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Posted on December 16, 2015December 18, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

A Journey from the Grove to the Globe: Alumni Spotlight on Valerie Perry

What does it take to navigate your career path?

Valerie Perry (‘07), a technical production specialist at National Geographic, knows that getting a job you love requires courage to pursue opportunities and willingness to learn from a variety of experiences.

As a Grove City College student, Valerie was a double major in Communication Studies and Christian Thought (now called Biblical & Religious Studies). Her four years at Grove City College were influential in Valerie’s faith and personal growth.

“I developed a strong work ethic during my time at Grove City,” Valerie explains, “There is still a lot that I don’t know (we’d need a longer article to list those), but I’ve found that I’m capable of learning anything if I’m willing to put in the work. Grove City also helped shape my identity. I left college knowing what I believed and why—knowledge that has been a great comfort and counsel to me throughout several seasons.”

Following graduation, Valerie worked for Silver Ring Thing, a program that hosts concert style events promoting sexual abstinence for teens. As a live event video director for the national tour, Valerie learned valuable skills that prepared her for her career in production.

Career paths can often take unexpected turns. After attending a career fair in Las Vegas, towards the end of the Silver Ring Thing tour, Valerie applied for a position at Royal Caribbean International. A few months later, Valerie transitioned from life on a tour bus to life on a cruise ship as a broadcast technician.

During her time at Royal Caribbean International, Valerie not only gained technical skills in video production, but also developed a stronger sense of her values and faith, which are central to her passion for video production and her positive attitude toward work.

Building upon her past experiences and willingness to learn, Valerie landed her current position with National Geographic. Through her career in production so far, Valerie has discovered that honing one’s skills, being humble, and welcoming a variety of experiences is invaluable.

Her advice for students pursuing creative careers is simple: pursue any opportunity that develops your creativity.

“Sadly you can’t teach creativity. I’d be the first to sign up for a class if it could be taught. It can’t. But, I do think it can be absorbed. Hang out with people and work that inspires you. Spend time in nature or in museums or at the movies—whatever works for you. Spend time with people more talent and creative than you. They’ll push you to be better. Creativity involves risk and often comes with a lot of failure and rejection, so learn how to be comfortable with those. If you choose a creative career, don’t forget to have creative pursuits in your non-work life as well. That creativity is just for you— you don’t have to worry about it being “wrong” or not meeting someone’s expectations. It’s just pure fun. The enjoyment you get from that creative process will help you get back up if you get knocked around from time to time. And recognize that even taking the risk is a victory. It’s easier to sit on the sidelines (or the couch) than audition for a play, paint a picture, or write a poem. Just by doing you’re winning,” Valerie explains.

Poster for Valerie Perry's speaking engagement at GCC Design by Kara Mazey ('16) — Poster for Valerie Perry’s speaking engagement at GCC
Design by Kara Mazey (’16)

Recently, Valerie returned to her alma mater as a guest speaker for a series hosted by the Grove City College chapter of Lambda Pi Eta. During her presentation, she shared honest and thoughtful insight into the learning process involved in pursuing a creative career.

As Valerie spoke with GCC students about her experiences, she offered these words of wisdom:

“If you can learn to write well and speak well, the world is yours.”

For Valerie Perry, these words of wisdom have truly opened up the world.

Learn more about the Department of Communication Studies & Visual Arts here.

Learn more about Valerie Perry’s new book Sea More: Caribbean here.

Posted on December 7, 2015December 18, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Grovers Abroad: Samantha Parry

During her sophomore year at Grove City College, Samantha Parry (‘16) received an e-mail inviting her to apply to the college’s study abroad program in Nantes, France. Samantha, who had always wanted to visit Europe, decided that this opportunity was too good to pass up.

The following year, Samantha spent the fall semester with twenty three other Grove City College students, from a variety of majors, at the Grove City College European Study Center in Nantes, France.

One of the unique aspects of the Nantes program is that it gave Samantha the opportunity to earn credits for her mechanical engineering major. Through one of her classes at the Université de Nantes, Samantha gained helpful insight into the field of engineering beyond learning technical skills.

