Reflections Magazine Issue #76 - Spring 2012 | Page 4

Column

from the editor

A Very Bright Future Indeed
My office is fortunate to host several student
interns and additional work study students
throughout the academic year. While many of
our interns come to us with a special purpose or
career aspiration in mind, such as graphic design
or writing, others just show up looking for a
resume-building opportunity.
As the office that helped develop and implement the “Opportunity U” brand, how can we
not oblige? What we have discovered, however,
is that these experiences are not just one-way
opportunities.
In fact, one of the “perks” of being in a
university environment is the interaction with
the students. They not only keep you young
(at least at heart), but they provide a long-forgotten perspective on life. We find ourselves engaging our students not only on a professional level,
but a personal one. They become one of “ours.”

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Reflections Spring ’12

A common thread for these students is their
drive to succeed. Some come from challenging
backgrounds, others not so much. But they all
have goals and dreams. Let me share some of our
students with you:
Brittney Rhodes, a senior who has become
a fixture in the marketing office the past two
years, wants to work in college athletic marketing. As we have found out, if you give her a
task, it gets done well and usually way ahead of
deadline. As an academic All-American softball
player, Brittney rarely has to be told anything
twice. She will be missed.
Kaitlin Ludwig came to us more than three
years ago as we were entering the arena of social
media. She quickly showed us why she was a
4.0 student. She helped us build our network in
Facebook, and her reliability is unquestioned.
Kaitlin is now completing a (paid) internship
in Boston before beginning her new job.
A trio of second-semester seniors joined us
in January, and all three have made a quick impact on our office:
Lyndsay Payne you have probably seen
in this magazine quite often as a standout cross
country and track athlete. She is also an accomplished graphic designer who is as polite as they
come. She is hoping to get a design job somewhere where the weather is a bit warmer than
Michigan. My guess is she won’t have
much trouble.
Kyle Armstrong came to our office as an
accomplished English student who was looking
for a little career guidance. Two months into his
writing internship, he is now working as a parttime sports writer for the local newspaper. And
he throws a wicked shot put and discus, too.
Barbara Crosby entered my office last
fall interested in an internship in the marketing
office because “I want to work with people.”

Her outgoing personality has worked well as our
student photographer and marketing assistant,
and hopefully those skills will help her achieve
her people-centered goals.
Austin Harper just wanted to write. She
volunteered her services to my office a year ago,
and last fall interned as a feature writer. Although
she switched majors from English to more of
a business focus, she is not far off from working
as a newspaper or magazine feature writer
right now.
Two non-traditional students, Michelle
Blackerby and Jay Nicols, also impacted our
office in different ways. Michelle juggled children and a full class load and still found time to
complete a writing internship. Jay showed up at
our doorstep a couple of years ago because he
heard we needed some help with video editing.
A self-taught videographer and editor, he quickly became an invaluable addition to not only our
office, but in athletics as well. As producer of the
Siena Heights Sports Network, I can honestly
say SHSN would not exist without his efforts.
Finally, throw in our two work study students who played the role of Halo the Husky,
the university’s lovable mascot. Logan Poskarbiewicz and Gerald Richardson grew into
their roles as the academic year progressed,
and helped establish Halo as a campus favorite.
Whew. That’s quite a list. And the impact
they have on our marketing efforts is meaningful
and profound. If they serve as a cross section of
the kind of student Siena Heights produces,
we have a very bright future indeed.

Doug Goodnough
Editor