News University of Northern Colorado

Faces of the Class of 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Whether validating a lifetime of experience, conquering obstacles to achieving their educational goals or trying to find their calling in life, members of the University of Northern Colorado's spring class of 2013 are now poised to make a difference during the next chapter of their lives. Here are profiles of just a few.

Artie Mae Grisby
Validating a lifetime of experiences

When Artie Mae Grisby crossed the commencement stage on May 11, she was among the oldest graduates in University of Northern Colorado history at 79.

Although she's proud of earning her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, the completion of her degree is just one step on a lifelong journey that didn't end on graduation day.

"I keep my feet flat on the floor," Grisby said recently at UNC's Center for Urban Education (CUE) in Denver, where she took classes for the past two years. "This is my time, that's all."

She said she never thought she'd go into a career working with children after visiting a friend's childcare center in her home state of Louisiana many years ago.

Nor did she imagine that she'd go on to become a sought-after childcare trainer and first aid instructor for the state of Colorado.

"I was a nurse for a few years before I worked in the insurance business. After 10 years of that, I knew I had to do something else," she said.

But she didn't know what so she turned to her religious faith and prayed for guidance on her next steps. The message was clear.

"'Childcare,' the Lord told me. And I said, ‘No, not me!'" But each time she prayed, the answer was the same. "So I finally decided to listen. I said, ‘Ok, I'll quit my job and I'd better have one child in my care by August 1.'" Continue Reading.

Mario Hernandez
From Guatemala to Greeley … and beyond

The fact that Mario Hernandez was selected as both the student speaker for this year's undergraduate commencement ceremony and as one of two recipients of the 2013 Robert and Ludie Dickeson Presidential Prize for Leadership gives you an idea of how he made a difference during his time at UNC.

And it shows just how far he's come in 10 years. When he and his parents left Guatemala for a better life in the United States, he was 11, spoke no English and college seemed like an impossible dream.

Hernandez used multiple merit-based scholarships and jobs to help make the dream come true and he embraced campus life, serving as a diversity mentor and resident assistant in multiple residence halls while helping with a variety of Residence Hall Association initiatives. He was a member of the President's Leadership and Honors programs, a participant in and then student facilitator for UNC's yearly Catalyst Social Justice Retreat and helped plan two of the school's annual Leaders Engaging in Action through Passion annual summits.

He also co-founded and served as standards chair of UNC's chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, a national fraternity focusing on developing members' leadership skills.

Hernandez was also active off campus, volunteering countless hours at the Weld County Food Bank, Greeley Place Senior Living Center, A Children's Place and Relay for Life.

Hernandez, who earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration - Management, will work as an assistant residence hall director on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus for the next year while he saves money to help finance a master's degree in higher education and student affairs so that he can continue in a role of leadership in a university setting.

Emilie Nemchak
Leading in and out of the classroom

Emilie Nemchak's involvement in a wide variety of student life activities and organizations while working toward her bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications summa cum laude earned her one of two Robert and Ludie Dickeson Presidential Prizes for Leadership given each spring to a graduating senior.

In addition to serving on the campus Residence Hall Association council, Nemchak was social and traditional events coordinator her senior year, leading the association's involvement with a variety of campus events such as homecoming and earning her a nomination as RHA student of the year.

As a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary, she represented UNC at NRHH national meetings and conferences, playing a key role in implementing the organization's national safe trick-or-treat and anti-bullying campaigns at UNC and assisting with leadership education activities to help develop other student leaders' leadership skills.

In addition to her residence hall responsibilities, Nemchak helped recruit new students through her work as a campus tour guide and then assisted new freshmen transition from high school to university life in her leadership role during orientations for new students.

As a member of the Student Public Relations Network, she helped organize seminars and networking events with working professionals in the field. Her involvement with Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority gave her opportunities to help plan and volunteer at events such as highway clean-ups and the Special Olympics.

She'll use the experience she's gained as a campus leader and in internships off campus to pursue a career in marketing.

Konrad Schlarbaum
Leaving a sustainable legacy

Konrad Schlarbaum leaves behind a legacy at UNC after leading the effort to establish the Student Leadership Environmental Action Fund, a fee-funded initiative approved by students in 2012 that promotes a sustainable campus community and culture.

He also served as the first president of the student-run fund, which in its inaugural year used more than $100,000 to support water-saving improvements to the campus' lawn sprinkler systems, the placement of 20 outdoor recycling kiosks expected to increase recycling totals by 10 percent and the installation of 32 bottle-filling water stations in buildings that have already diverted more than 500,000 plastic water bottles from landfills.

When he wasn't helping UNC's "greening" efforts, Schlarbaum, a veteran of tours in Belgium and Iraq with the U.S. Army, was helping other veterans transition from military life to campus life or participating in community service activities on and off campus, including ones as a member of UNC's chapter of Mortar Board, the National Senior Honor Society.

A double major in Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality and Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Schlarbaum was regularly named to the Dean's List. This summer, he'll combine what he's learned in both majors during an internship as a tour guide at Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado.

He hopes to use that experience as a springboard to a career in environmental tourism.

Corina Brown
Doctoral dissertation changes the way nursing students learn

Corina Brown is a familiar face in UNC's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry: She earned her master's degree in Biochemistry in 2009 and served as a teaching assistant while earning her Ph.D. in Chemistry Education.

But she'll be best remembered not for how long she was associated with the department, but rather for the impact of her graduate work, particularly her doctoral dissertation, which earned her a Graduate School Dean's Citation for Excellence and is changing how a required chemistry course for nursing students is taught.

Her dissertation, a product of her experiences as a graduate teaching assistant of UNC nursing students' required chemistry course, Principles of Biochemistry, provides a model for assessing students' pre-course knowledge of the subject.

Her research, done in collaboration with UNC's School of Nursing, has already been used to re-design the course to provide students with more information relevant to their careers.

Moreover, since presenting her dissertation at multiple regional and national chemistry meetings, she's been fielding requests from chemistry faculty throughout the U.S. for approval to use her assessment materials in their classroom.

Brown also was selected by the American Chemical Society to present her work at the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, and so far has had it published in one peer-reviewed journal with manuscripts pending publication in two other publications.

She hopes to continue teaching and researching in a university faculty position.

Originally from the Transylvania region of Romania, Brown's story of growing up under communism before emigrating to the U.S., a 3.94 GPA and her outstanding dissertation made her an excellent choice as student speaker at the Graduate School's commencement ceremony.

