August Duhawk Dozen
Jeanie Kasper (’19)
Biomedical Engineering
Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland
Jeanie Kasper (’19) approaches everything with an open mindset. Whether it’s joining clubs, pursuing her education, or advancing in her career, she views each endeavor as an opportunity for personal growth and positive impact. “Ultimately, I chose organizations and groups [at Loras] that allowed me to engage with the community, learn new things, or enhance my skill set.” This forward-thinking approach has earned her the title of our August Duhawk Dozen recipient!
Jeanie’s willingness to embrace new experiences at Loras College led her to connect with faculty and staff members who would leave a lasting imprint on her career journey. Notably, Dr. Kristen Thompson and Dr. Danial Neebel (’83) introduced her to the field of Biomedical Engineering. Jeanie’s active involvement also taught her the art of time management and prioritization as she worked diligently towards her goals of earning a NASA scholarship, graduating from Loras at the top of the class, launching her career, and pursuing further education.
Even when faced with heavy workloads, Jeanie managed to uphold her vital relationships, ensuring that personal connections remained a cornerstone of her life. “There’s always going to be a time where your manager asks you to stay late or you bring a project home to work on into the night. But, you have to look at your priorities and decide ‘is this something I need to do right now, or is it more important to have dinner with my family, spend time with friends, or make that phone call to a family member in another state?’”
Jeanie attributes her success in education and career to the strong relationships and open communication she shared with her Loras professors. “Loras was entirely the reason I was able to go to graduate school. The professors stepped up to the plate and supported my passion of pursuing Biomedical Engineering by helping me get the pre-requisites needed for grad school, even if it meant leading a class solely for me.” With this support, Jeanie graduated with her master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020 and landed a job with Abbott in their Operations Professional Development Program.
Recently, she has been moving around the world with her husband, Jason, for her roles as a Dairy Procurement Analyst for nutrition products in Ohio, Quality Engineer for COVID-19 tests in Illinois, Production Supervisor for a pacemaker component in South Carolina, and is currently serving in her last rotation as a Business Excellence Specialist for blood testing equipment in Ireland.
Aside from her everyday job, she works to bring women in STEM together across the company with various events to raise awareness and inspire future generations to pursue a career in the STEM field. She also can add ‘contributing author’ to her resume with Abbott’s children’s book, “What Does STEM Look Like?”, a story loosely inspired by her experience working at Loras’ Heitkamp Planetarium.
Hear more from Jeanie as she talks to Young Alumni Advisory Board Communications Chair, Anna Johnson (’18), by listening to this month’s podcast.
