WSU Alumni Magazine | SPRING 2024 Teaching Beyond THE NOTES HOW PROFESSOR YU-JANE YANG AND DEDICATED STUDENTS MADE WEBER STATE A PIANO POWERHOUSE Advancing radiology careers across the country Radiology professionals from all over Utah and across the United States upscale their careers in Weber State’s Master of Radiologic Sciences Radiologist Assistant program. Program director Laurie Coburn’s students study in states from Oregon to New York, while learning skills to become mid-level radiology assistants in all areas of imaging. “These students come from different backgrounds, and they bring their areas of expertise to our graduate program,” she said. “They learn a lot from each other.” The program is delivered in a hybrid model with virtual class discussions, intermittent in-person campus meetings and weekly clinical education at affiliated medical facilities. Since the program began in 2019, radiology assistant graduates have more than doubled. They fill in-demand roles, assessing patients and performing imaging procedures while working side-by-side with radiologists and physicians. “Not only does the program provide a great career path for radiographers, but it also helps fulfill the current need for radiology physician extenders,” Coburn said. Laurie Coburn, RRA, RT(R)(CV)(ARRT), RPA (top right) with WSU radiology assistant students from across the country A litter of adoptable kittens were brought to campus for a photo shoot last June. WSU Public Relations Director Bryan Magaña provided a home for Waldo, pictured here. REGISTER FOR FALL BY BENJAMIN ZACK July 1, 2024 Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 3 DEPARTMENTS “ It is a very hard and demanding program, but I feel like the professors are so supportive and so encouraging, and they really care.” 6 Weber Watch Wildcat sports and events, a beauty queen becoming a paramedic, history professor Sara Dant on PBS and more — EMMA PETERSON, WSU keyboard performance student 34 Professional Sales Meets Civil Rights How professor Tim Border connects sales education to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy 37 WSU Salutes Honoring outstanding individuals for their contributions to the WSU campus and community 41 Class Notes Updates on the careers and achievements of Weber State alumni 48 Wildcat Inbox Staying in touch with alumni and friends THE NOTES ON THE COVER: Yu-Jane Yang, Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor and director of Keyboard Studies, prepares students for careers and further education while finding the magic in music. 4 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 28 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Anna Burleson | Patrick Carr Nancy B. Collinwood BS ’94 Bryan Magaña BS ’06, MA ’09 | Betsy Mennell Amber Robson BS ’05, MPC ’17 Jill Walker BS ’06, MA ’12 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Matthew Zacher BFA ’11 DESIGNERS Chelsea Maki BS ’16 | Antonio Moya BFA ’12 Lauren Windley STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Benjamin Zack Karla K. Bergeson, Chair Keith Titus BS ’02, Vice Chair Brent Bishop | Tammy Gallegos Rob Higginson BS ’80 | Casey Hill BA ’03 Monet Maggelet | Lori Belnap Pehrson BS ’87 Ashley Potokar BS ’22 | Donald J. Salazar Comments and questions may be sent to Wildcat, Weber State University, 1265 Village Drive Dept 4025, Ogden, UT 84408-4025. The editor may also be contacted by phone, 801-626-7396, or email, magazine@weber.edu. Teaching Beyond the Notes Students in WSU’s piano program win competitions, go to top graduate schools and teach the next generation. Send address changes to Advancement Services, Weber State University, 1265 Village Drive Dept. 4018, Ogden, UT 84408-4018. Call 801-626-6138 or email giving@weber.edu to update your records. MicroFund, Major Impact POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Advancement Services, Weber State University, 1265 Village Drive Dept. 4018, Ogden, UT 84408-4018. From churning butter to building community, Wildcat MicroFund helps entrepreneurs bring their dreams to life. HOW PROFESSOR YU-JANE YANG AND DEDICATED STUDENTS MADE WEBER STATE A PIANO POWERHOUSE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rachel Badali BS ’17, MBA ’22 | Anna Burleson Krystiana Davis AS ’20 | John Kowalewski Bryan Magaña BS ’06, MA ’09 | Jen Wright WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2023–24 WSU Alumni Magazine | SPRING 2024 22 EDITOR IN CHIEF Jaime Winston BA ’22 Robert Casey, Kelli Santos FEATURES Teaching Beyond Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring 2024 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 14 14 WSU Alumni Magazine A Step Up to Medical School A WSU alum pays it forward by helping pre-med students succeed. TAKE OUR SURVEY to help shape the future of Wildcat. You can enter to win a Weber State gift package. The survey closes on June 1, 2024. weber.edu/wsumagazine alumni.weber.edu WEBER A T C H Rachel Badali BS ’17, MBA ’22 Krystiana Davis AS ’20 John Kowalewski Bryan Magaña BS ’06, MA ’09 Jaime Winston BA ’22 MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DAZZLING WILDCATS for 45 years The Lindquist Family Symphony Pops Concert and Fireworks will light up the skies above Weber State and put a tune in Wildcats’ hearts on July 14, 2024. The celebration will include fireworks and an outdoor performance by the New American Philharmonic at Ada Lindquist Plaza. John A. and Telitha E. Lindquist initiated the first event in 1978. Today, John E. Lindquist, president of Lindquist Mortuaries and Cemeteries in Ogden, proudly continues the tradition. “It’s a hallmark of summer in northern Utah,” said WSU President BRAD MORTENSEN. “Every year, we are grateful to the Lindquist family for sponsoring this beloved event that brings our community together on WSU’s beautiful Ogden campus.” WEBER WATCH WEBER WATCH opportunity to help make history relevant and accessible to the general public, you jump at the chance, and that’s what Ken Burns does very well.” Dant and three other historical advisors met several times with writers, producers and sometimes Burns himself to review drafts of the script and film, offering their insights. She also appears in both episodes to offer commentary. She said the final product is “beautiful and powerful.” “Watching it, it’s nice to see how they stitched together all these diverse pieces into something coherent and compelling,” Dant said. “I’m particularly impressed with how Indigenous voices and experiences were seamlessly integrated into the narrative.” Dant said the film’s ultimate message is one of hope, focusing on a species that humans nearly drove to extinction but saved in the nick of time. Dant said that “save,” the subsequent Endangered Species Act, and current efforts at buffalo re- The American Buffalo is currently streaming on pbs.com. wilding have helped establish the United States as a global leader in environmental stewardship. WEBER STATE PROFESSOR LENDS EXPERTISE TO PBS DOCUMENTARY SARA DANT, Brady Presidential Distinguished