A first-generation college student from Youngstown's East Side, Dominique entered YSU on a full merit scholarship and spent four years turning a class project into a real business. Her agri-tech startup beat out entries from Wharton, Kellogg, and Stanford at the National Collegiate Entrepreneurship Competition, earning a $150,000 seed investment and a spot in a Chicago-based accelerator program.
Beat 400+ competitors from Wharton, Kellogg, and Stanford at the National Collegiate Entrepreneurship Competition, earning a $150K seed investment and accelerator placement.
Awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship — the nation's top undergraduate STEM honor — becoming the fourth YSU student in a decade to earn this recognition.
Four YSU undergraduates earned co-authorship on Dr. Nair's landmark Nature Materials paper on biodegradable battery technology — a first for YSU's STEM division.
Presented independent climate research at the NSF's annual undergraduate research showcase in Washington D.C. — one of only 40 students selected nationally from over 800 applicants.
A five-member YSU team placed second at the FIRST Robotics College Championship in Houston, competing against 200+ university teams in the autonomous navigation category.
Accepted to the Cleveland Clinic's competitive nursing residency program directly from YSU — one of only 12 students nationally selected from a non-research university. Credited YSU's clinical partnerships for her preparation.
Jordan's research on telehealth access in rural Mahoning Valley communities was accepted for publication in the Journal of Rural Health — rare for an undergraduate student. He begins his MD program at Ohio State in the fall.
Placed first at the Harvard National Invitational for the second consecutive year, competing against Georgetown, NYU, and Michigan in the Security Council simulation.
Lead producer on the award-winning YSU–WKBN documentary that won the Ohio SPJ's Best Broadcast Reporting award. She has accepted a news producer position at a major Cleveland TV station upon graduation.
Selected to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. this fall — the most prestigious performance opportunity in the Dana School's history, recognizing the ensemble's excellence in classical performance.
Named Ohio Student Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Council for Exceptional Children. His innovative literacy intervention program, piloted at a Youngstown elementary school, showed a 34% improvement in reading scores among at-risk students.
YSU graduate students in the Materials Science PhD program contributed key research to the Nature Materials publication on biodegradable batteries — earning international recognition and three industry partnership inquiries.
The newly expanded Veterans Resource Center added two full-time counselors and a dedicated employer recruiting suite. YSU's veteran graduation rate of 89% ranks among the highest in Ohio for public universities.
Led YSU's Student Government in raising $80K for campus improvements — the largest fundraising total in SGA history — through a series of community events and matching donation campaigns.
The student-run Penguin Pantry expanded to three campus locations and has served over 4,000 students since its launch in 2025, eliminating food insecurity for thousands of Penguins across all colleges.
The student-managed investment fund returned 14.2% in 2025 — outperforming the S&P 500 by 2.1 percentage points. Three club members accepted full-time offers at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan upon graduation.