WCU HONORS COLLEGE MAGAZINE 2017
WORD FROM THE DEAN WRITERS/DESIGNERS
FRONT ROW:
ABIGAIL FOX, CHLOE DEROSA, HANNAH COTHREN, ZOE CAVES, ASHTON CANNON, BRIANNE REIDEL, NATHANIEL EVANS,
TODD CHARLES, ALISON KABRICH, SAVANNAH CAMPER
BACK ROW:
PAMELA DUNCAN, WILL HUDDLESTON, SEAN ANDERSON, ETHAN LEATHERMAN, TODD CHARLES, BEN HUFFMAN,
TRYSTAN HECK, DAKOTA TAYLOR, JILL GRANGER
One of my great pleasures this year has been working with so many of our wonderful Honors
College students on projects and events to which they bring a tremendous amount of energy and
enthusiasm. Along those lines, Imagine magazine is a window into Western Carolina’s culture and
spirit from the students’ perspective. If you are familiar with Imagine, then you know what I’m
talking about - and have probably jumped already right into the heart of this year’s edition! But if
you’re new to Imagine, we welcome you into the Catamount family with this introduction to our
home in the mountains, our community-minded mission, and our talented students and faculty.
I hope that you will enjoy reading this 2017 edition of Imagine magazine as much as we have
enjoyed putting it together for you. Once again, I am blown away with the work of our first-year
Honors students in telling the story of Western Carolina University. It has been a pleasure working
with Associate Professor of English, Pamela Duncan, who has done an amazing job at guiding these
excellent students through the process of creating the content for the magazine. Pam also leads
WCU’s spring literary festival, which brings nationally and internationally recognized writers to
campus each year. She has a passion and dedication to enriching the academic experience for our
students and we are truly grateful for her collaboration this year. I feel very lucky as well that we
were able to continue working with our excellent design students. Savannah Camper and Todd
Charles were both veterans on Imagine from last year and have brought their experience and
expertise to the fore with this new edition. Further, they have mentored a new designer on the
team this year, first-year Honors College student, Alison Kabrich. This year’s magazine has also
benefitted from the expertise of Will Huddleston, the Visual Arts Specialist in the WCU’s Marketing
Department who has brought his wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the project. Will brings
his experience working with the university magazine, Western Carolina magazine.
Imagine magazine is not only a literary portal, providing insight and information to members
of our community and new friends, but it also is one of the many ways in which The Honors
College helps to develop an academically rich Western Carolina University, engaging students with
real-world, hands-on experiential learning. We hope that Imagine will help you to stay connected
with us, in The Honors College, and with WCU more broadly. If you are an alumnus or friend, we
hope that Imagine will connect you with your university and today’s students.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Jill Nelson Granger
Dean, The Honors College
April 1, 2017
2 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 3
08
16 20 22
34
14
28
13
24 26
Whee Were Strangers Four Days Ago
By Chloe DeRosa & Brie Reidel
Making the World a Better
Place For Animals
By Ashton Cannon
Nantahala Guide
By Allie Pratt
Whee Vote
By Lydia Shelley
Brexit to Trump
Ben Huffman
It’s a Job
By Trystan Heck
Through The Eyes of an RA
By Maribeth Dockery
Beating The Odds
Sean Anderson
Celebrating Culture
By Hannah Cothren
Culture Shock
By Nathaniel Evans
Beautifully and Wonderfully Made
Kristin Toler
Table of Contents
18
10 Ricardo Nazario-Colon
By Zoe Caves
4 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 5
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6 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 7
WHEE WERE
STRANGERS
FOUR DAYS AGO
CHLOE DEROSA & BRIE REIDEL
A week before fall semester starts
at Western Carolina University, a
freshman girl sits at a table filled with
strangers. Her shyness overcomes her
as the rest of the table chats excitedly,
exchanging names. As her fellow
campers continue to talk, counselors
are introduced, and dinner is served,
and she can’t help but become more
excited and engaged, especially when
the topic of the shaving cream party
comes up. The girl is welcomed into
the open arms of the WCU community
as upperclassmen goof off and make
fast friends with the newcomers.
This is Cat Camp, a summer camp-like
transition program for incoming
WCU freshmen. One of the many
goals of Cat Camp is to allow people
to learn more about themselves and
how they work with others, and to
encourage them to take leadership
roles. Before campers, counselors,
and administrators are taken to
Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat
Rock, NC to spend four days and three
nights together, campers are placed
in small groups, each headed by two
upperclassmen counselors. According
to Leslie Cavin, Assistant Director
of Leadership in the Department of
Campus Activities , the purpose of
the smaller groups, also known as
“Litters,” is to build community by
creating “mini-families” within the
Camp. There is much secrecy as to
what the week of Camp would entail.
This secrecy is due in part to the
advisors wanting to keep Cat Camp
a surprise for every year of incoming
freshman and also because of how
personal some of the activities are.
“I was confused and it was also
nerve-wracking because I was going
into something that I didn’t know
much about, but it was also fun to be
surprised with everything that was
happening around me,” said freshman
Maddie Denoncour.
During the week, campers and
counselors participated in activities
which require physical, emotional,
and mental involvement as a way
to give campers a chance to express
themselves in a new way. On a typical
day, counselors wake the campers
and gather with their Litters, walk up
a steep hill to breakfast, finish, walk
down to the gym, and participate
in both large group and small
group team-building exercises and
games. During small group time, the
individual Litters bond over sharing
personal experiences and engaging in
activities that hone in on leadership
and trust skills, such as flipping a
bed sheet without any of the team
members falling off. The large group
times are designed for expanding
friendships and connections
while also continuing to focus on
leadership.
“It felt empowering to step in on
a hard question and have people
follow and step forward. It was a brief
leadership role, but it showed me that
I had the power to influence others
in a positive way, and make them
feel comfortable stepping forward,”
Denoncour said of one of the surprise
activities.
Cat Camp was originally designed
for students to come together in an
off-campus environment. Students
choose to attend Cat Camp for many
reasons. Meeting new people before
school starts, trying to crawl out of
shells of shyness, and, as Brooke
Bell, a freshman who attended Cat
Camp this past summer, explained,
even being heavily persuaded
by parents are all reasons that
incoming freshman choose to apply
and participate in Cat Camp; “I was
forced to [attend Cat Camp]. My
mom said it would help me branch
out and find friends for college. And
it did. My best friend, well one of
them, which led me to my other
best friend.” Unfortunately, not all
incoming freshman can attend Cat
Camp. With a cap, this year, of around
125 students, Cat Camp has limited
space and is on a first-come, first
serve application basis with a $285
fee.
Cat Campers are encouraged to share
with a group of strangers information
about themselves that they would
not normally share. This may seem
intimidating but the environment of
Cat Camp is created and intended
to be inviting and open-minded
without fear of judgment. It provides
opportunities for Cat Campers to
learn who they are as people. With
cozy cabins, lush greenery, comforting
front porches, and a plethora of
campers and counselors alike hanging
in hammocks together, the feelings of
unity and belonging permeate the air.
“I was shy before I came to Cat Camp
and while I was there, I learned that I
wanted to be the person people came
to and be the person people could
confide in. The thing that baffles me
is that I did not try to be this person;
it just happened,” said Denoncour.
Leslie Cavin stated that the biggest
comment she gets is that people
who were campers at Cat Camp
got a chance to “be who they really
want to be and shed the baggage
they had.” Cat Camp focuses on each
person as an individual and how a
welcoming environment can influence
the interaction between campers
and counselors.
On top of individual group time and
planned activities, Cat Camp allows
free time in which campers can
bond with others outside of their
groups, find common ground, and
play games together. Staff, counselors,
and campers become one large family
at Cat Camp, which is one of the many
things in which Western Carolina
prides itself.
Finally, as camp draws to a close,
people stand in the field, armed with
shaving cream cans and excitement,
campers, counselors, and advisors
alike are all waiting for the sign to
begin the final big event: the shaving
cream party. As soon as the word
“GO!” is exclaimed, the war has begun.
Laughter, yells, and arms are all flying
in the air as friends, once strangers,
slather one another in white, fluffy,
eye-stinging shaving cream. This final
moment of laughter, friendship, and
community at Cat Camp does not
stay at Bonclarken, it is carried with
the campers, counselors, and staff
throughout the rest of their time at
WCU and beyond.
8 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 9
10 IMAGINE MAGAZINE
Ricardo
Nazario-Colon
He moves from behind his desk to sit
at a table with me, his profile stark
against a white board filled with black
and green ink outlining his ideas. As
the new director of the Office of Equal
Opportunities and Diversity Programs
at Western Carolina University,
his thoughts range from LGBTQ+
problems to issues and opportunities
of race to programs for gender and
identity. He kept many of the plans
he hopes will soon be implemented
off the record, so as not to raise hopes
or undermine others, but it is clear
by looking around and speaking to
him that Ricardo has big plans for the
university.
He was hired into a position largely
without parameters at the beginning
of the 2016 school year. He chose
WCU, he says, because the faculty
and staff of the university were clearly
open to embracing change. “After the
interview,” he says, “I walked away
with a sincere sense that people
wanted to make a difference here.” He
was excited to work with like-minded
people who recognized that diversity
and inclusion were ongoing issues on
campus. This desire for change may
have been set in motion by racially
charged sentiments exhibited on
campus at the end of the 2016 spring
semester. It could have also been
urged by America’s changing feelings
surrounding wider acceptance,
peace, and collaboration in society.
If society is evolving, community
leaders seem to believe that the
campus should be able to create a
welcoming environment for all kinds
of students, faculty, and staff from
many different walks of life.