provides a unique window into the past 10,000 Professor, H. Aldous Dixon Award winner and years of our continent’s history — the good, bad recent history department chair, offers her and ugly — to reveal how the bison story was expertise in a new film by Academy Award and simultaneously unique and tragically typical.” Emmy Award-winning documentarian Ken Burns. Dant is the author of Losing Eden: An Environmental Dant, who specializes in the American West and History of the American West, which traces the environment, served as a historical advisor and interaction of people and nature across time, a interviewee for The American Buffalo, a two-part theme woven throughout the Burns documentary. PBS documentary that focuses on the iconic A screenwriter for several of Burns’ projects, national mammal and its history with peoples Dayton Duncan, was familiar with Dant’s work in America. and called upon her expertise for the film. “History is ultimately a great story,” Dant said, “It’s hard not to be flattered and honored when “and Ken Burns is a master storyteller. This film someone of this caliber reaches out for your is an astonishing biography of an animal that perspective,” Dant said. “When you get the 8 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 Now that the film is wrapped, Dant said she looks forward to engaging in “That’s the whole point of history: understanding more public-facing writing and podcasts on topics including environmental the consequences of the choices we’ve made in politics, sustainability and the importance of public lands. Spring 2024 was the past so that we can make better and more her final semester at Weber State, where she served 23 years before retiring. informed choices moving forward,” she said. AN APP FOR SAVING LIVES ABOVE: Sara Dant’s book, Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West, which traces the interaction of people and nature across time Weber and Morgan counties have a new tool to save cardiac arrest patients. BILL ROBERTSON, associate professor of emergency healthcare, recently partnered with Ogden City Fire Department Deputy Chief MICHAEL SLATER to bring the PulsePoint mobile app to these communities. During a cardiac arrest, the app can be used to notify emergency responders and nearby CPR-trained volunteers who can provide life-saving care until emergency responders arrive. The app also gives volunteers the location of nearby defibrillators. Robertson, along with the Dean’s Office of the Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions and others from the college, helped secure funds and training to launch the project. Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 9 WEBER WATCH WEBER WATCH ALL-PRO WILDCATS Former Wildcats RASHID SHAHEED BS ’22 and TARON JOHNSON made history during the 2023 NFL season, becoming the first two Wildcats ever named to the NFL AllPro team. SUMMER WILLIS CELEBRATES 25 years with WSU’s Spirit Squad Summer Willis, who has coached the Spirit Squad for 25 years, instructing cheerleaders during practice Shaheed, in his second year with the New Orleans Saints, was named the firstteam punt returner. Johnson, who was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft, was named a second-team All-Pro slot cornerback. Johnson helped his Bills earn their fourth consecutive AFC East title this past season. In March, he signed a three-year contract extension to remain with the Buffalo Bills through 2027. When you ask SUMMER WILLIS what it means “I didn’t know how much to lead a team to seven national titles, she’ll I was going to fall in love tell you it’s not about the trophies; it’s about with coaching,” Willis said. It the people. was through this experience her passion for Twenty-five years after becoming head coach the sport and her students came to fruition. of WSU’s Spirit Squad, Willis has placed those Through her leadership, Weber State has trophies in the corner of the room, facing away risen to international acclaim with students from the door and largely out of sight. What takes seeking out opportunities with the Spirit up most of the space is a collection of memories: Squad from Venezuela to Germany. the Big Sky tournament last November in Greeley, photos, gifts and newspaper clippings from past and current students, most of whom she still “There are so many people who would love Colorado, defeating Portland State 3-0 in the first round, Sacramento State 3-2 in the second round talks to today. and Montana State 3-2 in the championship “It might be the one you lost or the one who match. The win capped off a successful season found their purpose in life,” Willis said when WSU VOLLEYBALL WINS BIG SKY, achieves third NCAA tournament berth Weber State’s volleyball team reached the NCAA Despite a strong fight, the Wildcats fell to BYU tournament for the third time after winning a in three sets in the opening round of the NCAA dramatic 2023 Big Sky Volleyball Championship. tournament. The Wildcats previously competed The Wildcats executed three comeback wins at in the tournament in 1998 and 2021. with an overall record of 21-10, including 11-5 in the Big Sky Conference. ABOVE: Dani Richins (number 12) and her teammates on the women’s volleyball team; photo by Robert Casey BELOW: The Wildcats celebrate the team’s third-ever Big Sky Volleyball Championship. RASHID SHAHEED her motivated year after year. “For me, it’s just so important that we don’t lose sight of who we of the Big Sky tournament, MAKAYLA SORENSEN are.” Before Willis coached the Spirit Squad, she was named the Big Sky Libero of the Year and worked as Weber State’s assistant marketing earned second team All-Big Sky honors, and director of athletics. By the end of that same year, KATE STANDIFIRD also earned first-team All-Big Willis was working as head coach for the team. to represent.” For me, it’s just so important that we don’t lose sight of who we are.” — SUMMER WILLIS Sky honors. weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 to realize what an opportunity we have talking about how the people she meets keep WSU standout DANI RICHINS was named MVP 10 to be here,” she said. “I think it’s so important TARON JOHNSON Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 11 WEBER WATCH WEBER WATCH YUDI LEWIS recognized as top Miss Roy 2023, Loryn Merrill, now studying to become a paramedic leader in higher education YUDI LEWIS, Weber State’s executive director of Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives, earned two prestigious accolades for serving Utah students. In September 2023, Lewis was listed among the top successful women by Utah’s 40 over 40, a nonprofit organization that celebrates the achievements of women who make a difference in their community. “I feel a deep sense of honor and humility to receive recognition for the work I am truly passionate about: fostering opportunities for students to access and achieve their dreams in higher education,” Lewis said. “This award serves as a beautiful testament to the remarkable women who, each in their unique