology in the Religion Department of Baylor University. He will soon begin his third year, and current research focuses on the prospects of ontological realism in contemporary theology through the work of Søren Kierkegaard. He has written both peer-reviewed and general-audience articles on some his favorite thinkers and topics, including Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, Terrence Malick’s films, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the great outdoors. He is a member of First Baptist Church, Waco, where he teaches Sunday school.
Sean Strehlow is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Studies and Leadership program at Baylor University. He did his undergraduate studies at Hardin-Simmons University and completed his M. Ed. In Sport and Recreation Management at the University in Arkansas. Sean’s research interests include moral and faith development of college students and ethics in intercollegiate athletics. Additionally, Sean works in Baylor’s Center for Academic Success and Engagement as a graduate assistant in Transfer Student Success. In his spare time, Sean enjoys playing tennis, trips to the lake, and spending time with his wife (Morgan) and son (Seth).
Patrick Sutter is the youngest of four children, born and raised in Pottsville Pennsylvania. He attended Franciscan University of Steubenville Ohio, graduating in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry. During that time, Patrick researched and synthesized novel drug-like molecules for the treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis as part of an initiative to develop new therapies for Rare and Neglected Tropical Diseases. After his undergraduate studies, Patrick accepted a one-year post-baccalaureate research fellowship with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, a division within the National Institutes of Health. There, he pursued the development of new a pharmaceutical candidate for the treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Currently, this project continues to make strides forward in the drug development pipeline and is anticipated to enter clinical trials in the next three to five years. Patrick then began his doctoral studies in organic chemistry under the advisement of Professor Daniel Romo, Ph.D. in the fall of 2018. His current research focuses on the development of new transition metal-catalyzed transformations towards the synthesis of biologically active small molecules. Outside of his research, Patrick is a devout Catholic and enjoys the relationship between religion, theology, and the natural sciences. He’s also considering entering a local triathlon but is hesitant to swim in the Brazos River or Lake Waco.
Sarah Tharp is from Dubuque, Iowa, a town on the Mississippi River. She earned her B.A. with majors in English and Social Sciences from Olivet Nazarene University in 2013. After a brief time in the business world, she moved to Waco to pursue her M.A. in English at Baylor. She liked the program so much that she stayed for the Ph.D., and she is currently writing her dissertation on 19th-century medievalism. While she and her husband, Alex, miss the midwestern pizza and potlucks, they have come to love Texas food so much that they are learning to make their own.
Matt Turnbull loves being a graduate student in the Ph.D. program in English here at Baylor. This is his fifth year, and he is looking forward to completing his exams and beginning his dissertation on Augustine’s theory of signs. He has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Linfield College and a bachelor’s in English from Washington State University. In the two decades before coming to Baylor he taught literature to high school and junior high students while he served his church in Leavenworth, Washington as one of its pastors. He and his wife, Christie, have eight kids.
Anna Wells is from Katy, Texas and is entering her fourth year in the Religion Department at Baylor. She completed her B.A. in History (2016) and M.A. in History (2018) at Baylor as well. Sic ’em bears! Her research focuses on the intersection between religion, culture, and gender by examining representations of women in saints’ lives across various expressions of Christianity in the late medieval world, particularly in Europe and Ethiopia. She recently published an article in Religions and has presented papers at the American Society of Church History, the Texas Medievalist Association, and Princeton’s World Christianity conference. When she has some free time, Anna enjoys hiking with her husband and dog, traveling, and catching up with friends over a cup of tea.
Maddie Whitmore grew up in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and attended Colorado Christian University for her bachelor’s degree. After earning a BA in Communication with a minor in Psychology, she moved to Waco to pursue her master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Baylor. Upon graduating from HESA, Maddie was given the opportunity to pursue her Ph.D. in Higher Education Studies and Leadership. She currently serves as a graduate assistant in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research where she helps Baylor graduate students find grant funding for their research endeavors. Now in her second year of the HESL program, she has found her passion in advocacy for historically underrepresented populations of students, with her research interest in the way systemic factors impact higher education. In her free time, Maddie enjoys spending time with friends, being outside, and trying local Waco restaurants.
Sam Young is from Mount Vernon, Iowa. He earned a B.S.E. in Social Studies Education (2013) from John Brown University and taught high school history for three years in suburban Dallas. He received an M.A. in Historical Theology (2018) from Marquette University, writing on Martin Luther’s exegesis of Genesis. A Ph.D. candidate in the History department, his dissertation research focuses on the reception of Luther in early American culture. With his wife Cassie and one-year-old son Oliver, he enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and reading. He can often be found running the trails at Cameron Park or sipping coffee at Pinewood.