Before being hired at WCU, Ricardo
worked for Morehead University in
the same general field of diversity
and equal opportunities on campus
for students, staff, and faculty. He
has a B.A. from the University of
Kentucky in Latin American Studies
and Spanish Literature, and an M.S.
from Pace University in Secondary
Education with an emphasis in
Spanish. From 1984 to 1992, he served
in the Marine Corps.
When asked what he has been hired
to do at Western, Ricardo laughs
and motions to the board. It has
lists and question-marked ideas of
how to overcome them. His job,
he says, is to start discussions in
order to implement change. He
considers one of the largest and most
important parts of his job to “develop
a variety of programs that promote
and encourage conversations around
diversity,” as well as to serve as a role
model for students. He wants to be
asked questions. He wants to be a
mentor. To be asked what he does, he
says, is a step in making sure people
are acknowledging the problems.
These problems include a lack of
significant racial diversity on campus,
a certain ignorance of the Native
American cultures and customs that
surround us, and a lack of programs
and events for LGBTQ+ youth. He also
has the desire to immerse students in
a safe and welcoming environment. He
wants diversity and inclusion to be an
integral part of the university’s values
and goals. His concerns center around
those with all kinds of different values,
beliefs, races, sexual orientations,
genders, and backgrounds. If you have
concerns about yourself or others, be
assured that Ricardo does too.
He would like to see diversity more
included in the heart of the school’s
values. Creating programs for students
who fit different molds, through which
they can become involved in campus
activities, is an important part of
a functioning college community.
Ideally, he would like more education
surrounding his field, so that students
can enter their careers with experience
Zoe Caves
in diversity, acceptance, and different
cultures. A history of immersion,
inclusion, and education about the
issues is what he would like to look
for in faculty and staff hires, as well.
Some don’t believe that diversity is as
important as Ricardo does, a fact that
he admits. But as long as there are
those still questioning the way things
are and the way things are done, he
will be there to help.
“I think at the end of the day, at
the heart of the work that I do….
How can I help, not only our students,
but our faculty and staff become the
best human beings they can?”
Ricardo urges students to talk with
him about diversity. Give him your
ideas, and converse with him about
your concerns, and he will be happy
to listen. He is an open, talkative
man with hopes and plans that
carry so much excitement it warms
everyone around him. Diversity, he
says, is something we can talk about
in a positive way. It’s not taboo; it’s
needed.
“Have the hard conversations,”
Ricardo says. Take control, and
implement change.
THE HONORS COLLEGE 11
12 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 13
Matthew McDonough (right in
photo) didn’t know much about the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s
Exceptional Research Opportunities
Program until he learned that a couple
of his Western Carolina University
instructors nominated him to
participate.
So the junior from Asheville applied
and was surprised to be chosen
to participate in the program that
provides summer research experiences
in HHMI scientists’ laboratories across
the country to undergraduate students
from disadvantaged backgrounds
and groups underrepresented in the
sciences.
“To be selected is quite an honor,”
said McDonough, a biology major with
concentration in molecular biology
and a minor in chemistry.
According to biology instructor Maria
Gainey, McDonough was an excellent
student, but one of her quieter ones
while taking the “Phage Hunters”
class last year. But once the lessons
shifted toward genomics last spring,
Gainey noticed that McDonough really
excelled. “He mastered (the tools we
had) very quickly and kind of took off
with the little bit of introduction of
everything we gave him. I could tell
he was enjoying that,” Gainey said.
Jamie Wallen, assistant professor of
biochemistry, noticed it as well. Wallen
taught the class along with Gainey and
adjunct biology professor Megan
Eckhardt. The class is funded by the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
as part of its program SEA-Phages,
or Science Education Alliance –
Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics
Evolutionary and Science.
Wallen and Gainey were in agreement
when it came to nominating someone
for EXROP. It’s the second year in
a row a WCU student was chosen.
Last year, now-senior Alma Plaza-
Rodriguez spent the summer doing
research at St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital in Memphis.
“It’s exciting for us,” Gainey said.
“The more experiences like this that
(the students) can have, especially
early on, I think the success just kind
of builds. For Alma, it opened up a lot
of doors. She’s getting academically
recruited by some schools for
graduate school, which is great. If
Matthew continues to be interested
in that path, I would expect the same
thing for him. When they do start
graduate school, they’re going to be
a leg up on the competition.”
McDonough said it was around the
eighth grade that he realized science
was the path he wanted to take. While
he doesn’t have a specific area he
wants to focus on, McDonough said
working in the lab with bacteria and
viruses “is really fascinating to me.”
While applying, McDonough was
given a list of HHMI participating
scientists along with their current
projects. He chose the five projects he
is most interested in working on this
summer and is waiting to see where
he will be placed.
“Doing research of this type is what
I want to do for the rest of my life,”
McDonough said. “I’m just kind of
getting more into it, and working
one-on-one with a prominent scientist
is what I hope to get out of (this
experience).”
To have a second student chosen for
EXROP in the two years WCU has
been involved with SEA-Phages shows
that the university is on HHMI’s radar,
Wallen said.
“We’ve got a great relationship with
a lot of faculty that are part of the
HHMI SEA-Phages program,” Wallen
said. “This is only strengthening that,
sending quality students their way. I
think it’s a great impact to build this
relationship that we have with HHMI
right now. We want to run the SEA-Phages
program for years. We want
to keep sending Western students
that way.”
McDonough will spend 10 weeks of
full-time research with his assigned
scientist. In addition to conducting
research, he will attend two meetings
at HHMI’s headquarters in Chevy
Chase, Maryland, to present his
research in a poster session.
retiring, stopping their work to live
their lives, enjoy the time they still
have, and generally just be a happy
pet. To continue working after a
decade of service would be cruel,
though there are more logical reasons
for this decision. After so many years
a dog may be getting slower, less
responsive, and more importantly,
less happy. Many people retire their
service animals when the dogs start to
lose that spark that kept them excited
to work every day. When a service
animal retires, it can have several
options, but not always. Sometimes
the program that provided the animal
requires them to be given back, but
often the service animal can stay
with their partner. In the event of
the former, the service animal is
sent to a new home, sometimes even
back to the one who raised them as
a puppy in the beginning of their
career. Scotty is most likely not going
to be sent back however, as he does
his job with an impressive amount
of control. He does his job well and
with dedication, happy with his
charge and happy with his life.
Scotty wakes up every morning
prepared for work, helping one specific
person around the campus of Western
Carolina University. He stays by his
charge’s side in order to guide her
where she needs to go, as his charge
has lost her ability to see. Every day
he does this, and every day he comes
home satisfied with helping another in
the world. Scotty will keep this job for
a great deal of his life, but he would
never think of changing unless he was
not doing a good enough job, as he is
the textbook definition of loyal. He
is a fellow with a mission, and he
refuses to quit unless it is absolutely
necessary. He will continue to wake
up and go out happy, tail wagging
all the while.
Scotty is a service dog currently
living with Crystal Plemmons, a full
time student of Western Carolina
University who is currently working
for her English literature bachelor’s
degree, and also spends time teaching
other students as a writing tutor. She
is married with a son, and she will be
teaching English 101 next year. After
she graduates in 2018 she wants to
work at a community college. Crystal
met Scotty in May of 2015, when he was
only a puppy of nineteen months, and
with only several weeks of training.
Crystal described the role of both
beings involved as a partnership,
one where both have to contribute or
else nothing will come from the work
they do. Crystal still needs to know
the location of her destination,
directing Scotty with clear directions.
Without proper instruction Scotty
cannot do his job, which is why both
animal and human go through the
training together.
Most people have difficulty
recognizing that service animals are
not pets. They are not supposed
to get any attention from others,
no petting or fawning. This is why
service animals often wear a vest
instructing passers-by not to touch
or pet the dog. They have a job to do,
and interrupting that job is just like
interrupting anyone who is busy; it
is rude and irresponsible. It is akin
to stopping a nurse or doctor from
taking care of their patient. The life
of a service animal is one of duty,
protecting and guiding their master
wherever they are needed. Of course,
it’s not a lifelong job. Most service
animals work for a decade before
it’s a
job
TRYSTAN HECK
WCU Lands Second Consecutive
Howard Hughes Award Winner
Marlon Morgan
Celebrating
Culture Hannah Cothren
THE HONORS COLLEGE 15
When most think of research they
contrive visions of lab coats, beakers
and flasks, or Petri dishes. If this is
the benchmark for research, then
junior English major Alli Rios and
English professor Dr. Paul Worley’s
process was in stark contrast to
this idea.
Culture is not quantifiable; it does
not exist within numbers and figures
calling for an atypical type of study:
living research. Rios conducted
this “living research” through the
Summer Undergraduate Research
Program with the Honors College of
WCU. “In the beginning,” Rios said
“it was a lot of reading and learning
about Maya culture and Mexican
history.” Within six months she
travelled to Mexico, the birthplace
of Maya culture.
Rios became involved with “The
Language of Weaving” project after
Dr. Worley emailed her seeking a
research assistant. “The opportunity
seemed to0 incredible to pass up!”
Rios says
The word “Maya” conjures images
of lofty stone temples and cryptic
calendars in luscious Mexico
three thousand miles away from
Cullowhee. However, here in Western
North Carolina there is a population
of Maya brought here in escape of
persecution and with promises
of work. The premise behind Dr.
Worley’s research was to bring
awareness and appreciation to this
unique culture that exists in the area
through several exhibits throughout
Western North Carolina.
To do this the pair travelled to Maya
populations in Morganton, NC to
speak with community elders and as
many individuals as possible. It was
crucial to ensure the involvement of
the indigenous peoples: after all, the
exhibits featured their work.
