News Release
April 28, 2009

College of Agriculture student a finalist for Spitaleri award

Kimberly Cranford, a double major in molecular biology in the College of Agriculture and zoology and physiology in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of seven finalists for this school year’s Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri Award.

The award honors the outstanding female graduating senior at the University of Wyoming.

The winners of the Spitaleri award and the Tobin Memorial Award for outstanding male graduating senior will be announced Friday, May 1.

Cranford is from Alpine, a small community in extreme western Wyoming. The 2005 Star Valley High School graduate said she became interested in a molecular biology major when she learned molecular biology was a “great life sciences base for medical school.”

Cranford, who has a 3.9 grade point average, has been accepted into medical school through the University of Washington School of Medicine’s medical education program WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho).

She starts medical school in August. Her first year is at the University of Wyoming, and then she will transfer to the University of Washington in Seattle.

Cranford said her classes at UW and work as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) inspired her to apply for medical school.

“I worked as a CNA in nursing homes and assisted living communities in Laramie. It was very hard work in terms of the physical aspect of helping to take care of people, but I really enjoyed the interaction with the residents. That’s something I really value, and it solidified my decision to go into medicine.”

Also, she emphasized, “The support of faculty has been tremendous. It’s good to have people to look up to in my field of study.”

Among them is Department of Molecular Biology Associate Professor Pamela Langer, Cranford’s major adviser.

“Dr. Langer has been a great adviser, a great inspiration,” Cranford said. “She took me under her wing when I added molecular biology as a major. I took her clinical biochemistry class and really liked it, and this year I’m a TA (teaching assistant) in the class.”

Langer said, “Kimberly is one of those striking students who has demonstrated a superior performance academically while becoming a leader in our community and nurturing her deep sense in wanting to help people. Although she is an undergraduate student, she often seems more like a graduate student. She asks very insightful questions of other students and stimulates them to think about new things. She asks those questions on purpose to get other students to think.”

Langer added, “She has learned so much from being in a position of responsibility for clinical biochemistry.”

Despite the double major, Cranford will graduate with honors after four years of undergraduate work at UW.

Cranford has been active on campus and beyond. She’s involved with Delta Delta Delta sorority and was a member of the junior honor society Cardinal Key. Also during her junior year, she was a leader for an alternative UW spring break trip to Biloxi, Miss., where she and other students volunteered with hurricane relief.

“We did a lot of housing construction and ecosystem rehabilitation,” Cranford said.

Cranford is actively involved with two UW recognized student organizations (RSO): Amnesty International and Up ’Til Dawn.

Up ’Til Dawn raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Members of the UW Amnesty International RSO are working toward getting “sweatshop-free clothes in the UW Bookstore – clothes made under fair employment conditions,” Cranford said.

She is the daughter of Vera Vogt of Jackson and Mike Cranford of Alpine.

Spitaleri and Tobin finalists are honored each year as exceptional role models for undergraduate scholarship and achievement. Deans, department heads and chairs, faculty and staff members and RSOs nominate students on the basis of contributions to UW, active participation in extracurricular activities, academic success and citizenship.

The winner of last year’s Spitaleri award was Stacia Berry of Cheyenne, who graduated from UW in May 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary science in the College of Agriculture. Berry is scheduled to graduate this May with a master’s degree in integrated resource management from Colorado State University.

The Spitaleri award was established in 1964. For more information about the awards, including a list of this year’s finalists, go to www.uwyo.edu/news/showrelease.asp?id=30281.

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Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor
Phone: (307) 766-3571
E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu

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