Category: Academics

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Professor Spotlight: Dr. Guevara

If you sit in the right place in chapel on Tuesday or Thursday, you will probably have a young blonde woman scan your ID card on the way out. That woman is one of the members of our Department of Chemistry here at Grove City, Dr. Holly Guevara. Dr. Guevara is one of the newest and youngest professors in the department, having just started teaching at Grove City in the fall, right after finishing her graduate work. She got her doctorate from the University of New Hampshire, after completing her undergraduate at Eastern Nazarene University, where she was one of only four chemistry majors in her class. She originally heard about Grove City when she was doing her college search, and then made the connection for the faculty position when she was in New Hampshire. She got to know a lot of alumni in her church while she lived there, and they helped her make the connection when the position opened. Although she has not been here long, she has already become an integral part of the department.

One of the reasons Dr. Guevara came to Grove City was the opportunities that would be available at a school this size. She wanted to be able to have close relationships with students in a mentorship role, and she wanted to be able to focus on teaching and spending her time in the classroom. However, this does not mean all of her time is spent exclusively in the classroom. She is currently working to set up a research project that will begin over the summer and into the next year. They will be researching the metabolism of the benzene ring by the human body, and how it is broken down. This is a continuation of the work she did in graduate school, which is where she was first exposed to the science involved in this research. She also wants to do work with rotaxanes to see how they could be made into polymers to be used in drug delivery. Although this research still has not started, Dr. Guevara is excited about how much room there is for creativity and exploration. The access all students have to research at Grove City is one thing she highlighted, as this is something that is imperative for students to have as they pursue a chemistry education.

Even though she has been here for such a short time, Dr. Guevara is already excited about the relationships she is forming with both the other faculty in her department as well as the students she is getting to know. “I love our department…the faculty are really easy to work with from a faculty perspective, but I think from a student’s perspective they’re pretty accessible as well.” She also commented to me on the respect and community students have that she has noticed here at Grove City. Students are hardworking, respectful, and take the time to get to know their professors, and it is evident to her. “I really like the very friendly, supportive nature…you go other places and that’s not the case, so that’s really nice to have here.”

Dr. Guevara also advocated the benefits of coming to a small Christian school while we were talking, which was pleasant to hear coming from someone who has been here for such a short time. “The personal attention you get at a small school is worth it…you’re more of a name and less of a number. At a place like Grove City, the faculty and other students are advocating for you to succeed, but we do it in a God centered way.” Dr. Guevara has already made a positive impact on the students here, and I am positive she will continue to do so in her time here.

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Student Spotlight: Patty Jo Nickoloff

Patricia Nickoloff, who goes by “Patty Jo” Nickoloff, is always found with a big smile on her face that radiates happiness. Patty Jo is a freshman here at Grove City College, belonging in the Alpha Beta Tau sorority, a member of the Newman Club, taking part in the radio show, and playing rugby in her free time. She is double majoring in Communication Studies and Visual Arts and Entrepreneurship, along with a minor in International Studies. The majors she chose were what she had prepared to do in college, but her minor was unexpected as she realized how much she loves using her majors on a more global level.

Patty Jo dreams of working for an organization or magazine that focuses on worldwide missions, where she would help nonprofits operate more efficiently. The love she had for her Public Speaking, Spanish, and Entrepreneurship and Mission of the Church classes show her overall focus on her future direction. Professor Pritchard and Doctora Tinkey are teachers that impacted her mindset to give guidance to her passions.

Freshman year has been exciting and full of fun so far for Patty Jo. She appreciates the new and different atmosphere, as well as the support from the rest of the people at the school toward the new freshmen. “Everyone just wants to help you figure it all out and the want to introduce you to everything they love about GCC,” she said.

She enjoys the Department of Communication and Visual Arts because of the steps they take to send out opportunities for the students that help to expand the skills they already have. Patty Jo loves learning about languages and cultures, so she looks forward to more of her international studies classes. Having classes that teach her to think outside the box, show how businesses work, and how to be different but relevant are great preparation for real life experiences. Having the majors she has provides a wonderful source of relatability and understanding, not just during her class times but outside in her personal life.

“I’m passionate about art in all its forms. That’s why communication is great because art is all about communicating ideas. I love the history of the world and how things came to be, that’s where the international studies comes in.  I love new ideas.  Creating new and amazing things which is why entrepreneurship is a great major as well,” Patty Jo said.