The tradition of handwoven Maya
textiles is centuries old and teeming
with generations of history and
heritage. “Textiles have been created
in the same manner they have been
created since before the Americas
were colonized” Rios muses. The
lexicon of the textiles challenges
western concepts of language; each
pattern holds meaning like each word
of the English language and like the
English language these woven words
are dynamic. Over thousands of years,
some have kept the same connotations
and some have evolved to carry new
meanings. Even today, new patterns
are being created by contemporary
Maya. Women spend months and
months weaving these intricate fabrics
into huipiles, conventional blouse-like
garments worn by the women. Each
are unique to the pueblos or towns.
“You can walk down the street of
Mexico and tell by a woman’s blouse
what town they come from.” Despite
the complex and varied embroidery of
the fabric there is a common thread
woven into each garment-the Popol
Vuh, their unifying, sacred text.
Following North Carolina the pair
travelled to Mexico to meet the people
they had been reading about and to
speak with the women who created the
textiles. They also held the intention to
purchase their weavings to showcase
in the exhibits. “I’m not even sure how
to describe the experience, the women
were so nice,” Rios says, speaking of
their experience. They travelled to
several pueblos meeting women in
churches and one-roomed houses.
One of Rios’ favorite memories was
drinking coffee and having lunch with
Maya women gathered around a table
outside of their home.
In the end this project is about
recognizing and celebrating a culture.
“We really wanted to make sure that
people realized these indigenous
people are important, and it’s not
something that’s an entire country
away” Rios said. It was also about
personal growth for Alli. “I’m much
more interested in what’s going on in
the world,” she said “I’m more willing
to step out of my comfort zone and
learn more about it.”
16 IMAGINE MAGAZINE
Making the World
a Better Place
for Animals
Ashton Cannon
For most of her life, senior Elissa Nelson
had two passions: riding and training
horses, and pursuing a career as a
veterinarian. But when a riding accident
temporary paralyzed her a few years
ago, Nelson realized she had a choice to
make. As much as she loved riding, she
couldn’t risk ending up in a wheelchair
and losing her dream of practicing large
animal veterinary medicine. She made the
tough decision to give up riding for the
sake of her future career. However, she
didn’t give up horses completely. Nelson
currently serves as president of WCU’s
Equestrian Club.
Her love of horses also led to her greatest
adventure so far, a summer volunteering in
Nicaragua and Thailand with World Vets
International Aid for Animals. World Vets
International Veterinary Medicine (IVM)
Program held in Granada, Nicaragua,
is a surgical and veterinary training
program for veterinary, pre-veterinary,
and technician students who want to gain
clinical and practical veterinary experience.
In Nicaragua, Nelson worked with many
other veterinarians whose mission was to
improve the health of work horses used
by indigenous people. Nelson’s favorite
memory of Nicaragua involves teaching a
local farmer how to use a hoof pick for the
first time. When she realized her Spanish
was not as good as she’d thought, she
got creative and showed him with some
makeshift sign
language. “That’s
when I realized,”
she said, “what
I want to do as
a vet is educate.
It is possible to
do even when
you cannot
understand one
another.”
From Nicaragua,
Nelson traveled
to an elephant
reserve in Chiang
Mai, Thailand
for a one-week
elephant medicine and conservation
project. The elephants have been rescued
from a variety of situations including
logging operations, elephant-riding camps,
and inhumane working conditions. “Many
of the elephants were worked nearly to
death, had their young taken from them,
were injured by land mines, or were brutally
trained to be used for human entertainment
using a form of torture called Phajaan
(crushing),” Nelson said. Euthanasia of
injured animals is not practiced in Thailand
because of religious beliefs, which meant
there were
plenty of
patients for
Nelson to
help. One
case that
stuck with
h er was
an elderly
female
elephant
that had
walked over
a landmine
and had a big
portion of
her foot blown off.“After being in Thailand
for a while and interacting with these gentle
giants at Elephant Nature Park, I have
learned just how much we have to learn as
humans. Despite the physical and emotional
pain these animals have endured at the
hands of humans, they forgive.”
Nelson’s love for animals is clear; she
even confessed that often she would greet
a person’s pet before acknowledging its
owner. And while putting her serving
hands into gear helping animals, she got
to experience the cultures of two unique
corners of the earth and discovered a new
passion for travel. “I love North Carolina,”
she said. “I would never live anywhere
else, but there is so much out there. I
swear, I was born with wanderlust.”
Between coursework as a Biology and
Chemistry double major, leadership of
the Equestrian Club, and responsibilities
as president of the Honors College Board
of Directors, Nelson finds very little time
for one of her favorite activities, hanging
out in her ENO in Lake Glenville, enjoying
the lake and mountains. Her ENO may get
dusty after she graduates in Spring 2017,
though, because in the fall she plans to
start veterinary school, where she’ll be
one step closer to achieving her dream of
becoming a large animal vet and making
the world a better place for animals.
]
“Despite the physical
and emotional pain
these animals have
endured at the
hands of humans,
they forgive.”
-Elissa Nelson
THE HONORS COLLEGE 17
Whee
Vote
Junior year is an incredibly busy time
for any college student, but transfer
student and social work major Joanna Wood-son
is taking on a lot more than just her
academic responsibilities. Woodson heads
up Western Carolina’s Student Democracy
Coalition, not a position to be taken lightly,
especially during 2016’s heated election sea-son.
“Organizing volunteers to try and push
students to vote, to have conversations about
why the vote matters, that has been very
stressful,” she says. “Planning events and get-ting
marketing designed and placed has also
been very time consuming, but in the end it
is all exciting and it is so worth it.” That kind
of positivity is characteristic of Woodson.
Her humility is also amazing considering
LYDIA SHELLEY
what she has achieved for the voters on
Western’s campus. Woodson has worked
with the Andrew Goodman Foundation (a
program that helps college students get
involved in the political process) and was
even recognized as one of the foundation’s
six Hidden Heroes of 2016 for her leader-ship.
She was also selected for a Community
Impact award by North Carolina Campus
Compact for her efforts registering students
to vote in the primaries this March, which
raised the percentage of voter turnout on
Western’s campus higher than that of the
state population. That’s no mean feat, and
Woodson- who describes herself as “high en-ergy”
and unwilling to take no for an answer-isn’t
stopping there.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INVOLVED IN POLITICS?
I have been politically active since high school, but justice was always more of an
abstract idea for me. However, while I was out of school I got sick and experienced
what the United States healthcare system looks like from the inside. I visited three
different hospitals while sick and my experience traumatized me. I realized just how
dysfunctional the U.S. is because of how little we care about our sick. Everything I do
now, including my passion for getting students to understand why their vote and voice
is so important, is driven by the desire to be some part of change within the system.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THE STUDENT DEMOCRACY COALITION?
The Andrew Goodman Foundation came to campus in January of this year, and
I happened to hear about the internship. We named our whole team the Student
Democracy Coalition. I am the team leader, which just means I try and keep everyone
motivated, energized, and organized, but we couldn’t have worked better together.
IS IT DIFFICULT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS?
We generally get a lot of push back from students who do not believe their vote counts or their
voice matters, and that hurts. I want to take everything I have learned through this process and
give it to them on a flash drive, but of course that is impossible. The best we can do is encourage
students to have a conversation with us, and hope for the best. Since we are a nonpartisan
group, it has been easier to avoid the animosity of the two major campaigns this year.
WHY DO YOU BELIEVE VOTING IS IMPORTANT?
I have been given the opportunity to have one on one conversations with civil rights giants,
such as Clarence Jones, Martin Luther King Jr.’s attorney and confidant. I have also met a
diverse array of students who are still affected by the same struggles that people have been
facing for the past decades. The more I learn, the more I realize that we are still so very close
to the 1960s—yes, a lot has changed, but I think not as much as we would like to believe.
People died for the vote; people also spend hundreds of millions of dollars to sway our vote,
so with those two things in mind, I think it’s worth noting how valuable our voices are.
DO YOU SEE PROGRESS AMONG STUDENT VOTERS AT WESTERN?
More than anything I think people are encouraged to voice their opinions more, and
hopefully challenge themselves. Everywhere I go I hear conversations taking place, sometimes
students are in agreement of what should happen post-election, and sometimes they are
arguing about whether voting is necessary. Regardless, I think conversation is healthy.
HOW JOANNA WOODSON AND THE STUDENT
DEMOCRACY COALITION ARE CHANGING
THE WAY WESTERN STUDENTS TAKE PART
IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS
L.S.
J.W.
L.S.
J.W.
L.S.
J.W.
L.S.
J.W.
L.S.
J.W.
18 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 19 * * * * *
You step out of the car on move-in
day, take the piles of things out of
your trunk and backseat, gather them
all together in a cart, and get your
room key. Walking through the hall,
someone wearing a name tag stops
you to hand you the massive bag of
clothes you didn’t notice you dropped.
That person is your Resident Assistant
(RA). They help guide you through
college, answer questions you may
have, and are there for you when you
need advice. They may seem like they
have simple jobs, but what does being
an RA really entail?
Adam Lytle, an RA in Balsam,
is a sophomore here at WCU. As
an accounting major and English
minor, he tends to have a lot of
homework. He says that he has “a
moderately demanding job” with
a lot of residents to get to know
and help. Adam also has a lot to do
with the Honors College. His weekly
schedule is packed. His days usually
go from about seven a.m. to midnight,
depending on how much homework
he has to do and if he was on duty.
One of his responsibilities as an RA
is being in the RA office between 8
p.m. and midnight on certain days
throughout the week. He says he
has little free time and that naps are
highly valuable.
