Western Washington University's Outstanding Graduates Include Two Puyallup Residents

Western Washington University honored its Outstanding Graduates for the 2012-2013 academic year at spring Commencement Saturday, June 15.

Faculty members from dozens of academic departments and programs select one graduate to honor as the Outstanding Graduate of the year. Selection is a high honor based on grades, research and writing, service to the campus and community, and promise for the future.

This year’s Outstanding Graduates include two Puyallup residents:

Craig Fredrick, Outstanding Graduate in Engineering Technology, graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science and a double major in Plastics Engineering Technology and Applied Mathematics. Fredrick was awarded many scholarships while at Western, including the Ivy Roth Memorial Plastics Scholarship and the Boeing Engineering Technology Scholarship. He also was active in student clubs such as the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering and Society of Plastics Engineers, and participated in many intramural sports. After taking a few weeks off, Fredrick plans to move to Oregon and begin work as a project engineer. Fredrick graduated from Rogers High School in Puyallup and is the son of Kelly and Lisa Fredrick.

Brittany Splinter, Outstanding Graduate for the Dance department, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. At Western she worked with Denise Vale of the Martha Graham Dance Company, and with the Liz Gerring Dance Company. She also attended Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet Summer Intensive in 2011. Splinter received the Monica Gutchow Dance Scholarship and the Louise Settlemeyer Scholarship. She was a member of the honor society Phi Eta Sigma as well as Western’s cheerleader squad. Finally, she volunteered in a first-grade Sunday school class at Christ the King Church in Bellingham. After graduation, Splinter hopes to join a professional dance company in Seattle, California or New York. She is a graduate of Cascade Christian High School and the daughter of David and Elizabeth Splinter.