Utah Tech University

As a part of Homecoming Week festivities, the Miss Utah Tech University pageant provides students with the opportunity to showcase their talents, share their social impact initiatives, and compete for the chance to win a series of scholarships. Zoe Sewell was crowned Miss Utah Tech University for the 2022-2023 school year. Sewell impressed the judges with her social impact intiative, Healthy Habits, and her performance of "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman. Sewell was joined on stage by her three attendants: first attendant, Katherine Walker; second attendant, Gracey Fowers; and third attendant, Samantha Bartholomew. The Miss Utah Tech competition consists of participating in a private interview with the judges, pitching a social impact initiative, answering an on-stage question from the judges, and demonstrating a talent. The winner of Miss Utah Tech University also earns the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Utah. Along with the crowning of Miss Utah Tech University and her three attendants, several contestants received special awards at the end of the night to recognize the unique strengths they demonstrated throughout the competition. The Team Player Award was given to Tessa Welch for her willingness to support and uplift the other contestants. Kate Backus was awarded the Service Award for her social impact initiative focusing on uplifting individuals with special needs in the community. The Trailblazer Spirit Award was given to Elizabeth Martin for her positive attitude throughout the competition, and Trinity Altena was honored with the Woman Empowerment Award.

Sophie Phelps, a 19-year-old sophomore at Utah Tech University, claimed her second motocross national champion title in August at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Phelps made her first nationals appearance at age 13, finishing in 17th place, and steadily improved until she won first in the women's division last year in 2021 and defended her title this year. Phelps is studying mechanical engineering at Utah Tech, stating that she would like to use what she learns to someday design helmets or parts for bikes.

Southern Utah's canyon tree frog population is dropping, and dropping fast. Curt Walker, a professor at Utah Tech University, took it upon himself in 2008 to raise awareness and get to the bottom of the mysterious, growing absence of the once thriving population. Nearly 15 years later, and Walker still ventures out to places like Zion National Park and Quail Creek State Park each week with various students from Utah Tech University. The group has come to two conclusions - one, that the consistent drought in St. George is affecting the water-dependent species; and two, a fungus called chytrid is common in the local communities of canyon tree frogs.

This summer Utah Tech students Ethan Allen and Janna Brown, along with Dr. Ka-Wai Yu of the UT Music Department, visited Saarburg, Germany to perform in the Saarburg Music Festival. Allen performed a total of four times and Brown performed five times at the festival. Additionally, the experience of mingling with others who had already established a career path in music was valuable to both students, helping reinforce what they wanted to pursue as well as push them to new levels.

Utah Tech University student Dusty Hart recently competed in the SkillsUSA national competition in Atlanta, Georgia where he was awarded first place for his screen-printing ability. Hart won a small printing press, an ink mixing system, a ticket to a MADE Lab class in Texas, and 500 dollars. Initially, Hart participated in the screen-printing competition at the post-secondary level. He entered the state competition, held at Salt Lake Community College, where he also won first place for his quality screen-printing work.

Seven Utah Tech students, led by Professor Robert Kagabo, took just over three weeks of their summer to travel to Uganda, participate in humanitarian work and learn more about health and social challenges there. The students, majoring in degrees such as pre-med, nursing, biology, and population health, were able to fully immerse themselves in the country and the various cultures found within. In Uganda, the students conducted community-based participatory research, letting the local community make decisions and the group assisting with those decisions. The group also learned about the public health challenges that affected the area, like malaria, the West Nile Virus, Ebola, and a rise in teen pregnancy since the instating of a quarantine to protect the public against COVID-19.

Sebastian Hotalen, a member of Utah Tech University's Rodeo Club, is hitting the road to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. Hotalen, who is from of Belgrade, Montana, said he is "feeling pretty confident" about competing as a bareback rider in Casper - and with good reason. This will be Hotalen's second appearance at the CNFR, missing his freshman year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, he made it to the National High School Rodeo Finals three times, and in his senior year was named Top 15 out of high schoolers in the world. Outside of the arena, Hotalen is studying management at Utah Tech and is working toward becoming the first person in his family to earn a college degree.