There are a few differences in being an
RA in the Honors College dorms and
the non-Honors College dorms. For
example, Adam has almost double the
number of residents as an RA in Scott
or Walker, the main freshman dorms.
RAs in these other dorms have around
twenty or twenty-five residents
while Adam has around fifty-six.
Just because Adam has double the
number of people to look after, it
doesn’t necessarily mean that he has
double the work. Adam’s residents
are not all freshmen. Of the fifty-six
students he looks after, only about
half are freshmen. These freshmen
seem to be very self-sufficient and
do not always need him other than
to ask a few minor questions. He has
only had a few small issues, like minor
roommate disagreements, come up
with residents that he needed to help
resolve, whereas RAs in other dorms
already had numerous disputes the
first week of classes.
Being an RA involves social life on a
large scale. RAs have to be social with
residents at certain points- during
SSI’s (student assessments) and
programs especially. Their jobs also
have an effect on their social lives
with their friends. He says that he has
become more social this year because
of his job. He thinks that being an RA
involves being social and friendly.
While RAs are not supposed to be
their residents’ best friends, but rather
mentors, Adam thinks that you can be
friendly with your residents while still
maintaining a level of professionalism.
He likes to make his residents feel
welcome and involved. He likes to
ask their opinions on programs he is
thinking about having so that he can
see what they think and how many
students might be interested in what
he is thinking of doing.
Through
the Eyes
of an RA
What makes Adam so special, though?
Adam takes the time to get to know
his residents. One student said, “Adam
is really friendly. He takes the time to
ask everyone he sees how their day has
been. I think he’s a lot more caring
than some RA’s. Some RA’s don’t even
bother looking at their residents when
they see them in the hall. Even when
they aren’t Adam’s residents, he still
makes the effort to make them feel
welcome on his halls.”
Adam’s advice to students who would
like to be RAs in the future is simple:
don’t wait until the last minute to do
your obligations, don’t limit yourself
to just your own residents, have
interesting names for programs you
are required to create, rely on other
RAs, and always have candy in your
room. Being an RA has its perks, but
it is also a job that takes commitment
and responsibility, so waiting until
the last minute to do things isn’t
always the best option. When you
are on duty, you see residents from all
over the building. They may ask you
questions, ask for help, or want to start
a friendly conversation. Sometimes it’s
just a quick, “Hey, how are you?”, and
sometimes it’s a little bit of a longer
conversation. As an RA, you should
try to make all residents feel like they
should be able to ask you for help or
advice when their RA is not available.
Something RAs have to do are
programs. They bring students
together and allow them to get to
know one another and make some
new friends. Sometimes the programs
are very boring, but marketing them
with an interesting name will get more
people to come. Being an RA is hard
to do alone, so having other RAs in
the building that you are friends with
can be helpful, especially when you
get swamped with homework and
need a night off from duty to finish it
all. The candy? Well, Adam really likes
gummies, as do his residents.
Being an RA is a culmination of a lot
of different aspects all rolled into
one. A lot of things change when you
become an RA. Though the job seems
demanding and sometimes daunting,
it is a job that Adam recommends to
other students who are willing to put
in the work to help other students.
“R.A.s are not supposed to be
their residents’ best friends,
but rather mentors [..]
He [adam] likes to make
his residents feel
welcome and involved.
20 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 21
MARIBETH DOCKERY
Pack your bags, grab a ride to the
airport, make your way through
customs, and sit down for a sixteen-hour
flight to the other side of the
world. Arriving at your destination,
take in the advertisements, which
you can barely read, and the people
all around you who don’t look the
same as you. Why? Because you
are a college exchange student
who has just arrived in a different
country, on another continent, with
a different language. If you can
imagine that, then you’re well on
your way to understanding the shock
that Japanese exchange students
experience in their first few days in
the United States.
This year at Western Carolina
University, we have ten exchange
students from all over Japan. These
students have made that long flight
to spend a semester or two learning
in Western’s relaxing and peaceful
atmosphere, free from the daily
distractions in the rushed life of
Japan.
Coming from Japan to America is
a huge change. Japanese Exchange
students Kanako Hata and Moe
Tamaki indicated that the only
resounding constant between
America and Japan is the technology.
Both countries rely greatly on
different devices to drive the daily
lifestyle, and use them in the same
way. But really, that’s where the
differences, and the Culture Shock,
begin.
In Japan, being modest and humble
are high orders of society. Greetings
require a courteous response, and
extra attachments to statements
and phrases are meant to show
respect to people who are at a
higher rank than you, or people you
don’t know. Adding “gozaimasu”
(go-za-e-mas) to the end of “thank
you,” or “good morning,” makes
the phrases polite. The Japanese
also don’t allow conversations to
end without expressing interest in
the subject, as it is seen as impolite.
Instead you add “I see,” or “is that
so,” to show that you understood
what the other person was saying, or
that you want to hear more. Going
from Japan to America can be such
a rude awakening because of this.
Here, conversations are cut short,
many greetings are a simple nod of
the head, and no one regards others
as their betters in most day to day
interactions, throwing politeness
and humility out the window more
often than not.
Food is also very different. In the
words of Kanako Hata: “American
food contains a lot of fat, and there
is a lot.” A Japanese diet consists
mostly of fish and rice, supplemented
by fruits and vegetables in very
small portions that are usually not
finished. An American diet is mostly
red meat, grains, and dairy in largely
over-sized portions. This leads the
Japanese to often be much healthier
than most, especially Americans.
That’s probably why they have the
saying, “A Japanese woman grows
neither old nor fat.”
The differences even extend into
school life. At home in Japan, Kanako
Hata’s daily commute to school is
almost two hours by train, while
every American is within driving
distance of the school they attend
(around thirty minutes), or living on
campus if they’re too far away. The
classrooms even work differently.
In Japan, class time consists of
sitting quietly in your seat, taking
notes while the teacher lectures.
The difference in America, which
both Kanako and Moe agreed on,
is that students are encouraged to
speak up in class with their thoughts
and opinions.
So why visit somewhere so different,
and how do you adjust to the shock
that comes with being immersed in
a new culture? That varies for each
person. For Kanako, it is holding
onto small habits, such as using
the traditional Japanese saying
“itadakimasu,” (e-ta-da-ki-mas
before eating, and “gochisoosama,”
after eating (go-chi-so-sah-ma)
which both mean “thank you for
the meal.” Moe, however, has more
easily adjusted to American culture,
and in attempting to adopt it, says
that she is trying to express her
opinion more often. On top of that,
she is also enjoying the food, saying,
“when I first came here, I didn’t
miss Japanese food because I really
like pizza and hamburgers.” It also
helps that both are really attempting
to understand how Americans do
things in the classroom so they
can use that to their advantage
when they return to Japan to teach
English to Elementary and Junior
High Japanese students.
Both Kanako and Moe have enjoyed
their time at Western, learning more
カルチャーショック
By Nathaniel Evans
about life here each day. Both said
they would recommend America, but
specifically Western, to their friends
looking to study abroad, as “people
are very kind to [them] here.”
Kanako even recommends it because
the quiet countryside provides a
relaxing area to study with little to
no distractions, and a lot of free time.
That is vastly different from her
average day in Japan which consists
of waking up at 5 AM for classes,
and working two jobs, leaving little
room for relaxation.
It’s one thing to move from one state
to the next, or across a country, but to
spend five months of your life in a new
continent, being constantly bombarded
by vastly differing social norms is
difficult. Perhaps the secret is to slow
down and adjust at your own pace, like
Kanako. Conversely, maybe it’s to get
out, make new friends, and experience
new things such as football, like Moe-which
she finds extremely enjoyable.
While it may be difficult coming to
a new place with new sensations to
experience, even when it’s hard just to
(Culture Shock)
read and speak, that pressure can ease
as a person changes to fit the area.
You can develop into a better person
with amazing skills to show off when
you return home from the changes you
undergo. Be like Kanako and Moe, and
don’t let a little Culture Shock deter you
from an amazing experience.
22 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 23
Standing above the daunting flush
of water known as Nantahala Falls,
watching the curl and crash of the
powerful Class III rapid, you know
for a fact this is the start of the
craziest thing you have ever done.
With a tightened jaw and a nervous
joke, you climb into the boat with
your guests. Your job is to act like
it’s nothing, to be so confident in
the few things that could go right
that your guests don’t have time to
worry about what could go wrong.
In the current sweeping you toward
a perfect splash, time begins to slow
and you brace for the impact of a
successful falls run.
This is how Nick Crocker, a junior
Parks and Recreation Management
major, spent the past two summers,
serving as a guide for Carolina
Outfitters on the Nantahala. The
internship with Carolina Outfitters
was an important step in his career
path because he earned course credit
and gained valuable experience and
on-the-job training. Crocker says he
also had a lot of fun taking “custies”
(customers) down the river and
meeting new people.
Nestled within the center of the
Nantahala National Forest is the
Nantahala River Gorge. Here in
the heart of the forest lives the
Nantahala River, a dam-controlled
river that hosts thousands of rafters
and kayakers every year from April
to October. The Nantahala River
descends from Nantahala Lake
through Duke Energy’s Nantahala
Power Plant. The water exiting
the plant from the bottom of the
250-foot-tall dam is a brisk 48 to
52 degrees year round. Running at
a standard of 650-700 CFS (cubic
feet of water per second), the river
is used by commercial outfitters and
private boaters for rafting, kayaking,
and fishing.