ways, are reshaping Utah's landscape to be more inclusive and equitable.” Also in September 2023, Lewis was named a Living Color Utah award recipient for cultivating diversity and inclusion in Utah. Thanks to support from Ally Financial Inc., Lewis joined Weber State in 2022 to help the university reach its goal of becoming an emerging HispanicServing Institution with at least 15% Hispanic and Latino enrollment. Prior to WSU, she helped increase the enrollment of Hispanic and Latino students and graduation headcount at Utah Valley University. WSU, THEDREAM.US PARTNER TO SUPPORT UTAH DREAMERS Lewis is an acclaimed presenter at national and international conferences. Her tuition-free Latino Scientists of Tomorrow program has been replicated As Miss Roy, she loves being involved in service projects for the city. Her professional network has FOLLOWING HER ARMY SERVICE, grown to include members of the city council, first Miss Roy enrolls at WSU to serve patients as a paramedic Roy also gave Merrill an opportunity to pursue a responders and Mayor Robert Dandoy. Being Miss passion, encouraging others to meet, spend time with and learn from senior citizens. “In Roy, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of LORYN MERRILL plans on a career serving patients as a paramedic, much as she served her nation in the U.S. Army and city as Miss Roy. She can’t think of a better place to continue her service streak than the medical field. people over age 70 who live alone and just have encourages others to get involved. She has also tasks for adults with disabilities at a group home. Merrill will compete for the Miss Utah crown in June 2024. Aside from preparing for the pageant, she recently While the Army provided her with new experiences and allowed her to travel earned her EMT certification and is completing the world, prior to arriving at Weber State for the fall 2023 semester, she prerequisites for WSU’s paramedic program. took on a challenge unlike anything before. She entered the 2023 Miss Roy After some time saving lives as a paramedic, she Scholarship Competition and won. eventually wants to help patients as a physician. 12 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 for them. “My role in higher education enables me to give back by opening doors to educational possibilities for students, just as someone once did for me,” Lewis said. “I firmly believe that the only true impossibilities in life are the things you do not try. I urge every student to discover their passion and relentlessly pursue their dreams.” living communities to meet the need, and she vaccinations, managed medications and performed examinations to gather “I did a lot of COVID swabbing, tracking and tracing as well,” she said. connected with thousands of students by sharing her story and advocating Merrill has worked with volunteers at assisted provided companionship and help with daily training exercises. money to support educational opportunities for Utah youth. She has nobody to spend time with them,” Merrill said. In the Army, Merrill worked in a clinic where, among her many duties, she gave information for providers. Outside the clinic, she treated soldiers injured in at six schools nationwide. She also helped acquire over $600,000 in grant I firmly believe that the only true impossibilities in life are the things you do not try.” — YUDI LEWIS Weber State became one of 70-plus partner colleges across the country with TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented students. This partnership resulted in 31 scholarships during the 2023–24 academic year and a $1.2 million multiyear commitment. “This scholarship is instrumental in helping me achieve my dreams,” said BIANCA ALVARADO, a microbiology student and scholarship recipient. “I now have the freedom to focus on my studies and academic goals.” WSU plans to increase the number of students who benefit from this program in years to come. The funding covers the cost of tuition for up to six years or until students complete their degree, allowing recipients to attend school with less financial stress. “For a really long time, I worried that my family and I would have to face the financial burden of college alone,” said HANNIA SANDOVAL GONZALEZ, a scholarship recipient and social work major. “Receiving this scholarship proved me wrong, and it showed me that all my hard work is worth it.” Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 13 NOTES THE CHIA-YING SHEN BM ’23 practices piano in the Austad Auditorium in the Browning Center for the Performing Arts in 2022. She went on to pursue her master’s degree with a full scholarship at University of Michigan. by Jaime Winston 14 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 PIANO POWERHOUSE Students in the piano program, officially titled Keyboard Yang moved to the United States for graduate studies Studies, regularly win state, national and international at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, among competitions, and receive scholarships to the nation’s top the top five music schools in the country at the time. Her graduate programs. husband, Shi-Hwa Wang, became a Weber State violin Regularly placing at the annual Utah Music Teachers professor while she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She joined him on Association (UMTA) state competition, WSU students received four of the six top honors in the state for piano the WSU faculty, teaching piano, in 1992. at the university level in both 2015 and 2020. About 15 years later, Yang became Keyboard Studies Often, when a pianist has the credentials to go to any director. She succeeded Diana Page, who established music school in the country, they pick WSU for its quality teaching, low tuition and scholarships, Yang said. Scholarship donor Jeanne Hall BA ’69 echoes Yang’s point about quality teaching. just saying ‘You have to hit the right notes,’ she’s saying ‘Where is the magic in this?’” said Hall, cofounder of The Hall nominated Yang for her 2023 Governor’s Mansion EMMA PETERSON, WSU student earning a Bachelor of Music with a keyboard performance emphasis Artist Award for performing arts. Yang has also been named Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor and Endowed Scholar/Artist of the College of Arts & Treblemakers and now the MTNA student chapter — as well as the annual WSU Piano Festival, which welcomes pianists in grades one to 12 to campus to perform. The piano faculty also includes professor Esther JeeHae “I watch Dr. Yang as she teaches them, and she’s not Alan and Jeanne Hall Foundation. Weber’s UMTA student chapter — once known as the Ahn and adjunct instructors Sean Steiner and Cammie Titus BS ’98. Yang said it’s their goal to make sure students are competitive in graduate school or their careers. “I’m just so excited about getting students where they can be after being at WSU,” she said. One way the faculty do so is through quality equipment. WSU is an all-Steinway school. Humanities at WSU, along with Music Emma Peterson smiled to the