Lisa Regan and Sara Regan
Mother and daughter share a common motivation for earning their degrees

A combination of career fairs and personal ties to physical therapy led Sara Regan, a Greeley native and a Daniels Fund Scholar, to pursue the undergraduate degree in Sports and Exercise Science she received May 11 from UNC. Her mother, Lisa Regan, a second-grade teacher at University Schools, graduated the night before with a master's degree in Reading.

While their chosen fields are quite different, Sara and her mother have similar post-graduation goals in mind: to use their education to make a positive impact on the lives of each person they work with.

Sara experienced the positive impact of physical therapy second-hand; her mother was diagnosed with epilepsy as an infant; the apparent result of a stroke that occurred before or shortly after she was born. Her doctors didn't think she would graduate from high school, let alone college. Lisa did both, and inspired Sara to show others with traumatic brain injuries that the effects don't define who you are, or the goals you've established for yourself.

Lisa pursued a master's in Reading because of her interest in language and unique learning styles, and because of her desire to better understand reading and writing as separate entities and how they relate to each other. She's looking forward to bringing her knowledge to the classroom and getting her students excited about learning.

The saying, "Like mother, like daughter" certainly applies to these UNC graduates, even though their college experiences were anything but similar. Both women are living proof that with motivation and determination, and sometimes a little inspiration, a college degree is possible at any age.

Taylor Hall
Passion for public speaking, faith earn him a Princeton scholarship

After he interviewed for admission into the elite seminary graduate program at Princeton University, where less than 7 percent of those who apply are accepted, Taylor Hall knew the interview went well when he was asked to submit letters of recommendation.

He was told he'd be contacted in a few weeks, after the letters were reviewed.

Hall couldn't help but wonder, though, if admissions staff might think it odd that someone from Sterling, Colo., with a bachelor's degree in Finance would want to get a master of Divinity degree.

Imagine his surprise when, only a week later, he received an e-mail notifying him that not only had he been accepted into the seminary program, he'd also been awarded a full scholarship that covered books, tuition, residential housing and even a living stipend.

"I was speechless," Hall said. "They told me this particular scholarship was based only on the quality of the interview, not GPAs or activities or letters of reference. I'm still amazed."

Being speechless is a rare thing for Hall, who as a student ambassador for UNC's Admissions Office the past two years, became accustomed to talking for 90 minutes straight while conducting campus tours for prospective students and their parents.

According to Hall, Professor of Finance Christine McClatchey helped him identify his passion for public speaking and motivating people, which helped him decide to pursue motivational speaking as a career.

"And what better way to do that then to combine my passion for religion and philosophy and wanting to make a positive difference in the lives of others?" he said.

Don Alvarez
Non-traditional student sets the bar high for others

Although Don Alvarez was almost 30 years older than most of his classmates, the 50-year-old father of three didn't lack for energy in the classroom or outside it during his pursuit of a bachelor's degree in Nursing.

He graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA and was a College of Natural and Health Sciences Scholar. He served as president-elect and president of the Student Nurses Association, taught CPR to other nursing students and served as a greeter for the School of Nursing's 50th anniversary event.

His many other extracurricular activities included co-organizing a free health fair for members of Greeley's refugee communities and leading a fund-raising effort that paid for the majority of immunizations administered during the fair. He then built on that experience by serving as medical coordinator for the first-ever 9Health Fair hosted by UNC, attended by an estimated 800 area residents.

Away from campus, he responded to medical emergencies as an EMT with the Poudre Valley Health System, taught portions of EMT courses and CPR courses at Front Range Community College and volunteered as an assistant Boy Scout leader.

Alvarez, who said being in classes with students young enough to be his children made him feel like an awkward teenager trying to fit in but taught him how to be a better listener, will start work on his master's in Nursing at UNC in the fall.

Caitlin Miller
Trip to India inspires grad to continue community service work

In addition to graduating cum laude with bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, Caitlin Miller leaves UNC with awards for outstanding community service and research, and a legacy for helping those less fortunate, both in Greeley and India.

In the summer between her junior and senior year, Miller spent six weeks in India working with three different community service organizations, including one that sought to empower women and another striving to educate children that were once beggars in the country's poorest areas.

She fully immersed herself in the culture, wearing Indian clothes, eating Indian food and even wading in the country's holiest - and by American standards, its dirtiest - rivers.

When she returned to Greeley, Miller, pictured at right with Congolese refugee Jackline, began an internship at the Global Refugee Center, working to raise awareness about the refugee populations in Greeley, helping connect the refugees with the rest of the community and organizing awareness events such as "Walk in Their Shoes."

She also organized concerts, Swahili drum lessons and cultural shows, and taught English to refugees.

As a research assistant in UNC's neurophysiology lab, Miller studied traumatic brain injuries' effects on the brain's ability to process information and then combined her anthropological and psychological work for her honors thesis, in which she studied Somali refugees' interpretations of trauma-related mental illnesses.

Her work with refugees, other volunteer work and her thesis earned her the Center for Honors, Scholarship and Leadership's Civic Engagement Award and second place in UNC's annual Research Excellence Award competition.

Miller plans to take a break from school by returning to India to continue her work with women's empowerment and rural development organizations before pursuing an advanced degree in psychological anthropology.

Speaking from Experience

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

According to University of Northern Colorado senior Katie Kordewick, the cross-disciplinary class she recently finished was "hands down the best class I've ever taken at UNC."

Kordewick was one of eight hand-picked students in the Advertising Campaigns class that's offered every spring semester by Monfort College of Business Professor of Marketing Vish Iyer.

Marketing, public relations/advertising and graphic design majors are invited to enroll in the course. Its goal is to create a complete integrated marketing campaign for the National Student Advertising Competition, offered through the American Advertising Federation.

This year, students were asked to develop a campaign for Glidden Paint. Schools competed by district, and district winners moved on to a national competition.

The class is designed to function just as an advertising agency does, with team members assigned roles that help shape strategies, develop goals and design plan books. This year, the team worked within a $10 million budget to address the client-defined target market.

The deadlines and pressures intrinsic to the class give students a taste of the real world in several different ways.

"Throwing eight people into a class and having them come together to create a real-life advertising campaign in four months really tests your sanity," Kordewick, management and marketing major, said. "The entire class was a roller coaster ride, but I wouldn't change the experience for anything."

Chris Rose, a senior marketing major, agreed. "The most valuable learning experience was just managing and working with different people and having them all work on a common goal."

The team met several hours each week outside of class, researching their market, creating videos, developing a tagline (they settled on "Glidden: We've Got You Colored") and putting together a presentation and plan book using Keynote and InDesign.

