Samantha Wicks
Degree: Bachelor of science in health sciences, bachelor of arts in Spanish and a minor in psychology
Honored Faculty: Scott Conger, assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology
Coming to Boise State from Anchorage, Alaska, Wicks competed as a member of the Boise State swimming and diving team for four years and was a team captain for her final season. During three of those years, she represented Boise State at the NCAA championship meet. Wicks received All-Mountain West honors for each semester she participated, is a three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and was named the 2016 Mountain West Swimmer of the Year. In addition, she is a three-time Scholastic All-American and was named to the 2016 Academic All-American Third Team. She finished her swimming career at the 2016 Olympic Trials. Wicks now works with the Boise State swimming team as a volunteer.
Wicks spent the fall 2016 semester studying in Costa Rica where she advanced her fluency in Spanish. The time spent living in Costa Rica has influenced her plans for the future. Wicks is currently in a program off-campus to become a certified Spanish medical interpreter so she can work with Spanish-speaking people.
Océane Pelloille
Degree: Bachelor of science in political science and minors in nonprofit management and American Sign Language
Honored Faculty: Nicole Bird, head coach of women’s golf
An international student from France, Pelloille came to Boise State after receiving a four-year scholarship to play on the golf team. An All-American athlete, she currently serves as part of the leadership team for the Student Athlete Association Committee (SAAC). As part of SAAC, she led the community event committee with the goal of engaging fellow athletes in community service. She also co-led the creation of a personal development program for children in Title I schools.
Pelloille participated in the Boise State Student Involvement and Leadership Center’s Partnership Jamaica, serving on a team of students who built and reconstructed parts of schools in Jamaica. She has also volunteered with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and has interned at Make-A-Wish Idaho. From that experience, she created the “Wish Makers on Campus” club to increase awareness about Make-A-Wish Idaho on campus by organizing fundraising events. She currently serves as president.
Pelloille is fluent in three languages: English, French and American Sign Language with intermediate fluency in Spanish.
Jennifer Domanowski
Degree: Bachelor of science in materials science and engineering with a certificate in elementary Korean
Honored Faculty: Harold Ackler, clinical associate professor, Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering
Domanowski, from Arlington, Washington, came to Boise State to compete on the swimming and diving team. She has served as national corresponding secretary for the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, is president of the Boise State chapter and was recently recognized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and Aviation Week as part of the 20 Twenties, an award that honors 20 STEM students across the globe as the top leaders in the aerospace industry.
Domanowski began a relationship with NASA in 2014, holding internships at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in the Failure Analysis and Metallurgy Branch and the NASA Glenn Research Center in the Materials and Structures Division. The next year she became a Pathways Intern at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Materials Engineering Branch. She will continue to work at NASA in a full-time position post-graduation.
