College of Health and Human Services: Sports Management
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The muddy banks of the Mississippi River don’t exactly compare to the sunny coasts of Australia, but Southeast Missouri State University student-athlete Hayley Abbott doesn’t mind calling Cape Girardeau home—for now.
Department of Health, Human Performance & Recreation
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Former Southeast Missouri State University baseball player Francisco Montiel firmly believes in remembering your roots and giving back to your hometown community.
College of Health and Human Services, College of Liberal Arts
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For William Harris, deciding what he wanted to do was sin esfuerzo (effortless). As a double major in nursing and Spanish, he took every opportunity to study abroad and gain all the practical experience he could.
For Allie Borowiak, playing softball throughout her college career with the Redhawks softball team was a way of life. This chapter came to a halt, though, after this Southeast senior had career ending shoulder surgery.
College of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation
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Uncertain of a major, Jill Hermann from Bloomsdale, Mo., considered possibilities from interior design to accounting before deciding dietetics was right for her. “It wasn’t until I took a basic nutrition class that I found a deeper interest.”
From the shores of California to Capitol Hill—via Cape Girardeau; that’s the path senior Hannibal Vaivao has traveled. Vaivao came to Southeast as a transfer student, but he quickly made it his home.
Lanie Haertling, of Nashville, Ill., dedicates each day to better herself as a Christian and influence others to do the same. As a member of Campus Outreach and Campus Crusade, two Christian organizations at Southeast Missouri State University, Lanie does not have to look far for support and encouragement in her faith.
Wade McElfresh, of Pleasant Plains, Ill., believes that a person’s college experience can only be as good as he or she wants it to be, and in that case, Wade is having the time of his life.
Southeast Missouri State University graduate Sarita Wesley-Scott has experienced a kind of excitement many other college students only dream about. She was a member of Southeast’s 1990-1991 women’s basketball NCAA Division II national finalist team.
Southeast student Paul Veneziano of Cape Girardeau recently completed an internship at the Woodward Resource Center, in Woodward, Iowa. Paul, a senior psychology major, served as a psychologist’s assistant.
According to Dana McDonald, the secret to success in the business world and life in general is “working hard, keeping perspective, managing priorities and understanding who your ‘customer’ is."
Three Southeast Missouri State University alumnae have achieved what many young girls dream of becoming. Erin Bauer, Brandi Kilby and Megan LaTempt each cheer at the professional level.
Rachael Waddle of Mount Carmel, Ill., a senior at Southeast Missouri State University recently interned over the summer at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
College of Health and Human Services / College of Liberal Arts
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Teresa Koebbe, a senior at Southeast Missouri State University, is interning this summer with the Secret Service at the federal courthouse in St. Louis.
As far as Vivian Robinson is concerned, you can never quite do enough to help a child in need. She has built a life around helping children, and she doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
Tom Belote knows there is much more to life than money. The advice he offers to future college students is quite refreshing to hear in a world dominated by the dollar.
Gina Bufe '87, who majored in nursing, is the director of nursing education, quality and research at New York - Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital in New York City.
Southeast junior Spencer Mares of St. Peters, Mo. was diagnosed with leukemia on June 17, 1991, at the very young age of three. He says that his experiences from his childhood have made nursing school slightly easier.
Those in the health care industry must be compassionate and love what they do. Lindsey Hueter, a senior at Southeast, learned this through her clinical work.
Most who know Dr. Mark Langenfeld, professor of health, human performance, and recreation and biology, know him as “that guy who rides his bike to campus everyday, rain or shine.”
Mark hopped into a different set of wheels this summer though, as he and his 16- year-old daughter, Julie, embarked on a journey that would take them across all 48 continental United State in 27 days in a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250 SE. Of course, Mark did take his bicycle along as well.
For most students, graduation marks the beginning of period in which they begin to phase out of their college organizations and activities, whether it is student government, athletics, student organizations, or professional, service and Greek fraternities and sororities. This is certainly not the case, however, for Sikeston, Mo. native, Matt Knickman.
Ryan Shipp, a May 2008 graduate, has an eventful past and has an even more eventful future ahead of him. Shipp, from Sikeston, Mo., majored in criminal justice and minored in psychology. He says he has a love for Southeast and that classroom professors are very professional and are willing to help you anytime you need it. And, he says, they are very flexible.
When Southeast student Heather West of Jackson, Mo., graduated in May of 2007, she realized her new life had just begun. West, who was a criminal justice major, attended and graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in October of 2007 and is now a Deputy U.S. Marshal in St. Louis.
Lt. General James T. Conway, a 1969 Southeast graduate, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2006, to become the 34th commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Conway was nominated for the post by President George W. Bush, received promotion to the rank of general and he received his fourth star.
Many of us would be happy if we wrote something that just one person found beneficial. Dr. Janet Weber, professor of nursing, co-authored a textbook that has been used worldwide!
