Sarah Stites, Author at

Posted on December 2, 2015December 6, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

Top 10 Places You Must Visit Before Leaving Grove City College

Most of the excitement in Grove City, PA takes place on the college campus. There’s certainly no disputing that. However, although Grove City might seem a relatively sleepy town, there are many hidden gems that can make your off-campus experiences quite interesting. Here, we’ve collected the top ten destinations (more or less in the vicinity of the college) that you must visit before you graduate.

Guthrie Theatre – Built in 1927, the old-timey Guthrie boasts a movie-viewing experience “where the atmosphere of the past and the technology of the present create memories for the future.” What’s not to love?
Leesburg Falls – Just off a small road about 10 minutes from campus, you’ll find a beautiful waterfall just waiting to be explored. Visit in the summertime and you can wade in the pool at its base.
Thrifty Threads – We all know college students are poor. Find amazing deals at this great thrift store that is always running deals. I mean, clothing there is regularly $.50, but it’s always nice to get ten items for $1.
McConnells Mill State Park – With a spectacular gorge shaped by glaciers, the park provides ample space for whitewater boating, climbing, hiking and more.
Emmett’s Orchard – Exploring Emmett’s makes for an excellent autumn Saturday jaunt. Although you can’t pick the fruit, you can certainly buy it. (Their honeycrisp apples are to die for!)
Moraine State Park – Visit in August or September prepped to swim in the refreshing lake. Come with friends, games and a picnic.
Grove City Outlets – Want a shopping excursion? People come all the way from Canada to visit the Outlets’ 140 stores, so you’re lucky to have them in your own backyard.
Presque Isle State Park – A visit to Lake Erie’s beautiful beaches makes for a perfect Labor day excursion. Plus, entrance to the park is free!
The Brewery – Located in quaint downtown Slippery Rock, The Brewery is a popular destination for students who have just turned 21. For those underage, the food is great too.
Downtown Pittsburgh – Especially if you’re not from the Pittsburgh area, you have to visit the city at least once! You can attend a Pirates game, enjoy fine dining or see a show.

So there you go. Your off-campus experience doesn’t have to be dull–you just have to know where to go! For more ideas, visit the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce Webpage.

Posted on December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

Panera VP Blaine Hurst Speaks to Business Students

It may have been the cinnamon crunch bagels. Or the bonus points. But whatever attracted the crowds of students to hear Blaine Hurst, they did not leave disappointed.

Hurst, the executive vice president and chief transformation & growth officer at Panera and the husband of a Grove City grad, delivered a fascinating and lively lecture about the restaurant’s recent tech innovations. In the past several years, the traditional Panera has transformed into Panera 2.0, replete with kiosks for customized ordering, rapid pickup options and mobile orders.

As the self-described entrepreneur in residence at Panera, Hurst has worked daily to “challenge the way we’ve always done things.” From his start with with fast casual restaurant chain, the VP has stressed the mentality of “innovate or die.” For most companies, innovation has simply translated to developments in mobile apps, responsive design and strategic use of big data. However, to Hurst, disruptive innovation requires a holistic view and transformation of the customer experience.

In his talk, Hurst delineated six lessons on innovation that have been instrumental to Panera’s success. These lessons included the importance of an unbound, focused team, the recognition that there is more than one way to innovate and the idea that innovation is a journey.

Panera has certainly seen the positive results of Hurst’s work. In May, the company was named the #1 brand of the year by Fast Casual. In 2015, it was also recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s top 50 most innovative companies. It maintains the leading loyalty program in its industry. But these accolades have not come without difficulties. When Hurst’s team first rolled out Panera 2.0, the websites crashed. And this was at a time when he was striving to get the Board to increase funding. But he fixed the situation by owning the problem. “Stand up with courage when you’ve made mistakes,” he encouraged.

Hurst’s final point was to warn young innovators to expect the unbelievers. Your “commitment can’t waver,” he said. As a leader, “if you lose your head, all others [on your team] will run backwards.” And in an original one-liner, Hurst summed up the difficulty of innovation: “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” But progress, as Hurst knows and Panera can attest, will never come without change.

To read about more interesting lectures like this one, check out the posts under the Neat Speakers category.

Posted on December 1, 2015December 2, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

27 Years and Running

Since 1988, the Grove City women’s cross country team has made it their annual tradition to capture the President’s Athletic Conference (PAC) championship title. Their 2015 win was no exception to the streak. This year, the team, lead by three time PAC champion Emily Rabenold (’16), earned a stellar score of 20 points, with five runners placing in the top seven.