In April, the hours of work and rehearsal culminated in a trip to Tucson, Ariz., where they gave their 20-minute presentation to a group of judges, followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer session.

"The whole class felt real when we started traveling," Kordewick said. "It wasn't just working on a project anymore. I actually felt we were doing something of value and getting real world experience. The fact that Vish trusted us to make it to the airport, catch our flight, get to the hotel and rehearse still baffles me, but it was great to feel empowered."

They arrived well before the competition, which gave them time to not only practice, but to get nervous, as well.

"On Friday our practice did not go as well as we wanted," Rose said. "We were being too much like robots reading a script. This is where things got stressful. So Dr. V told us to get rid of the script and talk from the heart. Then we started to simplify things and talk more from the heart instead of memorizing a script."

Both students said that Iyer's guidance gave them plenty of room to work through problems and learn by doing.

"Everything in the Advertising Campaign class was hands-on and student-led," Kordewick said. "Vish gave us the tools we needed and it was up to us to come up with the entire campaign."

While they didn't place in the district competition, they did receive the "Best Promotion" award for their promotion ideas, which included their "Ugly Wall Contest" idea, part of their overall strategy to engage their market.

Iyer—who advises everyone at the beginning of the semester to "leave their egos at the door," said the team was well-prepared with an outstanding strategy.

"They really did very well with their strategy and really paid attention to the target market," he said. "I was proud of my kids."

"Vish reassured us that we did a wonderful job and it's not about winning, but what you put into the project and what you take out of it," Kordewick said. "The entire class was about the experience."

In addition to Kordewick and Rose, the UNC team included presenters Dylan Smith, Jacob Figgs and J.J. Wykstra, and non-presenters Emilie Nemchak, Carolyn O'Brien and Anna Brunn.

- UNC News Service

A Day of Opportunities

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Arriving at the University Center at 6:15 a.m. on a Sunday may seem outrageous to the average college student, but for more than 130 University of Northern Colorado students, it was the beginning of a day of opportunities.

They were there on April 28 to help staff the first 9Health Fair ever hosted by UNC. Community members of all ages and backgrounds were welcomed into the University Center for a variety of free and low-cost health screenings that included blood draws and analysis, Pap testing, mammograms, dental exams, dermatology screening and more.

The fair presents unique opportunities particularly for Nursing students, who are able to administer many of the screenings.

But involvement in the fair wasn't limited to them. Although the Student Nurses Association played a large part in the event, the Business Marketing Club, the College of Natural Health Sciences, the Sports and Exercise Science Department and Student Senate were also integral to the success of the fair. Non-medical student volunteers helped with set-up, checked in attendees and acted as "ambassadors" who guided attendees to the appropriate screening stations.

Deborah Rojas, assistant professor of Nursing at UNC and site coordinator for the UNC 9Health Fair, started encouraging her students to volunteer at health fairs long before she was able to bring the fair to campus.

Working with a former colleague at College America, Rojas again this year coordinated a condensed phlebotomy course so students could be certified to draw blood at the fair, which requires having performed 25 documented "sticks" (blood draws).

Nursing students who participated in the fair said that it wasn't the blood drawing but the interaction with community members that was the most interesting part of their experience.

"That's the best part," said senior Ashley Larson. "It's being engaged in the community and being part of starting a new tradition for UNC."

In brief moment between blood draws, Ann Burr, another student volunteer from the Nursing program, said her interactions with patients had been almost entirely positive.

"People are really nice - surprisingly, since they've been fasting and waiting so long," Burr said.

Coordinating the many volunteers was no small job, especially because the majority of the UNC fair's coordinators wee students. Rojas said the experience of organizing the fair is just as important as learning how to draw blood.

"The thing that draws the students is that, of course, they get to give shots and draw blood," Rojas said. "But it is important to be able to manage and plan healthcare administration as well. That's a large part of what it means to be a nurse."

Rojas said the support from the university, the community and all the organizations that were involved was the primary reason the fair went as well as it did. But Rojas and Don Alvarez, a senior Nursing major and medical coordinator at this year's fair, are already planning to make next year's 9Health Fair even bigger and better.

"We're looking to start planning next month," Alvarez said. "Seriously."

The "Next Year List," a small, already half-full notebook, contains ideas such as a day-care area for young children while their parents attend the fair, an exercise center featuring brief fitness routines and safe stretching techniques, and the possible expansion of the fair from one day to two.

Rojas said she's excited to expand the fair at UNC because she considers it part of what she does as a nurse. There is an entire culture of people who volunteer at and come to the health fairs and she wants students to have the opportunity to get involved in that culture.

Alvarez said he is equally eager to see growth and improvement in future 9Health Fairs at UNC.

"If you have a good idea, the right people, and you put it in the right place, it just goes," Alvarez said. "Every year it will be better."

The 9Health Fairs, sponsored by Denver's 9News television station, are the state's largest volunteer-driven annual health and education events, offering medical screenings that might otherwise be unavailable to many.

For more information about Colorado's 9Health Fair programs, visit: the fairs' website.

- Jaidree Braddix, Senior Journalism Major

Music: The Universal Language

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado Professor of Music Richard Mayne spent 10 weeks as invited guest conductor of the Musashino Wind Ensemble at Tokyo's prestigious Musashino Academia Musicae, a private college-level conservatory of music that's one of the oldest and largest music academies in Japan.

Ten weeks of rehearsals culminated with a performance in the famous Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

The trip also allowed Mayne to reconnect with Musashino professor of piano Hidesato Uemura, who Mayne hosted during the 2011-12 academic year when Uemura was a visiting scholar at UNC's School of Music.

Mayne was recommended for the position by Ray Cramer, emeritus director of bands at Indiana University. Cramer has been a guest conductor at Musashino for 20 years and was given the responsibility of recommending future guest conductors.

Here, Mayne shares some of the 1,200 photos he and his wife took, as well as some of his thoughts about the experience.

Raising Awareness of Stuttering

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The acclaimed film The King's Speech, and most recently, TV appearances by an American Idol contestant have brought welcome public attention to stuttering, says UNC faculty expert Patty Walton about the speech disorder that "affects a person's entire life" in the one out of every 100 people who experiences it.

"The King's Speech changed the way the world thought of stuttering," said Walton, who specializes in therapy for both children and adults and supervises graduate students working with clients who stutter in UNC's Speech and Audiology Clinic. "The king was portrayed as being so courageous and strong through everything.

"The movie shed light on what true stuttering looks like."

