Our IUPUI story began in the fall of 2008. We were undecided after our first all-campus visit and could not have guessed that by 2020, all three of our children would be Jaguar graduates inspired in their vocations of engineering/medicine, linguistics, and business finance.
Our family loves the city of Indianapolis, and the idea of an urban research campus with an honors college appealed to us. After the disappointing first visit, we were encouraged by friends to take a second look. We made an appointment with the engineering school and met Terri Talbert-Hatch. She convinced us. The engineering school’s Associate Dean for Recruitment, Retention, and Student Services, set up an afternoon to talk with a department chair and two professors who were personable, informed, and networked. That day started an exceptional college experience that spans eleven years with three students in three different schools and many influential mentors. Although each of our children differ in interests and personalities, the consistent thread throughout their experiences has been the impact of dedicated Honors College staff, and supportive, engaged deans, advisors, faculty, and staff across the university who invested time and talents to give our children solid opportunities to belong, learn, grow, and lead.
Our children’s experiences have taken different forms. For our oldest son Andrew, biomedical engineering class of 2013, there were opportunities for scientific research, academic rigor -- including a semester abroad at Oxford University -- support to develop an honors college mentoring program, and across-schools counsel and support to pursue a career as a physician scientist. His summers were spent in the IUPUI science labs, including trips to Oak Ridge Laboratories in Tennessee; a summer National Institutes of Health internship in Bethesda, Maryland; and poster and platform presentations at national scientific conferences.
For our middle child Sarah Grace, a class of 2017 English and linguistics graduate, IUPUI advisors and staff provided guidance in selecting the right major and developed a four year integrated work and study experience that offered ample, delightful opportunities to engage and serve international students and the Indianapolis community. She also had opportunities to present her work at professional statewide and international conferences. Her global interests were supported at IUPUI through study abroad trips in China and Costa Rica; teaching and tutoring in the Program for Intensive English; volunteerism; and coursework in language, linguistics, and literature.
As parents, we are grateful to the dedicated IUPUI community who have invested their valuable time and talents during these formative college years and served with excellence as teachers, mentors, encouragers, and friends to our children.
Kevin and Sheri Fraser, IUPUI Parents
Our youngest son, Ryan, is a current business finance major, class of 2020. IUPUI staff has given him exciting in-class and study abroad opportunities, local internships, and ways to engage and serve the campus and local community. As a sophomore, he has already traveled to New York City, London, and Costa Rica, and interned with a privately owned regional company. He fully embraces student life by staffing Regatta, joining intramural sports teams, and attending a wide variety of campus events including basketball games.
Their IUPUI story is still being written. Andrew is pursing a combined MD/PhD at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland. As a physician scientist, he plans to be a professor and mentor to medical students. Sarah continues to welcome and teach foreign-born students. She will complete her Masters in Linguistics next fall. In June, she will marry David Kane, an IUPUI engineer who is employed at an Indianapolis engineering company. David has his own successful IUPUI story to tell. This summer Ryan will work locally in his second internship. Next fall, he is excited for the challenge of Kelley iCore, his continued work in the Kelley office, and opportunities to welcome and support new IUPUI students.
As parents, we are grateful to the dedicated IUPUI community who have invested their valuable time and talents during these formative college years and served with excellence as teachers, mentors, encouragers, and friends to our children. Their intentional interactions and project opportunities nurtured the interests and developed the potential of our high ability students. IUPUI offered each of them a quality education that includes experiential learning supported by people who found success in their success. Our children are prepared, engaged, and excited to contribute in their communities and fields of study and career. We are happy Jaguar parents!
Kevin and Sheri Fraser live in Knightstown, IN. Andrew Fraser and Sarah Grace Fraser were named IUPUI’s top students in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
Kevin and Sheri Fraser
IUPUI Parents