A normal day for Nick included
inflating and loading rafts as well as
taking boaters down the river. Since
there are usually more than ten
guides at the outpost daily, a rotation
list is created, giving rafting priority
to experienced guides with “trip
leader” status. When customers are
brought up to the raft barn they are
outfitted with a flotation device,
given a paddle, and prepped with a
safety speech before they are taken
to the commercial put-in. While
on the river Nick was in charge of
instructing guests and throwing in
bad jokes to distract from the brisk
water.
“I would recommend being a guide
to anyone who wants to have a good
time and meet new people,” said Nick
as he spoke of how beneficial being a
guide has been to his undergraduate
experience at Western.
BY ALLIE PRATT
Marketing
Christmas
Connection
One bright, crisp, early morning a
child runs to the living room- way
too early for anyone else to be awake.
Filled with excitement and immense
joy, the child looks around and sees
all the presents under the tree. It is
Christmas morning. Normally this
child would not have very many
presents under the tree. The parents
would never be able to afford what
their child wished for. This family
is one of many who live in Jackson
County, North Carolina. In Jackson
County about 1 in 4 children fall
under the poverty line each year.
Christmas Connection is a non-profit
organization in Jackson County that
provides presents for children and
teenagers who fall under the poverty
line and whose parents cannot
afford gifts. This year, the Facebook
Generation Marketing class (MKT
195) is doing what they can to make a
difference in their community. They
are not only creating a Facebook page
for Christmas Connection but have
also worked really hard on creating a
website to help raise awareness.
Christmas Connection of Jackson
County is trying to raise $110,000
towards the purpose of spreading
the holiday joy. This group has been
around for 27 years and usually is
able to give $75 worth of presents
to each child in need. This could
include brand new clothes, toys,
books, shoes, and so much more.
They are a nonprofit and get all of
their help through donations and
volunteers. Before the MKT 195 class
got involved, there was no website
and a non-active Facebook page.
Without the help of this class, raising
the goal amount would have been
terribly hard to do. One of the heads
of Christmas Connection reached
out to the professor of the class, Dr.
Julie Johnson-Busbin
The MKT 195 class is hard at work
doing everything to get Christmas
Connections social media up and
running. “We want to be able to
give them a start and hand it off in
December so that they can use it”
says Dr. Johnson-Busbin. They are
doing just about everything that
involves the creation of a website and
social media pages. Certain people
are working on design, while others
work on the more internal website
work, and then additional work is
very specific, like what freshman,
Jordan Strickland does. She is
majoring in computer information
systems and is working specifically
on the donation page right now.
In this class, every little contribution
counts. When talking to the people
in this class, one can really tell how
much these students truly care
about what they are doing here. It
even inspires them to go out into the
world and help. Talking about the
experience, Strickland talks about
how much this class inspires her to
gain more experience to go out into
the world and help other businesses
in the future. Another student,
Hannah Noel says, “I’ve done other
volunteer work before, but nothing
to this extent. I knew it was going
to be a lot of work, but I realized
how important it was because they
can’t do it all by themselves.” This
class goes above and beyond when
working with this organization.
Creating the website and social
media pages are only a part of what
they do. They also have created and
run events like the Teddy Bear Toss
at a home basketball game as well as
a percentage night at Zaxby’s to raise
money and awareness to try and help
the organization as much as possible.
Christmas Connection is going to
raise the money that they need with
the help of Western Carolina’s MKT
195 class. Dr. Johnson-Busbin talks
about how marketing is an art that
is very hands on. She says that you
just have to see what works and
what doesn’t and then go from there.
Brainstorming and collaborating to
make everything look and run better
and this is truly what this class is
all about. Creating a website from
scratch and rebuilding social media
pages is what is really going to change
Christmas Connection in such a
great way. It is such an inspiration to
see a group of people so involved in
the community.
By Hailey Eidse
24 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 25
Uncertainty as the
New Normal
By: Ben Huffman
Brexit
to Trump:
With a flowery dress and loud,
clicking cowboy boots, there would
be no reason to suspect she was any
different than any other American.
That is of course until she starts
talking. Katie, an American Studies
major, is a foreign exchange student
from the University of Portsmouth,
in Great Britain. She came to America
at a time where uncertainty plagued
day-to-day life and the thought of a
new leader for the country was at
the forefront of Americans’ minds.
But for her, it was not much different
from how life had been right before
she left. The idea of uncertainty had
slowly become normal.
In June 2016, the United Kingdom
held a vote to determine whether
they should leave the European
Union (EU). “I felt we should have
remained in the EU,” Katie said.
“I was about to come to America. I
knew that, even if temporary, the
economic instability would not be
good for me when I was about to
transfer a large sum of money into
dollars.” With the market volatile,
Katie knew there were would be
some heavy repercussions to leaving
and it was the exchange rate between
the United States and the United
Kingdom that would take a large hit.
Ultimately, the United Kingdom
voted to leave the EU, a decision
that few had thought would actually
come. When she woke up the next
morning, the decision came as a
surprise to her. “I guess in some ways
it was personal,” Katie said. “It’s my
future on the line and currently the
EU was good for us so I was happy
to stay there for now.” With the final
vote at 52 percent wanting to leave
to the 48 percent to stay, Brexit had
become a reality.
Meanwhile, Katie had her eyes on
a spectacle just as large across the
pond. The United States Presidential
Election had become a world-wide
show, and as an American Studies
major, she was very intrigued by
what would happen with the United
States. “I was following it pretty
closely,” Katie said. “It didn’t really
pick up speed until I came out here,
but I was aware of everything.” With
her eye closely glued to the election
as she made her way over, she could
fully understand just how important
both votes were to their respective
countries. One could cause some
major damage to the economy, the
other, the history in the making.
As was the case for most Americans,
Katie wasn’t quite sure how she
felt about either of the candidates
at first glance. But she admits this
factor is in part due to how different
the American and British political
systems are, citing their opinions on
gun laws as an example. “Our [Great
Britain’s] political opinions sit very
much to the Democrat side of the
scale,” she admits. “We just don’t
think the same about the same sort
of issues.” One issue in particular she
talked about was the issue with guns.
The difference in the two systems
made it harder for her to wrap her
head around who she would support.
Another big difference Katie noticed
about the American system was the
low impact of third-party candidates.
“If people felt like voting for a third
party would count for anything,” she
said. “I think this place [the United
States] would go for an independent
candidate.” While America is
basically a two-party system, Britain
has many parties whose candidates
have a legitimate shot at winning
their elections. Katie argues that
the independent candidates should
be taken just as seriously, though
she understands that due to the
captivating nature of the major
parties, they are unable to get their
fair share.
Though she is unable to vote, Katie
admits it has been fun seeing how
the campus reacts to the election.
“All the chalk on the pavement
around here, especially in the lead
up to the election,” Katie said,
“it’s really interesting to see it’s
just everywhere.” The creativity of
the student body in voicing their
opinions piqued her interest and she
noted that in Portsmouth, most of
the voiced opinion is in graffiti and
you would get in trouble for it.
Being on two different sides of the
Atlantic for two important votes
was important for Katie, and not
something she could ever forget. In
a way, she says, the results of the
Brexit vote are like the presidential
election; both are major events that
present uncertainty about what the
future holds, which makes people
uncomfortable. Still, Katie feels like
she was a part of something special.
“I was on the receiving end of two
significant historical events here,”
she says laughing. “It’s something
I’m going to be able to tell my
grandchildren about one day.” In
the face of these historical events,
she advises people everywhere to
remain calm. “Whatever damage was
going to be done has been done,” she
insists. “We just have to persevere,
go forward with it, and make the best
of the situation.”
26 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 27
28 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 29
“We grew up really poor, and I had
seven younger siblings;” There wasn’t
money left over for anything more
than necessities, and with eleven
mouths to feed, the necessities really
stack up quick. Money came slow
and went fast; without persistence,
this might have been all freshman
William Towery could look forward to
in life. He pulled the odds a little more
in his favor by working several jobs
through high school with good grades.
Some weeks, three or four hours of
sleep per day was normal. Through
extraordinary efforts to support
himself and assistance through
scholarships and funds, William is
the first of his family to make it in to
college. He won’t let his opportunity
slip; he has his mind set on law school.
Before his arrival at Western this
fall Will Towery’s life was anything
but stable. He grew up in a mentally
and physically abusive environment
with a family plagued by struggles
with drug abuse, food insecurity, and
homelessness. On top of all that,
Will had issues with the formation
of his feet as he grew and endured
seven major corrective surgeries.
Consequently, he had to relearn how
to walk at three different points in his
life. Despite all of these disadvantages,
Will refused to be pulled from the
path to success. If anything, the added
difficulties only caused his passion to
burn brighter. He worked long hours,
studied hard, and followed through
on every opportunity available. Being
admitted to Western was only the first
step; he’s looking onward to law school
to secure a good future for himself
and his family.
The drive to succeed really ignited for
Will during high school in two classes
he never expected to like. He had
hated middle school Spanish, but in
high school, a better teacher helped
him discover that he possessed a
natural affinity for learning foreign
languages. Will excelled in every
Spanish class available to him at the
high school, then, during his senior
year, continued with informal private
lessons hosted by his teacher and
the school librarian during his lunch
hour. The discovery of a college-level
American Sign Language class
branched his foreign language studies
down another path. His expertise in
foreign language concepts allowed
easy pick-up on ASL concepts. His
interest in deaf culture stemmed
from his classes’ involvement in the
surrounding deaf community. His
fluency in two foreign languages
will increase his potential value
as a criminal attorney, and he may
also use these skills to find
employment related to foreign
language during law school.