And that ties in with the message Walton wants to get out about stuttering. The condition impacts a person a person's daily routine at school or work (e.g, reluctance to raise a hand to a question in class despite knowing the answer), in social situations (e.g., choosing to be isolated from others) and shapes self-concept.

"No two people stutters alike," Walton said. "It's like a fingerprint and unique to the person. That makes it harder to treat. Therapy needs to be tailored to meet needs of individuals, not just their speech pattern, but also how it affects their lives. Therefore it is important to seek out a speech language pathologist with expertise in stuttering."

Walton says stuttering is often accompanied by tension and feelings of loss of control. Fear and anticipation can occur before moments of stuttering, which can make the stuttering worsen.

Nervousness, stress and lack of intellect as contributors are common myths. So are the beliefs that a child will grow out of it or that there's nothing that can be done to help. Watching American Idol's Lazaro Arbos compelled Walton to contact him and offer encouragement about finding the right speech therapist when he's ready.

"‘Therapy can help, and you don't have to live this way,'" she told him in her message. "I see changes in people every day at the clinic."

About UNC's Clinic

Since 1958, the UNC's Speech and Audiology Clinic has provided diagnostic and rehabilitative services to people with speech, language, hearing and/or balance difficulties. In addressing stuttering, Walton said there are generally three areas of focus: 1) Fluency shaping: helping people who stutter learn how to produce more fluent speech; 2) Modification: teaching people who stutter to do so better and under control;
3) Counseling: To help shape positive attitudes and emotions. More info at: http://www.unco.edu/NHS/asls/Clinic.htm

Online Resource

http://www.stutteringhelp.org

FOX News video featuring Walton

http://kdvr.com/2013/01/23/153301

Researching Totem Teddy

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Editor's Note: Wendy Wright, a UNC Anthropology major who dug deep into university history for a research project she'll present during this year's Research Day, shares some of her thoughts about the project and what she learned about a totem pole from Alaska that changed the course of history at the school.

As incoming freshmen, UNC students are given the infamous "Fear the Claw" T-shirt as their first step in representing the university and the Bears. I too was given this shirt, and at my first homecoming game I shouted "UNC BEARS!" during the school song.

It wasn't until two-and-a-half years later that I even wondered where our mascot comes from. Then one day, out of nowhere, I got a call from Sally McBeth, the chair of UNC's Anthropology department, offering me an internship researching Totem Teddy and collecting images for a website showcasing the Totem Teddy story, but I had no idea what the story was behind the totem pole.

As I dove into the archives of Michener Library, I found out that the UNC mascot was changed in 1923 from the Teachers to the Bears. This happened because Andrew Thompson, who graduated from what is now UNC in 1897 and became the superintendent of schools in southeastern Alaska, somehow obtained a totem pole and sent it to his alma mater.

After arriving on campus, the totem pole was named Totem Teddy, probably in response to Teddy Roosevelt, and was prominently displayed to be adored by all.

As I found picture after picture and morsel after morsel of information, I grew increasingly attached to Totem Teddy. One of my favorite stories is that all freshmen were required to bow down to Totem Teddy whenever they saw it.

Now, of course, no UNC students bow down to Totem Teddy because it's been returned to its rightful place and since 2003 has been in Angoon, Alaska, with the Bear Clan of the Tlingit tribe from whom it was originally taken.

The most memorable moment that I have had so far on this project was discovering that the original bear from the top of the totem pole, which was damaged by vandals from other schools, woodpeckers and the elements over the years, may still be in a storage room somewhere on campus, and that the bear that was sent back to Alaska may have been a cement replica, which is why it weighed around 600 pounds.

I remember feeling like an important member of the team as well as a legitimate anthropologist. That moment made this project not just another summary or book report on research someone else had already done. I was doing the investigating and other people were actually interested and intrigued by the information that I found.

My presentation at Research Day will include a recommendation for suggested actions and additional research to verify my preliminary findings, but whatever happens, I hope that all UNC students are eventually told the amazing story of Totem Teddy and the actions of UNC, which in accordance with the Native American Grave Rights and Repatriation Act, helped get him back home.

For more about the story of Totem Teddy, visit the Totem Teddy website.

- Wendy Wright, Senior Anthropology Major

Providing Expert Commentary

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

For the third time in recent months, television producers have used University of Northern Colorado science faculty and their research as key elements in three different television programs.

UNC Earth Sciences Professor Steven Anderson's ongoing research at one of the most active volcanoes on the planet will be included in a 12-episode TV series about extreme environments currently in production for the Weather Channel and scheduled to air in 2014.

He and his team's pioneering research were previously featured on a segment of "Volcano Live," a four-part BBC television series that aired throughout Europe last summer.

UNC Biology Professor Stephen Mackessy's research showing that a protein in prairie rattlesnakes' venom has allowed them to adapt and survive in harsh environments was featured in a segment of a program that aired in December on both the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel.

In February, Anderson, an internationally renowned volcanologist, spent 10 hours with the Weather Channel production crew at the active lava flows originating from rifts in the flanks of the Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawaii. In 1990, a lava flow from the volcano buried the town of Kalapana under nearly 50 feet of lava and extended the coast hundreds of yards.

Anderson and UNC graduate student Adam LeWinter are working with the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Geological Survey to use LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to study small changes in Kilauea's craters and lava lake, changes that could trigger explosive activity and increases in lava flow that could potentially endanger lives and property.

Anderson was on the other side of the camera during a January visit to collect additional LiDAR topographical data, capturing the accompanying video footage and photographs of the lava lake while its level was near an all-time high.

- UNC News Service

High-Tech Prosthetic Device Earns $25,000 Prize

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The makers of an innovative device placed inside a prosthetic to provide a more secure fit and monitor internal conditions will use the $25,000 they won in a UNC competition earlier this month to start fulfilling orders.

The puck-shaped insert, called the SmartPuck, produces a vacuum inside a prosthetic to connect it to the residual limb of the amputee. What's more, the device contains an onboard computer that links to a smartphone or tablet app to provide real-time feedback — such as the number of steps taken — and to allow pressure to be adjusted by the individual.

For now, Vertikle Enterprises LLC/5280 Prosthetics is offering the device in below-knee prosthetics with plans to expand. The product took first place at the fourth annual Entrepreneurial Challenge sponsored by UNC's Monfort College of Business.

"The prize money will enable us to get the product manufactured and delivered to customers," says Walter Wilson, president of Vertikle Enterprises.

