Category: Student Spotlights

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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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Stairwell Concert featuring Jackson Clemmer and Julia Knepper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.”

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Reel Life at Grove City College: A Chat with Jonathan, Education Major

At Grove City College, Jonathan Moore is known far and wide as friendly, active, and focused. He brightens every room he enters with a smile and laughter. As an Education major focused in Special Education, a Resident Assistant in a freshman hall, and an involved member of campus activities, he has a lot on his plate. Jonathan is a fantastic example of a college student with varied, balanced interests.

In this episode of Reel Life at Grove City College, I ask Jonathan about his experience. Hear about his favorite characteristic of Grove City students, his Friday night social activities, his one-word descriptor of his time here, and more in the video.

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Student Spotlight: Anne Shirley Dassow, All-American

Anne Shirley Dassow

Class of 2020

Double Major Biology: Health and Spanish

Campus Involvement:

  • Varsity Women’s Swim team
  • Pre-Health Society
  • Vice-President of Crown and Sceptre
  • Spanish Club

How do you manage to balance academics and a varsity sport?

Honestly, the balance comes through really careful planning of how to use my time with clear and strict organization. Last year after a class I decided to not do homework on Sundays as a challenge from my Bib Rev class, so it’s been really strict on my time.

 

How was it to get to be named a multiple All-American as a freshman? Tell us about your NCAA experience?

Sophomore year of high school I swam really fast times. I was really surprised and I was really excited for how things were going in high school. Junior and senior year I went slower so I thought I peaked in high school. I didn’t expect to get faster in college at all. I was surprised when I qualified in two events for NCAAs. The NCAAs were a week long meet in Shenandoah, Texas. The Grove City team had a couple provisional qualifiers, but I was the only one invited to come to the meet. I was allowed to bring another teammate who was super supportive in a very hands-on way. I competed three days in a row, ended up getting 7th in the 100 butterfly, 6th in the 200 butterfly and 35th in the 200 backstroke. It was crazy because NCAAs were on my radar since high school and being a multiple All American hasn’t changed much in my life. I planned on swimming all four years. I didn’t expect to get faster. I loved swimming. Everything was fun last year and it turned out to be a little bit extra, but didn’t change my viewpoint on swimming. I’ll stay positive and this was just a reward for my hard work.

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Major/ Minor Mix-Up: Biblical & Religious Studies, Communication Double Major with Computer Science Minor

Grove City College makes it really simple to pursue countless majors and minors. What is interesting is some of the major and minor combinations students choose. Some may be a little out of the ordinary, but they spark an interesting conversation. Rachel Kohnerger ’20 is one of those students with an interesting major/minor combination.

Rachel is a Biblical and Religious Studies and Communications double major with a minor in Computer Science (that’s a mouthful). When I reached out to students to see who has an interesting combination of a major and minor, Rachel caught my eye, so I decided to have a little chat with her and here is how it went:

Why did you choose Biblical and Religious Studies and Communication Studies as a double major?

Like a bunch of kids, I went to youth camps. One day they asked for anyone going into ministry to come up. At that point I decided that is something I want to do. Because of this, I looked into Christian colleges. I knew I wanted to get involved in spreading the gospel whether it was working with a mission agency or with Christian media.

A lot of BARS (Biblical and Religious Studies) major professors recommended a double major as the two compliment each other. The Communication Studies major is a support to the BARS major and it opened up opportunities with both majors.

What was the moment you knew your major was the right choice?

The very first assignment: A 15-page research paper in Contemporary American religion. We had to go to different churches and research the ways they worship and how it had an effect on age-group attendance… [after the project] it showed me that is was something I could do and something I enjoyed doing.

Computer Science and Biblical and Religious Studies? Why Computer Science?

Last year I took programming 1 for my math requirement with no expectations but I really ended up loving programming. There was room in my schedule to add it as a minor. With the direction I want to take it [academic career], I’ll take web design classes that compliment my Communications major.

What moment made you decide you loved Computer Science?

I had professor Al Moakar who is a very hands on teacher. It was the first time I created a program and ran it. It was so satisfying to see the program run and to see and understand how it worked.

Any advice for incoming freshmen that are debating what majors and minors they will pursue?