Will never intended to take a
criminal justice class in high school,
either, but fate intervened. “I
actually got stuck,” he said, “with a
class that was a third back-up choice
on my schedule, and it was criminal
justice.” His teacher brought a
life of experience and passion in
criminal justice to the classroom,
which really inspired Will; he quickly
became infatuated with the nature
of law; it was organized, respectable,
defined-- the polar opposite of his
tumultuous early life. Using set
rules and precedents to make an
argument became a new passion for
Will, and he hasn’t considered a life
without law since. Will’s course
of study during his undergraduate
years will earn him majors in Spanish
and Criminal Justice (Pre-Law)
with minors in Emergency Disaster
Management and a pre-approved
Pre-Law program. In addition to
his busy academic schedule, he also
serves as president of the Residential
Hall Council for both Balsam and
Blue Ridge, does volunteer work for
WCU’s Center for Service Learning,
plans to study abroad in Argentina or
Spain to improve his Spanish, works
approximately twenty-four hours per
week at Panda Express and Burger
Studio as a food service worker, and
is considering a future position as
a Resident Assistant. This all keeps
him very busy, but it also allows him
to be very competitive in the race for
acceptance to a prestigious law school,
which could in turn land him a job or
internship with a well-known law firm
and jumpstart his career. To some,
this workload would be unbearable;
however, his method for coping is
simple: “Compartmentalize it; time
for work, time for school, time for
family, time for fun. Don’t worry, and
just focus on whatever you’re doing
at the time.”
Will has suffered an array of
disadvantages, but he has created for
himself a network of advantages that
allow him to soar well above the sea of
trouble that, ten years ago, everyone
assumed would drown his aspirations.
He proved that he has what it takes to
overcome enormous odds; now he just
needs to keep driving down this road
that he has chosen for himself. His
exit: successful tri-lingual attorney.
Beating the Odds Sean Anderson
30 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 31
Adriana Villarroel is part of a legacy that is
over 3,000 miles wide. She remembered
staring up at the giant clock tower when
she was five years old, and even now she
feels that she is only a little girl starting
on a grand adventure. The tower was a
gate to her past and her future, and she
knew it was part of her home. She would
constantly strive to uphold her legacy,
just as her father before her.
Lionel Villarroel’s passion for geology
was the reason he discovered WCU. He
graduated in 1986 from la Universidad
Tomas Frias, majoring in Geology,
working for an assortment of geology
companies afterwards. One geological
project introduced him to Jerry Miller,
a professor of Geology at WCU, and
quickly became lifelong friends. Miller
told Lionel about the geology program
at Western, and out of a drive to get
his masters in a geology degree, Lionel
and his family moved to Sylva, North
Carolina in 2003.
Adriana Villarroel is only the second Bolivian
to attend Western Carolina University. Her
father, Lionel Villarroel, who graduated in
2005, was the first in the legacy.
Adriana was only five years old at the
time of the move from Bolivia, and this
started her exposure to both Sylva, North
Carolina and La Paz, Bolivia. Being raised
in a completely different country does
make for a difficult case in adjusting to
life in America, but for Adriana, she had a
taste of both American and Latin culture
growing up. In a Latino family and a
Latin country, life was not exactly easy
for Adriana, especially having to move
back and forth from Sylva to La Paz
By Joseph Dakota Taylor
(about every two to three years). With
parents that pushed her to be the best
she can be, and with the extremely rigid
Bolivian school system, she was pushed
to do well and praised for what successes
she may have. However, the American
influence did even that out, with a less
strict school system, but her parents
continued to push her for success. With
this dual culture background, both
Spanish and English came easily to her,
and coupled with the pressure of living
up to her parents’ expectations and
having knowledge of both La Paz and
Sylva, college would tend to be easier for
her, rather than someone who coasts on
by school and has no drive to succeed.
Although the culture barrier was a
great challenge at first, Adriana quickly
became accustomed to life both in
America and Bolivia.
A 3,000-MILE LEGACY
FATHER
DAUGHTER:
LIKE
LIKE
Bolivian culture is very tight knit, with a lot of value being
placed onto family. The legacy that Lionel Villarroel started
proves this worth, and it means just as much for Adriana
to pass it down. What drives her for success in college is
not just the good work ethic instilled by her upbringing, but
the determination to provide a positive image of where she
is from. There are not a lot of Bolivians in Western North
Carolina, so Adriana feels it is her duty to uphold not only
her family name, but her culture as well, “I have to say it’s
definitely kind of an honor,”Adriana comments when asked
about her feelings on going to the same school as her father,
“Being the second one [Bolivian] to ever attend Western is
definitely something I didn’t expect. If anything, I would’ve
expected more people to come over the years.” This pride
is also evident in her parents as well, as they expect the
best from her, and this Legacy will be another way to prove
that the Villarroels are a hard-working, honorable family. In
doing so, not only does Adriana carry on her own legacy, but
she uses her legacy to build upon the legacies of her parents.
As a legacy student, Adriana Villarroel establishes the fact
that one can really find most walks of life in the college
experience. But will this legacy that started with her father
continue? “Of course, I’ll support them [her children]
wherever they wish to go, but if they could go to Western,
it’d be something I’d very much be proud of,” Adriana says,
getting emotional. While Adriana does want to continue
her proud heritage, she does state that she will support her
kids no matter what. So, this legacy could go on for another
generation, or could die out with her graduation in 2020.
Ever since Adriana was little, she has shown a proficiency
and love for both Math and Chemistry, so she strived to
find a career that implements these two skills. She plans to
follow her mother’s footsteps into the realm of pharmacy,
building yet another legacy into her family. She plans to
carry this role into Chapel Hill Pharmacy School, and then
build a business from the selling of pharmaceutical goods.
Whether the legacy may continue is a mystery, but rest
assured the world will be curious to see what impact another
Villarroel will make upon the campus of Western Carolina.
“Being the second
[Bolivian] to ever
attend Western is
definitely something
I didn’t expect.”
-Adriana Villarroel
It is just another ordinary day, you
come into work and start your shift
with a bit of a sigh knowing what
comes next, and as you go through
the motions you end up meeting an
age-old foe, the top shelf, and try
to get a box off it when suddenly
the box slips and falls on you.
This is what happened to Angelia
Leatherman, 50-year-old mother of
three and a nontraditional student at
Western Carolina University, almost
five years ago when she worked as
a CNA at Murphy Medical Center.
She ended up with a debilitating
injury that meant she could not lift
over fifteen pounds, a requirement
of her job, and she was fired. For
many people this may have meant
moving on to another service job,
but to Leatherman this was a wakeup
call, and she applied to school at
Tri-County Community College
to finally go for her dream job as a
child psychologist.
There were many obstacles when
she first started, including a lack
of confidence. “I did not think I
was very intelligent at the time,”
Leatherman said, “and was very
worried that I would not be able to
succeed in this environment.” With
the help of her professors at Tri-
County Leatherman learned that not
only was she intelligent, she could
thrive in an academic environment.
During her time at Tri-County she
was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa,
the National Technical Honor
Society, and the Tau Upsilon Alpha
National Organization for Human
Services Honor Society.
After Earning an associate’s degree
in 2014 at Tri-county she decided
to transfer her credits to Western
Carolina University, further her
education and began a two-year
journey in Western’s Psychology
and Sociology Departments. Her
prowess at social networking with
both the internet and face-to-face
encounters, she raised her profile
in the department which led to
her current position as the SNT
coordinator for The National Society
of Leadership and Success at in the
local chapter at the WCU. While it
may seem strange that a fifty-year-old
has become a master of social
networking, her philosophy is, “I
have found that people are people
and that age is not going to affect you
if you look at it positively and you try
to learn.” A perfect example of her
prowess in social networking can be
seen every time she walks around
campus. I have noted that people will
stop everything they are doing just to
talk to her, and this can last for about
thirty minutes or more depending
on if someone else recognizes her
and starts the cycle all over again.
But when it comes down to it, her
skills at social networking are a true
reflection of her skill and love of
sociology and psychology. From a
young age, she tried to understand
and help people, and has grown to
love children the most, with children
being the entire reason Angelia got
married.
When it comes to relationships there
are none more interesting than that
of her family, more specifically her
son. You see, her son is a freshman
at Western who is currently part
The Honors College and lives on
campus. The interesting part is their
relationship, with them having less
time to interact while attending the
same school no less, but they still
stay connected and will often go
for lunch or shopping just to stay in
contact. Of course, seeing a mother
and son interacting at a college level
is nothing new, but it is fascinating
how going to the same school has
made them more distant to one
another but still maintaining a bond
with weekly visits and outings. Of
course, her son is ultimately very
proud of his mother coming so
far after such a long climb in the
educational system, and she too is
proud of him for making it to college
and overcoming his past relationship
with his biological mother. And in the
end, that is all you can hope for, that
when you go away from home you
will still stay connected to those that
matter to you. And the name of her
son at Western is Ethan Leatherman,
a writer for Imagine magazine.
Angelia is someone who worked for
nearly twenty-five years because
she wanted to support her children
but since she could not she decided
to keep persevering and try to
achieve her dream. As of 2017 she
will officially be a graduate of WCU,
leading her one step closer to finally
achieving her dream of becoming a
child psychologist even though she
came into education long after she
was a child. “I am starting to see even
more non-traditional older students
on campus and that’s kind of exciting
because that adds more diversity, and
as far as diversity goes, if you don’t set
any boundaries for other people then
you have a bigger chance of learning
more about them.” Non-traditional
students are becoming increasingly
common as the older generations are
pushing to achieve their own dreams
as well, and with people like Angelia
Leatherman at the forefront the
future is looking ever brighter for all
generations of students.