The other winners of cash prizes among more than 50 companies that entered business concepts for the contest:

Second place ($15,000): Grouse Malting and Roasting Company, a malting company focusing on organic, gluten-free grains for brewing and baking.

Third place ($10,000): WildFit Gyms, an outdoor fitness equipment concept featuring website and mobile app integration.

More online at: http://mcb.unco.edu/Events/E-Challenge/.

- UNC News Service

Slideshow: Photos That Created a Buzz at UNC Recently

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

From a masquerade ball to an alumna whose band was up for a Grammy to a flash mob raising awareness about domestic violence prevention, there was no shortage of happenings creating a buzz at the University of Northern Colorado recently.

Slideshow: A Timeline of Top Bands at UNC

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Take a look some of the chart-topping bands that have performed on campus recently. Tell us about your favorite campus concert on UNC's Facebook page, and view more photos of the Ryan Lewis and Macklemore on Sunday at Butler-Hancock Hall.

In the Navy

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

When the 60 members of the U.S. Navy Concert Band arrived in Greeley for their March 1 performance at the Union Colony Civic Center, only one of them - its newest member - was looking forward to renewing connections she made while attending and teaching at the University of Northern Colorado.

Adele Mayne knew that she wanted to play the clarinet in a military band even before she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from UNC.

The seed was planted when she heard about some of the 20-plus graduates from UNC's music programs known to have gone on to play with one of the nation's military bands. They include Lowell Graham, who in 2002 finished a 30-year career with the U.S. Air Force Band as its conductor.

Then shortly before she finished her bachelor's degree in 2007, she attended a Navy Band concert in Denver with UNC Associate Director of Bands Dick Mayne, who's her father-in-law. The seed germinated.

Adele, who started the clarinet in fifth grade, spent the next three years developing her skills by performing throughout Colorado. She was principal clarinetist of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra and performed regularly with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and Cheyenne Symphony.

In 2011, the seed bloomed. That's when, after returning to UNC and earning her master's in Instrumental Performance, she was hired as a clarinet instructor in the School of Music and met fellow clarinet instructor and UNC alumna Lauren Jacobson, who'd just completed four years as a member of the U.S Marine Band.

"That's what really had the most impact on my decision," Mayne remembered during a recent telephone interview. "Lauren inspired me to achieve my goal."

So when a rare opening in the Navy Concert Band came up - members receive a permanent duty assignment and most complete at least a 20-year Navy career with the band - Mayne traveled to Washington, D.C., to audition along with what she estimates were 50 other clarinetists.

When she was notified that she'd been selected for the band, Mayne already knew how to find the Navy recruiting office in Greeley and she didn't waste any time enlisting.

But before she could take a coveted seat in the band's woodwind section, she had to pass the same medical physical and go through the same nine-week basic training, or boot camp, required of any Navy enlistee.

Last summer, Mayne and her husband moved to Washington D.C., and she reported for duty at the band's home at the Washington Navy Yard on the banks of the Potomac River. Goal achieved.

In addition to touring one of five designated regions of the U.S. each year, the band performs concerts in the D.C. area, including Virginia and Maryland. Many of them are part of its Music in the Schools program and are held in middle and high schools in the region.

Members of the Concert Band also make up the Navy's Ceremonial Band, which performs music at official military and government events, including funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Playing at Arlington is very special," Mayne said. "It's the best part of my job."

The band's current tour, which started Feb. 12 in Seattle and includes 18 performances in 20 days, included stops at Disneyland and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas before reaching Greeley. It ends with concerts in Denver on March 2 and Longmont on March 3.

It was pure coincidence that Mayne's first tour with the band is bringing her back to Colorado and Mayne is taking advantage of the the opportunity to return to her home state for the first time in nine months. She's scheduled her first leave to start after the tour's final performance and is looking forward to visiting friends, former students and in-laws in Greeley and spending time with the many friends and family members she has in Colorado Springs.

But as soon as the last good-bye is said before flying back to D.C., Mayne will be looking forward with excitement to her next concert.

"I'm proud and happy to be a member of the U.S. Navy," Mayne said. "I hope to be in the band forever; to make a career out of it."

- UNC News Service

Of Note

Because the band is supported with tax dollars, all of its performances are free.
The Concert Band, the premier wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy, presents a wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire.
While it was no coincidence that Adele Mayne's first tour with the band brought her to Colorado, proud father-in-law Dick Mayne set the wheels in motion to bring the group to Greeley by making staff at the UCCC aware of the band's availability.
The band travels by bus when on tour. It's newest member said she's been listening to a lot music to help pass the time.
As of Feb. 27, a few tickets remained for the U.S. Navy Concert Band's 7:30 p.m. performance at Greeley's Union Colony Civic Center on March 1. Free tickets must be picked up in person; call 970-356-5000 to confirm availability.

30 Years Later

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

As UNC's Marcus Garvey Cultural Center celebrated its 30th anniversary Feb. 15, one of its co-founders, who couldn't attend the event, shared some memories from his time on campus.

Before the center opened on Feb. 1, 1983, Neil Williams, now a retired Air Force captain and successful author living in Florida, was a Black Studies major and president of the Black Student Union.

In a telephone interview, Williams said that his primary hope for the center was that it might improve the quality of campus life for African-American students.

At the time, he and other BSU members were concerned that there were no African-American administrators to promote minority welfare, and Black Studies, Anthropology and Women's Studies seemed to be underfunded and understaffed programs without department affiliations.

The creation of the center helped those programs gain the support they needed to become academic departments and acquire more funding, he said.

But Williams and the BSU weren't working alone. There were many groups who supported the idea.

"We were getting support not only from African-Americans, but from the Greeley community, other student unions and the faculty," Williams said. "It was a great time and place in my life to be able to assist."

Williams said that while working to create the center, he became close with many of his mentors, including then-President Robert Dickeson, who Williams credits as a co-founder of the cultural center.

"When I walked at graduation, Mr. Dickeson, instead of just handing me my degree, pulled me and gave me a much needed hug," Williams said.

Williams and Dickeson both spoke at the dedication ceremony for cultural center, as did Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale, who gave the keynote address.

According to a Feb. 2, 1983, news story about the ceremony, after the BSU's vice president made critical remarks about UNC and its administration, "Seale broke the tension by referring to his former outlaw Status as a hunted Black Panther, saying ‘Most of you did not know I was living in Denver in 1974, 1975 and 1976. That's because I did not want you to know.'"

Seale ended the ceremony on a positive note, talking about Marcus Garvey and his role in representing "black people's historic resistance to racist oppression" and the importance of centers like the newly established one named in Garvey's honor.