What’s the secret to their success? 12-year coach Sean Severson will tell you that it’s the result of hard work and straight priorities; namely, that Christ and teammates come before oneself. Both in life and in running, there is a great emphasis on living for God’s glory. Before each race, the women pray as a team and then agree to pray for the woman on their right during the competition. For captain Stevie Huston (’16), running cross country from this perspective has been huge. “Not only did it teach me what it meant to train like an athlete, it also taught me how to train for something bigger than myself.”

The team has several mantras that reflect this ethic, including “unbreakable” and “focus on what you can control.” To Huston, the former means “not giving up in the face of adversity and being strong for one another, not yourself. But most importantly, I think it means to center our thoughts and mind on Jesus who is truly unbreakable and finding our strength in Him.”

To Maty Zeckzer (’19), focusing on what you can control was an idea that helped her to improve physically and mentally. “I liked this idea because in my past experiences, cross country was very focused on beating the other runners in the race,” she reflected. “You’ll never be able to control the weather, the course, or other runner’s performances, but too often as runners that’s what we like to focus on and worry about. But with this idea, it takes the focus off of others (who you can’t control) and allows you to concentrate on giving your best effort in that specific moment.”

With their priorities straight, the women work very hard at improving their speed and form through lifting, core work, controlled breathing and flexibility. Of course, they spend most of their practice time simply running in preparation for their 6 kilometer races.

Some prospective students are legitimately concerned about the amount of time that participating in a collegiate sport will consume. However, to captain Emily Townsend (’16), “cross country has been my stress-reliever, and the team has been a source of continual love and encouragement in the middle of the difficulties of school.”

And there is certainly much to make the demanding season fun. On homecoming weekend, the team sponsors an alumni 5K for GCCXC veterans. The event includes much reminiscing, great music and lots of chili.

Coach Severson also works hard to include at least one meet per year at a destination location. In October, before competing with over 100 teams at the Greater Louisville Classic, the team had the opportunity to visit the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. Later in the month, the GCC runners participated in the Gettysburg Invitational after touring the battlefields.

The women’s XC team has a tradition of working hard, but that tradition also applies to playing hard. On the day before the PAC championship, everyone dresses up in 80’s clothes and runs around campus singing hits from the same decade. It’s a great way to de-stress before the most important race of the season.

Rabenold, who was a 2015 captain and MVP, will miss the warm and friendly dynamic of the team. “There’s no drama,” she says. “Everyone gets along with everyone and there’s no talking behind people’s backs. You don’t find that in a group of twenty girls very often.”

For more information about the women’s cross country team, visit the Grove City athletics website here.

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

Reaching for the Stars

Senior Aimee Lynch is probably one of the most Christlike and humble girls on campus. She remains unassuming, while possessing an unusual mix of interpersonal and intellectual talents.

Having had a strong interest in science from an early age, Lynch completed two summer internships at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center while still in high school. Even before attending Grove City College, she knew she wanted to minor in astronomy.

This semester, she’s taking Observational Astronomy, where she enjoys utilizing the campus observatory. “I love being able to identify constellations at night, and to be able to actually understand what is going on in the sky,” she enthuses.

As a communications major, Lynch also directs Lambda Pi Eta, the honorary for senior communication studies majors. In October 2015, the group hosted Anna Watson Carl, a GCC alum and author of The Yellow Table, an award-winning, Paris-inspired cookbook. According to Lynch, “the honorary is a great way for motivated students to get involved in the department and to have an avenue to put [their] ideas to work.”

Lynch has had plenty of practice being a leader. As an RA during her sophomore and junior years, she enjoyed great friendships with staff and students as well as the constant learning opportunities that came with the job. “Our weekly staff meetings were filled with interesting discussion, learning how to live reflectively, and affirming our first responsibilities to the Lord,” she reminisces. This year, although she misses being a resident assistant, she has decided to explore her other interests, one of which is learning Farsi.

With a passion for language, Lynch is considering graduate school for linguistics. She has also applied to the State Department’s competitive Critical Language Scholarship, where she aspires to further develop her Farsi skills in Tajikistan.

If that doesn’t pan out, she’s also applied to a study-abroad program in New Zealand and for a product innovator position at ThinkFun. “It’s exciting to think that I could be absolutely anywhere a year from now!” she says. “I know that it can often be stressful for seniors to try to decide where to go after graduation, but I am enjoying the process of brainstorming right now and I know that the Lord has it all planned out already.”