Like Mother Like Son
By: Ethan Leatherman
“I have found that people
are people and that age is
not going to affect you if
you look at it positively
and you try to learn”
-Angelia Leatherman
32 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 33
Beautifully
and
Wonderfully
Made
Picture a young cheerleader putting
on her bows and blush, foundation
and mascara, getting ready for
tumbling practice, just a normal
warm-up routine for this high
school sophomore. “Appearance
is everything,” she says “especially
in competitive cheerleading.” She
begins her warm-up, stretching
as usual. She feels the burn, every
muscle pushing and pulling beneath
her pale skin. As she makes her
way on to her feet and adjusts
her clothing, a sudden weariness
comes over her, along with aching,
dizziness, and double vision. She
tried to shake it off, but something’s
not right. After failing some basic
tumbles, she sits down, knowing
that she can’t carry on the way
she’s feeling. Her symptoms
progressively worsen and later that
night her mother decides to take
her to the hospital. After hours of
waiting and multiple tests, she is
sent to another hospital without
a diagnosis. It isn’t until February
9th, 2014, after many more tests,
that Audre Tyner is diagnosed with
Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Tyner describes her condition this
way: “MS is an autoimmune disease
that affects the central nervous
system by stripping myelin from
the nerve shaft, causing the body to
short circuit. It causes lesions on the
brain and spinal cord which in turn
affects motor skills and a variety of
other things.” The diagnosis took
its toll on her both physically and
emotionally. “I knew I was angry
and I could feel it inside,” she said
of her temporary inability to speak.
“But I was trapped and couldn’t
let my emotions out. The anger
just crowded my throat.” Normal
activities became a struggle as
Tyner was reduced to the physical
ability of a toddler. Her mobility was
limited and at times severe enough
that she required a wheelchair.
Despite her struggles however, she
never gave up. She fought through
long, hard days of physical, speech,
and occupational therapy. As she
grew stronger physically, mentally,
and emotionally, Tyner found her
spiritual faith growing stronger with
God as well. She no longer felt angry
because of her disease, instead, she
admitted that she was blessed to still
be alive.
At the time of her diagnosis, Tyner
lived in south Georgia, a place known
for extreme heat and humidity. She
discovered that MS made her heat
sensitive and her symptoms grew
worse. It was because of this, her
family decided to move to the cooler
climate of north Georgia. Climate
later guided Tyner’s search for
colleges. When she found Western
Carolina University, she realized
the cooler mountain weather of
Cullowhee would help keep her
symptoms manageable. Now a
freshman at Western, she is majoring
in Communication Sciences and
Disorders with a specialty in speech
pathology. MS was a determining
factor in her choice of major, she
says. “Ideally, I would like to work
in a pediatrics hospital with trauma
patients. I would one day like to open
my own clinic with the possibility of
working with MS patients.” Tyner
added, “I think that having been
through being diagnosed will make it
much easier to relate to my patients.
I would ideally like to work with
teens just because I was diagnosed
when I was 15 and I understand how
difficult it can be.”
Tyner declares that she tells her MS
the rules and doesn’t let it control or
take over her life. “I would definitely
go through it all again in a heartbeat
because it’s what brought me to where
I am today; an overcomer.” That is how
Tyner thinks of herself, as someone
who overcomes obstacles. When she
looks back to the time before her
diagnosis when she thought appearance
was everything, now she says, “You are
beautifully and wonderfully made.”
By Kristin Toler
34 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 35
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
ART AND DESIGN
Cherokee Pronoun Project
Hannah Faub, presenter | Mary Anna LaFratta, sponsor
BIOCHEMISTRY
Biochemical Characterization of DNA
Polymerase in Cryptococcus neoformans
ReLiza McGinnis, presenter | Indrani Bose,
Jamie Wallen, sponsors
Synthesis, Characterization, and
Antimicrobial Studies of Chemically
Modified Textile Materials using Zinc
Oxide Nanoparticles for Potential
Prevention of Healthcare-
Associated Infections
Monica D. Reece, Nicole A. Dragan, Hannah N. Kline,
Stephen Printz, presenters | Carmen Huffman,
Indrani Bose, Channa R. De Silva, sponsors
BIOLOGY
Keratin Attenuates Melanoma
Cancer Cell Proliferation
Shannon Veilleux, Breanna Davids, presenters |
Heather Coan, sponsor
Localization of Tps1 and Tps2
Proteins in the Pathogenic Yeast,
Cryptococcus neoformans
Monica D. Reece, Nicole A. Dragan, Hannah N. Kline,
Erin Cafferty, presenters | Indrani Bose, sponsor
Keratin Dose-Dependently Rescues
Hypoxia-Mediated Oxidative Stress and
Apoptosis in Human Cardiac Stem Cells
Breanna Davids, Shannon Veilleux, presenters |
Heather Coan, sponsor
Corbicula fluminae: Tracking the Invasive
Species up the Tuckasegee River
William Turonis, presenter |Thomas Martin, sponsor
Silencing PIF1 and PIF2 in the pathogenic
yeast, Cryptococcus neoformans
Samuel R. Walter, presenter | Indrani Bose, sponsor
CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
Luminescent Studies of Ca(II)-Doped
EuNaYF4 Nanoparticles
Yousif Muten, Laney Browder, presenters |
Channa De Silva, sponsor
Characterization of amino acids critical to
alpha-Glycerophosphate Oxidase Catalysis
Alma I. Plaza-Rodriguez, Aric Butler,
C.M. Crowley, presenters |
Jamie R. Wallen, sponsor
Luminescent Studies of Ca(II)-Doped
EuNaYF4 Nanoparticle
Yousif Muten, Laney Browder, presenters |
Channa De Silva, sponsor
Symmetric Complexation of Boronic
Acids with Ditopic Lewis Bases
Emily F. Pounds, William R. Archer, presenters |
William R. Kwochka and Robert D. Pike, sponsors
Complexation of Borinic Acid
Derivatives with Lewis Bases
Nancy J. Wiebelhaus, presenter |
William R. Kwochka, sponsor
Dative Bonds: A Method of
Manufacturing Molecular Machines
William R. Archer, Emily F. Pounds, presenters |
William R. Kwochka and Robert D. Pike, sponsors
Luminescent Studies of Europium
Metal Ion-Doped NaYF4 Nanoparticles
Paige Phillips, Laney Browder, presenters |
Channa De Silva, sponsor
COMMUNICATIONS
Communicating Social Support
Kayla Harasymchuk, presenter |
Candy Noltensmeyer, sponsor
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
A Case Study of New Hanover
Regional Medical Center’s Evacuation
Plan’s Adherence to Best Practices
Peter Miller, presenter | Tom Johnson, sponsor
City of Raleigh Waste Management
Disaster Debris Removal Assessment
Robert Tichenor, presenter |Tom Johnson, sponsor
ENGINEERING
Fresnel Lens Concentration for First
Generation Photo Voltaic Cells
Bennett Street, presenter | Bill Yang, sponsor
Impact of Coupled Fiber End
Cleanliness on Bit Error Rate of
Standard Multimode Optical Cable
Kevin Puett, Jastin Telles, Pavel Vasilyev, presenters |
Weiguo Yang, sponsor
A Comparison of Frontal and
Sagittal Plane Axisymmetric Finite
Element Models of the Left Ventricle
Arlynn Baker, presenter | Sudhir Kaul,
Martin L. Tanaka, sponsors
Power Output of Flexible Solar Panel
Bryson Shannon, presenter | Peter Tay, sponsor
Correlation of Myoelectric
Signals with Hand Gestures
Kyle Johnson, presenter | Scott Pierce, sponsor
Overhead Assistive Robot
Nick Neal, presenter | Paul Yanik, sponsor
American Sign Language (ASL)
Static Gesture Recognition Using
Leap Motion Technology
Taylor Andrews, presenter | Robert Adams, sponsor
Slider Crank Power Take-off
System Buoy Optimization
Seaon Carte, presenter | Bora Karayaka, sponsor
Social Scarf
Sydney-Morgan Arthur, presenter | Hugh Jack, sponsor
Limits of Heintzmann and Cremer’s
Super Resolution Technique
William C. McCray, presenter | Bill Yang and
Mesfin Woldeyohannes, sponsors
ENGLISH
The Foci of Race and Religion
Amongst Authors William Apess,
Mary Rowlandson and Zitkala Sa
Abigail Powers, presenter | Brian Railsback, sponsor
Strange Fruit and Stranger Times
Alexandra Cebula, presenter | Catherine Carter, sponsor
Poe’s Place in American Cannon: Analysis
of the Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym
of Nantucket and Melville’s Moby Dick
Carra Hurley, presenter | Brian Railsback, sponsor
Far from “Mere”: Similarities
in Poe’s “The Black Cat” and
Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Hallie West, presenter | Brian Railsback, sponsor
Lies Which Make the Story: Analyzing
the Narrative of Olaudah Equiano
James Parr, presenter | Brian Railsback, sponsor
Lucifer of the Orient: Evocation
of the East in Paradise Lost
James Parr, presenter |Brian Railsback, sponsor
God’s Array of Emotions in Paradise Lost
Jasmine Duncan, presenter | Mary Fenton, sponsor
Harry Potter and the Curse of Queerbaiting
Jordan Freeman, presenter | Mimi Fenton, sponsor
Raphael: The Arch-angel Who
Said Too Much or The Right Being for
The Job in Milton’s Paradise Lost?
Jordan Freeman, presenter | Mimi Fenton, sponsor
Atheist Discrimination in
America Real or Imagined?