Thirty years later, the center's anniversary celebration exemplified the foundations it was built upon - to provide academic and cultural support, help students achieve their educational goals and to serve as a home away from home for UNC students of different ethnic, racial or geographic backgrounds.

Speakers during the celebration included Ty'Ray Thompson, director of the center; UNC President Kay Norton; Anita Fleming-Rife, special assistant to Norton for equity and diversity; several students and former Denver mayor Wellington Webb.

For Thompson and the students, the Garvey Center serves as a place where people can grow as leaders, support one another, give back to the community and more. For Webb, who earned both his bachelor's and master's degree from UNC before the center opened, it helps provide a basic understanding of people.

"Everyone has something to give," Webb said in his keynote address. "What's most important is the legacy we, as individuals, leave behind. Never lose sight of that goal."

A gift from Wellington and his wife, Wilma, will fund an annual scholarship for an African-American student with financial need and a commitment to community service.

Fleming-Rife echoed Webb in her closing comments.

"Your job here at UNC is to succeed in acquiring an education," she told the audience. "An education opens up doors of opportunity for you; and as you receive, don't forget to look back at your alma mater, and lift as you climb."

For more information about the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center, visit its website.

- Jaidree Braddix and Katie Owston, Senior Journalism Majors

Of Note

Even though the center didn't exist when they were attending UNC, alumnae Gayle Hamlett and Celeta Houston, childhood friends who attended UNC together and remain close friends, made a point of attending the anniversary celebration. The two, who earned their bachelor's degrees in 1965 and their master's degrees in 1968, are volunteering their time to develop an alumni mentoring program for African-American students.
According to enrollment records, in 1983 fewer than 200 UNC students self-identified as African-American. During the 2012 fall semester, the figure was slightly more than 400.
When it opened in 1983, the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center was in the Weber House, which was located on the current site of the parking lot on the corner of 20th Street and 10th Avenue, diagonally across from its current home in the Davis House.

Grad's Group Nominated for Two Grammys

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado alumna Neyla Pekarek and the band she joined after graduating, the Denver-based indie group The Lumineers, have been nominated for two 2013 Grammy Awards.

The group, which is scheduled to perform during the live TV broadcast of the awards on Feb. 10, received nominations in the Best New Artist and Best American Album categories.

The Lumineers are touring in front of sell-out crowds and have enjoyed multiple television appearances over the past two months including a recent performance on Saturday Night Live.

Pekarek earend her bachelor's degree in Music Education in 2010.

Read more about Pekarek in a story on the Greeley Tribune's website.

Discovering for Discovery

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado Professor Stephen Mackessy's research showing that a protein in prairie rattlesnakes' venom has allowed them to adapt and survive in harsh environments, such as those in Yellowstone National Park, is featured in a segment of a program on the Discovery Channel.

The presence of the venomous North American snake in Yellowstone has been considered a scientific mystery.

"We've long hypothesized that venom has allowed prairie rattlesnakes to expand their behavioral repertoire that's typically been out of reach," Mackessy said.

It typically takes snakes, which are cold blooded, about five days in normal 75-degree temperatures to digest their prey. If the process takes longer, deadly bacteria from the decaying meal can build up and the toxins can kill the snake. Furthermore, digestion typically shuts down below 55 degrees, Mackessy said.

In "unprecedented" experiments in his lab, Mackessy replicated Yellowstone's extreme temperatures in the snake's habitat and took a series of X-rays of prairie rattlesnakes that ingested mice. It took the snake much longer to digest the mouse that had not been injected with venom. Mackessy ended the experiment before it became lethal for the snake. When venom was introduced into the prey before being consumed, X-rays confirmed that digestion was nearly complete after five days.

"One of the major components of prairie rattlesnake venoms is what we call proteolytic enzymes, and these are proteins that chop up other proteins," Mackessy said on the program "X-Ray Yellowstone" for the Discovery Channel series Curiosity, whose producers approached him to conduct the experiments.

The program initially aired on the Discovery Channel last month and was then re-broadcast multiple times on the Science Channel.

"This is an area that encapsulates an interest since I began doing research: what are the venoms doing for the snakes themselves," he said, adding that prairie rattlesnakes make it the farthest north of large-bodied snakes. Their habitats stretch from southern Canada to northern Mexico.

Mackessy, a UNC biology professor internationally known for his research on venomous snakes, has received $1.3 million supporting his research and scholarship since 1991. He has published more than 50 research articles, one book and six book chapters, and has presented at more than 50 local, national and international scientific meetings. During his 21 years at UNC, he's involved nearly 50 undergraduate students in his research, which focuses on how compounds in snake venom can be used in cancer-fighting drugs.

On Her Chosen Path

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

When the invitation to attend an inaugural ball in Washington D.C. arrived in her mail, University of Northern Colorado graduate student Amanda Skenadore had to read it twice. "Then I called my internship boss to ask for more information about it," she said.

Skenadore learned that she had been invited to the Jan. 20 American Indian Society Inaugural Ball to thank her for her work as an intern with the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH).

"After the shock wore off, I started screaming and told my sisters and called my mom right away," she said.

It will be a glittering side trip on a career path that Skenadore has kept in determined focus.

Skenadore grew up in Chinle, Ariz., a small town on the Navajo reservation. "I am born for the Towering House people and born into the Red Cheek Clan," she writes in her NCUIH bio.

She attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., earning her bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2005.

After graduating, she returned to Arizona, working as a health educator and physical activities coordinator for the American Indian population with Scottsdale's Native Health. Two years later, missing Colorado's change of seasons, Skenadore returned to Denver, where she worked for Jefferson County's Head Start program for four years.

While there, she felt she'd need to earn a master's degree to progress in her field. Accepted at schools in Colorado, Kansas and Washington state, she chose to attend the Colorado School of Public Health, a collaborative program among the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Colorado and Colorado State University.

"My main area is community health, and my coursework at the University of Northern Colorado specifically addresses how to approach a community and provide it with health education," she said.

Native American reservations face a high rate of diabetes, as well as the lack of adequate health care, Skenadore said. She hopes to address both problems through her work in community health and would like to eventually return to the Navajo reservation to make a difference for the community.

She also hopes to make a difference at UNC. With fewer than 50 percent of Native American students graduating from high school, and even fewer going on to graduate from college, Skenadore is part of an effort to encourage Native American high school students to graduate and set college as a goal.

