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Outstanding Owls

at Kennesaw State University

By Kennesaw State University

February 6^th, 2026

This Black History Month, Kennesaw State University will turn the spotlight on outstanding students poised to write new chapters of history on campus and beyond. Throughout February, we’ll be adding new Owls to this space, who are making outstanding contributions to their communities.

Tsunami LaRonde

When Tsunami LaRonde was born, his father knew the youngster would take the world by storm. Consequentially, the young man was named for a powerful force of nature.

Much like his namesake, LaRonde has made his presence felt. At Kennesaw State, where he is dual majoring in public relations and theater and performance studies, he has built a résumé full of activities and achievements across numerous student groups, all in service of being a role model.

“My mission is to be the person that I wish I had growing up, and to mentor people not only in academics, professionalism, and modeling, but in life,” LaRonde said. “Sometimes it’s just giving them wisdom and knowledge and providing a listening ear and guidance. It's a privilege, truly.”

A man sits in a dressing room. He wears a black jacket over an unbuttoned cream shirt, brown pants, and beaded necklaces and bracelets. The mirror is surrounded by exposed lightbulbs.

Along with is achievements as a scholar and actor, he has:

• Helped his classmates create a public relations campaign for a gala for special needs kids;

• Served as a Vista intern for the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity;

• Participated in a physique competition, which led to him participating in extreme modeling, which focuses on instilling confidence in how participants dress, move, and carry themselves;

• And acted in four productions through KSU’s Department of Theater and Performance Studies, most recently the Fall 2025 production of “Blood Wedding.”

A young man in a theater hallway gestures expressively. He wears a jacket, dress shirt, pants, and necklaces. A rolling rack with stage lights is to his left, and a brick wall is to his right. Ladders lean against the rack. Text on the ladder reads

A Black man with dreadlocks sits in a dressing room, wearing a leather jacket and beaded necklace. The room has a long vanity with lighted mirrors. Black and white.

A young man with dreadlocks sits at a makeup table in a dressing room. He wears a black jacket, tan shirt, and beaded necklaces. Warm lighting.

A young man with dreadlocks leans against a brick wall in black and white. He wears a leather jacket over an unbuttoned shirt, with necklaces and bracelets. His eyes are closed, and he raises a fist. Stage equipment is visible.

Before he arrived at KSU from Evans, Georgia, he planned on majoring in civil engineering, but realized he wanted to work more directly with people and shifted his focus to public relations. Theater and performance studies entered the picture later, an arena in which to apply the principles of extreme modeling. All the while, he served as a passionate and visible leader in KSU’s student community, pausing at how many times each day he is recognized on campus but enjoying the role nonetheless.

“It is important to have individuals who can relate to you. Not only on a psychological level, such as understanding your aspirations and goals, but also individuals who share your lived experiences and identity,” he said. “This is especially significant when you are part of any community, as it fosters connection across a range of topics and experiences.”

In May, he’ll earn his two degrees and hopes to pursue theater in some form, whether as an educator, director, or actor. In his final semester at KSU he has realized how the wide-ranging education he has received will propel him through life.

A person with dreadlocks stands in a theater. They wear a white shirt, black jacket, and beaded necklace. Blue stage lights illuminate the scene.

“I love how everyone in the theater department has so many facets to them,” he said. “And the education I’ve received has taken in a lot of areas as well. My experience truly appealed to my versatile nature.”

A young man with dreadlocks sits at a makeup table in a dressing room. He wears a black blazer, light shirt, beaded necklace, and bracelets. A rack of clothes stands behind him. The lighting is warm.

In a dressing room, a makeup artist applies makeup to a performer. The performer sits at a vanity with bright lights, wearing a black blazer. The makeup artist stands, focused on applying makeup with a brush. A rack of costumes is visible.

An actor in a dressing room looks in a mirror while holding a makeup mirror. The actor has dark hair and wears a black jacket. The dressing room has a yellow glow from the lights around the mirror.

A man with dreadlocks sits in a dressing room. He wears a necklace, shirt, and jacket. The room has a makeup table with lights and a mirror. Red lighting.

Baron Hopson

The Kennesaw State University linebacker and civil engineering graduate has built a reputation defined by discipline, leadership, and academic achievement. He credits his upbringing with developing him into the man he is today.

Originally from Albany, Georgia, Hopson often saw classmates return home to difficult situations, but said his parents kept him focused, involved in impactful organizations. and surrounded by positive influences. Through organizations like Jack and Jill of America, he learned about Black history, leadership, and community responsibility. “There’s a lot going on nowadays, but I’m proud of the history and what my family and I have been able to accomplish coming out of Albany.”

Split portrait of Baron Hopson. Half is a smiling student in a black jacket, the other half is in a football uniform with helmet, against a yellow background.

