Category: Student Stories

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Internship Opportunities: Engineer Edition

Are you a Mechanical Engineering major? Electrical Engineering major? Looking for a summer internship? There is hope for you, just talk to Shannon Stovar!

Shannon Stovar is a senior Mechanical Engineering major at Grove City College. She is from Butler, Pa. and the first person in her family to attend Grove City College.

Shannon was one of my three ‘random’ freshmen roommates and has stayed a close friend of mine throughout college. During our sophomore year, Shannon was looking for an engineering summer internship, and I knew just the person she should talk to. I immediately called my dad, Rich Bartek, who at the time was the vice president and COO of the manufacturing company, Oberg Industries. He worked there for about 14 years and loved to hire Grove City College students as interns and employees. Oberg is headquartered in Freeport, Pa., which is only about a 25-minute commute from Shannon’s hometown of Butler. My dad and I both knew Shannon was a hard worker and fast learner and he was more than happy to help her. Shortly after, Shannon applied for Oberg Industries’ mechanical engineering internship and got an offer for the summer!

Shannon excelled that summer at Oberg Industries and outshined the other interns. Oberg ended up offering her another internship for the following summer, after her junior year. She gladly accepted.

“I assisted the design engineers in a variety of tasks along with helping in other areas of the company like die maintenance and quality control. I developed 3D models and drawings for customer parts and tooling. I worked on quite a few independent projects where I was given a problem such as a component in a machine that had broken and had to come up with a solution to fix the issue,” Shannon explained to me when I asked about what she did both summers.

I followed up by asking Shannon if she liked her time with Oberg, “I really enjoyed the experience! I think one of the most important parts about a company is the people that you work with, and everyone I worked with was extremely helpful and kind. I formed close friendships with workers from all different areas of the company. I was able to work with some of the brightest engineers in the company and was really challenged by this. Oberg gave me a wide variety of tasks so that I wouldn’t get bored and they really trusted me to work independently on big projects.”

Shannon received a full-time job offer from the company this past August. Oberg was gracious and gave her roughly six months to decide if she would like to take the offer. She had obviously proven herself very worthy over the course of her two summers there. Shannon is giving herself some time to decide and taking other options into consideration as the halfway mark of her senior year quickly approaches.

Many Mechanical Engineer majors assume internships are only for business majors. “Companies like Oberg Industries are overjoyed when they receive a resume from a student coming from Grove City College,” my dad stated. “When Shannon applied we could not wait to work with her.”

This is just another example of how connections within the Grove City College community can give you great opportunities. Students need to continue to persevere and form relationships during their four years because you never know where they will land you.

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Homecoming is Not Just for Alumni

As a first-generation Grover, Homecoming weekend seems somewhat unappealing. As the weekend approached, I imagined a campus full of students and their parents and grandparents celebrating and having fun while I was alone. Now, I am not the type of person to get lonely, but seeing other students with their parents would have been a depressing sight. These were my thoughts about Homecoming freshman year prior to receiving a phone call from my mom, which changed Homecoming for me as I had thought I knew it. During this phone call, my mother informed me that she had signed up herself, my father, and my sisters to come visit me for the Saturday of Homecoming weekend. In hearing this from my mom I was ecstatic, as not only would I not have to fear being alone on Homecoming weekend, but I also was going to get to spend time with my family on campus surrounded by a community of past, present and future Grovers.

This joyful phone conversation I shared with my mother led to not just a visit from my parents, but a joy-filled day in which I could catch up with my family, watch sports, and show them around the campus I was growing to love. This phone call also led to the start of a family tradition, because not only did my parents visit me on Homecoming weekend my freshman year, but also my sophomore, junior and senior years. Thus, all of this proving to me that my original thoughts of what Homecoming at Grove City College looked like developed into a family tradition built from the investigation of a non-alumni mother (If I’m being honest I would not even have known that my family could come to Homecoming if it was not for my mom looking into it) and the love and excitement of a first year Grover’s family to see their son/brother and to want to be involved with him on campus. This tradition, although not significant to most, became a highlight of my fall semesters as the College came together and provided my family and I an opportunity to step back, relax, and get together. Feel free to steal my family’s tradition as a first-generation Grover.

