Rising Career Star: First-Generation College Scholar Alexis Lupus Named USU ArtSci Valedictorian Utah State University sites use cookies. By continuing to use this site you accept our privacy and cookie policy Skip to content Business & Society Full Size First-generation college student Alexis Lupus, who earned a bachelor's degree in public health, industrial hygiene emphasis, is the first valedictorian of USU’s College of Arts and Sciences. (Photo credit: USU/M. Muffoletto) Close First-generation college student Alexis Lupus began her studies at Utah State University as the school, and the rest of the world, had recently emerged from pandemic shutdown. As a graduating senior and valedictorian for the College of Arts and Sciences , she looks forward to USU’s spring commencement ceremonies. “This will be my first, actual graduation ceremony,” says Lupus, whose 2020 graduation from Utah’s Pleasant Grove High School was, understandably, without the traditional pomp and circumstance. “USU’s 2026 ceremony will be fun and exciting for me and my family,” she says. Lupus graduates with a bachelor’s degree in public health industrial hygiene emphasis , and a new position waiting for her in Soda Springs, Idaho. “I’ll be an industrial hygienist with Bayer’s phosphate processing plant,” she says. “I’m excited to start a career with people I met during an internship at the plant this past summer.” Lupus worked alongside a longtime, retiring industrial hygienist, who, she says, “treated me as an equal and a teammate.” “It was a valuable experience, as I got to know many aspects of the industry and participated in leadership, as well as technical, decisions,” she says. “My mentor told me, ‘I have experience and expertise, but you have insights and knowledge I don’t because you’re currently in school.” At USU, Lupus has been active in USU’s industrial hygiene program, as well as activities at state and national levels with the American Industrial Hygiene Association “USU has one of only four ABET-accredited undergraduate IH programs in the nation,” she says. “We also host a student chapter of the AIHA.” In spring 2025, Lupus was awarded an unprecedented three national American Industrial Hygiene Foundation scholarships and was invited to accept the awards in person at AIHA’s annual meeting in Kansas City. “It was awesome meeting so many people — including people my age — in the industrial hygiene field,” she says. “As a student, you wonder what life beyond graduation will be like, and the meeting was a glimpse into so many industries and professional experiences.” Contacts made at the meeting came in handy, as Lupus, who served as president of USU’s AIHA Chapter this past year, was able to invite professionals to the group’s regular “Lunch-and-Learn” campus gatherings. “We held eight or nine of these gatherings, where our students were able to talk with industrial hygienists working in all kinds of settings,” she says. “These events were very valuable for, and popular with, our students. They’re also opportunities for our students to learn about upcoming internships.” Lupus says USU’s AIHA chapter is a tight-knit, supportive group. “We study together, motivate each other and look out for each other,” she says. “I know that I’ll stay in touch with a lot of my classmates, who will be my peers as we progress in our respective careers. I’ll be able to seek out their expertise in their specialties and collaborate with them.” Lupus also has high praise for her faculty mentors. “Scott Bernhardt, John Flores and Carl Farley are excellent professors and incredible mentors,” she says. “They really want their students to succeed and bring us into the professional IH network with industry field trips and campus visits with professional speakers. They open doors to internships, professional contacts and outside opportunities in an exciting and rewarding career field that isn’t well known.” Her mentors’ admiration is mutual. “Alexis is a natural-born leader and an incredible advocate for the public health-industrial hygiene program at USU,” says Bernhardt, professional practice professor and director of USU’s undergraduate public health program in the Department of Biology , who will serve as Lupus’ faculty escort at commencement. “So many students turn to her for advice and direction. Her example has helped so many prospective students understand the educational value and career opportunities upon graduation. She will go far as an occupational safety and health professional.” Flores, principal lecturer and IH internship coordinator, concurs. “Alexis goes out of her way to help new students feel welcome and help them get involved with the student IH club,” he says. “She also organizes frequent study groups, which help her fellow Aggies feel included and helps them tremendously academically.” In additional to national scholarships, Lupus received USU scholarships, including the Undergraduate Oscar Wood Cooley Scholarship, the Arlington Scientific Aggie Family Scholarship, the Weston R. and Jolayne Innes Scholarship and the Paulette J. Campbell Organ Scholarship. The latter scholarship let Lupus gain a new musical skill before completing her undergraduate career. “I haven’t had much time to pursue piano during the past few years, so it was wonderful to tap into USU’s arts, play the piano again and learn to play the organ,” she says. “I’m grateful to alumna and donor Paulette Campbell who provides this unique support, which includes coverage of practice fees and organ shoes, to USU’s organ students.” It’s a skill Lupus will carry to her new community in Soda Springs, where her husband and fellow USU graduate Jackson Stewart (BS’25, Soil Science) has also landed employment. “Soda Springs is beautiful and a community of people with good hearts,” she says. “We look forward to making it our new home.” WRITER Mary-Ann Muffoletto Communications Specialist College of Arts & Sciences 435-797-3517 maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu CONTACT Alexis Lupus Valedictorian College of Arts and Sciences alexisplupus@gmail.com TOPICS Student Success 387 stories Hands-on Learning 310 stories Industry 12 stories SHARE Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page. 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