Dawn Engman of Dollar Bay Is Finlandia Class of 2012 Student Representative

HANCOCK, MI - Dawn Engman of Dollar Bay is ready for life's next adventure!

Engman is the Finlandia University Class of 2012 Student Representative, formerly referred to as the class valedictorian. At Commencement exercises April 29, she will be awarded a bachelor of arts in psychology with an overall GPA of 3.907.

Engman is justifiably proud of her cumulative GPA, especially given that she competed on two Finlandia sports teams-basketball and soccer-in each of her four years at Finlandia.

Engman was salutatorian of the Dollar Bay High School Class of 2008. She is a daughter of Tim and Donna Engman, Dollar Bay. Tim works in Facilities Management at Finlandia. Donna is a registered nurse at Copper Country Mental Health outpatient services.

For Engman, academic achievement is doing the best that she can possibly do, and learning something new every day.

"A grading system can gauge how you're doing, but more important than getting an 'A' is actually taking something away from a class," she notes. "To me, academic achievement is learning stuff that is valuable, interesting, and something that I want to keep and apply to my life."

"Over the past four years, I've had the privilege of seeing Dawn develop into a mature, engaging adult," says Christine O'Neil, dean of the Finlandia University Suomi College of Arts & Sciences. O'Neil has been both a teacher and academic advisor to Engman.

"Dawn is always fun and bubbly, and at the same time she consistently has brought a great deal of depth to her studies," O'Neil adds. "She is an insightful observer of our social world, and I have no doubt that she will excel in her life and career."

Engman chose a psychology major because "it's about people, and I'm definitely a people person."

"Dawn is a pleasure to have as a member of the Finlandia community," says Leslie Johnson, Finlandia assistant professor of psychology. "In the classroom, she shows a deep interest in psychology. She always takes learning a step further by asking questions, thinking critically about the material, and figuring out how it applies to 'real life.'"

Leslie Johnson adds that outside of the classroom, "Dawn enriches the community by making connections with others and taking the time to show that she truly cares about those around her."

This spring, Engman is completing a 90-hour internship at Copper Country Mental Health (CCMH), Houghton, "job shadowing" social worker Leslie Griffith, an early childhood mental health clinician.

"This internship is highly related to the field I'm studying," Engman says. "What I've learned in my numerous psychology and sociology classes-like Interviewing and Counseling, Chemical Dependency in Families, and Abnormal Psychology-I'm applying now in my internship."

With help and inspiration from Griffith, Engman has applied to a master's degree program at the Western Michigan University School of Social Work. If that opportunity blooms, she'll begin work on her master's in social work this fall. She knows that graduate school will be challenging, but she says she feels prepared and is confident in her abilities.

Dawn has four sisters and one brother. One of her sisters, Kasey (Engman) Nerone, is a 2006 Finlandia Elementary Education graduate (and valedictorian of her Finlandia class). Dawn's younger sister, Brittany, is a Pre-professional Science freshman at Finlandia.

"Finlandia has been a complete learning experience for me," Dawn concludes. "I'd like to thank all of the people at Finlandia that have made a difference for me. Where you are, and what you're doing, is nothing if you're not with the right people. I am happy to say that I've been learning and growing with the encouragement and guidance of the best people during my four years at Finlandia."

Photo cutline: Dawn Engman, Finlandia University Class of 2012 Student Representative