2014 Rising Star Award Recipient

Northwest Florida State College chose Ian as its 2014 nominee for the Rising Star Award. The Rising Star award is presented to a Florida college alumnus who has begun the process of significant achievement while having demonstrated success because of the impact of his or her college experience.

The former Hurlburt Field airman began attending NWF State College after he separated from the Air Force in 2006. Having previously received a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University, he saw the college’s Educator Preparation Institute to be “an excellent and fast option for those with a prior bachelor’s degree to pursue Florida teacher certification.” “I also felt the cost of the program was very reasonable and the campus was convenient,” he continued. As a former Air Force officer, he found the staff at the Veterans Affairs Office to be very helpful and accommodating, as was Mrs. Penny Cox, Coordinator, Educational Assessment and Grants. About Mrs. Cox, Ian commented, “Mrs. Cox was a great asset during my time at NWF State College; she was very helpful guiding me through the process of applying to the school and supporting me after I began classes.”

After his completion of the EPI, Ian attended the Boston University School of Medicine and interned at the Mayo Clinic’s Biochemical and Molecular Genetics Laboratories. He also worked as a Genetic Counselor at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School Center for Genetics and Genomics where he was awarded the Partners in Excellence award for outstanding patient treatment and service. After four years in the Boston area, Ian moved back to Washington and established a genetics clinic serving prenatal, pediatric, adult and cancer patients in a rural area that previously lacked genetic services.

In addition to his clinical work, he is also is a firm believer in giving back to his community. He is the founder and leader for a new Regional Support Group for the Huntington Disease Society of America, supporting families from two states; serves as a mentor for an at-risk student in a local middle school; and was selected to develop and teach a new Medical Genetics graduate course for Washington State University.

Ian and his wife, Jaclynn, are the parents of two daughters, Anabelle and Charlotte and make their home in Pullman, WA.

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