Month: March 2018

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Student Spotlight: Ashley Raine

“I originally wanted to go to school to do graphic design/animation like a few of my friends, but I knew I wanted to go to a Christian college close to home, so I came to Grove City. I really started learning more about design and what it really is and encapsulates here and I’m so glad I’m pursuing something more graphic instead of artistic,” Ashley says.

Ashley Raine, a junior at Grove City College, shows her passion for the Department of Communication and Visual Arts through her many related interests. Ashley is a Communication Studies major with a Marketing and Design minor. She started her freshman year as a Marketing major but soon realized that she had an overwhelming interest toward classes in the Department of Communication and Visual Arts. The fact that communication is all about interacting with people made Ashley specifically intrigued to make it her main focus.

Professor Mucha, Dr. Powell, Dr. Mobley, and Professor West have been some of Ashley’s favorite professors through her three years at Grove City College. She stresses how the Department of Communication and Visual Arts has changed her perspective in that they have given her hope and the tools to get where she would like to go after graduation. The impactful professors have been very helpful in showing her what she needs to do, even outside of class, to succeed and learn more. The relatability of classes to real life is something that has really impacted her, too.

Her passion for people and connecting with them shows especially through her Instagram page. It is filled with aesthetically pleasing photos that encompass her enjoyment of family, friends, a love of cute coffee mugs, and nature, just a few of her favorite things.

“I’ve always been a very visually inclined person and was attracted to Instagram for the pictures and visual communication. I use my personal Instagram to connect to others who share similar goals and values like minimalism and faith. I think one of my favorite things I’ve done recently is take over the Gamma Chi Instagram and used it in our rebranding by showing content about who the new Gamma Chis are, why we joined, information about the group, slice of life posts, and basically using social media as a way to connect with other campus groups, alumni, and potential girls,” Ashley smiles.

Ashley’s ideal job after college would be doing something in either graphic design or advertising. Her favorite classes so far have been Design Thinking and Intro to Marketing, mainly because they introduced her to the design aspect in marketing. Although she switched her major to Communication Studies, she highlights how important marketing still is to her. The nice thing is that she is still able to take classes that are not directly in her major and give her room in her schedule to add the minors she has. Ashley smiles excitedly as she sees the department reaching a full Design Major someday for the students especially focused in that subject.

“For me personally, I consider myself an aspiring minimalist. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with communication yet, but it’s definitely a big lifestyle choice. As a Christian and a minimalist it has allowed me to spend less focus on stuff and possessions and more focus on experiences and relationships,” Ashley says. Her minimalistic attitude is important in her studies because she can use her knowledge and skills to their full potential to go toward her future. Ashley is excited to see where the next year and a half take her, especially in her journey as a Communication Studies student.

 

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Reel Life at Grove City College: Music Resources for All Majors

When I was looking at colleges, I expected to be either a business major or a computer science major. Now, I am an entrepreneurship major with a computer science minor – a perfect fit for me. But one thing plagued me about both options: I love music, and neither business nor computer science have much to say about music technique or theory.

In two ways, Grove City College made it possible for me to work with music in my daily life without needing to major or minor in any musical field.

First, it requires all students to take a certain number of humanities classes, and in multiple of mine, I have gotten to work with and listen to music.

Second – and the topic I want to talk about in today’s video – Grove City provides a whole host of music resources to all students in its building called PEW (J. Howard Pew Fine Arts Center).

In this episode of Reel Life, I vlog about a few stand-out resources PEW has to offer for non-music majors.

 

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The Future of the Music Business Program

Four years ago, I came to Grove City College as a music business major and after one semester, I switched to the Department of Entrepreneurship. For me, it was a great switch. I have really thrived in the entrepreneurship program here. However, my original reason for switching was not because I had dreams of starting my own business one day, it was because the music business program was lacking. I would learn a lot of great things about music and learn a good bit about business but there did not seem to be any classes to help me learn about the music industry itself. As it turns out, I was not the only one who noticed this issue. But the difference between me and Cedric Lewis is that he actually planned on doing something about it.
 
Professor Lewis is an entertainment attorney from Florida who taught music business at Full Sail University. He came to Grove City five years ago and has been teaching at the College ever since. He came to teach a business law class and in his second year here, he discovered that we had a music business major. He did some research and discovered it was not very industry specific. Once word got around that he was an entertainment attorney, students began to think he was here to revamp the program. That expectation began to become a reality and that year, he gave the College a proposal to revamp the whole program but it was too extensive. So he started small with an intro to the business of music class and still has a plan to rebuild the program to better fit his original plan. He added a second class, music marketing, last year for juniors and seniors. Because it is Grove City, he gets to focus on the music industry as well as the Christian music industry. He has a desire to build true Christians up to go into a tough and sometimes dark industry; working with labels in marketing, accounting, administration and more.
 