Browning Center audience Teachers National Association (MTNA) before sitting at the Steinway. She lifted her hands intently Teacher of the Year in 2020. above the keys, took a deep breath… and then took everyone Growing up in Taiwan, she began playing else’s away. Johannes Brahms’ Capriccio Op. 166 No. 7 filled piano at age 5 after seeing The Sound of Music. the performance room with powerful, contrasting tempos, “I was really intrigued by all those beautiful setting the stage for the WSU piano program’s fall 2023 melodies, and I came home and tried to jury recital. figure out all those tunes on my toy piano,” Weber State’s piano students began performing a concert she recalled. “Eventually, I tried to play as their final each semester 18 years earlier, instead of only my kindergarten teacher’s piano, and the playing for teachers, explained Yu-Jane Yang, director of teacher told my mother, ‘Well, you might the program. want to give her some lessons.’” The recital means more than a grade for students. It’s a semester’s worth of practice. YU-JANE YANG, director of Keyboard Studies, instructing WSU piano student ABBY ANDERSEN “The day of juries, everyone’s just as nervous as they are excited,” Peterson said. “There is so much energy, and it’s so Would you like to share a memory of the piano program? peers perform the pieces that they worked on all semester.” Write to us at magazine@weber.edu. family and friends, their applause at the end was more than 16 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 Peterson’s classmates followed up with works by Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin and others. While the audience of about 50 included mostly teachers, just moral support. They saw an elite piano program at work. PC: RED LEMON-STOCK.ADOBE.COM rewarding to not only perform yourself but watch all your Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 17 The company, founded in 19th century Germany, is known worldwide for handcrafted, quality where she studied with Yang’s former professor Lydia Collegiate Piano Solo Competition. Now, she is earning instruments. Thanks to an initiative put forward by former WSU provost Michael Vaughan, all pianos Artymiw. Today, Lin is an associate professor at the her master’s degree on a full scholarship at the University Weber State students use on campus are made by Steinway. “It attracts not just students, but faculty,” University of Arizona and has performed across the of Michigan. Yang said. “They would think, ‘This school really values art and the quality of student education.’” world, including a recent performance and album with the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin. While WSU’s program is a destination for international Of course, quality teaching and instruments only get students so far. Their dedication drives them. She is a certified yoga instructor — teaching yoga for musicians — surfer, boulderer and practitioner of the DRIVEN BY DEDICATION martial art Krav Maga. Fanya Lin BM ’13 turned down Juilliard to attend Weber Weber State set her on her path to success: She won State, and she has no regrets. first place in the MTNA National Steinway Young Artist She began playing piano at age 4 in Taiwan. While both of her parents were rock musicians, she discovered a love for classical music through a music conservatory when Collegiate Piano Competition as an undergraduate, becoming the youngest student to ever win first place nationally in the competition’s history. she was 9. She dreamed of going to The Juilliard School for her undergraduate degree until a master class with Yang put WSU on her radar. “I really enjoyed her style of teaching,” Lin said. “So, when I was applying for my undergrad, I applied to Juilliard, Oberlin and Weber State.” Lin was accepted to all three. She chose WSU to study with Yang, who taught her to play mindfully, know what she wants to say as a musician and put the music above her own ego. She attended Juilliard for her master’s degree. She later earned her doctorate at the University of Minnesota, students, pianists come from nearby as well. Miranda Vanderpool BM ’22, who lived in North Ogden when accepted, didn’t become serious about piano until her senior year of high school. While every student in the piano program must demonstrate a certain level “I remember when I was preparing for the competition; of skill to be accepted, she we had a very strict schedule,” she said. still noticed her peers were First, she attended lessons, and then she would practice further ahead. for six hours. After that, she recorded herself performing “It was at first really so she could discuss the recording and how to improve intimidating for me, and I with Yang. She repeated the same schedule the next almost quit my freshman day. “That really shaped how I prepared for future year and changed majors,” competitions and concerts,” she said. she admitted, “but I decided to stick with it and keep Lin’s success inspired other Taiwanese students to study working hard.” at WSU. One of those students, Chia-Ying Shen BM ’23, A video from Vanderpool’s first year shows Yang teaching won first place at Utah’s MTNA Steinway Young Artist her basic hand movement. One filmed three years later MIRANDA VANDERPOOL, WSU graduate now completing a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma FANYA LIN, University of Arizona associate professor and WSU graduate PHOTO COURTESY OF WSU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES A Musical HISTORY THE KEYBOARD STUDIES PROGRAM TRACES ITS HISTORY TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY. Weber Stake Academy Moench Building, 1891 The 1906–07 catalog listed John J. McClellan as the institution’s piano/organ instructor. At the time, students prepared to play for church services. 18 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 James Clair Anderson c. 1947–49 As the institution became Weber Normal College, Gladys Peterson served as the piano/organ instructor. Notably, James Clair Anderson served as the main piano instructor through two more name changes, Weber College and Weber State College, from 1923 to 1969. Weber music students at the piano c. 1947–49 Until Weber became a four-year institution in 1962, piano classes at the institution helped prepare students to complete their bachelor’s degrees in music at other schools. Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 19 features her playing a piece by Ukrainian composer Lin encourages students to look beyond the notes on the Nikolai Kapustin — with perfect form. Vanderpool page for inspiration. eventually began competing alongside WSU’s best “You want to say something; it’s not just about playing pianists in competitions. She won honorable mention at the UMTA State Collegiate Piano Concerto Competition. the notes,” Lin advises her students. “Whenever you can, you want to find inspiration through literature, movies, When doubting herself, Vanderpool relied on other piano films and television, or any other means to find stories students for encouragement. She recalls Thanksgiving that would move people to tears or uplift people’s hearts.” dinner, holiday parties and trips for ice cream with For weeks before her uplifting performance at the fall jury fellow students. recital, Peterson practiced the Brahms piece slowly and “It was really like a piano family,” she said. methodically. The year prior, her many hours of practice Vanderpool is now completing her master’s degree at led to carpal tunnel and tendonitis in her arms. Through the University of Oklahoma. To her surprise, many of her assignments are things she has done at WSU. “A lot of her recovery, she couldn’t wait to return to working on her dream of completing her Bachelor of Music and people here have never taught group classes before. At becoming a piano teacher and event pianist. Weber, you are required to help teach,” she said. Peterson first came to WSU as a radiology major and She said pianists with big dreams who feel they don’t music minor. The encouragement and welcoming measure up to their peers should stop comparing her to change majors. that’s so hard to do in music, because you’re constantly Like Lin and Vanderpool, she found a place where her listening to other people play,” she said. “Know that talent could blossom. somewhere, and you will get better if you put in the work.” “There’s a sense of mentorship in this program. People here want you to become better.” — Marcus Garong, MHA grad atmosphere she found in the piano program convinced themselves and focus on continuing to improve. “And everyone has a different background, everyone started EXECUTIVE MASTER of HEALTH ADMINISTRATION “It’s a really SPECIAL program,” Peterson said. 100% Online Designed for Working Professionals NO GRE/GMAT REQUIRED Becoming a healthcare leader shouldn’t require you to put the rest of your life on hold. Complete in just four semesters Our flexible, high-quality, low-cost online eMHA program allows you to earn your degree while continuing to work. weber.edu/mha Passing on their SKILLS WSU STUDENT PIANISTS HELP INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSICIANS. 20 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 Through the WSU Piano Preparatory Program, a training lab run by Keyboard Studies director Yu-Jane Yang and assistant director Laurisa Cope, WSU students gain experience teaching piano to children ages 6 to 18. If interested in pre-K education, they can become licensed to teach the program’s Kindermusic classes for ages 3 to 7, which Yang directs with instructor Sydnee Johnson. Students also give back to the community by performing for assisted living facilities and other locations. Skip the entrance exam ACCELERATED PROGRAM FLAT-RATE TUITION No out-of-state increase VIRTUAL ORIENTATION Attend one virtual orientation EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE Here to provide mentorship APPLY NOW! NATIONALLY RANKED ALUMNI DISCOUNT Weber State alumni who are accepted into the eMHA cohort will be eligible for an additional one-time 5% loyalty discount on the first semester’s tuition. *Recognized among EduMed’s Best Online MHA Programs for 2021 #1 Online MHA Program, 2021* From gumballs to volleyballs, and from churning butter to building community, the Wildcat MicroFund helps Utah’s everyday entrepreneurs bring their dreams to life. microfund, major impact WSU’s Wildcat MicroFund gives Utah entrepreneurs the opportunity to launch and build their businesses. by jen wright The Wildcat MicroFund started small in 2018, focused on helping Weber State students, faculty and staff get funding for their business ideas. With support from America First Credit Union, it’s grown into a statewide program that has helped hundreds of Utah small businesses. The MicroFund was conceived within the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics. Brandon Stoddard, director of the Hall Global Entrepreneurship Center; James Taylor, director of the Technology Commercialization Office and Office of Sponsored Projects; and their former colleague Patrick Thomas wanted to expand support for entrepreneurs. The trio worked to create the MicroFund as a lower rung of funding — grants range up to $3,000 — to help early-stage entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground. “We are geared toward the everyday entrepreneur, the people in your community who need funding that’s not available through traditional banking, and need expert guidance to help them flesh out an idea and to launch and grow their business,” said Catherine Holbrook Clark, who has managed the MicroFund since 2021. While money is always helpful, it’s the MicroFund process that may be most valuable. Applicants advance through several stages: filling out the application, creating a business plan, building a pitch deck, and, finally, making their pitch to judges who award the grants. Everyone who meets the minimal participation criteria in their application is paired with a mentor — usually someone from a local Small Business Development Center — who helps them with the other pieces. At each stage, applicants submit their work and receive feedback until they get the green light to advance. “This process helps the entrepreneur hone in on, ‘This is what I’m selling. This is whom I’m selling it to. Here’s why I’m pricing it this way,’” Holbrook Clark said. “A lot of entrepreneurs start a business and get ahead of that step.” She encourages MicroFund applicants to take advantage of the mentoring and resources available. “I think some people approach this thinking, ‘I just want to get the money. And I want to go through this process as fast as I can,’” she said. “But believing in the process is incredibly helpful and beneficial for their business. We are trying to set people up to succeed.” Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 23 student startup: Outdoor Volleyball Club Brothers Dalton and Jackson Kohl, both juniors at Weber State, take their roles as ambassadors for the Weber Entrepreneurs club seriously — so seriously that they are already running their own business, with help from the Wildcat MicroFund. “We both submitted ideas to the MicroFund and agreed that whatever got picked, we would go in on together,” said Jackson, 23, a business administration and psychology dual major. “Dalton’s idea got more traction, so we went that way.” Business administration major Dalton, 26, pitched his vision for the Outdoor Volleyball Club. “We both grew up playing volleyball, and we love outdoor grass volleyball,” he said. “But there aren’t many organizations in Utah that set up leagues and tournaments.” His successful pitch was rewarded with a $3,000 MicroFund grant in August 2023, and they used it to buy equipment for 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 tournaments they’re organizing across the state. “Our plan is to continue to apply for the MicroFund to grow our tournaments and do some marketing,” Dalton said. MicroFund applicants can receive grants three times, for a total of up to $9,000. The brothers see a lot of potential in their startup. “When you grow up playing sports but don’t go on to play in college, it’s hard to find that competitive outlet,” Jackson said. “This will help fill that gap.” With the Utah High School Activities Association adding boys volleyball to its sanctioned sports There are a lot more opportunities out there to help you start a business than you think. There is free money, and resources and people who can help.” — Jackson Kohl butter by baylee: Mountain Born Creamery for the 2023–24 school year, Dalton anticipates interest will continue to grow. “Our eventual During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people started new Balancing business with motherhood — her children are 4 and goal is to have tournaments across Utah every weekend,” he said. hobbies. Baylee Sorenson conceived a new business. 