"That's part of what I'll be doing with my master's project, telling students you can go to school and you can make a difference," she said. "There aren't enough public health professionals who return to the reservation to help their people. I'm working with Dr. Teresa Sharp and Dr. Liz Gilbert (both in the Community Health program) to help recruit more Native American students."

It wasn't long after Skenadore started her studies at UNC that her former boss in Arizona came across information about an internship with the NCUIH that she thought would be a great opportunity for Skenadore.

The NCUIH, based in Washington, D.C., works to support and develop health care programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives in urban communities.

Skenadore applied, and in February 2011 secured a remote internship with the organization, allowing her to work from Denver. She corresponds with the D.C. offices daily in her role as technical assistance and research center assistant at NCUIH.

When she leaves Thursday for the inauguration festivities, it will be her first time visiting the nation's capital - something she's anticipating in spite of her fear of flying.

She plans to do some sightseeing while she's there, along with going to the ball and attending the inauguration. While she doesn't expect to meet the president at the ball she's attending, Skenadore is excited about the prospect of meeting tribal health leaders and Native Americans within the community health field.

By Monday night, she'll be catching a red-eye back to Colorado. And, with her feet planted firmly back on her chosen path, she'll have a new internship waiting for her to start the next morning at 8 a.m. - this time with the Denver Indian Family Resource Center, working on its Healthy Living Program.

- Debbie Moors, UNC News Service

Practical Strategies for Autism

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Making New Year’s Resolutions Last

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Almost everyone creates a New Year's resolution. How long the resolution lasts, however, varies from person to person. John Froiland, UNC assistant professor of School Psychology, suggests the use of intrinsic motivation as a way to keep resolutions going all year long.

A common New Year's resolution on college campuses is to get better grades. Many students resolve to focus more in the coming semester, and paying attention in class and turning in assignments on time would seem key to accomplishing this goal.

Research shows, however, that intrinsically motivated students excel in the classroom every semester.

"Intrinsically motivated students focus on the beauty of learning, understanding what they learn, and in some cases, use what they learn to help others," Froiland said.

According to Froiland, these students tend to do better in school because they're passionate about what they're learning and are typically under less pressure. They express themselves in what they are learning, and in turn, tend to get better grades.

Another common resolution is to lead a healthier lifestyle. Many people are motivated by the physical changes that come with this new lifestyle - a certain number of pounds lost or thinner thighs to fit a favorite pair of jeans. Froiland suggests that instead of focusing only on physical benefits, you should also try to seek deeper meaning in what you're doing for yourself and how it can affect others.

"Focus more deeply on the idea that if you eat healthy, you will live longer and be stronger," Froiland said. "By increasing your strength and vitality, you'll be able to do more to make this world a better place."

Increasing intrinsic motives, however, doesn't mean you need to completely eliminate all extrinsic motives (desire to make more money, impress others, etc). Froiland recommends focusing first on intrinsic goals, such as helping yourself to help others; then focus on extrinsic goals.

"If you put the intrinsic goals and aspirations first, but still keep the extrinsic aspirations high, you can have a motivational synergy," he said.

A helpful tip for everyone with a New Years resolution, whether intrinsically motivated, extrinsically motivated or both, is the idea of implementation intentions. According to Froiland, implementation intentions involve asking yourself, "What am I going to do today to help accomplish my goal?" By saying your intentions out loud or to yourself, or by writing them down, they become a habit. The more you say your intentions, the more automatic it becomes; you'll get closer to your goal each day.

"It's like programming yourself for success - programming yourself to follow through on the things you want to follow through on," he said.

- Katie Owston, Senior Journalism Major

Keys to Cultivating Happiness in the New Year

Froiland also offered several keys to cultivating happiness in the new year, each driven by intrinsic values:

Elevate your intrinsic motivation. Seek passion in what you do: If you want to lose weight in the new year, reconsider your reasons. Consider that a healthy body reduces stress and helps you live longer. Try to be motivated by how your resolution will affect you as a whole.
Get excited for other people's good news, Ask your friends questions; help them relive their best moments. In doing so, you'll find that you become excited too.
Be grateful. Each day, write down three events that you are thankful went well in your day and why you think they went well. Writing why it went well helps you to see the role you played in the positive outcome of the situation.

Froiland shares tips for children's academic success.

Providing Holiday Hope

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

From local children and families to victims of a natural disaster thousands of miles away, members of the University of Northern Colorado community took time out from the end-of-the-semester crunch to make the holidays better for others.

Here are just some of the efforts:

Giving Trees, one of the oldest and largest holiday traditions on campus, this year provided multiple gifts for 275 needy local children, courtesy of donations from UNC students, faculty and staff. Tags on special Giving Trees around campus were used to fulfill requests for gifts and clothing. The effort is coordinated by the Student Activities Office in cooperation with the local chapter of the Salvation Army.

The university community also supported Gifts for Little People, a program organized by the Cèsar Chàvez Cultural Center and two campus Chicano/a-based student organizations - Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán and Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority - to provide Christmas presents for dozens of disadvantaged children in Greeley.

For the fourth consecutive year, staff in the Graduate School participated in Greeley Transitional House's Adopt-a-Family program, providing wrapped Christmas presents for a family transitioning from homelessness.

Students in UNC's Honors and President's Leadership programs joined forces to write and send Christmas cards to U.S. military personnel stationed around the globe. PLP students also made Christmas ornaments for Children's Hospital and knitted and crocheted hats and scarves for distribution to the homeless by the Salvation Army and local fire departments.

UNC's chapter of the Association for Women in Communications' clothing drive collected coats, sweaters, warm clothing, blankets, hats, gloves, scarves and gift cards from Walmart or Lowes for residents of the East Coast affected by Hurricane Sandy.

In another long-standing tradition across campus, staff in offices with a colleague experiencing financial challenges during the holiday season organized collections of cash and gift cards, going to great lengths to keep the source of the help anonymous.

The newest holiday humanitarian project on campus took a similar approach. The inaugural Holiday Helping Hands was a joint effort of UNC's classified and professional staff councils.
Nominations by co-workers identified six employees whose holiday season would be improved with a little financial help.

"Some were facing serious health issues and others had lost their homes due to foreclosure," said Jessica Behunin, chair of the Professional Administrative Staff Council. "Some are having to miss unpaid time at work due to personal issues. And some had experienced significant car troubles. We felt sympathetic toward each situation, and decided to disperse the funds evenly."

Donations of cash and gift cards from colleagues were used to put smiles on the faces of the six recipients and their families, just in time for the holidays.