Lauren Stogner, presenter | Beth Huber, sponsor
Ishmael’s White World
Lisa Schiller, presenter | Brian Railsback, sponsor
Do You Hear What I Hear:
The Rhetorical Styles of God and
Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost
Makayla Smith, presenter | Mimi Fenton, sponsor
The Sun Shines Today Also
Nikki Jones, presenter | Brian Railsback, sponsor
PHILOSOPHY/RELIGION
Aristotle’s Poetics and The
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Alison Russell, presenter | John Whitmire, sponsor
HISTORY
Baseball and the Culture of Conformity
at the Dawn of the Cold War
Darren Beebe, presenter | Robert Ferguson, sponsor
Breaking New Ground: A Deeper
Look into Two of North Carolina’s
Earliest Public Universities
Kiara Hines, presenter | Robert Ferguson, sponsor
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
Can Cellular Automata Improve Data Security?
Bailey Stillman, presenter | Andrew Penland, sponsor
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MR Fluid and the Effects of Temperature
James Bishop, presenter | Sudhir Kaul, sponsor
Bicycle Brake Using
Magnetorheological (MR) Fluid
Richard Lavallee, presenter | Sudhir Kaul, sponsor
MUSIC
The History of Germanic Notation and
Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony
Brandon Kassab, presenter | Christina Reitz, sponsor
Decoding the Analytical Envelope of
Alan Theisen’s “Sonata No. 2”
Andrew Hutchens, presenter | Ian Jeffress, sponsor
NURSING
Medical Jargon and End of Life
Decisions: What is the Impact on
Patient Education and Decision Making?
Kaitlin Amber Gillespie, presenter | Amy W. Putnam,
Carol Isaac MacKusick, sponsors
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Gender Quotas and Substantive
Representation: Lessons from Cape Verde
Cody Lathe, presenter | Ingrid Bego, sponsor
PSYCHOLOGY
Machiavellianism and Self-Esteem Instability
Ray Houston, Stephanie Mason presenters |
Christopher J. Holden, sponsor
BELOW ARE THE PROJECTS ACCEPTED, TITLES, STUDENT PRESENTERS, AND THEIR SPONSORS FOR
NCUR31. FUNDING FOR TRAVEL TO NCUR31 WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY LOCAL TUITION FUNDS EARMARKED
FOR SUPPORT OF THE QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN PARTICULAR.
36 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 37
ALUMNI UPDATES
ALLISON HADDON | by Colby Nelson
Allison graduated in May 2016 with a bachelor’ s degree in
Geology. After her graduation, Haddon proceeded to graduate
school at Northern Arizona University. She is pursuing her
master’ s degree in Geology, with a focus in Geophysics. Her
project at Northern Arizona is focused on studying the tectonics
of the Andes in South America. While at Western, Haddon
was a Resident Assistant in the Honors College, a member of
the Student Government Senate, and held a position on the
executive board of Alpha Chi Omega. Once she completes her
master’ s degree, she plans on celebrating her accomplishment
by backpacking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? “I wanted to be a meteorologist.”
CASSANDRA SMITH | by Kristen Toler
Cassandra graduated in May 2016 with a B.S. in Interior
Design and is currently working as an interior designer in the
hospitality industry for FF&E Logistical, mainly working on
hotels. While at Western Carolina, Smith was Treasurer, Vice
President, and President of the Interior Design Club. She wants
to expand her knowledge about green and environmental design
by passing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) exam and the National Council for Interior Design
Qualification (NCIDQ) certification exam. “I love working
with people and helping to figure out how to improve their
relationships with their living/working environment.” Her
dream is to work in residential design in the Durham area.
When you were five years old, what did you want to be when
you grew up? “A veterinarian, because I loved animals.”
CHRISTINE POOLE | by Hailey Eidse
Christine graduated in spring of 2016 with a bachelor’s degree
in Athletic Training. While attending Western she won the
EYE on FYE Bucket List 2012-2013 and got the opportunity
to present her poster and platform presentation at the WCU
Undergraduate Exposition and Graduate Research Symposium.
Following her graduation she competed in a marathon on the
Great Wall of China to raise money for lung cancer research.
Christine is now working on getting her master’s degree in
Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with a concentration in
Athletic Training at the University of Florida. She is also work-ing
as the Head Athletic Trainer at Bell High School in Florida.
In the future she hopes to work in a pediatric children’s hos-pital
and would love to work with US Youth Olympic athletes.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? “I wanted to be a veterinarian.”
CHRISTY BARKER | by Nathaniel Evans
Christy graduated in May of 2016 with a Bachelor of Science
in Nursing. While at WCU, she remained on the Dean’ s List
for all eight semesters. She was a member of the Leadership
Institute, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and
Sigma Theta Tau, the honors society for nursing. She received
the Ethics Award 2016 for her Pre-licensure in BSN program.
Currently, Christy works for the Catawba Valley Medical Center
in Hickory, NC as a registered nurse on the medical unit. While
she is still debating between Nurse Practitioner and other
options, within the next two to five years, she wants to be
enrolled in a Master’ s or PhD program in Nursing.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? Whether odd, or premonition, Christy wanted to be a
nurse when she was five years old, saying that she would “walk
around with all [her] kiddie nursing tools and ‘ check up’ on
all [her] toys and stuffed animals.”
ERIN MULLENS | by Ashton Cannon
Erin graduated summa cum laude in May 2016 with a B.S. in
Nutrition and Dietetics. While at WCU she served as president
of the academic fraternity Alpha Lambda Delta. She is now
at Brevard College working towards a Teaching Licensure in
Secondary Education and Teaching and plans to become a high
school science and math teacher. Throughout her career at
WCU, Mullens was involved in many different areas and has
continued to live that out as a proud supporter of the Brevard
Little Theater and a substitute and after-school teacher at
Transylvania County Schools. Mullens is also working as a
nutrition counselor and owns a private business. A publication
that Mullens completed through study here at WCU made it
into the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
this year (FNCE 2016).
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? “I wanted to be a witch when I grew up. I thought they
were real.”
REBECCA SHERRILL | by Ethan Leatherman
Rebecca graduated with a bachelor’ s degree in Social Work in
May of 2016. She is currently on a scholarship at the Univer-sity
of Pittsburgh working on her master’ s degree in Social
Work. Her concentration is in Direct Practice with a focus on
Children, Youth, and Families. She is currently interning at an
inner city school and working with children from kindergarten
to fifth grade and developing social skills through a non-profit
called Homewood Children’ s Village. She has a huge passion
for children in general and helping people as well, which lead
to her career in Social work. Her projected graduation date
is December 2017.
KAITLYN SPEER | by Maribeth Dockery
Kaitlyn graduated from WCU’ s School of Nursing in 2016.
During her senior year, she received the Antonio Bonarrigo
Nursing Scholarship, the Christopher Thomas Cash Scholarship,
and a Mission Hospitals Foundation Scholarship. She now
lives in Youngsville, North Carolina and works as a nurse at
Duke University Hospital on a Surgical/Transplant unit. Since
graduation, Speer has begun attending a “wonderful church
in Raleigh.” Her hobbies include being outside and reading
historical fiction. She has also started playing piano.
When you were five years old, what did you want to be when
you grew up? “A nurse.”
HEATHER ERVIN | by Sean Anderson
Heather graduated in May 2016 from Western Carolina Univer-sity
with a B.S. in Mathematics. She is now a graduate student
in the Library Science Department at East Carolina University
working towards her Master’ s Degree. Once Heather accom-plishes
that, her intentions include pursuing a Doctorate in
Mathematics. She originally chose her major to become a
high school math teacher, with a major in history being the
only other major she even brought into consideration. She
chose to attend WCU because of four plus one program that
allowed a student to earn a bachelor’ s and master’ s degree
in only five years. This program was unfortunately removed,
but she continued her path at Western due to the dedicated
faculty in the Mathematics department. Heather volunteered
with American Red Cross before she moved to Cullowhee and
throughout her time at here at Western Carolina University.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? “At five years old, I wanted to be a French fry cook when
I grew up because I spent a large portion of time at my grand-father’
s restaurant.”
SARAH TROMBLEY | by Hannah Cothren
Sarah graduated magna cum laude in May 2016 with a B.S. in
Business Administration and Law. While at Western, she was
Resident Assistant at Scott Hall, Vice President of Marketing
for the Resident Student Association (RSA), President of RSA,
and treasurer for the Honors College Board of Directors. She is
currently pursuing her juris doctor degree at Elon University
School of Law. Her plans following graduation from Elon are
to join the military and become Judge Advocate General or
work with a District Attorney or Public Defender.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? “I had my heart set on becoming a veterinarian and to save
all the animals in the world.”
JESSICA RICCHIO | by Allie Pratt
Jessica graduated in May of 2016 with a bachelor’ s degree in
Environmental Health Science and a minor in Biology with a
Pre-Med focus. While at Western, Jessica was on the Dean’s List
all eight semesters and the Chancellor’ s list for six of those.
Her senior year, she received the coveted Leadership Award
in the Environmental Health Sciences Department. While at
Western she presented multiple research posters at various
expos such as the WCU Undergraduate Expo, the National
Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory Student Session, and the 2015 Amer-ican
Society of Safety Engineers Professional Development
Conference and Exposition (ASSEPDC). Currently Jessica is
working on her Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene degree
from the University of Iowa. After graduating she hopes to
obtain a job in health and safety in an international company
or in a national lab with the federal government.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew
up? “My career choice switched several times but the most
memorable one was growing up to be an artist.”
38 IMAGINE MAGAZINE THE HONORS COLLEGE 39
828.227.7383 | honors.wcu.edu
HC 101 Balsam Hall
1 University Drive
Cullowhee, NC 28723-9646