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Inside Grove City College: A Transfer Student’s Perspective

 

The process of selecting a college is stressful, with its seemingly endless applications and interviews and paperwork. For transfer students, the excitement of going to college for the first time has worn off, and going through this process twice can seem overwhelming. It can be intimidating to think about leaving a school, a friend group, and familiar studies to start fresh somewhere else. However, seeking advice and learning as much as possible about potential schools is crucial.

Hannah, Larisa, Gab, Julia, and Tara have stepped in to make your transfer process as easy as possible. These ladies, all first-year Grovers, have offered to give you a peek into what it was like for them to join the Grove City College community as a transfer student. Their advice is an insider’s perspective on things like how to make friends as a transfer, how they chose their roommates, and how to get involved on campus.

Larisa Steiner, a sophomore, transferred from Indiana Wesleyan University and enjoys studying Management with an HR concentration. Finding a school with this specific field of study and a reputable business program was key in her transfer search. Also a sophomore, Hannah Kaufmann, an English major, was interested in Grove City because it aligned with her Christian values. Tara Pierce, as a junior, finds herself in the rare position of being an upperclass transfer student. She previously studied at a local community college, and enjoys the new Social Work major at Grove City. Julia Helmich will graduate in 2021 as an Elementary/Special Education major. She enjoys the on-campus preschool, where Education students are able to get hands-on work experience. Gab Capaldo, a sophomore, studies Communication and edits for The Collegian, the campus newspaper, in her free time.

Though none of these ladies would say that being a transfer student anywhere is easy, they are adjusting to life as a Grover and getting involved on campus. Intramural sports, Greek life, and Orientation Board events are just some of what they mention as ways to find friends and make connections at Grove City College.

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Favorite Aspects of Grove City College – The Professors

It is normal to have professors you might not connect as well with, but when you find ones that you can really relate to, it can be extremely meaningful. I was lucky to know a few before starting college, since my parents are alumni, and create new relationships that developed further over the past four years.

Specifically, my advisor, Dr. Miller, has been a wonderful mentor, teacher, and friend to me. I do not allow myself to go to her office when I have homework to do because well, we end up talking about anything and everything for hours. I am thankful to have someone to relate to in terms of my major courses along with career aspirations; Dr. Miller knows specifically how to help me relate college classes into the real world. Her knowledge of professional and personal communication makes her the experienced, relatable professor she is to her students.  When I finished scheduling for my senior year, she said to me, “Taylor, you know that you already completed your major and do not have to take those two Communication classes in the spring with me, right?” I know that I did not “need” the classes, but I was more than happy to take them as electives since she would be my professor. She is that great.

I have appreciated professors that go out of their way to help me with classes, projects, personal issues, or future opportunities while considering my individual passions and hobbies. Professor Sweet is another example of someone that is always connecting students to different possibilities, like post-college careers or campus opportunities. His love for helping small businesses and others shows in his teaching, along with one-on-one relationships with students. Professor Sweet has helped me dive into new projects that I would have been uncomfortable with otherwise and increase my internet knowledge to advance my personal career path. I have also enjoyed having back-to-back classes with him, entertaining the class with embarrassing and funny jokes or stories that he somehow relates back to our specific class discussion.

Besides professors of classes I have, I love the overall kindness from any employee of the College. Women’s basketball coach Chelle Fuss was introduced to me from my mom’s years of involvement with the basketball team. Since then, Fuss has opened her life to me to be someone I can turn to in times of difficulty, need for advice, or to simply enjoy her company. Going to her office several times a week to talk and catch-up on each other’s activities has been such a positive addition to my time at school. Fuss also has helped me build my photography portfolio by incorporating me with the basketball team and photographing their weekly games.

With these being only a few of the awesome relationships I have formed at Grove City College, I could not be more thankful for the amazing people to educate, guide, and grow with me in my four years.

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Inside Married Life: Nate Sprunk’s Perspective

Nate Sprunk, an Exercise Science major and Psychology minor, is a quarter of the way through his senior year at Grove City College. He began his freshman year busy with his involvement on the lacrosse team and continued up until this year. His decision was primarily to focus more on school, along with his new wife, Priya.