Posted on November 3, 2015December 6, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

It’s a Minor Issue

It took 6 semesters at Grove City College before I discovered that we offer some pretty neat minors. So, in an effort to make sure I left as a well-informed graduate, I decided to learn more about the niche study areas we have available by chatting with students and teachers.

Emily Anne Dellinger, a junior sociology major, told me a bit about her National Security minor. When I asked her about the most interesting class she had taken, she mentioned “Terrorism and Counterrorism” with political science professor Dr. Stanton. Dellinger explained that she found the “social and political process of state sponsored terrorism that leads up to a huge attack like 9/11” to be more interesting than the actual acts of terrorism themselves. What specifically interested her about the minor? “How to inspire people to violence is important knowledge, mostly so we can prevent future terror,” she said.

Senior communications major Aimee Lynch is earning an astronomy minor, which requires four specific astronomy classes, plus two semesters of physics. She’s currently in Observational Astronomy, where she and her classmates get to use Grove City’s observatory. (Of course, I also didn’t know we had one of those!) “I love being able to identify constellations at night, and to be able to actually understand what is going on in the sky,” she explains. Having interned for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center during high school, Lynch has greatly appreciated having the opportunity to further pursue her passion for science, even though she’s not looking to be an astronomer.

Marketing professor Richard Kocur gave me some information about the business analytics minor which is pursued mostly by business, computer science, math, and engineering students. He explained that the area of data analytics is one of the fastest growing fields in all of business, making the skill set quite attractive to employers. Senior marketing major Andy Fritz knows this and has already thought of many ways in which he can apply the skills he has learned through his minor. “Personally, my ultimate dream in analytics would be to pair with a baseball organization to show how you can ‘play smarter’ by predicting and analyzing data. This is already apparent as teams are using data to predict where the opponent will hit the ball,” he said.

Especially as new technology arises, faculty have worked to devise new minors that will educate students in desirable new skills. Within Grove City’s well-respected engineering program, I discovered a new robotics minor in the works. Requirements would likely include existing courses such as Artificial Intelligence and Embedded Systems, which deals with the application of microprocessors to mobile robots, while adding new ones like Intro to Robotics. According to engineering professor Dr. Mohr, a “course in ethics as it relates to robotics and engineering…would distinguish our minor somewhat from similar programs at other institutions.” The minor will hopefully be in place by the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year.

In the end, you don’t have to get a minor at Grove City, but why not? It’s a great way to learn more about a subject you find interesting, but might not want to pursue full time. Additionally, earning a minor can make you stand out against the competition in your in field. Check out Grove City’s full list of offerings here.

Posted on October 30, 2015December 2, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

Guten tag, Germany!

Ever since visiting Germany in middle school, Steve Thomas (’16) knew he wanted to return someday. The country and its culture had captured his heart, so, starting in seventh grade, he began to learn the language.

Although he did not initially think about studying abroad, the accounting and finance major began to contemplate the idea once he got to Grove City. After investigating his options, he decided to spend his fall semester of junior year at Freie Universität, a high-ranking university founded at the beginning of the Cold War by anti-communist students and academics in West Berlin. Thomas had chosen a destination with a history of conflict, but also one of resurgence. Berlin is now a top European destination, and Thomas found the people to be very open to discussing their city’s troubled past.

Even with a very solid background in the German language, Thomas was still challenged by the speed at which the natives spoke. However, immersion, combined with the upper level German classes he took at Freie Uni, only helped him to further hone his skills.

In addition to German, Thomas took courses in Europe & the Global Economy and European Business Cultures. In the latter class, he was able to visit several German firms and discuss with executives such issues as their corporate response to globalization. This provided great real world experience that he was able to apply to business courses back home at Grove City.

One of the downsides of Thomas’ university experience was the lack of diversity in the student abroad program, many of whom were American. However, Thomas was able to connect with Europeans through other means, such as attending a German-speaking church. This was initially difficult to find, as Berliners are a people who focus more on the logical and less on the spiritual aspects of life. This, in combination with East Berlin’s history of repressive communism, has made the city spiritually dormant. However, when Thomas did finally find a body of believers, he was touched by the realization that the Truth transcends geography and culture.

Over the four months of his semester abroad, the avid traveler was able to visit fourteen European countries, journeying as far north as Norway and east as Turkey. When asked about his favorite destination, Thomas, who was born in Glasgow, had a hard time deciding whether Scotland or Norway topped the list.

In the former country, he had been able to reconnect with his roots, even having tea and shortbread with the minister who baptized him as a baby. Yet, in Norway, the Colorado native found a culture with an easier way of life, centered amidst a backdrop of gorgeous fjords and mountains. This was especially welcome to him after feeling somewhat stifled by the city life of Berlin.