- UNC News Service

Graduates' Stories

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Whether achieving long-postponed goals or academic excellence, the accomplishments of these fall 2012 UNC graduates serve as inspiration for those who will follow in their footsteps.

On the Run

Thirty-six years after beginning her pursuit of a bachelor's degree at UNC, Sharon Eberhard (nee Schweers) will proudly accept her diploma Dec. 15, but it's not like the she hasn't been busy since she matriculated in fall 1976 with a cross country and track scholarship.

She was a year or more away from finishing her degree when she married high school sweetheart Ron Eberhard (they attended UNC's Lab School) and put her education on hold to start a family.

Since then, in addition to helping raise the couple's four children, Sharon has worked as a jeweler, a Realtor, the assistant manager of a hotel, a preschool director and a daycare provider. Since 2008, she's worked in Dining Services at UNC, where she oversees Starbucks and Einstein Bros. Bagels in the University Center, manages 40-60 part-time student employees and is known for the extra effort she puts forth mentoring and training those who show an interest in the retail food service business.

And she just recently finished her 15th year as head coach of University High School's cross country program, leading the boys' team to the 3A state title. The Denver Post named her the 3A cross country coach of the year, a fitting accolade for someone who'll be receiving their bachelor's degree in Sport and Exercise Science with an emphasis in Physical Education and a minor in Coaching.

"It's been crazy working full time and coaching and going to school the past couple of years," Sharon said. "But all four of my siblings graduated from UNC and I just wasn't going to be the only one who didn't."

She encourages others thinking about returning to college after an extended absence not to hesitate.

"Find a great advisor who understands the difficulties in restarting," Sharon said. "Communicate often with the Registrar's Office and start today!"

Of Note
Sharon's father taught at UNC and her mother worked in the school's library, and Sharon attended the Lab School from kindergarten through the 12th grade. Her husband, Ron, is director of Parking Services at UNC.

From a Locomotive to the Classroom

Elena Townsend admits that, like many 17-year-olds, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with the rest of her life when she started college, and didn't have anyone providing her with direction. She ended up dropping out before finishing her degree requirements.

Job opportunities in the area around La Junta, Colo,, where her mother had moved her and her four siblings when Townsend was 5, were limited. She was working as a waitress in 1977 when she heard that the Santa Fe Railway, which had offices and facilities in the town, needed to hire some women to meet Affirmative Action standards. She applied and was hired.

After working for eight months on a crew maintaining the railway's tracks, she moved to a desk job and spent 16 years as a clerk before transitioning into a position as a conductor. In 1996, she completed required training and became a locomotive engineer.

Then in 2003, she was injured off the job and her career as an engineer was over. She was devastated, but it didn't take her long to figure out her next move.

She always regretted dropping out of college, and with encouragement from her husband, who'd corrected her grammar in the journals she'd been keeping for years, she decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in English.

She started her quest at a community college in Arizona. There, she continued refining and honing her skills, and a short story titled "Home Safely" won first place in a non-fiction writing contest. Read the story.

Townsend, who also writes poetry, completed her associate's degree in 2010 at Arapahoe Community College, graduating with honors. A move to Brighton put her a 45-minute commute away from Greeley, and she started at UNC in spring 2011.

Townsend said the best advice she can give other non-traditional students is to search out the resources that are available to them and to get involved on campus.

"Don't be afraid to ask questions and find out about programs that can help non-traditional students," she said. And, get involved. When I started going to poetry readings and plays and things like that on campus, I started feeling like this was my community."

Related
Read one of Townsend's poems.

Graduate Award Winner

Yeni Violeta García, who's earning a doctorate in Biological Education, is among the Graduate School's five recipients of a Dean's Citation for Excellence.

Earlier this year, UNC's Women's Resource Center honored her with the Most Inspirational Student Woman Leader Award.

In 2010, Garcia, a first-generation college student, was one of 2,000 students in the country, and the first UNC student, to be selected for a prestigious graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Full story

García is the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) coordinator for the Colorado Department of Education. In that role, she'll be starting a program designed to provide STEM experiences for under-represented students to pique their interest in the disciplines.

Caught in the Middle

Tekleab Elos Hailu is graduating with a Ph.D. in Educational Technology, a degree that he hopes will allow him to help others from one of the poorest and politically unstable regions in the world succeed in the higher education environment in the United States.

Hailu is originally from Ethiopia, which along with Eritrea, Somalia and Djbouti, is commonly known as the Horn of Africa.

He earned a master's degree in Development Communications at Iowa State University in 1995 through a United Nations program and sponsorship by the Ethiopian government, which included a requirement that he perform government service after completing his degree.

Hailu was fulfilling that requirement in 1998 when war broke out between Eritrea and Ethiopa and he and untold numbers of Ethiopians and Eritreans found themselves playing the role of pawns in a decades-long dispute between the two countries centered around Eritrea's independence.

Hailu was among those deemed to be of Eritrean origin by the Ethiopian government and he was deported to Eritrea without his wife and three children. For the next five years, his contact with them was limited to a couple of clandestine phone calls and a few letters mailed to friends and then passed along.

"It's hard being away from your family for that long," Hailu says. "You can never know how hard until it happens to you."

Hailu was eventually reunited with his family, and in 2009 enrolled at UNC after immigrating as a permanent resident through the Department of State's Diversity Immigrant Visa program, a congressionally mandated lottery system to provide resident status to natives of countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.
He hopes to use his new degree to help other immigrants from the Horn of Africa succeed as college students in the U.S.

"There is such a lack of opportunity in those countries," Hailu said. "In the U.S. there are opportunities and perhaps my knowledge of communication and educational technology can help them take advantage of those opportunities."

- UNC News Service

News University of Northern Colorado

Faces of the Class of 2013

Speaking from Experience

A Day of Opportunities

Music: The Universal Language

Raising Awareness of Stuttering

About UNC's Clinic

Online Resource

FOX News video featuring Walton

Researching Totem Teddy

Providing Expert Commentary

Related Stories

High-Tech Prosthetic Device Earns $25,000 Prize

Slideshow: Photos That Created a Buzz at UNC Recently

Slideshow: A Timeline of Top Bands at UNC

In the Navy

Of Note

30 Years Later

More Than Reading Colorful Maps

Of Note

Grad's Group Nominated for Two Grammys

Discovering for Discovery

On Her Chosen Path

Practical Strategies for Autism

Making New Year’s Resolutions Last

Keys to Cultivating Happiness in the New Year

Related

Providing Holiday Hope

Graduates' Stories

On the Run

From a Locomotive to the Classroom

Graduate Award Winner

Caught in the Middle