Newman University Alumni

Abderrahman “Abdu” Khamsi (right) moved to Wichita from El Paso, Texas, to complete the Newman Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program. He said his nursing background inspired him to pursue nurse anesthesia and expand his ability to care for patients.

“I felt like it was a good match for me,” Khamsi said. “I get to expand on my critical thinking skills and the interventions I can do for my patients. With this degree, I can have a bigger impact on my patients’ care. I also don’t have to work overtime … and can spend more time with my family.”

Khamsi credited the close-knit support system within Newman’s program for his success.

“Newman has been great. The staff, very supportive,” he said. “With the small class size, you develop very close relationships with your peers, professors and staff. It just makes you feel that you’re appreciated and you’re supported.”

Congrats, Abdu!

Read the full DNAP story: https://news.newmanu.edu/18-dnap-graduates/

Personal journey inspires epilepsy research ⚛️

As a biology major with a pre-med concentration, Shelby Bussman said her own childhood experience with epilepsy inspired both her career path and her Scholars Day project.

“I had epilepsy when I was a kid, and I eventually got surgery in 2017 when I was 13 years old,” Bussman said. “I was resistant against anti-epileptic medications. … If I didn’t get this surgery, I wasn’t going to live much further.”

Bussman, who hails from Derby, Kansas, presented research titled “Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy and Glycolytic Enzymopathy: Ketogenic Diet-Mediated Improvements in Seizure Recovery Dynamics Using Drosophila Melanogaster.”

Her presentation explored treatment options for refractory epilepsy — a form of epilepsy resistant to medication — and examined the potential benefits of ketogenic diets for patients.

Bussman said she hoped people left her presentation with a broader understanding of epilepsy.

“There isn’t just one kind of epilepsy,” she said. “Every case is different. Their symptoms, their triggers, the way we treat them … it’s all different.”

After graduating and taking a gap year, Bussman plans to pursue medical school and specialize in neurology.

Congrats, Shelby!

Find the full Scholars Day story: https://news.newmanu.edu/90-projects-scholars-day/

For many graduates, commencement marked the culmination of years of perseverance, growth and learning more about who they were becoming.

Sergio Morales-Diaz, a business management and marketing major, said graduation carried special significance as a first-generation college student. After taking a semester away from school and questioning whether college was the right path for him, Morales-Diaz credited his parents with encouraging him to continue.

“My parents told me, ‘No, keep going. Push yourself. You’re already there,’” Morales-Diaz said. “They came here and started working to provide a better future for us. They helped me financially, mentally, even spiritually to keep my faith.”

Now, Morales-Diaz hopes his journey will inspire his younger siblings to pursue their own goals with confidence.

“I’m hoping that I can show them that there’s a way,” he said. “Maybe it might take a while, but as long as you put your goals and God first, you’ll get there.”

Congrats, Sergio!

Read the full Commencement story: https://news.newmanu.edu/2026-commencement/