“We took most of our classes through Grove City, but one class that we took with French students was called Engineering Management and it was basically learning about different cultures and then learning how to manage projects cross-culturally,” Samantha explains. “We learned about how cultural nuances can affect how you make a business deal or work on a project and things like that, so that was cool to learn about but also cool to get to know French students…I think that getting to know them, doing projects with them, and learning about French culture helped me be more objective in how I treat people and situations and I think that learning more of the business and personal relations side of things is something that engineers don’t really get through engineering school,” Samantha explains. “If you are going to be an engineer one day, you’re going to have to deal with things internationally. Technology is worldwide and it [studying abroad] gives you so much more of a global perspective that I think is really important for anyone, including engineers.”

Although Samantha says that it was an adjustment to live in a different culture, she explains that Nantes became like a second home to her. She distinctly remembers a moment when she felt at home in France.

“I was out in town during the day and we went down to do some shopping and I think we went to get lunch crêpes,” she recalls. “Sometimes there are street performers, but on this particular day there was a whole drum line and choreographed dance group. They had all these different types of drums and there was a huge group of people around who were enjoying them. It was so cool that a lot of people took the time just to watch them. Even just that day, realizing that I could get around the city totally fine—I knew where to go, I knew where to shop, I had my favorite crêpe place—it was like it became my home city…being totally immersed and getting to the point where I felt really comfortable in the city and in a different culture and being able to enjoy it with them [the locals] was a cool moment.”

Not only did Samantha learn more about French culture, but she was also able to explore other European countries during breaks. One of Samantha’s favorite memories from her study abroad experience was meeting up with a Grove City student who was studying abroad in Italy at the time.

“The second [favorite memory] would be in Florence, which is the place we went during Thanksgiving break. I had previously contacted a Grove City student that was studying in Florence and we met up at the steps of the Il Duomo and he walked us around and took us to his favorite gelato place and then we sat on a bridge there, looking at the famous bridge in Florence. Sitting there, at nighttime, eating gelato, with someone else from Grove City in Florence at a popular landmark was surreal,” she says.

After returning home with gifts for her family members and a camera full of photos, Samantha says that she would love to go back to Nantes.

“If you would have asked me which country I would have wanted to study abroad in [before college], I wouldn’t have said France because I would have rather gone to Spain or Italy, but after going to France and living in Nantes, I realized how much I loved it and how much France had to offer. I learned so much and I loved it there” she says.

Learn more about the Office of International Education here.

Learn more about the mechanical engineering program at GCC here.

Posted on November 30, 2015December 6, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Passions & Pathways: Career Spotlight on Grace Leuenberger

A liberal arts education at Grove City College allows you to explore your interests with both breadth and depth. In this series, you will meet GCC students who are discovering their passions, pursuing their interests, and customizing their education as they pursue their desired careers.

One day during her freshman year of Grove City College, Grace Leuenberger (’16) was feeling creative and designed a poster for an upcoming theater production on campus. Her brother, who was an actor in the play, was impressed with her design and encouraged her to show it to the director. Soon afterward, Grace landed a job as the Public Relations Crew Chief for the show.

This first poster design began Grace’s passion for graphic design.

Over the next two years, Grace became more involved in theater and put her newly discovered skill to work in the theatre program through various forms of publicity and advertising. She designed posters for plays, worked on social media for theater productions, recruited volunteers, became a student director, and even wrote and performed her own One Act play.

In order to gain more knowledge and experience in graphic design, Grace supplemented her communication studies and English classes with design courses such as Intro to Design, Interactive Design & User Experience, Printmaking, and Visual Communication Design I.

“I took Intro to Design with Nate Mucha and that was a really great foundational overview for me,” Grace explains. “That was really great because there is structure to be learned and there are principles of design that are foundational…I also took a web development design course called Interactive Design & User Experience. I really loved that course because it involved the strategy behind design and then it involved carrying out that strategy and making it into an aesthetic piece. I really enjoyed that course because of how many areas of the brain it used, because I do enjoy the design but I also like solving problems and planning projects.”

In addition to advertising for the theater program, Grace has also been able to apply her interest in design to other organizations on campus and in the surrounding Grove City area, such as the Career Services Office, Orientation Board, and Olde Town Grove City.

