Outstanding Graduates Take on the World

Outstanding students from the College of Liberal Arts are meeting the challenges of life head-on after graduating from Washington State University in May 2007.

Teaching, travel, and service are common threads for several grads; others are continuing their education and making plans for the future.

Every spring the College of Liberal Arts recognizes its best and brightest students from each of its departments and programs at the Outstanding Graduating Seniors brunch. Students are nominated by faculty members for their academic achievements and their skills as future leaders.

Arlene Parkay, academic coordinator for liberal arts, organizes the annual award brunch. Through her job, she has the unique opportunity to forge personal relationships with exceptional students that last long after graduation. She is special because she cares so much.

Parkay knows firsthand how important this recognition is for students and their families, because her own daughter was named Outstanding Graduating Senior for the Department of Anthropology in 2004.

"Working with these outstanding students is a favorite part of my job," said Parkay. "I am inspired by their talent, commitment, and energy, and it's exciting for me to assist the College of Liberal Arts in recognizing them and their families. We have seen these students go on to premier graduate schools, law schools, medical schools, to work abroad, serve their communities, teach the next generation—they do it all! I'm honored to know them and proud that Washington State University helped provide and develop the skills they take with them."

Where Are They Now? Notes from Outstanding Grads of 2007

Paul Bailey, an anthropology major originally from Olympia, Washington, is working as an English teacher in Uijeungbu, South Korea, one hour north of the capital, Seoul. He teaches kindergarten through sixth grade with a team of Americans and Koreans. Bailey is spending his spare time soaking up the rich Korean culture, exploring museums and palaces, attending concerts, and visiting traditional villages, where he has learned to make papier-mache masks and songpyeon (rice cakes with sesame seeds cooked over pine needles in an underground oven). Last summer Bailey also received the National Collegiate Honor Society for Anthropology's Charles R. Jenkins Award, which he said in a recent e-mail was "a bit of a surprise, but a very pleasant one."

Katelyn Benz, a communications major from Portland, Oregon, came to WSU on a full athletic scholarship. A 4-year varsity basketball player, she is now adjusting to life after sports—sort of. In reality, sports still figure prominently in her new life in Austin, Texas. Benz is currently working as a freelance writer for a sports magazine and is a mentor and tutor to student athletes at the University of Texas. Her insightful article "Life After Athletics: How one Division I athlete is transitioning to life outside the lines—a life with no spotlight, a life with no structured routine, and a life in street clothes on unfamiliar streets" was published by Capital City Sports Report.

Asian studies major Jason Busse of Seattle traveled to Japan in August for what he says is "quite an adventure." Busse is a testament to the resilience and perseverance of a student well-prepared for the challenges of life. He arrived in Japan only to realize the company he went to work for as an English instructor was failing. Finding himself potentially unemployed and without lodging, Busse quickly obtained another teaching position 2 hours away and soon moved into a new apartment. This is not the first time Busse has found excitement in Asia. While studying at WSU, he traveled to Chang Mai, Thailand, in 2006 on a faculty-led trip, and he participated in an exchange program to Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan. While in Japan, he had the opportunity to summit Mount Fuji, but a case of bad timing made it necessary spend the night on the mountain because an unexpected typhoon blew in. Later this spring, Busse plans to return to Seattle, where he will pursue graduate education in business administration.

Michael Church, an English major from Hobart, Washington, is currently a full-time graduate student in WSU's College of Education, where he is pursuing a master's in teaching (MIT) degree. He expects to complete his studies this spring and would like to remain in the Pullman area and teach elementary school students.

Jordan Gainey of Erie, Colorado, joined AmeriCorps' Teach for America program after earning her degree in criminal justice. She moved to Houston, Texas, to participate in a 5-week Teacher's Institute, which she likened to "teacher bootcamp." It was a life-changing experience, and Gainey wrote in her speech for the institute's closing ceremony, "I came here thinking I was going to be just another teacher in a sea of thousands. But what I have realized through the course of [the] institute is that we are not just teachers. We are Teach for America teachers who have come together to solve a problem collectively so that we may each make a positive impact on a world that has been kinder to us than to the students we teach." Gainey now works with kindergarteners and teaches reading intervention classes in Houston's 5th Ward.

Theatre major Ashley Hansen, from Lynnwood, Washington, is working in Pullman while her fiancé, Lee Melchior, completes his degree at WSU. Since graduating Hansen has performed in 2 Pullman Civic Theatre productions, Orsen Welles' Dracula and I Hate Hamlet. Next spring Hansen plans to move to Medford, Oregon, to work at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

History and political science major James Reavis returned to his home state of Montana to attend law school at the University of Montana, Missoula. His interest in law is no surprise. While at WSU, Reavis served in Washington, D.C., as an intern for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee; he studied abroad at the American University, Dubai; and was a columnist for the Daily Evergreen. Of the challenges of law school, Reavis said, "I'm glad that I attended WSU. The university provided me with a general, solid education foundation and helped me to significantly improve my writing skills, so I am thankful for that."

The next edition of the Chronicle will feature more news about outstanding graduates from the College of Liberal Arts.