Even though professor Lewis has been largely successful in his goals with the program thus far, he has faced a few setbacks. Getting the word out for his new classes has been difficult. Grove City College has a huge network of alumni that are in the industry. Getting in touch with those alumni has helped but the current students need to learn more about it. As the program gains traction and more students begin taking these classes, this problem should wane.
 
Professor Lewis still wants to add a class to teach music software like Protools and Logic, a critical listening class to help students develop an ear for different types and styles of music, and a class to learn other industry related topics such as event planning or video production. When asked about expanding the program, he responded by saying, “the wonderful thing about Grovers is that you’re resilient and hard workers so I can expand the program faster than expected.” He wants music business majors to graduate being proud of their degree and has high hopes for the future of the music business program.
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Petals for Paws: Supporting the Community

When asking a Student Ambassador about how Grove City College feels about the surrounding community, I received a very positive response. The young lady replied, “We value the community of Grove City, and are intentional about having activities which encourage students to become members not only of the college community but the community at large.” With personal experience and research into the mission of Grove City College, here are just a few ways in which the College gives students the chance to take a role in making the community thrive:
• Clubs
• Organizations
• All-Campus Service Opportunities
• Greek Life

We received news of a special fundraiser that benefited the local pet shelter, Grove City Pet Rescue. Every year before Valentine’s Day, the sorority sisters of Sigma Delta Phi sell their sorority flower, the American Beauty Rose, as a means to raise money for a cause close to their hearts. After setting up a stand in the Student Union for a week, the ladies excitedly announced that they had raised over $200 dollars that will go toward decreasing veterinarian costs!

While there is no clear consensus on when this tradition began, the young ladies have supported numerous local and international causes including the American Cancer Society, SHE Thailand, Relay for Life, The Pittsburgh Project, and other local families seeking financial support. Although the fund-raiser has a different cause each year, the reason behind it still remains the same. Rio Arias, the current president of Sigma Delta Phi commented, “We feel that the most important thing we can do is support the place that supports us.” With the sorority motto, “One for all, all for one,” the Sigma Delta Phi sisters hope to encourage and build up their own members to be leaders that give back to the beautiful community they call home.

Fundraising Chairwoman, Julianne Green (left) & Member, Catherine Haas (right)
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Graduate Early While Saving Money

Typically when you think about college, you think about it taking up four years of your life (or longer). Although I thoroughly enjoy college and all of the rigorous work, I constantly think about being done and having a “big girl” job. With that being said, when I heard someone mention “graduating early,” I had to look into it.

I went to my academic advisor and asked if graduating early was even possible for me. Shockingly, he said yes. Both of us looked into how many credits I would have to take each semester and the required classes needed for my major. My advisor told me he thought it was a great idea to try and graduate a semester early. He mentioned the benefits of starting the job search early and bringing joy to my bank account.

Every major at Grove City College has a Status Sheet which gives the required hours for each major and a suggested four-year course plan. Looking at mine (for Marketing Management), I noticed that some semesters only had 14 or 15 credit hours listed while others had the maximum of 17. If I tried to graduate a semester early, I realized that I would most likely need to have 17 credits each semester. Even then, I still would not have enough hours to graduate. I had to look at my options.

My options would be to take online classes, which the College offers, or take over 17 credit hours during some semesters. I decided to go with the online class option. I have taken two of them so far through Grove City College, and have been delighted with the payoff. Both of my online courses were over our winter breaks, which allowed me to spend time with family and friends as well as gain credit hours. And if you decide not to graduate early, online courses are a great way to lighten your regular semester course load.

Another way I added credit hours was by completing a summer internship. I worked in the Marketing and Operations departments of a bank. I was able to earn four credits toward my major requirements through this experience which made it all the more worth while. I highly recommend internships for the work experience, but it is also extremely beneficial to receive college credit for them as well. Also, just as a side note, employers highly consider prospective employees that have done an internship. More importantly, the internships done for college credit can be checked out by the company you worked for along with your faculty sponsor at the College: win, win.

With all of that being said, it is absolutely possible to graduate a semester early. With the help of your advisor and by planning out the remainder of your semesters, obtaining that degree a little sooner than normal means substantial monetary savings as well as a jump on the job market.