At the end of her junior year, Grace wanted to find an internship that would give her the opportunity to be creative as well as give her valuable professional experience. She was able to pursue her creative interests in the corporate world through an internship at UPMC in Pittsburgh.

“I worked in the creative services department, which basically what we did was marketing and communication-related tasks that helped recruiters draw in people to apply for jobs and to work at UPMC,” Grace explains. “In that role, I did a variety of tasks so I did everything from helping create content and write blog posts to going out and going on video shoots and photo shoots. I helped do writing and editing for internal newsletters, I also did some extensive graphic design projects…I thrive on variety so that internship worked really well since I got to use different sides of my brain, both the writing side which comes a lot from the communication and English courses that I’ve taken, to some of the design principles that I’ve learned in Nate Mucha’s classes. All of that kind of coming together and colliding was really a good experience.”

Looking back on her experience, Grace says that Grove City College has a lot to offer to students who are interested in design.

“A great advantage of coming to a small school is that you’re going to have a plethora of opportunities to design. If you went to a big school for design, you’re going to be competing with tons of other people for attention for your designs, but here there are a ton of organizations and offices on campus that you’re going to be able to design for, so you’re going to develop a great portfolio of pieces by the time you graduate and you’ll have great things to take away.”

Samples from Grace’s design portfolio:

[metaslider id=373]

Learn more about the Department of Communication & Visual Arts here.

Learn more about the theatre program here.

To see more from Grace’s design portfolio, go here.

Posted on November 26, 2015December 6, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Passions & Pathways: Career Spotlight on Abby Genzink

Coming into college, Abby Genzink (’16) knew that she wanted to pursue a career in international development. Her passion for faith and relationships led her to become interested in community and international development.

Specifically, Abby’s passion for international development grew out of her heart for restoring human dignity and respect.

“I love watching people be dignified and watching people be respected and there are so many places around the world where that is not happening,” she explains.

Abby finds joy in connecting people with others who are unlike them and she describes this process as building bridges.

“I’m so passionate about development and bringing dignity to people, especially in regards to providing for themselves and their families, and along with that, teaching people how we can partner with people who are in poverty in ways that we aren’t, because we also have issues that they can teach us,” she explains.

As she considered her interests and options, Abby decided to pursue a double major in English and Communication Studies in order to gain an interdisciplinary approach to international development.

“I’ve always loved literature, but I also loved how literature could help me to understand culture in a different way,” she says.

In addition to learning in her English classes, Abby’s communication classes have given her the opportunity to learn more about international development through various projects.

“For my Research Methods project, I did a study on how conflict affects poverty. I feel like I learned so much from that. I feel like I’ve gotten, in my own way, a focus in international development through my comm major. Communication has given me the skills but it has also given me freedom to learn more about development through a communication lens,” she says.

Several experiences outside of class have also encouraged Abby’s interest in community and international development. During her sophomore year, Abby had a service learning internship with Olde Town Grove City, where she learned more about issues in community development. This past summer, Abby was able to experience international development through a service trip to Armenia with the Red Box Missions program at GCC.

In Armenia, Abby partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, where she visited several of their programs and partnerships. She visited many places such as a farm, a refugee center, and a school, and Abby wrote stories about each for the organization’s website.

For the second half of her trip, Abby worked on a variety of projects for a small nonprofit in the city of Ejmiatsin which teaches classes for Armenian children about government, justice, their rights as citizens, and practical skills for trade. Abby explains that teaching children is an important aspect of development. “Part of what they say about development is that you need to teach children from the very start so that they are equipped to have minds that are creative and problem solve and understand that they deserve to be respected,” she says.

As a result of her wide variety of learning experiences at Grove City College, Abby has found a niche for herself in communications within the field of international development.

“The more that I’ve learned about myself, the more I’ve learned that I want to do communications within that field….in international development, you need doctors, you need economists, and you need people doing communications and I feel like that is where I fit in,” she says.

Reflecting on her experiences so far, Abby recognizes the importance of taking initiative when it comes to pursuing your passions.

“If I had it in my head that I was looking for the opportunities, I always found them…My professors were really good about partnering with me and helping me find the things that would be geared toward what I wanted to do and would prepare me for my future.”