7 — adds to the challenge. “Sometimes it feels impossible,” The MicroFund application process has been an excellent learning By June 2021, the former medical benefits insurance Sorenson said. “But I think about things like: ‘What am I experience, they said. “There are a lot more opportunities out there professional and mother of two young kids had a new career: to help you start a business than you think,” Jackson said. “There is making and selling small-batch premium butter. my core values are to both of them?’” free money, and resources and people who can help.” “Really good dairy and dairy products should be locally and To handle it all, she reminds herself to slow down and not Dalton added the mentorship was a huge benefit. “In class, regionally based,” said Sorenson, 33. Originally from Erda, everything will be perfect. we learn and talk about hypotheticals: what could happen, Utah, she has lived in Ogden since 2019 and rents a small “You can’t be an entrepreneur and just work 40-hour weeks. what we could do,” he said. “But this has been a hands-on commercial kitchen space there. “We want to make butter and It doesn’t happen that way. So you have to step away and be experience of all the things we’re learning.” eventually other dairy products, and do it Utah-style.” good with that. Am I going to be rich tomorrow? No. But am I That means sourcing cream from Utah dairies and using setting myself up to have a good business five years from now? a small churn — purchased with a grant from the Wildcat modeling for my daughter and son? Am I demonstrating what Yes, I think so.” MicroFund in early 2021 — to turn it into butter. She kneads and presses it by hand, experiments with recipes to create seasonal flavors, and sells products at local farmers markets, neighborhood shops and through the creamery website. “Farmers markets are the best,” Sorenson said. “I love meeting my customers face to face, along with all of the other people who are out there making and doing incredible things with their own ideas.” Owning a small business is also exhausting. “The biggest challenge is the mental game you play with yourself,” she said. “There are so many ups and downs to having your I love meeting my customers face to face, along with all of the other people who are out there making and doing incredible things with their own ideas.” — Baylee Sorenson own business.” 24 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 25 norma’s familia nueva: quarters for kyle: KL Vending Services 200–300 Norma Carver felt alone when she first arrived in Utah in 2008. Kyle Lewis’ excitement and drive are obvious every time But 16 years later, she’s brought together a vibrant community he speaks. They’re also helping power him into largely 3 pitches of her own — and for many others. uncharted territories. Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, she had been living in Kyle, 34, has a neurodevelopmental disorder and autism. Wisconsin with family until she got married and moved to After years of working in kitchens at restaurants like Wendy’s, Kaysville. Today, Carver, 42, is the founder and executive Chili’s and Texas Roadhouse, he became the first person in director of Oaxaca en Utah, a nonprofit organization that Utah to take advantage of a state program that helps people celebrates the diversity and traditions of her original home. with disabilities attain self-employment — and he’s getting As she traveled around Utah for her photography business, his business off the ground with a boost from a Wildcat Oaxaca en Utah Carver met people from Oaxaca and other Mexican states, and MicroFund grant. from other countries. She began to think about ways to bring KL Vending Services, LLC, began in April 2023. Kyle runs the people together and came up with the idea to celebrate La business along with his mother, Lisa, and a job coach, Jory Guelaguetza, an Oaxacan festival. Cross. They focus on quarter-operated machines that vend “It’s a beautiful event when the diverse people of Oaxaca come gum, candy and toys. together and bring their food, textiles, beautiful dresses, music, “The reason we came up with vending is because Kyle loves everything to share with the whole community,” Carver said. keys,” Lisa said. “Ever since he was a kid, he’s carried around a Her first La Guelaguetza in Utah was held in 2020 for 30 close big set of keys.” friends. In 2021, they opened it to the public at a park near Sure enough, when asked if he carries the keys to his vending Carver’s home, and about 550 people attended. “That gave us machines, Kyle answers with an emphatic “Yes!” and produces the opportunity to think bigger for the next year,” she said. a jangling set of keys hanging from a lanyard around his neck. They began fundraising by selling food and holding raffles. Carver also began the process to formalize her organization by registering with the state as a nonprofit in early 2022, with the help of Flor Lopez, program manager at the Suazo Business Center, a business resource center for Latino/Hispanic and other underserved communities. And La Guelaguetza kept growing: In July 2022, it drew more than 7,000 people. And, in 2023, 15,000 attended the daylong festival. As La Guelaguetza has grown, so has Oaxaca en Utah. The organization welcomes people from all cultures: Some of its 35–40 regular volunteers come from Oaxaca and other parts of Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala. “We love to have everybody come and embrace our culture and be part of who we are,” Carver said. Oaxaca en Utah is often asked to give cultural presentations across the state. It also receives invitations to participate in community events and parades, and to lead Dia de los Muertos celebrations — which is what led Carver to the Wildcat MicroFund. When organizing a 2023 celebration at Myers Mortuary in Ogden, Carver wanted to make it as authentic as possible. “We already have beautiful, colorful outfits,” she said. “But I wanted to do all the outfits in black and white, which is the 26 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 I have big dreams, and everything is possible if you work hard yourself and also work as a team.” − Norma Carver traditional