Dixie State University Physical Therapist Assistant students participated in the Go Baby Go program, offering community children the gift of mobility through customized cars. "Through this program children with disabilities, as young as 7-9 months, are able to learn to control the cars and experience the world in a way the rest of us take for granted, choosing which direction to go and what to explore," said Drew Wilcox director of the Physical Therapist Assistant program. "This allows them to interact, to learn, to grow and to develop an awareness of their world that isn't possible when your entire world is reliant on others." DSU students met with the parents and their participating children to learn about each child's unique disability, their favorite color, the type of car they wanted and other things that make each child unique so the cars could be completely customized.

Dixie State University theatre students participate in the first-ever Student Playwrights Festival, a nine-day event featuring 15 plays written, directed and performed by DSU students. Of the plays performed, ten were short plays, around ten-minutes long, and five of them were full-length plays. A total of 24 students either wrote or directed the plays and all worked hard to make the shows a success.

As a formal event patterned after the Academy Awards, Dixie State University's Dixie Awards ceremony has been a traditional part of student life at Dixie State for decades. This annual ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of Dixie State students, faculty, staff, community members and business who have shown a remarkable commitment to either DSU, particular programs, or organizations. The Dixie Award ceremony was held on April 29 and included a variety of categories with the top five finalists in each. The categories include: Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Year - Rising Star, Part-Time Faculty of the Year, Distinguished Staff Member of the Year, Distinguished Staff Member of the Year - Rising Star, Student of the Year, Club of the Year, Stafford Student Involvement, Entertainer of the Year, Dixie Spirit, Heart of Dixie, and Commitment to Diversity.

Mechanical engineering students showcased their skills and hard work at Dixie State University's Engineering Design Day held this week. Hundreds of community members, families, and students gathered on campus to enjoy the numerous projects created by DSU's engineering students. Activities at Engineering Design Day included a series of mini golf courses designed by the freshmen, carnival games made by the sophomores, and a "turbo regatta" race, which involved a bundle of races between a normal, human-powered pedal boat and modified, battery-powered pedal boats built by the juniors. Seniors also had the chance to showcase their capstone projects, which included a bottle-flip simulator and a computer numerical control wire bender that was built at less than ten percent of the size of industrial wire benders. David Christensen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, emphasized that this is the first graduating class of mechanical engineers that Dixie State University has ever had, with the program starting only in the fall of 2018. This was also the first year for the carnival segment of Engineering Design Day, and only the second year for the Turbo Regatta Race.

ASL students of Dixie State University were given the opportunity to go to Disneyland and California Adventure Park to interpret Disney-related songs, shows and performances. Dr. Allyson Hamilton and visiting professor, Tiffany Harding came across a colleague, Sam Farley, who is on Disneyland's and Disney California Adventure Park's interpreting team. The three of them developed a course around theatrical interpreting. The class met four times before traveling to Disneyland. The first class involved students and several interpreters working on various songs and shows offered at Disneyland. Touring the Cox Auditorium, Broadway Bound Children's Theatre, and Saint George Musical Theatre took up the second class period. Similar to the first-time meeting, the class worked on presentations and meet-and-greets that are interpreted at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. As for the fourth class, the students went over any performances and source languages that hadn't gotten to in previous meetings.

Dixie State University students recently worked with IRS special agents in a mock scenario to gather evidence, arrest and convict someone of tax evasion as part of the Adrian Project, a hands-on experience that provides students with a glimpse at the life of an IRS special agent. Many students of differing backgrounds came together in this real-world application of their classroom-taught skills. Students sat at tables throughout the Gardner Ballroom with multiple agents at each table. Agents helped students use their accounting skills to round up evidence in an example of a fraud referral case. Each student had a folder containing documents that they used to eventually arrest and convict the suspect of tax evasion in a role-play with the agents. "The Adrian Project offers a look at a day in the life; it's a great way for students to see if being an agent is a good fit for them," Rochelle Blatter, senior career counselor at Dixie State, said. "We have students here that are accounting majors, criminal justice majors and others. It's an opportunity to apply what you learn in class."