If you work hard, you might work with inspiring individuals. But if you work hard enough, you will be an inspiring individual. For Tiffanne Ryan of Oklahoma City, Okla., her discipline and fervor for life have resulted in an internship with the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Paralympic division.
Cadet one of only 37 nation-wide chosen for training at Air Force Research Laboratory
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Southeast senior Joshua Bohnert, a computer science major and Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) cadet, has been chosen to attend the Advanced Course in Engineering on Cyber Security (ACE-CS), a prestigious training program at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome Labs, N.Y., this summer.
University life can be hectic enough with class schedules, organization meetings and homework, but take on the responsibility of Student Government president and you’ve got yourself quite a busy day. And that’s just the way Southeast Missouri State University’s Student Government President Adam Hanna likes it.
If you’re being charged by a bucking bronco, sometimes it’s a matter of diving in the right direction. For Amanda Sinclair, assistant professor of Health, Human Performance and Recreation and a certified athletic trainer at Southeast Missouri State University, being on guard is a big part of her volunteer work at the rodeo.
For many high school students, choosing a college can be a difficult decision. But for Southeast alumni Julie Suedmeyer, the decision to attend Southeast was an obvious one. As a Cape Girardeau native, Julie was very familiar with the area, and also with the university. It didn’t take long for Julie to realize Southeast was where she wanted to spend her college years.
Sports are a major part of Sally Smith’s life. As a senior physical education major at Southeast, Sally will be traveling to Belfast, Northern Ireland, this fall to do part of her student teaching. She hopes this will help her to fulfill her dream of contract teaching around the world. Sally explains contract teaching as “teaching in different countries for one to two years at a time.”
Just two days after returning home from advanced individual training for the Army National Guard, Southeast alumnus Paul Leoni got a call asking him to help the 1140th Engineering Battalion with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans. Since then, he has had many experiences he won’t soon forget.
Southeast Missouri State University alumna Jeannine Cinco began life after college half-way across the world. Jeannine, a native of St. Charles, Mo., graduated in December 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in German and recreation. After graduation, she became the athletic director for the U.S. Naval Base in Juffair, Bahrain.
Nathan Mendenhall of Fort Smith, Ark., who is pursuing a master of science degree in criminal justice, will begin the internship Jan. 9 with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda’s Witnesses and Victims Support Section. He will join about 50 other interns from around the world.
Staying fit and active are two words Southeast alumna Amanda Starman uses in her daily vocabulary. After graduating in May 2004 with a major in recreation and a minor in health promotion, Amanda moved to St. Louis to be the fitness specialist for the Lodge Des Peres.
When high school seniors imagine going off to college, many think about moving to another city or even another state. But for Southeast student, Takuro Yamada, his vision was to travel across continents. Takuro is originally from Saitama, Japan, and will graduate in December with a degree in health management and athletic training.
Baseball fans anxiously file into Philip B. Elfstrom Stadium to cheer on the Kane County Cougars to another victory. Fans line up at the concession stands amidst the smell of freshly cooked hot dogs and nachos. Cheers come from the stadium as the Cougars take the field for their warm up. For Southeast alumnus Brent Lewis, these are the sights and sounds of a typical work day.
In her observations of various people she’s encountered, both in her classes and in other countries, Dr. Georganne Syler is acutely aware of a shared behavioral characteristic. “Everybody eats,” Syler said. “It’s the common denominator.”
You could say that siblings Matt and Katie Buhr have nursing “in their blood.” The St. Louis natives, both of whom are currently in the nursing program at Southeast Missouri State University, were exposed to the profession early on, growing up in a home where both parents were nurses.
Creeping along the express paths at 20 miles an hour, Southeast shuttle bus riders might be surprised to learn their driver is Grant Sneed — hard core, pedal to the metal, steel-nerved street racer. During the school year, Sneed spends his time driving a shuttle or doing class work for his criminal justice degree. His summer pastimes are tweaking his cars and cramming dust down the throats of other drivers at the Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis.
Southeast alumnus Heather Meyer began her studies with no particular career in mind. After changing her major several times, she developed a strong interest in communication disorders. Heather now enjoys a successful career as an audiologist. She works at a hospital on the east coast…of New Zealand.
Not every student can add an internship with Disney’s Wide World of Sports to their resume. In fact, Southeast senior Andi Malick was one of only seven students from around the country chosen for a three-month summer internship program with the sports complex in Orlando.
Wearing one of his more than 150 Hawaiian shirts and propping his feet on his desk, Dr. Edward Leoni is, as his colleagues in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation claim, an original, irreproducible piece of work.
Nationally known for her expertise and innovation in senior housing and services, Southeast alumna Mary Alice Ryan serves as the President/CEO of St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors. Her days are spent strategically positioning the company’s entities for the future, fund raising, coordinating public relations and building a successful team of people who love what they do.