Don’t limit yourself! Its okay to get in and realize that you aren’t doing what you want to do for the rest of your life. Explore classes in other departments, not just your Gen Ed’s or HUMAs (General Education and Humanities courses). You never know. You may actually love it and decide to minor in it, like me.

 

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Independent Research: The Ant Robot

It is no secret that the engineers at Grove City are incredibly talented and innovative. One project that stood out to Dr. Mohr, an engineering professor here, was designed and built by sophomore Theo Stangebye. Instead of reading me go on and on about the complexities, Dr. Mohr thought it best Theo explain the process himself. Theo and his sister, Sophie, were even kind enough to put together a short video showcasing the technology – enjoy!

Hi, my name is Theo Stangebye and I’m a sophomore electrical/computer engineering major at Grove City College. This past semester, I’ve had the privilege of working in the control systems lab with Dr. Mohr through the independent study program. During that time, we’ve been working on developing a robot with the ability to track ants and other small insects as they move across a field in order to study their behavioral patterns.

The development of this robot has been a collaborative effort: the project was suggested by professors in the Biology department, the chassis was designed and 3D printed by a mechanical engineering student, and the robot’s motherboard was designed by Dr. Mohr.

The robot utilizes a tail-dragger design and measures about one foot in length from front to back. We’ve equipped the robot with many instruments and sensors which will eventually help it navigate in the wild, including a movable lidar sensor, an inertial measurement unit, quadrature encoded wheel, and a GPS receiver. Currently, however, the robots computes distance and direction solely based on the movement of its two front wheels. The whole system is controlled with a myRIO by National Instruments and is programmed by LabVIEW.

Working on the project this semester has been a blast. I’ve developed low level control algorithms which allow the robot to be controlled with series of simple, high level commands, such as “drive 30 inches at an angle of 45 degrees.” To enable this form of control, I utilized a PID loop, which constantly checks the direct the wheels to correct for errors in the robot’s heading. PID loops are standard in industry applications, so getting to write my own algorithm was an excellent learning experience.

There were challenges along the way, but getting to see the finished product has been very rewarding. The robot can perform complex maneuvers, like tracing a star pattern, with great amounts of precision. If you’d like to see the robot in action, please check out the video on this page. I’m excited to see we will accomplish in the future, especially as we interface cameras into the robot next semester.

 

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Liberty and Socks

In the fall, Professor Sweet taught a class endearingly called Internet Content Marketing. In this course, students learned the importance of tailoring content to particular audiences in order to make a profit or showcase credibility. Towards the end of the semester, Professor Sweet asked the students to put their lessons into practice and write articles for this blog. As the editor of this site, I had the awesome opportunity to read all of these articles and choose the ones that I thought our readers would find most interesting. This particular piece is by Abigail Opst, she describes work with a business born out of a Entrepreneurship class. Enjoy!

I am a pretty competitive person by nature. It does not mean I am good at everything I enjoy, but it definitely means I love watching a good match. Even though I am not in the Entrepreneurship E-Commerce class—or an Entrepreneurship major at all for that matter—I have heard and learned a lot about it through my friends who are currently taking it. And the competition bit really piqued my interest. Over the course of a semester, the class has students form teams to start businesses and compete in selling products that ultimately support a cause of their choice. They are responsible for delegating duties—assigning chief executive, financial, and technical officers among other things—and they get to pull things together on their own.

Mended Sock Company is just one of the many companies that has come out of the class, Sophia Stangebye and Caroline Parker being my two claims to fame. Mended Sock Co. ties into the organization it supports, A21, and its mission to mend the lives of individuals who have been affected by human trafficking. Caroline explained that A21 organizes walks for freedom across the world, and Sophia added that individuals who walk dress in all black and are silent—but why not wear comfortable socks during these walks, she adds, that also support the A21 mission.

Despite the seemingly obscure class name, E-commerce is just a shortened version of electronic commerce—the idea of commercial transactions conducted over the internet. The course description describes the class as focusing on “e-commerce strategy, target market, analysis, search engine optimization, mobile commerce, social commerce, integrated marketing, [and] web usability” among other things; by “working with an external client,” students have the opportunity to explore these subjects through their own exploration of such “practical applications in the marketplace.” Though each team member takes on a different position, the goal of the class is to master the responsibilities of be each role and ultimately run an online business on your own.