Football entered Hopson’s life at 4 years old. By the time he finished his playing days at Lee County High School, he had become a highly recruited athlete with more than 30 scholarship offers. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted recruiting dynamics and altered his initial path, leading him to Jackson State University, where he played under NFL Hall of Fame enshrinee Deion Sanders.

“Being in an environment with so many Black mentors and leaders around campus, that meant a lot to me,” Hopson said. “There was so much greatness in that locker room.”

After Sanders’ departure, Hopson transferred to Kennesaw State, as the program prepared to transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The move brought him closer to home and allowed him to grow academically and athletically. Initially starting as a business major, he pivoted to civil engineering in KSU’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

“I knew I could be working harder,” Hopson said. “Civil engineering is so broad. You can work on buildings, roads, and bridges. It gives you options.”

Balancing engineering coursework with Division I football demanded structure and sacrifice. Early mornings at the football facility were followed by classes on the Marietta Campus and evening meetings.

A student in a black and gold shirt examines a water turbine in a lab. The turbine has a clear casing, revealing a red impeller. Gauges and tubes connect to the turbine.

Football player grins, holding up four fingers with gloved hands. He wears a

“It was overwhelming at times,” Hopson said. “But knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, it’ll all be worth it.”

His athletic breakthrough came after adversity. A torn labrum in 2024 forced him into surgery and rehabilitation, but under new head coach Jerry Mack, Hopson responded with a dominant season highlighted by 139 tackles, first team all-Conference USA honors, being named third team Group of 5 All-American by Hero Sports, and CUSA Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors,

“My first mindset is leadership, being a calming force for my team,” Hopson said. “Technically I’m an undersized linebacker, but I go in there with a different mentality. It requires a lot of grit and a lot of determination.”

Football player in black helmet and Kennesaw State jersey, number 94, crouches on the field, ready for the play. The team colors are black, gold, and white.

Mack says Hopson’s impact reaches far beyond statistics.

“From a standpoint of him as a person and his character, he is one of the leaders of our football team,” Mack said. “Baron has certain characteristics and traits that regardless of whatever is his destiny, whether it’s playing in the National Football League or corporate America or as an entrepreneur, he’s going to be successful in whatever endeavor he dives into.”

Hopson plans to continue building both sides of his future by pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering at KSU, while preparing for his last season with the Owls.

Man onstage holds a microphone with arm raised, smiling. Behind him are the American and South Carolina flags, plus signs with sayings.

“For me, it’s about legacy,” Hopson said. “I really care about the impact I leave on places. I want my name to be remembered around Kennesaw for a long time.When people think of a Black leader, I want them to think of me.”

The Owls football team runs onto the green field wearing black and gold uniforms with white helmets. A marching band in uniform stands in the background.

Arielle Charles

Arielle Charles didn’t plan to major in mechatronics engineering when she arrived at Kennesaw State University. In fact, she had barely heard of it. But three days into her first week as a freshman, a robotic dog she encountered at a research showcase changed everything.

“When I saw that robot dog dancing down the hallway, I was fascinated,” Charles said, laughing. “I didn’t even know what mechatronics was at the time, but I knew I wanted to learn how those systems worked. I switched my major that same day.”

Now a junior, majoring in mechatronics engineering at the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology and an honors student in the Keeping Sights Upward Journey Honors College, Charles is applying artificial intelligence and robotics to solve real-world challenges. She is helping to design technology that can help farmers monitor crop health and reduce food loss.

Smiling student stands in a classroom with a robot sitting on a table. The student wears a brown leather jacket. A laptop and robot parts are on the table.

Working alongside faculty mentor Muhammad Hassan Tanveer, assistant professor in the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, Charles is using multispectral cameras integrated with robotic systems to identify early signs of crop stress. Mounted on a drone, the multispectral camera surveys farmland from above, capturing data that reveals problems like dehydration, nutrient deficiencies and even pest infestations, long before those issues are visible to the human eye.

“There’s a window where a plant still looks fine to us,” Charles said. “It can still be green, but internally it’s already stressed. By the time you can see it, it’s often too late to save it.”

A smiling student works on a laptop at a desk, flanked by robots. One robot is black with large wheels, the other is white and orange and wears a shirt that says

When the camera detects a problem, it communicates with a robot on the ground that can alert farmers and even perform targeted tasks such as watering dry areas.

“When people hear about AI or robots, they sometimes think it’s about replacing human labor or in this case replacing farmers,” she said. “That’s not the goal. The goal is to help farmers. Crops are lost every year simply because farmers can’t monitor everything at once.”

While similar systems are already used by large agricultural operations, their high cost often puts them out of reach for small and mid-size farmers. Charles’ work focuses on developing a more affordable and accessible alternative.

A young woman stands in a lab controlling two robots. She smiles, holding a remote. In front of her, a four-legged robot stands on a green square. Behind, a larger wheeled robot has a robotic arm. The lab is filled with equipment.

Her mentor Hassan Tanveer says Charles’ consistent dedication and hard work makes her a welcome addition to his lab.