Nate and Priya have known each other for about 10 years, meeting at middle school youth group at their church back in the day. Although, they did not start dating until the summer before Nate’s senior year of high school. They had always been great friends, but that summer they spent much more time together and grew extremely close.

“Going to school together gave us time to grow closer and build a stronger relational foundation to get married. Being at GCC was positive because it gave us a Christian environment to grow in,” Nate said. They started the conversation during Nate’s sophomore year of college, Priya’s junior year. With Priya being a year older, the decision to be married was difficult in terms of their current academic standings, but, with an abundance of advice and prayer, the couple decided to be married this previous summer.

This fall semester, with Priya as a Grove City College graduate, Nate has noticed changes in his life since the wedding. He feels that he has become more responsible and independent in his current college career and post-college plans. In living off-campus with his wife, he sees friends significantly less, which can cause strains in his relationships, but it just means working harder to maintain the ones that are truly important.

“It’s great to live together and have our own place. It’s also great to be able to support each other. However, it does make things weird with your relationships with other people because of change. My advice for people would be to make sure you’re truly ready for everything that comes with the commitment. We did marriage counseling prior to our wedding. I think that it helped us be more prepared for the transition and for what to expect,” Nate said.

Although only 21, Nate’s maturity and dedication to Priya has made their marriage fulfilled and exciting. His future plans include attending school for physical therapy to further his knowledge of subjects surrounding his college education.

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Injured and Schooling

Me with my six-week friend – my hefty sling.

The sling life.

For six weeks, my right arm sat idle on the foam piece around my waist secured by a sling. The Velcro attached stress ball stuck out from the foam bed. I named the ball Frank. Frank kept my fingers moving, even though my arm lie motionless.

For nearly a year, my shoulder suffered from a torn labrum due to multiple dislocations. On the last day of February in 2018, I finally underwent arthroscopic surgery. The surgery happened in the middle of my spring break from my junior year of college.

Optimistically, I hoped to go back to school by the end of spring break, but four days did not prove nearly long enough to move back to school. I stayed home for another week, and that is when I realized how great Grove City really is.

Professors sent notes for class, checked in on how I was doing, and gave me grace for deadlines. When I finally did get back to school, Mrs. Habbyshaw in the Disability Services Office scribed tests and papers for me to turn into my professors.

Coming back to school with only one functioning, non-dominant arm daunted me, but with the aid of friends, roommates, professors and people in my church, I finished out the weeks in the sling. I began physical therapy and slowly gained back everyday movement.

I missed working out and playing sports on campus. I missed simply doing my own laundry. I hated being so reliable on other people, but through that trial in my life, I saw, as the hymn says, “I am weak, but He is strong.” And yes, Jesus loves me. He showed me not only through the Bible, but through the generosity of teachers and care of my friends.

The sling on my arm started many conversations I would not have had otherwise. A worker in the Physical Learning Center asked what had happened to me and shared that he had a similar surgery. Students often asked how I was doing throughout the four weeks of being on campus in a sling. Though I was tired of the sling, I knew my body needed it to heal. When I started physical therapy, it amazed me to see what my body can do. God truly is the Master Creator. And He is indeed a loving Savior.

If you are expecting a surgery or experiencing and injury, know that at Grove City, you will be cared for. School is still possible. The semester of my injury was one of the highest GPAs I got while in school. Strange how that works.

Ten hours from home, I felt the love of other Christians on the campus of Grove City. Without it, I would not be healed as I am today.

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Going to College With a Sibling

Sophomore Gretchen Basham and her brother Sam Basham ’18 (Photo courtesy of Gretchen Basham)

There is something unique you may notice within the student population at Grove City College. Almost every student here at Grove City has some family connection to the College. Whether it is that their great grandpa went here, or that their mom went here, or even that their sibling attends Grove City College with them, and that they get to share in the experience.

At other schools this might not be a normal occurrence, but here at Grove City, legacy seems to matter, because many generations seem to admire Grove City College so much. I know many students on this campus who have had several family members attend Grove City College in the past, and many students that attend college and do life side-by-side their siblings.