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Professor Spotlight: Dr. Falcetta

I recently had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Dr. Michael Falcetta, one of the chemistry professors here at Grove City College. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York (Oswego), Dr. Falcetta traveled to the University of Pittsburgh where he completed his graduate and post-doctoral work. While there, he worked to build an electron-scattering instrument during his time as a post-doctoral researcher. He then took a few years off and worked at a church in the City of Pittsburgh as a youth pastor before deciding to attend seminary. Although he did not complete his seminary degree, this experience was one that has stayed with Dr. Falcetta throughout his career and impacts the way he relates to those around him. Before coming to Grove City, Dr. Falcetta worked at Anderson University and Roberts Wesleyan University. Although he had never heard of Grove City, he applied for a chemistry position here and has been a faculty member since. He now resides in the Grove City area with his wife and his daughter who is a student here.

One of the things that came up most frequently in my interview with Dr. Falcetta was how much he values his relationship with students. He told me that he “love[s] being with students, and teaching, and doing research,” and that if “they changed the character of the students…. I would really consider leaving.” He enjoys working with those of us who are “grappling with the big questions,” and he strives to do his best to get to know students outside the classroom and pursue relationships with them. “I love equipping people to do their own thing well…I really like to develop their skills, their independence, I want them to become thinkers.” He does his best to stay in touch with students after they graduate and continues to help people through the tough questions they face after college.

Dr. Falcetta was quick to highlight the relational aspect that is a part of a chemistry degree here at Grove City. Students are able to relate to each other, as well as professors, in an environment that is not overly competitive like many schools. He also mentioned the plethora of resources available at a school this size, and the success of the students that graduate from here. Research at Grove City was something he emphasized, especially the large amount of opportunities that are available to students. His main research on campus is in collaboration with a physics and engineering professor, Dr. Mark Fair. For the past 10 years, they have been doing computational research to model molecules and find out what happens when electrons are added to molecules.

While not in the classroom, Dr. Falcetta is very involved in the lives of different students on campus. Not only is he the faculty advisor for a housing group on campus, he and his wife lead a small group of students that they host in their home. He also works with students in the summers to do research work at the College. I was also surprised to learn he has an affinity for languages, and he is currently teaching himself Welsh. It is very evident his experience in seminary and working with youth still impacts his life. Although he does love working with college students, he did mention that he would love to work with young men who are not college bound and help them pursue opportunities that will help them build careers not based on college education. Even in my short interview with him, I could tell that he has a passion for the students he works with day in and day out. The work done by Dr. Falcetta at Grove City is highly praised by all who interact with him, and it is very evident this praise is justified and well deserved.

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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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Professor Spotlight: Dr. Wong

I was given the opportunity to interview one of the most interesting members of the Department of Chemistry this last week: Dr. Ven Ney Wong. Although she is originally from Malaysia, Dr. Wong came to Grove City College three years ago as a professor. She primarily teaches the analytical and instrumental portions of the chemistry curriculum, which means she spends the majority of her time in her labs, using a variety of different instruments. Her background is in forensic chemistry, which came about after an internship at the Illinois State Crime Lab during her undergrad years at Southern Illinois University. While there, she helped to catalogue and publish the library showing the spectrum of different drugs, primarily through her work with a mass spectrometer.

Dr. Wong actually took me into her different labs while I was interviewing her, and I was able to see the instruments she uses with her students every day. The one we spent the most time at, and the one that she has the most experience with, was the mass spectrometer. Essentially, mass spectrometers show the mass of certain compounds, which can identify the “fingerprint” of compounds. One of the most popular labs she does with students is to test the amount of cocaine in various denominations of bills. They use different methods of extraction for various dollar bills, and then use the mass spectrometer to determine the levels of cocaine in the various bills.

During our tour of her instrument lab, Dr. Wong was able to show me a plethora of research projects that she is involved in at the school. One of the projects she is currently working on is in collaboration with a biology professor at Grove City, Dr. Stephen Jenkins. They are researching slave maker ants and studying how the chemical compounds of the different ants interact. She also showed me a project a student had started that was a breathalyzer that would change the color of a hydrogel if alcohol was detected. In class, she is working with students on making a lie detector that tests for skin resistance, which can show the urge to lie. She pointed out to me that a lot of the work they do in instrumental lab has a basis in forensics, since most forensics heavily relies on instruments.

Beyond all the exciting work she does with research and in her labs, Dr. Wong was able to offer a unique perspective on the atmosphere of Grove City, since she has such a different background. She commented to me how it was interesting to her to see the relationship between professors and students at Grove City. “It is more than just professor and student…the professors here do everything to help, in terms of career, time management… I think they journey with the students.” She noted how there is a lot of like-mindedness and similarity of lifestyles at Grove City that is very unlike anything else she has seen in her career. “If you’re a student who is looking forward to having a relationship and enjoying your time studying, learning, and wanting that extra push…we give lots of opportunities here.” It was evident to me in my interactions with Dr. Wong that she plays a big role in creating that atmosphere at the College. Almost all of her research she does with students, and she told me story after story about different things students have done. It is remarkable how much she could tell me about different students after only three years at Grove City, and I can only imagine how much more she will be able to recount in years to come.

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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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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.