Although Thomas was glad to return to his family and the wide and wild space of Colorado, he struggled to find people with whom to share the stories of his international experience. Additionally, after focusing for four months on his German language skills, he sometimes found difficulty expressing himself in English. However, despite the small challenges, the experience was life-changing. Thomas learned so much about himself, his faith and others. To students contemplating whether to study abroad, he advises: “Do it! You’ll find that the world is a smaller and friendlier place than you’d imagine. There’s an inexhaustible supply of cultural treasures and experiences out there waiting to widen your understanding of humanity.”

Following graduation, Thomas will begin a career at the Denver branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Because the corporation is global, it is not unusual for employees to be transferred for stints to PwC branches abroad. With Thomas’ skills in German, the likelihood is high that he’ll make it back to Europe yet again someday.

To learn more about Grove City’s study abroad program, visit here.

Posted on October 19, 2015December 6, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

From Afghanistan to the Grove: How a Little Piece of Shrapnel Changed Everything

Every year, Grove City students travel abroad to study in Europe, Asia or South America, but who are the people who make Grove City their destination? In this series, we’ll introduce you to GCC’s international students and their amazing stories.

If you didn’t know Najib Afghan well, you’d think him just like any other Grove City student. He dresses well, studies hard and participates in lots of extra-curricular activities. However, Najib’s story is anything but mundane—in fact, it’s an exceptional example of how God works through the worst circumstances to bestow the greatest blessings.

Born and raised in the Helmand province of war-torn Afghanistan, Najib is the son of illiterate parents. When he was fifteen, he and his younger brother Hamid were cycling down the streets of their hometown of Lashkar Gah, when a rocket hit the road. The shrapnel killed Hamid instantly, while Najib sustained severe damage to his left eye. A British journalist named Jerome Starkey saw the explosion and came to Najib’s aid, beginning a lifelong friendship that would open up worlds of opportunity for the Afghani youth.

Starkey worked with Najib to locate a surgeon who could remove the 2mm piece of metal that was lodged in the boy’s eye. However, no one in Afghanistan was able to do so. After two weeks, sponsored by an American charity, Najib found himself en route to North Carolina. There, a skilled ophthalmologist named Dr. Nasrollah Samiy successfully removed the shrapnel, although Najib sadly remains blind in that eye.

Najib recollects his first feelings about the United States. “During my first visit to America to Charlotte, NC in 2009 I was amazed how modern this country was and I was inspired by the US colleges and the standard of education in this country. So ever since was looking for ways to come US again to get a degree, a medical degree is what I wanted to do then. Luckily, about two years later, in 2011 I was offered three years full scholarship at Stowe one of the top private boarding school in England.”

While studying at Stowe, Najib met GCC economics professor Dr. Mark Hendrickson, who was visiting the boarding school. “I was looking for US colleges with a rigorous academic environment that challenged me but also place I could get academic and financial support,” Najib recollects. After talking with Dr. Hendrickson, the Afghani student researched Grove City College and found that it had “great academic excellence” and a “very supportive community.” So, he applied, and was accepted. Currently studying accounting, Najib is thriving and enjoying his professors and classes. Looking toward the future, he hopes to be an entrepreneur.

Despite being a devout Muslim, Najib appreciates Grove City’s Christian environment. He even likes the shoe-in-the-door rule and the campus drinking policy. “You cannot find any more responsible, safer, nicer, and supportive college with rigorous academics than Grove City College,” he says.

However, Najib has still found the adjustment somewhat hard. “It has been difficult to make a friend here that do not want convert you,” he reflects. “I have my own faith and I feel strongly about it.” Even still, he believes that Christianity and Islam have a lot in common, citing the prophets that both faiths share, devotion to one God and doing good deeds. “As the only Afghan and Muslim up until last semester, I hope I have played my part to break down any barrier that might exist between us.”

When asked to name his favorite American food, Najib answers: “Macaroni and cheese. I love them. Great source of carbs for Ultra-marathon training which I did 38 mil on August in Pittsfield, MA to raise fund for FreeToRun charity.” Is there anything this guy doesn’t do?

Keep up the good work, Najib. We’re so glad you chose Grove City College.

Posted on October 9, 2015December 2, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

The Woman Behind ProfilePasser

Entrepreneur, semi-professional soccer player, budding author and 2014 GCC alum – Sam Weber is all of these and more.