Sophomore Gretchen Basham had an older brother, Sam, attend Grove City at the same time as her last year. When Gretchen was just coming to Grove City as a freshman, she had her brother on campus as a senior. When talking to Gretchen about what college was like when she went here with her brother this is what she had to say, “Going to college with my brother Sam was a good experience for me. He made coming to a school where I didn’t know anyone more comfortable. He was always across the way if I needed anything, and he was instrumental in introducing me to his friends, which added to the familiar faces on campus and led to new friendships.”

According the Gretchen, having a sibling at Grove City made the College more attractive because she was hesitant to go somewhere so far from home, where she did not know anyone. She was able to hear from him about his experience at Grove City College. Sam loved being at Grove City College, which was very helpful to Gretchen.

Gretchen told me, “Now that Sam has graduated I have realized how much I enjoyed him being here. His steady presence allowed me to be able to get advice and insight from his experience. We grew closer during the year we were at school together and now that he has graduated that has become more obvious.”

Gretchen said she had an expectation of going to college with a sibling and that it was as if she would feel like they were keeping tabs on her or that she would be annoyed by seeing her sibling everywhere. She told me that she was pleasantly surprised by the way she grew closer with her brother at college and the freedom she was still able to maintain while at Grove City.

Gretchen has a younger sister, Meredith, who is a senior in high school. Gretchen encouraged Meredith to apply to Grove City, and hopes they will form a stronger relationship, and have the joy of knowing she has a sibling around campus to always talk to once Meredith arrives here.

Personally, I have a younger brother, Lukas Blizzard, who is a senior in high school and applying early decision to Grove City. I encouraged him to apply and was able to share different perspectives and campus experiences with him that made him excited about the College. I look forward to experiencing college life alongside him and helping to guide him along the way.

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My Summer Internship – Work Relationships

This previous summer I had the opportunity to work at my parents’ business, Keystone Ridge Designs, an expertise site furniture manufacturing company.  It was a comforting image to know that before I started my senior year at Grove City College, I had an internship to add to my resume.  I mainly looked at the internship as a “check off the list” of things to do before graduation.  Although, after a summer of a great deal of hard work, knowledge gained, some family tension, and strengthened relationships, I can say that working was so much more than just an internship.

Keystone Ridge Designs has been around ever since I was born, existing as a purely family business since around 1995.  My grandpa worked hard raising his family that would soon be raising me, along with building a company ever since his early 20s.  Since then, the business has excelled in terms of profitability, customer relationships, and building its brand.

The major concept I took away from my “job” was how important family businesses are and how they function in a world full of the idea of pure profit, no matter the ethics.  I appreciated the relationships between employees and their bosses, essentially my family members, except they were personal.  I watched as my family could ask their employees specific questions about their home lives because they genuinely cared to listen.  When meaningful work relationships are developed, work becomes easier.  It is more straightforward to work together, be efficient in the tasks they do, along with authenticity in the work completed.  The employees took responsibility for their actions, whether good or bad and were not purely focused on their individual career.  The collaborative atmosphere made for better problem solving and the generation of new product ideas to grow the business.  The selflessness that came from these work relationships goes to show that it is possible to profit in a business, while still caring about the needs of each employee.

Hearing about large corporations treat their employees like they are just another person working under them is something I personally could never work for, especially after seeing the relationships at Keystone Ridge Designs.  Similar to Grove City College’s ethics about faith and education, keeping them unseparated, my family’s business functioned to serve a greater purpose.  Working hard, helping others, extending generosity, and accomplishing business in a loving manner are simply four ideologies I want in any potential company I would work with.

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Just a Fortnite Ago

The incredibly popular video game Fortnite was released during 2017. Coincidentally, I became a freshman at Grove City College just a few weeks before this craze hit the campus. If you are unfamiliar with how to play Fortnite, the name of the game is survival. You and up to four friends can cooperatively battle with other online players in an attempt to be the last ones standing on a gradually shrinking map.

