Graduate Student Spotlights
The Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies showcases our graduate students' remarkabe achievements, creative endeavors, research, service, and experiences. Each spotlight offers a look at their academic journey, projects, and contributions to App State and their field. We celebrate our talented graduate students and their passion for their studies and contributions to the larger community.
Grad Student Profile:
Sarah Balkus
Sarah attended Appalachian State University for her undergraduate degree in Psychology and minored in Studio Art. After earning her undergraduate degree, Sarah decided to stay at App State for the Psychology, Psychological Science MA program and has loved it so far!
She most enjoys being able to collaborate with multiple faculty and working in multiple labs across disciplines in psychology. Through these opportunities, she has learned that she is passionate about research in neuroscience, and Sarah intends to continue researching across disciplines after graduating.
A song on the soundtrack of Sarah's graduate school experience would be "When Everything Was New" by Flume. Sarah's favorite travel destination is Letchworth State Park in upstate New York. Her favorite free time activity or hobby is going for drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway and photography/painting/anything creative.
Grad Student Profile:
Taylor Ward
My name is Taylor Ward, and I'm in my second year of the Psychological Science program! I received my undergraduate degree in psychology here at App, so I've lived here for 5 years now, but I am from Ocean Isle Beach, NC. I'm interested in environmental and collective action psychology, specifically in the context of climate change.
After I graduate in May, my goal is to work abroad for a year or two, either in the Peace Corps out in the Pacific or in a fellowship position in Asia. Following that, I aim to get a PhD in collective climate action psychology, studying what drives people to get involved in the fight for climate justice and social change.
Last month, I was able to co-present at APA in Washington DC, involved in a critical conversation discussing my own research on place attachment, climate emotions, and collective climate action tendencies in young adults. I am proud of and especially grateful for the opportunity.
Favorite spot on campus:
I love Durham Park, especially when it's sunny. It's a lovely spot to lie in the grass and read a book, or hang an eno and enjoy the sounds of the creek.
Favorite travel destination:
Last summer, my best friend and I backpacked Southeast and East Asia. Lantau Island in Hong Kong stuck with me—we stayed in a quiet local neighborhood with a lush natural landscape and a waterfall nearby, hidden in the woods. I'd like to go back and spend a little more time there and in the city.
Favorite hobby:
I love to be outside in any capacity: hanging by a creek, going to the river for a swim, going for a hike, camping, or snowboarding in the winter.
Grad Student Profile:
Sean Owens
Sean Owens is a MBA student with a concentration in AI Management. He moved to Boone from Hawaii after finishing some time in the Army. Sean is the MBA Student Senator, Executive Impact Club Event Coordinator, and is on Boone's Cultural Resource Advisory Board for City Council.
Sean chose App State because he loves the community, and he wanted to learn about business in an area dedicated to sustainability and community engagement. He's found that App State not only talks about these things, but actually works to make them happen, and you can see that throughout Boone. Sean loves how small many of his classes are and how invested the professors are in making the courses relevant, both to modern business and to life outside of work. The AI concentration specifically seems focused on working with the latest tools, and the professors seem to truly care about their work and students.
After graduation, he's looking to work as either a consultant or program manager, working on AI integration and sustainability initiatives. Sean really wants to work towards global good and hopes to end up at an international organization dedicated to making a difference. Outside of school, Sean and his wife love to travel. He's been to about two dozen countries. If he's stuck at home, he loves volunteering, working out, or being lazy and playing DND with some friends!
Sean's advice to new graduate students: "Make sure to get involved. Grad school is definitely fast paced and a lot of work, but if you're in Boone, take advantage of it! I regularly attend Boone Sunrise Rotary, High Country Young Professionals, and a few other local organizations and have made some great friends."
Grad Student Profile:
Hermès Henry
Hermès Henry is a Computer Science student concentrating in Data Science & Visual Computing. He was mostly raised in Pittsboro (Chapel Hill area), but he was originally born in France, where he lived until 2008. Hermès is very grateful to have been a part of the accelerated admissions program (formerly 4+1) to get into graduate school.
He originally came to App State in 2021, following his sister up to the snowy mountains. His favorite part of his program has been meeting all the members of his cohort and program as a whole. Every person he's met has a different passion and unique interest in Computer Science, often introducing Hermès to new aspects of the field.
Outside of classes, Hermès is primarily involved in GSGA, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Corps. With the GSGA, Hermès is the Parliamentarian, which he has found especially rewarding; he really enjoys being a part of the executive board and being surrounded by like-minded peers, even from different fields and disciplines. More importantly, and especially with the CAS Corps, Hermès loves feeling like his voice is heard. Both of these organizations give him the opportunity to speak up and push for change, while also being much more involved in his community and getting to know people who make decisions that impact him.
After graduating, he hopes to pursue his Ph.D. in Computer Science. Regardless of whether or not that works out, Hermès plans to move into more research-based full time positions. His degree concentration is Data Science & Visual Computing, and he is always fascinated by finding patterns in data and being able to find different ways to visualize data in a way that makes patterns clear.
Hermès's favorite travel destination is always going to be France, no matter how many times he's been there. He loves visiting his family since he finds it so challenging to keep in touch with them virtually. His family is from all over France, so every region means something different to him, and he can't pick a favorite; but they all share one thing in common: great food!
Grad Student Profile:
Rob Phillips
Rob Phillips, PE, SE, is an MBA candidate in Appalachian State University's Interdisciplinary MBA program. Rob is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he works for Bennett and Pless Structural Engineers as a department manager and owner. Rob's educational path began with a two-year business degree from Truett McConnell College, followed by a civil/structural engineering degree from Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU). As his career progressed, he became a business owner, and he realized he wanted a deeper, more formal foundation for making strategic business decisions beyond experience and intuition alone. He chose Appalachian State for several reasons: the flexibility of the online program, his long-standing appreciation for the university, its affordability, and the consistently strong reviews he read from other students. App State stood out as a place that balanced academic rigor with real-world applicability.
Rob enjoys the interaction with professors and classmates in his program. As an undergraduate, Rob felt he wasn't as focused as he should have been. After years in the workforce, he now brings a stronger work ethic, maturity, and clarity of purpose to his studies. He especially enjoys seeing how the material directly applies to real business situations he deals with today. The ability to immediately use what he's learning to improve both his role and the firm itself have been incredibly rewarding. As an owner, he is constantly thinking about how to make the company better with strategic growth, long-term stability, scalability, employee retention, marketing, accounting, finance, and ownership transition. Instead of relying solely on gut instinct, Rob can now support ideas with solid doctrine, data, forecasting, and strategy, helping guide the firm's growth in a more deliberate and sustainable way.
Outside of work and school, Rob enjoys traveling, reading, and golfing. He originally took up golf for business development, but now it's something he genuinely loves for both business and fun.
Rob's advice to new graduate students: "Graduate programs bring together people from many walks of life and at different career stages; learn from them. Read constantly. Fully commit to your classes to get the most value from them, and don't overload yourself to the point where you can't give each course the attention it deserves. One mindset that's served me well is treating each professor like a client. Success isn't about what you want, it's about understanding expectations and delivering accordingly. Finally, never assume a topic won't apply to you. Every class has something valuable to offer if you stay open and engaged."