Posted on November 25, 2015December 7, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Passions & Pathways: Career Spotlight on Kristin Thomas

For Kristin Thomas (’16), growing in faith and developing a lifelong pursuit of truth is at the heart of her college education and future career as a nurse.

As a senior in high school, Kristin was inspired by her AP biology class and thought she might pursue a career as a nurse. After considering a few options, Kristin decided to attend Grove City College as a biology major.

Some of Kristin’s favorite courses in biology at GCC have been Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Cell Biology.

“Microbiology, taught by Dr. Stauff, is amazing. I loved that class. We learned a lot about the cell, and different bacteria and viruses that cause different diseases. It was so cool to learn about all of these incredibly complicated systems that happen in just a tiny cell,” Kristin says.

Kristin explains that, because biology is a science about the study of life, the Christian perspective at Grove City College provides a unique approach to studying biology. She explains that, while not every professor and student within the biology department holds the same views, the common thread of faith is the same.

“Some people are theistic evolutionists and other people are more conservative in their views,” she explains, “however, the one thing is that regardless about how they believe how the world began, its origins, they all believe that God was sovereign and that everything in this world was designed. I think that there is such a big difference when you study something like biology with the idea that it is all a design rather than being complete chance.”

Kristin explains that this emphasis on faith has helped her see a connection between biology and her faith in Christ.

“To me, it has helped me to love the Lord with my mind…I’ve been able to intellectually believe more in God and appreciate the whole idea of this world being a design. Not only does God know how our cells defend against invading bacteria and other pathogens, but he can also know what is going on in my heart and in other people’s hearts. The fact that he is both a designer and a comforter helped me, as a biology major, to see a different side of who God is.”

For Kristin, an education rooted in knowing God and finding truth is invaluable.

“You can learn to be a nurse anywhere. Any nursing school can teach you how to be a good nurse, but not every institution can teach you how to think critically about the world and how to honor God,” Kristin says. “I realize that there is going to be a time in my life that I am going to stop being a nurse…but there is not going to be a time in my life when I stop learning about God and growing in God and that is something that Grove City has taught me that a lot of other schools can’t teach you.”

Learn more about the biology major at GCC here.

Learn more about the pre-health concentration here.

Posted on November 16, 2015November 30, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Grovers Abroad: Q&A with Allison Hafner

Allison Hafner (‘17), a psychology major at Grove City College, is currently spending a semester abroad at University College Cork in Ireland. Through the GCC Office of International Education and the University Studies Abroad Consortium, Allison is broadening her education across the pond.

1. Why did you decide to study abroad in Ireland?

Ireland was one of those places I had always wanted to visit. I never thought I’d get the opportunity, so when it started to seem like study abroad was an option, it was one of the first I looked into. Everything started to come together and Cork seemed like the best fit.

2. What was the process that you went through to find a study abroad program?

To be honest, I did very little to find the program. I went to the Office of International Education and asked for information about studying abroad. I didn’t think I’d be able afford it and I was mostly looking at estimated costs. They gave me a couple of books that contained programs and the universities they worked with. USAC [University Studies Abroad Consortium] included a program in Ireland that offered major courses I needed so I ran with it.

3. What classes are you taking this semester?

I’m taking 3 major required courses: Therapies, Biological Basis of Behavior, and Cognitive Psychology. Being a foreign student, I also get the opportunity to take cultural classes not available to Irish students. I’m in an introductory Irish history course and an Irish folklore course.

4. What would you consider to be the best parts of living at Cork this semester?

The most obvious answer to that would be to simply see Ireland. The country is stunning. Learning about its history while getting to see the landscapes and castles is so surreal. However, some of the best memories I’ll be taking from this semester are the interactions I’ve had while here. I was welcomed into a church and, even if for a season, made some wonderful friends. Traveling is fun, but sharing the experiences is such a joy.

DSC_0437edit — Allison on the coast in Derrynane, Ireland.

4. How has your experience living in another country supplemented your education as a Grove City student?

For me, it gave me a chance to be more independent. I was very much on my own, and while challenging at times, it gave me a chance to see where I’m at. My entire grade rests on my finals, which forces me to study and do the reading without anything to hold me accountable during the semester. It was also a good opportunity for me to be intentional with my faith. University College Cork has the nickname “the godless campus.” It’s a very secular school (which is a very different atmosphere from Grove City). If I wanted to grow, I had to make the time and invest.

