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The Road to Self-Discovery: A Senior’s Unique Perspective

“I realized in life there are a lot of chapters that we go through. For me the chapters went as such: high school, the military, after that working hard to save money to move here, and now college. For me this chapter is closing, I’m already preparing to ‘write’ the next chapter. Each chapter seems longer than the other one, not by amount of years, but things that happen, things that matter, things that make me who I am.”

Daniel Peiffer is a senior Communication Studies major with a minor in Design. Over the past four years he has been involved in WSAJ, Grove City College’s radio station, and has pursued his passion for photography in his free time. While he seems like an average student, Daniel does not consider himself to be like the typical “Grover.” Daniel grew up in Israel, he does not share the same Christian faith as many students, and he did not intend on coming to Grove City College. Although these things made his transition to college more challenging, Daniel used this experience to grow as an individual.

While at the College, Daniel learned that being organized is the key to success. He noted that being unorganized and slacking will “show up in your grades” and that working hard leads to extra time to explore hobbies and to relax. He also discovered that each class, for better or worse, was a learning experience that helped him to determine his strengths and weaknesses and how to better manage them. He even spoke highly of the independent study that he took, commenting that the class helped him to “discover and learn a lot more about I want to do in the future.”

As this chapter of life closes for Daniel, a new one full of even more adventures will begin. Daniel longs to put his education to the test to pursue a career in video production and he hopes that future Grove City College students find their niche as well.

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On a Track to Change Lives

Hyejin (Grace) Choi is a junior Pre-K-4 Elementary Education major at Grove City College. She is a Teacher’s Assistant, Education Ambassador, and enjoys reading in her free time. I discovered Grace in a Cross-Cultural Psychology class and quickly learned of her outstanding linguistic abilities, surplus of cultural knowledge, and desire to become a teacher.

Grace is a polyglot who speaks English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and a little Spanish to top it off. She was born in Michigan but received the opportunity to develop these language abilities by living around the world. Because her father was a South Korean diplomat, she experienced life in China, India, Thailand and South Korea. After these travels, she ventured back to the United States on her own at to continue her education at age 16.

When it came time to select an academy, she chose Grove City College because of the great education program that is provided. She appreciates how field-oriented the department is and commented, “There are certain things that classroom lectures just can’t teach.” Looking back on the past three years there she noted, “I am not a very social person, but GCC helped me to increase my in-group pool. It made me learn humility too, and with this education, I am sure that my call was to Elementary Ed.”

With only one more year to go at Grove City College, Grace has gotten excited to see what the future has in store for her. She exclaimed, “I really enjoy teaching. I hope to be caring for each student and impact his/her life in a positive way!”

Proverbs 9:9
English: Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
Korean: 지혜 있는 자에게 교훈을 더하라; 그가 더욱 지혜로워질 것이요. 의로운 사람을 가르치라; 그의 학식이 더하리라.
Chinese: 教 导 智 慧 人 , 他 就 越 发 有 智 慧 。 指 示 义 人 , 他 就 增 长 学 问 。
Japanese: 知恵のある人を教えなさい。その人は、ますます賢くなります。正しい人を教えなさい。その人は、さらに多くのことがわかるようになります。
Spanish: Instruye al sabio, y se hará más sabio; enseña al justo, y aumentará su saber.

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Entrepreneurship from the Heart

Mark Sotomayor is a sophomore Entrepreneurship major at Grove City College. He is a tennis player, a member of the American Marketing Association, the Innovation Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. While Mark is heavily involved on campus, his creativity and hard work has placed him in a position to positively impact the environment around the world. With Grove City College’s support and standard of excellence, Mark has developed the Té Amo tea company as a means to reforest Haiti. With the catchy slogan, “Buy a Tea, Plant a Tree,” Mark has made massive strides in making his dream a reality.

Mark originally came up with the idea to sell bottled tea because he grew up drinking his grandmother’s special 30-year-old Peruvian recipe and wanted to share it with others. This past September his mother encouraged him to utilize his Grove City College entrepreneurship experience to take his tasty tea from the pitcher to the shelves. In six months, Mark and his team have been able to successfully brand Té Amo and have partnered with nine stores in which they sell!

When interviewing Mark about how he made all of this possible he commented how thankful he is to have a mother that keeps the business up and running while he focuses on his studies. He also noted the impact that the College has had on his business. “The entrepreneurship department has recently ‘stretched my entrepreneurial muscles’, so to speak, by challenging me and my team member, Ryan Budnik, to make the product better. I am more of a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ type of guy, and industry research isn’t my strong suit – so by being forced to research about the ready-to-drink tea market, I am becoming a much more well-rounded business owner/entrepreneur.” With so many people coming alongside Mark to answer questions and provide encouragement, Mark hopes to develop tea bags and eventually sell in Sheetz and Whole Foods. He exclaimed, “It will take years, but I’m pumped for the journey!”

If you have any questions about Té Amo or would like to purchase the refreshing tea, you can head to www.BuyATeaPlantATree.com.

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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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Meet “Maskell” the Model

The great thing about being a student at Grove City College is that each day is an opportunity to learn more about oneself. Transferable skills are taught that can be utilized every day to fuel students’ passions and hobbies. Senior Madison Haskell, nicknamed “Maskell,” is a great example of someone who has applied what she has learned at the College in order to chase her dreams.

Maskell is a Slippery Rock University transfer that quickly adapted to her new environment. She is a driven Communications major that is extremely involved in extracurricular activities. Over the past few years she has participated in the following activities:

• Sigma Delta Phi Sorority Philanthropy Chair
• Marching Band Dance Line
• Color Guard
• Speech and Debate
• Spring Dance
• Orchesis & Greek Sing Choreographer
• Big Sister/Little Sister Program
• Numerous Retail & Marketing Jobs

Although she seems to be continuously busy, she still makes time for doing what she loves most.

Maskell competes in many national pageants such as Miss Ohio and Miss Midwest. Currently she is also working hard to prepare for a competitive spot in New York’s fashion week this coming fall. Throughout her competitions one thing remains the same. She uses her pageants as a platform to advocate body dysmorphia and self harm issues. She hopes that sharing her story will help her to reach out to other men and women to create positive change in the world.

Although she has always been ambitious, her classes at the College have given her an extra confidence boost. Dr. Allen taught her to not just accept her failures, but to embrace them and use them for good and in Dr. Mobley’s classes she experienced positivity and inspiration that helped her set the bar high for herself. She left each class knowing how she could apply the lectures and why they were important to her future career. Haskell commented, “Although I have found wisdom and confidence in my failures and mistakes, Grove has enforced the nature that God has my best interest at heart. His love and mercy gives us strength to follow the journey he has planned for us.”