“Over the past three years, she has contributed to research publications and played a key role in projects involving robot-dog based search and rescue and agricultural exploration,” Tanveer said. “She is an intelligent, motivated student, and it has been a pleasure mentoring her.”

Originally from Haiti, Charles came to the United States about four years ago to complete high school after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her education back home. At KSU, she participated in the First-Year Scholars, Sophomore Scholars, and Junior Scholars programs and has presented her research at university symposiums each semester since her freshman year. She also interns with Vanderlande, a global logistics automation company.

A young woman with crossed arms stands in a lab. A robot wearing a

For Charles, being a Black woman in STEM carries both pride and responsibility.

“Sometimes you don’t see yourself reflected in the room,” she said. “But I’ve learned to trust my voice and know that I belong here because I earned it.”

Charles hopes her journey will inspire other young Black women like her who may feel intimidated to enter STEM spaces.

“If my story can remind even one young Black woman that her curiosity, intelligence, and ambition are enough, then it’s worth sharing,” she said. “Representation isn’t just about visibility; it’s about permission to dream bigger.”

A young woman sits at a laptop in a robotics lab, smiling. She wears a brown leather jacket. An orange and white robot sits on the desk.

Young woman in a brown leather jacket examines a white robotic owl in a lab. She smiles slightly, with a bright, focused expression.

A young woman smiles, holding a small humanoid robot in her lap in a robotics lab. The robot wears a shirt with

Person types code on laptop, surrounded by robotics equipment. An orange and white humanoid robot sits to the left of the screen. A small wheeled robot and controller are on the right. The laptop screen displays green code.

Anaya Tention

When Anaya Tention talks about data, she speaks with the same curiosity and intention that guides her work. A senior majoring in data science and analytics in the College of Computing and Software Engineering, Tention has spent her final year at Kennesaw State University researching an area most fans only notice after the fact. Her work examines how NBA players recover from injuries and what data can reveal before problems escalate.

“I didn’t really have a background in current sports, but I thought it would be fun and a big learning curve,” she said. “I was discovering the story as I went along, and that’s what kept me interested.”

A native of Marietta and a graduate of Marietta High School, Tention completed the research as part of her senior capstone project. Working alongside two classmates, she studied whether changes in a player’s workload after returning from injury could help identify a higher risk of re-injury.

Portrait of a young Black woman in a dark blue blazer and white shirt, smiling slightly. She has long, straight black hair and light skin. The background is plain white.

Using data pulled directly from the NBA’s official database, Tention analyzed game history, box scores, and injury reports before cleaning and formatting the information for analysis. The project relied on three performance metrics, with Tention focusing on net player rating, which measures how a team performs when a player is on the court compared to when they are off.

“It’s a very noisy metric,” she said. “It depends a lot on team lineups and context, so it wasn’t the strongest predictor. But it was still a giant step in the right direction.”

One of the most striking discoveries was how differently players responded after returning from injury.

“I had some players where their performance was constantly below average, and others who came back and just kept improving,” Tention said.

A Black woman coach observes basketball players practicing in a gym. She holds a tablet and pen, looking thoughtfully at the players shooting hoops.

Using predictive models and trend tracking tools, the research team explored whether performance dips could serve as early warning signals. Tention emphasized that the goal was not to keep athletes off the court, but to support smarter workload management and rehabilitation decisions.

“If we can get ahead and adjust workloads or rehab plans much sooner, it takes into consideration the health of the player,” she said. “Something that looks small can actually go much deeper.”

Tention presented her findings at KSU’s Analytics Day, where she earned first place for the second consecutive year. Although she admitted feeling anxious at first, the experience quickly became affirming.

“At first it feels like you’re being judged,” she said. “But once you realize people are actually interested, it turns into telling the story of your work.”

Mentored by principal lecturer Michael Frankel and associate professor Austin Brown, Tention found inspiration in seeing how passion and expertise can intersect across disciplines.

“When you have a passion for something, you can apply your skills to that field,” she said.

Beyond the classroom, Tention completed a data science internship with The Home Depot and accepted a full-time position with the company following graduation in May. She will join the organization this spring as a data science analyst.

During Black History Month, Tention’s story reflects a legacy of curiosity, resilience, and forward progress. By using data to ask better questions and prioritize athlete health, she is helping shape a future where analytics serve people as much as performance.

And for Tention, the work is just beginning.

A woman holds a tablet in a gymnasium, while basketball players practice behind her. The woman wears a white t-shirt and black pants. The players jump for a basketball near the hoop.

Footnotes

Stories by Christin Senior, Raynard Churchwell, and Dave Shelles | Photos by Darnell Willburn Jr and Katherine Seghers | Page Design by Matthew O'Neill

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FootNotes

Stories by Christin Senior, Raynard Churchwell, and Dave Shelles | Photos by Darnell Willburn Jr and Katherine Seghers | Page Design by Matthew O'Neill