Despite emphasis on eventually graduating to individual independence, the unique set of talents that each girl contributes to this team really allows their business to excel. They are open in collaboration, free from concerns about groupthink or peer pressure and conformity. Instead they can focus on what is best for the business. Mended Sock Co.’s passion for their mission and belief in their product is really attractive—and not only to me. The Dressember Foundation, another organization that aims to stop human trafficking, recently reached out to Mended Sock Co. and plans on featuring them on Instagram next week—a spotlight that has huge potential to both raise sales and thus support the mission but also to propel these girls forward into achieving their goals, supporting their mission, and feeding their passion. The fact that E-Commerce class has given them the opportunity to do this—and to see them have such success with it—is truly inspiring.

So it is time for the plug (just kidding, this was not the main point. But hey…). Not only are Mended Sock Co.’s socks super comfortable and perfect for Grove City winters, but they’re also very reasonably priced—only $8 a pair. The style is simple, delicate, and classy, but more than this, every dollar does go to benefit the A21 project. In their efforts to gain entrepreneurship experience they are also serving a greater cause, one outside themselves, and allowing buyers to get in on it as well. And so, #libertyandsocks for all.

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Freshman Profiles: Interview with Josh Padgett, Class of ’21

  • So, you’re a freshman here at Grove City College. How’s everything going, is the school living up to your expectations or what other people told you it would be like?

Yes. Everything is pretty good, classes are tough, but I’m learning a lot and the community is accepting and warm. All the students I have met thus far are really nice.

  • What’s your major and what dorm are you in?

I am a mechanical engineer and I am in Hicks dormitory (the one attached to the dining hall).

  • Could you talk a little about dorm life in Hicks?

Its chaotic, energetic, and very entertaining. People are always in your room to talk or play video games. I love how it is common for people to invite themselves over whenever – as long as no one is napping, the door is open!

  • Grove City is known for a lot of things, most notably it’s beautiful campus, awesome cost-value ratio, and its challenging curriculum. What most attracted you to the school?

The location: the seclusion and the weather are cool. But you’re not to far from the big city Pittsburgh. It is only 45 minutes so freshmen can always get rides from upperclassmen if they need a taste of the outside world for an afternoon. On top of that, it was also awesome for me to have the opportunity to play lacrosse on a brand new team. This past spring Grove City added men’s lacrosse to their varsity roster and I am beyond excited to be able to play with them soon.

  • How many other colleges did you look at? And did you want a small school, a Christian school or anything specific? 

The smaller class size was good and the price was cheaper than some of the other colleges I looked at. Those were the main aspects. I knew I needed to be more than just a face in the crowd to my professors and Grove City certainly offers that. I am not in any large classes so my professors know me by name and they show effort in getting to know my personality to better serve my academic talents. The tuition, like I said before, was a huge fact as well. If you do your research when looking at schools, you will get a feel for the differences in cost and quality. Grove City was both for me.

  • Out of all the colleges you looked at, what made you choose Grove City; did Grove City have something to offer more than other colleges that you wanted or was it simply where you felt the most called?

More personalized education, and a safer community were important to me and I felt Grove City offered that more than the other schools I looked at.

  • Alright, we’ve talked extensively about the Grove, now lets jump into some more general questions. What is the biggest difference for you from high school and living at home, to living in a different state in a dorm?

More responsibility; you are busier but you also have more free time. This free time has to be spent wisely. It is incredibly tempting to hang out with friends or watch Netflix instead of studying; however, with freedom comes consequences for poor decisions. Not studying = lower academic performance. I have come to learn how to balance work with play while away at school. I hope my mom is proud.

  • What is the most enjoyable thing about college life?

Constant interaction and there is so much variety in terms of what people are doing and what you can get involved in. The Student Union is always covered in posters for different clubs, campus events, mission trips, and classes to participate in. There is never a dull day on Grove City’s campus.

  • If you could go back to your freshman year and offer one piece of advice to your senior high school self and to all the other high school seniors out there, what would it be?

Don’t worry so much about college, because it is not as scary as you think it is. There is a huge support system here that I have no idea why I was so worried in the first place! Between my Resident Assistants, professors, and Orientation Board members I have a lot of people to turn to with my small and big problems.