During this year's United Spirit Association Collegiate Championships, the Dixie Blaze Dance Team secured a 2nd place finish in the hip-hop dance category. In their first ever competition, Dixie Blaze beat out teams from Southern Utah University, San Jose State and other Division I dance teams from across the nation. "Our girls have put in so many hours of practice getting ready for the Collegiate Championships," Head Coach Kori Esplin shared. "I couldn't be prouder of them, and to come home from our very first competition taking 2nd against all those incredible teams is amazing!" Beginning their season in July, Dixie Blaze dancers attend early morning rehearsals, chorography workshops and light-night practices to solidify their routines. Showcased at all of the home football and basketball games, their trick-filled and high-energy routines always entertain Trailblazer Nation fans.

For Dixie State University students Alyssa Janeway and Samantha Ortiz, an unexpected friendship has blossomed into the content creation platform, Coffee With Besties. The web show's overarching mission is to highlight the importance of the University's Department of Media Studies. "The Media Studies Department has taken major budget cuts, and we couldn't do the show without the technology and equipment they provide us," said Janeway. "Sure, we could film it on our phones, but we've put together this show through the school, for the school."

Dixie State University film students spent two years creating the feature film "Into the Fire: A Utah Boy's in the Blues," which was recently showcased in the 12th annual DOCUTAH Film Festival. DSU music major Isaac Erikson collaborated with the film students to create this film, bringing to life his father's passion for the blues. Through this collaboration with the DSU film students, Erikson was able to combine his passion for music and love for his father to shed light onto the modern era of blues music. These students were given hands-on experience in creating a documentary style film and were also able to travel to Nashville, Tennessee where Isaac's father, Dick Earl Erikson, was judging at the International Blues Challenge.

Students in Dixie State University's Dance Program recently had the opportunity to experience active learning firsthand by choreographing for and performin in the university's annual Student Dance Concert. Held November 18 and 19 on the Dixie State campus, the concert offered 29 dance students the chance to participate in 12 choreographed pieces. The concert is a collaboration of students in three distinct courses within Dixie State's Dance Program: Choreography Practicum, Dance Production and Dance Performance. The Dance Program at Dixie State University helps a diverse population of students achieve their dance education goals by teaching the skills of embodied practice and scholarly and creative inquiry.

Recently, Dixie State University commenced in their 70th annual Miss Dixie Pageant that began as a DSU homecoming tradition in 1951. Taking the crown in this year's pageant is Miss Carli Gumm, a 21-year-old junior from Minden, Nevada, majoring in Mathematics Education.

Dixie State University's nursing student Teralin Petereit recently won first place in the 2021 Rebelle Rally race for the 4x4 class. The Rebelle Rally is a week-long event covering 2,500 kilometers of stunning terrain across the Nevada and California desert. With no cell phones or GPS, this eight-day competition is the ultimate challenge of precise navigation as competitors race to accurately find hidden checkpoints using only a map, compass and roadbook.

Dixie State University senior Allie Garrow developed the "We Are Career Ready" campaign by creating six scarecrows to represent each of DSU's colleges for the Red Hills Desert Garden 2021 Scarecrow Walk and Haunted Canyon. The project was a huge undertaking but was rewarding, not only for Garrow but also for the nearly 20,000 attendees who have already visited the garden in the month of October. The local community can continue to enjoy the scarecrow displays at the Red Hills Desert Garden until October 31. "The vision with the scarecrows was to represent the unique 'active learning. active life.' opportunities each college department offers," Garrow explained. "I wanted the community to see through the scarecrow display that Dixie State is different from any other university because students have so many hands-on learning experiences."

In honor of Native American Heritage month, Dixie State University recently held the 25th annual Miss Native Dixie Pageant on the DSU campus, with Delaina Becenti being crowned Miss Native Dixie 2022. This year the pageant showcased three contestants - Cristal Elias, a senior exercise science major from Cedar City, Utah; Delaina Becenti, a freshman general studies major from Green River, Wyoming; and Naji Runs Through, a sophmore art major from Ivins, Utah. As Miss Native Dixie royalty, Delaina and her attendants will serve as ambassadors for the Native American population at Dixie State University, inspiring students to complete their education.

Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced on Friday that Dixie State post-graduate student wide receiver Deven Osborne has been named to the 30th-Anniversary 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Osborne is among 22 football student-athletes and one honorary coach selected to the 30th-Anniversary team. In all, 109 student-athletes from all divisions across the nation were nominated by sports information directors with stories of exemplary community service, alongside academic dedication and impact on and off the field.

DSU students Kylee Newsome and Megan Combs recently participated in an enriching, career-focused event held by The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors in Boston, Massachusetts. The annual ASCLD Symposium is an industry-leading conference designed for leaders and managers in the forensic laboratory space. The symposium boasts workshops and plenary talks designed around all aspects of forensic science, but particularly focused on enhancing leadership and management in a forensic laboratory.

During her month-long internship with Pelagios Kakunja, DSU student Liberty Krieger participated in what she describes as an absolutely golden hands-on experience. The internship included taking diet and nutritional analysis, learning biopsy and blood sampling techniques, habitat sampling, underwater and aerial drone surveys, assisting with shark tagging trips, and more. Dixie State University's "active learning. active life." approach to education promotes hands-on, personalized learning experiences both in and out of the classroom and encourages a dynamic, engaged approach to life. This enables students to flourish not only while attending DSU but in their careers, community and in life.

DSU student Baylee Nelson-McKeachnie took second place in the Best Student Film awards at the Red Rock ScreenDance Film Festival last week with her film "Reformation". Inspired by the song "One by Sleeping at Last," the film is about perfectionism and striving to be the absolute best at everything you do. The Red Rock ScreenDance Film Festival is an international event filled with dance-film platforms in conjunction with the Red Rock Dance Festival, held in St. George, Utah. This has been the first year the film festival was introduced, while the Red Rock Dance Festival completed its 13th year. With submissions accepted nationwide, three major awards were given with titles of first, second and third place. These awards include Best Overall Film, Best Editing and Best Student Film.

Brooke Marchetti-Curtis; a senior 23-year-old Trailblazer, recently won second place in a film festival titled Concorsi di Danza, held in Florence, Italy. Her film, "Searching for a Feeling" was inspired by the research process of creating movement that resembles looking for someone or something, the journey of getting to that final place, and your body's reaction once you've found it. Not only was her film submitted in the Concorsi di Danza Choreography Competition held in Florence, Italy, but it has also been featured in the Undergraduate Research Symposium at Dixie, Red Rock Choreography Competition and was recognized in the Red Rock ScreenDance Film Festival held earlier this month.

As a recent graduate from Dixie State University, Connor Lee has been awarded a $70,000 scholarship as part of a graduate program at Longy School of Music, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he will pursue his master's degree in Vocal Studies. With many musical talents starting at the age of seven, Connor has taken advantage of multiple opportunities during his college career to elevate his musical talents to new heights.

Due to the emergence of COVID-19, the need for registered nurses skyrocketed this past year. Therefore, with approval from the Utah State Board of Nursing, a Nurse Apprentice Program was designed for Dixie State University students in their senior year to help fast track their nursing careers while expanding the nurse workforce. The program was organized in the spring of 2020 and launched into full gear by January, 2021. Traditionally, students would not have been provided with increased opportunities such as involvement into an apprenticeship program until after graduation and passing their NCLEX exam. However, 12 participating DSU seniors, all in their final semester and in good academic standing with the University, actively practiced in the community under professional supervision gaining hands-on, real-life clinical experiences while also becoming part of the pandemic solution.

This week Dixie State University's Alumni Association announced the Dixie 11, celebrating eleven extraordinary bachelor's degree candidates of 2021 who have excelled in academics as well as university and community involvement. Dixie 11 awardees were honored at a dinner held on campus on April 28 and also received a letter of commendation from the University President for their remarkable achievements.

Showcasing Dixie State University's international students, 2021 DSU International Pageant was held on Thursday, April 15th as an opportunity for students to showcase their cultural background and heritage. Participating students gave spectacular performances including song and dance, cultural attire, and history. Students from all around the world, including Japan, Vietnam, Honduras, China, and Ecuador took the stage with smiling faces and heritage pride.