6. If you were talking to a prospective student thinking about studying abroad, why would you recommend studying abroad through Grove City College?

Studying abroad is unique; you won’t be able to replicate it later on in life. One of the things about Grove City’s study abroad office that I am so thankful for is their flexibility and patience. They are very good at helping find a program, answering questions, and working through difficulties as they arise.

To learn more about the study abroad opportunities provided by Grove City College, visit the Office of International Education.

Posted on November 2, 2015December 28, 2015 by Anna Scofield — Leave a comment

Victoria VanBuskirk & Flora Stationery: Growing Education in Eastern Europe

While many college students are invested in obtaining their own college degrees, Victoria VanBuskirk (‘14) is dedicated to funding the education of other young women across the globe.

When Victoria and her sister Ashley were both in college, they founded Flora Stationery, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships for women in Eastern Europe to receive a college education in their own countries.

Victoria says that the inspiration for Flora Stationery began when her twin sister studied abroad in Kosovo and met a young woman there named Ema.

“Ema had a really compelling story about how she couldn’t afford education due to means outside of her control and how she was also the sole breadwinner for the five members of her family,” Victoria said. “Unemployment in Kosovo, which we learned after learning more about [Ema’s] story, is currently 45% for students between the ages of 16 and 24—the second highest in the world. After hearing about that and hearing about how Ema couldn’t afford an education in her own country and in her own language, that was something that really compelled Ashley because she went to Kosovo on a full scholarship.”

While her sister developed a passion for educating women after her trip to Kosovo, Victoria also discovered her passion for education through her Communication Research Methods class at Grove City College. “Research Methods is really where I found a passion of mine…I remember the moment of finding a webpage about the disparity of literacy in the world—700 million illiterate men and women in the world and 500 million of those are women. That has made me want to pursue education initiatives to help people read and write and know their rights, which I think is really powerful,” said Victoria.

Driven by a desire to make college education affordable to young women in Kosovo, Victoria and her sister developed the idea for Flora Stationery. “We talked about it and thought of making some sort of sustainable way to support scholarship for women who want to study in their own countries to then benefit their own countries,” Victoria said. After considering what product to sell in their business, Victoria and her sister decided on stationary because it represented the idea of school and education.

An important part of starting the organization occurred when Victoria saw a poster for the VentureLab program in the entrepreneurship department at Grove City College. “We worked through the VentureLab program just to get the idea off the ground…bouncing ideas off of different people through VentureLab was really helpful for the first semester that we were working on it,” she explained. Victoria said that her VentureLab advisor, Dr. Mech, supported the launching of Flora in multiple ways. “I think the most important thing that he encouraged for Flora was prayer, actually. Before he made any decision or talked about Flora whatsoever, we would pray about it. I think that just set a really good tone for all of our decisions that we made and all of our conversations. Here, at Grove City, I was able to get that because, at the end of the day, Dr. Mech’s purpose and my purpose was to glorify God through it.”

For Victoria, the greatest rewards in her nonprofit work come from hearing the stories of students helped by Flora and inspiring other people to become involved in the cause. “Next semester we are funding two mothers and two of their daughters, which is so cool to see a full circle,” she said.

Flora Stationery recently received an offer from Keds to create a special line of footwear and accessories using artwork from the students in Kosovo. The collection will be available in the spring of 2016 and the proceeds from the sales go to Flora Stationery.

“We’re really excited to be working with Keds in the spring,” Victoria said, “and we’re excited to be able to share so many stories with people when that comes out…the opportunity to connect more people with our purpose.”

Victoria says that her time as a student at Grove City College helped her to become the person and entrepreneur that she is today. “Looking back, I think that Grove City enabled me to think really critically and enabled me to build relationships with so many different people who inspired me. I think that when you’re surrounded by people who inspire you to be more, you become more, and so you do more. I’m really thankful for Grove City in the fact that I was able to cultivate those relationships that then pushed me to do more and be more for Christ.”

Learn more about Flora Stationery here.

Learn more about VentureLab and the GCC Entrepreneurship Department here.