Now, living the start-up life in San Francisco, she’s eager to share the lessons of her journey with college students. After speaking to classes at the University of San Francisco and Westmont College, Weber flew home to Pittsburgh for Grove City’s homecoming weekend, when Dr. Powell’s marketing students had the privilege of hearing her story. Weber confirmed what the students have learned in class—the best innovations result from entrepreneurs who addressing their own pain points.

Having started her soccer career at the ripe age of three, Weber is intimately acquainted with the competitive athletic system. When she reached high school, she and her teammates experienced the frustrations and flaws of the college recruiting process. At tournaments, parents would pass out stacks of players’ profiles to any college coaches that happened to walk by. Of course, these same coaches would often be inundated with emails, making the communication pathway clogged, untargeted and inefficient.

Weber had long hoped to address this problem that was so close to her heart. While a sophomore English major at Grove City, the soccer player put her plan into action. What resulted was ProfilePasser, an app that dramatically streamlines the recruiting process for both players and coaches.

Weber remembers several Grove City courses being particularly helpful to her in the development of her company—particularly Content Marketing, Principles of Marketing and Accounting. Additionally, the young entrepreneur was blessed to participate in Startup Weekend, where her idea for ProfilePasser placed third, winning her $25,000 in funding from Alphalab, Pittsburgh’s startup accelerator.

Balancing a business, a full course load and varsity soccer was difficult, but Weber was up for the challenge. During her senior year, Weber got an email about the Inc. Magazine Coolest College Startup in America competition. Weber set it aside, believing that her app was not good enough to place, and “some kid from Harvard” would win. But when she decided to enter, ProfilePasser made it to the final four of the March Madness style competition—a remarkable achievement.

Even while Weber juggled many demands on her attention, she was planning another important task to accomplish after graduation—writing a book. Several years ago, her brother died in a tragic hiking accident outside his Air Force base in Northern Italy. In a Hero’s Steps was inspired by Weber’s desire to trace Zach’s footsteps through Europe and chronicle his short life of 21 years. She finished the first draft of the book last year.

ProfilePasser is not profitable yet, so Weber is paying the bills by working as a product manager for a small startup in San Francisco. However, her app certainly has the potential to grow. Just last year, Weber made the difficult decision to decline an acquisition offer from European sports tech company YouFoot, feeling that the company’s vision did not mesh with her hopes for ProfilePasser. Recently, she partnered with a programmer from her church to take ProfilePasser to the next level. The young entrepreneur hopes to give back to the San Francisco community by giving away subscriptions for her app to America Scores, a non-profit inspiring American youth to lead healthier lives through soccer.

To the students who asked for her top advice, Weber shared that a great team really matters in a start-up. Picking the right people with whom to work—colleagues with a strong work ethic who share your vision—is key to success.

Learn more about Grove City’s entrepreneurship program here.

Posted on October 7, 2015December 6, 2015 by Sarah Stites — Leave a comment

Marketing Is a Battle of Perceptions, Not Tomatoes

Reaching into a large bin of cans and bottles, Dick Maggiore pulls out Campbell’s soup, Heinz ketchup and Hunts tomato sauce. The CEO of award-winning advertising agency Innis-Maggiore certainly knows how to keep a crowd engaged. And there’s quite a big one—the audience of students, teachers and administration is too large for the room.

Holding up the three tomato-based products, Maggiore explains the power of positioning: the concept that a brand can only stand for one idea in consumers’ minds. He’s an expert at this; in fact, he calls himself the disciple of Jack Trout, the author of the best-selling, industry classic Positioning: The Battle for your Mind.

Campbell’s, Maggiore says, failed when it tried expanding into the ketchup category, because Campbell’s stands for mediocre canned soup. “We said as consumers, ‘no, Campbell’s is soup, Heinz is ketchup and Hunts is sauce,’” he explains. Even though Campbell’s ketchup formula may not have differed much from Heinz’, there was a perception that it was orange and runny—much like the brand’s signature soup.

So must a brand be confined to only one product category? Not necessarily, says the CEO. After the Campbell’s ketchup failure, a new marketing director said that she could produce a pasta sauce that would eventually capture the highest market share in the category. How did she do it?

A student raises her hand and ventures: “She created a new brand name for the sauce?”

Mr. Maggiore smiles. That’s right–Prego. It soon captured the pasta sauce market, and is still there today. Ask an average person who owns Prego and they won’t know, unless they’ve seen the small Campbell’s logo on the back of the jar.

In the end, marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products.

Dick Maggiore is just one of the speakers that marketing students will have the privilege to hear in class this year. What a great opportunity to dovetail theory and practice (and network with some of the best in the field!)

Find out more about Grove City College’s marketing program here.