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Professor Spotlight: Dr. Shaw

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Kevin Shaw, who is one of the professors in the Hopeman School at Grove City College. As a member of both the biology and chemistry departments at Grove City, Dr. Shaw is a unique person. He teaches primarily biochemistry courses, in which students learn the chemical approach to trying to understand living systems. He has been at the College as a faculty member for 18 years, having also obtained his undergraduate degree here as well. His Ph.D. is from Texas A&M University, where he was in the biochemistry and biophysics departments. After completing only nine months of post-doctoral work, he came back to the College to fill a recently vacated teaching post, primarily teaching anatomy to begin.

One of the main things Dr. Shaw does at the College is research that he leads with students. His research is primarily in the field of protein thermodynamics, and the work that he is doing is being added to a database that he has been building up over his years. He mentioned that one of things he would do if he was no longer a professor would be to become a database administrator, so it was very clear to me that he has an enthusiasm for data that is unlike many others.

A main reason Dr. Shaw enjoys Grove City College is that professors are the ones teaching the classes and labs to students, which is unique to many colleges and universities these days. Dr. Shaw mentioned how he loves the teaching portion of his job, specifically because one of the classes he teaches is a biochemistry seminar. In this class, he explained that students learn how to explain very complex and abstract concepts to people who may not have been exposed to that specific area or may not have been thinking about such topics. He also loves spending time in the lab, which is a rather “freeform” aspect of his job.

He mentioned that he loves “hanging out with students” who help to keep him young. Part of his job is to be the academic advisor to students who want to go to medical school, so he has a lot of interaction with students, specifically discussing the intricacies of applying to med school. One of the things he highlighted was the variety of majors that get accepted to medical school. There is a lot of freedom for students who have an interest in medicine, and that many different majors have an equal shot at pursuing a medical career. He talked about different students who have gone on to become researchers, academics, and a variety of other careers. He was quick to encourage me that although many students are hesitant to major in biochemistry since they don’t actually take a biochemistry class until their junior year, almost every (if not all) student finds they enjoy it.

Outside the classroom, Dr. Shaw has a wife and two children, who are “lots of fun” and he also likes running “moderate to long distances” when he has the time. However, it is very evident that the majority of time is spent at school, doing the work he loves. I could tell even from our short interview that he is devoted to his job, and he cares greatly about the students he works with day in and day out. Dr. Shaw is a stellar member of our faculty here at the College, and I hope that I get to interact with him more in the future.

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What to Expect at Admitted Student Day

The Event

Grove City College will be hosting its annual Admitted Student Day on Saturday, April 7, 2018 from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. This event is a great opportunity for accepted high school seniors to experience an entire day on Grove City’s campus with a full schedule of sessions presented by various groups. These sessions will offer information about several resources on campus such as the Office of Career Services and the Office of Student Life & Learning. In addition, students will be able to connect with each other and meet their potential classmates during mock classes and the Grover Connect Mixer hosted by the Orientation Board (OB). Meanwhile, parents will get the chance to learn about their child’s future education through seminars hosted by the Academic Resource Center and the Office of Financial Aid.

Student Experiences

I had the chance to talk with two current Grove City College students about their personal experiences at Admitted Student Day, and how it helped them before arriving to campus in the fall.

“I was already committed when I went to Admitted Student Day, but being there helped me out in so many different ways. Coming from a small high school, it was really awesome to see so many potential classmates, and be given the opportunity to meet them and interact with them through different things that OB put on throughout the day. It also gave me a picture of what it would look like to be on campus with other people. … In general, it just got me really excited to be going there and to really get a feel for what being a Grove City student would look like.”

-Rebecca Cloyd, Freshman

“My biggest thing about Admitted Student Day was meeting other students who were admitted too. It got me excited about going college with these people, and I made some friends that day who are still my friends today. I loved the community and that’s what helped me decide to come to Grove City.”

-Maddison Reapsome, Junior

Register

If you would like to attend Admitted Student Day at Grove City College, the registration tab is located at the bottom of http://www.gcc.edu/Info/Events-News/Admissions-Events/Open-Houses/Admitted-Student-Day. The website also gives a detailed schedule of events for the day and what more to expect. All in attendance will be asked to report to the Physical Learning Center at the beginning of the day. Grove City hopes to see you there!

