Yasamin Osqueezadeh Named Scholar of the Year
For her three years as an undergraduate in the USU English Department, Yasamin Osqueezadeh, the 2025-26 Scholar of the Year, did not sit still. Between working as a Research Assistant Intern at the USU Archives, presenting at national conferences like the Sigma Tau Delta Convention and the National Council on Undergraduate Research, and participating in multiple research projects on Black history, Yasamin was committed to being deeply engaged in her academic work and to going above and beyond.
One of her favorite experiences was working in the USU archives, where she gathered, processed, and analyzed cowboy poetry, pictures, and research. She explains, “This internship gave me so much archival experience and helped shape my future goals.”
Now, Yasamin is pursuing an MA in English Literature at the University of Oregon and exploring the many different career avenues open for her.
“USU prepared me for graduate school through the university’s heavy emphasis on research and through the Honors Program Excel Courses, which allowed me to take graduate-level courses during my undergraduate years,” Yasamin reflects. “By pushing me to develop graduate-level skills, USU prepared me for my official entry into graduate-level work.”
Aside from her scholarly activities, Yasamin enjoyed studying at USU because of the faculty’s focus on supporting students and their success.
“The faculty, specifically in the English Department, is incredibly student-oriented, giving me the opportunity to present at multiple conferences, go on research trips, develop exhibits and essays, and connect me to industry workers,” she says. “USU taught me what a student-oriented department looks like, and I will take that with me into graduate school.”
Yasamin’s biggest piece of advice for current and future students is to reach out to professors, who want to help students succeed and connect them with research and internship opportunities. She comments, “They are always willing to help in any way that they can.”