My Resident Assistant (RA) was the first person to introduce the game to our freshmen hall, and right from the very beginning I knew that it could greatly alter the dynamic of my freshman year. In the beginning, most of our hall would simply laugh off his invitations. Why would any of us just want to watch him play some video game? However, one by one it seemed that my hall-mates were beginning to get sucked in and began to play the game. In my first several weeks of school, I was met with many invitations to play Spikeball or football out in the grass in front of Memorial Hall. My experience began to change, and was now frequented with the Fortnite loading music and invitations to join my hall-mates in the online battle. This severely interrupted the community that we had been building on our hall. This was a bit concerning because it seemed like most people around me had become more involved in this online world than in the real one that was all around them. However, I soon found that my concerns were not warranted. This new game, that seemed to be separating us, had actually begun to unite us. For hours, there were rooms filled to the brim with eager players who would help others strategize if they themselves were not playing. The Fortnite craze was really getting into full swing just as we could no longer enjoy the outdoors because of the cooler temperatures. My freshman hall-mates embraced the new game and, before the end of the year, almost everyone in my dorm was an active participant.

The RA of the hall opposite of my own had a program for the entire building that included several TV’s set up in one lobby while a few played, and many observed. This was by far one of the most popular programs that any RA had all year long. I was quite nervous about this new game taking over the community of my freshman dorm, but ultimately it became a uniting force that helped bond and shape our freshman hall for the rest of the year.

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An RA’s Perspective: Katherine Nichols

Katherine Nichols, RA of MAP West

Katherine Nichols, a senior at Grove City College, balances a busy schedule between a major in Biology, a minor in French, and being a Resident Assistant (RA) for those living in Mary Anderson Pew (MAP) West. Living with primarily freshmen ladies, Katherine can offer advice from the perspective of not only a senior, but also a third-year RA.

She explains that since her first year as a sophomore RA, she has seen a few changes in the Student Life & Learning department. For example, a few Resident Directors (men and women who oversee a particular dorm) have come and gone while some have changed buildings. In her opinion, the changes that most directly affected the RAs, were amendments to Open Hours. Initially called ‘Intervisitation Hours,’ these policies govern how men and women may visit dorms for the opposite gender. When Katherine was a freshman, the guest was required both to be escorted through the building by their host and to register to the host’s room. Now, a visitor may go directly to the host’s room, but is still required to sign in – to the floor, not to the specific room. Katherine explains, “This change has given the students privacy and responsibility.”

Life as an RA comes with many unique challenges. Being assigned to a floor of residents, Katherine says, means that as many as 30 or 40 students “go to you as their first point person.” She has helped with stress and roommate conflict, offered prayer and tutoring, and has even smashed “that weird looking bug on the ceiling” in the line of duty. However, these issues are just a part of the job description. Katherine explains that the real challenge lies in finding a balance between fulfilling RA responsibilities, while also dedicating time to academic and other responsibilities. In her words, “I want to be able to take my residents out for coffee and shopping on a whim every day, and just live college like it’s camp, but I am pretty sure I would fail out of Grove City College if I did.”

While RA life comes with challenges, it also comes with unexpected blessings. Katherine says that “it’s the little things like notes, a hug, or chocolate that keeps you going.” These are reminders that the sacrifices, like staying up until 3 a.m. or hours devoted to a fun program, are worth it. In addition, it is a blessing to “represent the school well, to foster community, and to minister to your peers.” She loves the opportunity to develop relationships with 40 ladies that otherwise she might not have met. As a new student at Grove City College, the prospect of making new friends can seem overwhelming, but having a familiar, friendly face on your hall makes the transition easier.

Though part of her job is to enforce the rules, Katherine explains that the stereotype of a strict, overbearing RA is a misconception. She says, “RA’s are not out to get you. Our job is just to help make sure that Grove City is a safe, functioning, and loving community.” After helping to foster a loving community for three years, she has excellent advice to offer freshman students. For her, patience was the biggest factor in gracious dorm life, as well as the ability to “walk in the other person’s shoes.” Being able to empathize with the other person, and to understand the personalities and experiences in play, makes it much easier to effectively address any problem in dorm life. She urges new students to “get to know your roommate, suitemate, or hall-mate as best as you can – it’ll make a world of difference.”