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“Professor Poppins”

“Our thoughts make to be our actions. You are so worthy. Think positive and step outside your comfort zone everyday to grow to our true potential,” said Trisha Pritchard to her public speaking class. Starting just last fall at Grove City College, Pritchard has already had 10 years of teaching under her belt at Butler Community College, along with time at Duquesne University. She had finished a class one day when she received a Facebook message from Dr. Kimberly Miller, asking if she would be interested in teaching a few classes in need of an instructor. Pritchard described how important this situation was in terms of connections and the good of social media. “My friendship with Kim really started back when our daughters were in dance together. So to stay connected through social media was useful not only to help maintain that friendship but also for connections such as with my position now,” Pritchard said. She further discussed how the Department of Communications and Visual Arts can rely on these social medias to bring about networking among people who would not previously link together.

Pritchard teaches public speaking and writing for the media classes here at Grove City College, two of her strong suits and passions. She stresses the importance of conversational skills in everyday situations, whether it be speaking to a group of people or even just a casual conversation. With many years of her involvement in teaching and emphasizing communication techniques, Pritchard is able to work hard in her new classes. In the past year she has found original ways to improve the classes and make them as relatable to the students as possible. For instance, she did several impromptu exercises where the students were presented an idea and delivered a pitch to the class. The students’ final grade was an elevator pitch in which they spoke in front of a room full of Pritchard’s professional colleagues. Classmates learned about open networking, casually talking, and learning about the importance of conversational skills. Pritchard had her professional colleagues give elevator pitches as well, which placed further emphasis on communication is in the real world. From a professional photographer to a journalist to an entrepreneur, students could see how whatever the career, the ability to work alongside others and transmit information is most essential. “Public speaking is important no matter the major. Working outside of Grove City College helps me to know and understand these conversational skills to then relay it to my students,” Pritchard said.

Upcoming plans for her classes include her writing for the media students working with the Butler Eagle to compile articles on small businesses for the June issue. As an active member of the Butler community, Pritchard is always connecting people in order to better society as a whole. Since starting her position as a Communication Consultant at the Butler Family Bowlaway, she’s raised revenue by 300% and has hosted a multitude of events for people of all abilities. Her most recent event was organizing bowling for blind people, something so powerful to watch as they knocked down pins. The 11 organizations, many specialties, and several awards showcase the Pritchard’s passions. Her heart for people and helping them in whatever way she can is a quality that makes her so unforgettable.

With her extremely positive and bubbly personality, students have dubbed her with the nickname of “Professor Poppins.” Pritchard plans to continue bringing happiness, fun, and relatability into her classes in hope that her students will carry it regardless of their path in life. “You can take a class just to get it over with or you can use the time you have to take it to the next level and grow. I am never satisfied and always want the best for my students. If that means completely changing my syllabus overnight because that’s a calling I hear from God, I will definitely do it,” Pritchard smiled.

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Stairwell Concert featuring Jackson Clemmer and Julia Knepper

If you are ever looking for something to do on campus and you are musically talented, the stairwell in the Physical Learning Center is a place with great acoustics on campus. Ever since I was a freshman, I have always enjoyed listening to my friends play guitar or sing in the stairwell, whether it was just for fun, or if it was an event they put on. Often times during the week leading up to finals, there will be an hour-long concert held in the stairwell famously named the “Stairwell Sessions,” and students can perform during that time. More recently this semester, Jackson Clemmer and Julia Knepper put together a concert in the stairwell. The concert had a great turnout, as the stairwell was completely full, due to the Facebook Group they created to get the word out.

After speaking with Jackson and Julia, they both had a great time performing for others on campus. Julia said, “I loved the idea of collaborating with another songwriter and musician and creating a more intimate environment for people to come hear some good music.” Both of the musicians played their own original pieces, and it was a great way for others to hear their songs. Jackson stated, “My hope for the show was to create an environment where I could put my original music in front of people who were ready and excited to listen. Most of the songs I had never played for more than a couple people, so it was really exciting to get feedback from a larger audience.”

See the above video for a short clip of Julia’s song “Talk.” Jackson and Julia will be performing another concert on March 24th at Collage Coffee and Art House located on Broad Street in downtown Grove City.

Image captured by Andrew Stein
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Reel Life at Grove City College: A Chat with Mark, Founder of Té Amo

Mark is an Entrepreneurship major at Grove City College and the founder of Té Amo Organic Tea. This socially conscious venture donates a percentage of its proceeds to plant trees in Haiti. For every tea bottle sold, Té Amo promises to plant one tree.

On this episode of Reel Life at Grove City College, I sat down with Mark to ask him about his business, the professors who inspired him, and the classes that helped him along his journey. Mark’s college experience is an adventure filled with risk and reward. By listening to his story, I hope you get the sense that college students can take many paths toward success, even toward entrepeneurial success, while still attending classes in a four year program.