way.” Enrique Garcia, an employee at WSU, pointed her toward the MicroFund, and Carver’s successful pitch allowed the organization to purchase clothing from Mexican artists. “I went to Oaxaca in October for vacation and was able to meet the people who made these outfits,” Carver said. “I’m grateful for them because they put in so much effort and work to make them special. And we really appreciate the MicroFund for making it possible.” Looking forward, Carver hopes to find a home for Oaxaca en Utah. “We’re looking for sponsors, people who can help us build a cultural museum, where all the props and outfits are microfund numbers applications each month heard each week 6–8 weeks to go through process $1.2 million grant from America First Credit Union helped grow program statewide By the end of 2023, he had installed machines at four different businesses in Ogden and surrounding towns. “We want to stay local and support and work with local businesses,” Lisa said. KL Vending Services received $2,000 from the MicroFund in October 2023, allowing them to pay off a loan that helped purchase their first two machines, as well as buy three others. Brad Lewis, Kyle’s father, appreciates how supportive the MicroFund has been. “They were so excited about this idea and wanted it to succeed,” he said. While Lisa manages the books, Kyle and Cross handle the vending work. Cross is a job coach at the Ogden office of Community Options, a national nonprofit that supports people with disabilities. He spends four hours a week with Kyle collecting money and restocking machines, and also meeting with local businesses to find new locations. “I want to help grow this the way Kyle wants, and it’s been going very well,” Cross said. “This is all about Kyle — he is what will make this business grow.” on display, and where people can come and have workshops Kyle is also happy with how it’s going: “I like being the about art, food, dialects, customs,” she said. “I have big dreams, boss,” he said. “I want to have a great business.” and everything is possible if you work hard yourself and also work as a team.” Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 27 PHOTO BY KELLI SANTOS A BY ANNA BURLESON WSU graduate and retired medical professional Clair Weenig gives students a boost when applying to medical schools. S T EP UP TO MEDICAL SCHOOL A WSU ALUM PAYS IT FORWARD BY HELPING PRE-MED STUDENTS SUCCEED. Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 29 CLAIR WEENIG BA ’65 BELOW: Clair Weenig in his surgical scrubs while working as an anesthesiologist; photo courtesy of Clair Weenig vividly remembers the anxiety he felt arriving in After high school, a close friend urged Weenig to San Francisco with only $10 and no place to stay, enroll at Weber Junior College. As the seventh of hoping to get into medical school. eight children, and with his father’s small meat Knowing first-hand that even a little assistance can market failing financially, it was apparent the family go a long way, Weenig, a successful anesthesiologist, couldn’t afford higher education. funds a Weber State scholarship with his wife, Joan, Nonetheless, Weenig took odd jobs to earn the $111 that pays for students to apply and interview at required for the first quarter. medical schools. “Being in San Francisco without A paper he wrote in a first-year English class caught much in your pocket isn’t exactly a party,” he recalled. “I still can’t believe I pulled it off, but I did.” the attention of E. Carl Green, Weber’s debate coach. He earned a spot on the debate team, along with a scholarship to continue his education. As the junior college officially became Weber State College, a “ THE SCHOLARSHIP WAS A HUGE BLESSING TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND NOT GO INTO DEBT.” — BEN PACKARD four-year institution, Weenig decided to major in life science. “Going to Weber State really was fortuitous for me,” Weenig said. “It was a very important springboard.” While he originally planned to pursue law school, his advisor, Jennings G. Olson, recommended medical school because of his near 4.0 in math, physics, chemistry and other science courses, and very few courses geared toward law. At the time, students applied to each medical school individually. Weenig remembers most application Other interviewees at the UCSF dean’s office looked “I don’t want students to think ‘But I’m from this fees cost about $15. His family had lost their home polished with their suits, ties, shined shoes and small town ...” he said. “I didn’t want them to feel and moved in with his grandfather on a farm in leather briefcases, a sharp contrast from Weenig’s intimidated and that they shouldn’t apply and Plain City. While Weenig’s University of Utah humble attire and baggage. Still, he did his best wouldn’t be able to afford it.” application was free, he paid the application fees through three interviews. Now, students usually apply to about 10 medical Four weeks later, he received a letter inviting him to schools through one company for a flat rate of join the UCSF medical school class of 1969. It also around $200, with each additional school costing said he received a scholarship, covering his tuition about $100 each. If a school shows interest, there’s and providing a $2,500 annual stipend. a secondary application that costs around $100, and After graduating from the university’s medical a subsequent application interview only means for Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania. With only $5 left, he had just enough to apply to the University of California, San Francisco as well. UCSF invited him to an interview; the only problem was paying for the trip. University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, residency WSU senior Ben Packard graduated pre-med in round trip from Salt Lake City. at the UCSF Medical Center and two years in the U.S. December with a major in microbiology and dual Along with his $10, he brought a brown paper bag for Navy. He began his practice as an anesthesiologist minors in neuroscience and chemistry. He said in Walnut Creek, California, and held numerous the scholarship was incredibly helpful as applying leadership positions. After 20 years in private to medical schools is expensive. He applied to practice, he entered academic practice and retired about 30 schools. from UCSF in 2006 as a clinical professor emeritus “The scholarship was a huge blessing to be able for provisions. In San Francisco, he realized most hotels cost $20 to $30 per night. Luckily, a stranger at the bus station told him his brother was the night weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 paying more, including travel costs. Luckily, he found an affordable train ticket — $29 his luggage and a shoe box with tuna sandwiches 30 school, Weenig completed an internship at the watchman at a hotel he could stay in for only $8 — in anesthesiology. given that he checked in late and checked out before While Weenig looks back on his UCSF acceptance housekeeping made its rounds. This left Weenig with a smile, he doesn’t want other pre-med with $2, enough to cover the fare for the trolley to students to face the same uncertainty he did and from campus the next day with change to spare. walking into the dean’s office. ABOVE: Ben Packard was able to apply to 30 medical schools with help from the George Gregory M.D. Pre-Med Student Assistance Scholarship. to go through that process and not go into debt,” Packard said. Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 31 “ WITHOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VISIT THOSE SCHOOLS.” — DRAKE ALTON Thanks to the George Gregory scholarship, and other financial assistance, Brian Farnsworth graduated from WSU debt-free before going to medical school at The Ohio State University. “That’s a much better place than some people are at when they start medical school,” he said. Weenig also created a scholarship available to any WSU student, and named it in honor of his grandfather, Henry Merwin Thompson, who provided a home during those lean financial years. Weenig and his wife, Joan, have included WSU in Drake Alton found out he had received the scholar- their estate plans, which will increase funding for ship after already paying for his applications, so the the Gregory Scholarship and, hopefully, benefit pre- ability to reimburse himself for those costs meant med students for many more years. he had the money to travel and see which school he preferred in person. He ultimately chose Mayo Clinic’s Arizona location. “Without [the scholarship] I don’t think I would have been able to visit those schools,” he said. RIGHT: Joan and Clair Weenig, who together fund an endowment to help students applying to medical schools; photo courtesy of Clair Weenig Weenig initially donated $10,000 to create the scholarship, which is now endowed with over $50,000 to award students. He named the scholarship after George Gregory, a professor of anesthesia at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, known for developing a treatment of respiratory failure in prematurely born babies whose lungs have not fully developed. Gregory also provided Weenig with invaluable training during his residency and served as a role model and mentor. “One of my best friends has a daughter who weighed less than one kilogram; about two pounds. None of those babies survived back in the early days, and now she’s alive, a mother of two and a practicing nurse because of his technology,” Weenig said. Since the endowment was created in 2004, 15 pre- Be a Healer. Be Brilliant. Open Enrollment, 100% Acceptance Pre-med, Pre-dental & Pre-PA Students med students have been awarded $15,298 total in scholarship money to assist with their medical school application expenses. LEFT: WSU graduate Drake Alton visited the medical schools he applied to with help from the George Gregory M.D. Pre-Med Student Assistance Scholarship. 32 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE weber.edu/Science “CONNECTION AND RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY IN PROFESSIONAL SALES.” PROFESSIONAL SALES MEETS CIVIL RIGHTS Tim Border, professor of professional sales, teaches WSU students the essentials for success, including selling techniques, contract negotiation and, more recently, civil rights. While visiting Georgia for the National Collegiate Sales Competition each spring, he takes students on tours of sites connected to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. Border answered Wildcat’s questions about the tours and how they connect to sales. What are the stops on the tour? After we compete, we visit The Martin Can you share a fun memory from the trips? Luther King Jr. Historic District, which One year, Charles invited all the includes Dr. and Mrs. King’s memorial crypt, the Eternal Flame, a museum dedicated to Dr. King, a stylized ‘Freedom Road,’ Dr. King’s birth home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church. At each of these stops, Charles gives personal accounts of history and Dr. King’s life. He also shares insights on how we need to treat each other today and stand up for treating people with respect. students to his home for a home-cooked Southern meal, and, after the meal, my students were able to see many artifacts and pictures of Dr. King. We listened to personal recordings of Dr. King and Charles would later elaborate on his teachings. What do you hope students learn? The main objective I have as a professional sales professor is to expose my How did these tours begin? in the NCSC every year since, and each trip Professional sales students aspire to coach and took a group of students to Atlanta includes the Dr. King tour and the Charles Harris be trusted influencers. Dr. King was the for the National Collegiate Sales Competition at history lesson. quintessential influencer, and I want Kennesaw State University. Before we returned, What do civil rights have to do with professional sales? my students to study the character, Understanding the significance of civil rights, race for 60 years ago are still relevant today, relations and why it’s important to know the and it’s important for my students to history of where we have come from and where learn, remember and appreciate. I called a long-time friend, Charles Harris, who lives in Atlanta and asked him if he would give my students a personal tour of the King memorial and the historic district, including The King Center. Charles was a personal friend of Dr. King who had marched with him on the bridge in Selma and spent time with him as a student and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brother. Because of his rich knowledge of civil rights and Black history, I felt like it would be good for my students to meet Charles to learn from his stories and knowledge. We have competed 34 students to rich learning experiences. In 2011, I accepted the role as a WSU sales weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 skills, methods and principles Dr. King embraced. The things Dr. King advocated we want to go in the future when it comes to respect and inclusion has everything to do with professional sales in business. Segregation and discrimination have had a negative impact in U.S. history and U.S. business. Hurting people hurts the economy and limits us as a democracy. Involving all people and respecting and honoring them for who they are creates a synergistic power in business relationships and economic strength worldwide. ABOVE: Charles Harris, who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and WSU professional sales professor Tim Border LEFT: Professor Tim Border (center) with Weber State students Isaac Clarke, Cort Dixon, Bailey Penhorwood and Cline Chatterton D L I W We’re ! g n i t n i r p t u o ab G SCREENPRINTIN BANN ERS G N I T N I PR G INDIN B Wildcat 801.626.6107 wsucopy.com weber State universit y SALUTES EMBROIDERY SWAG ENGRAVING Let us help you with your next project. We have lots of new equipment and want to make cool things for you or your business. You support us. We support Weber State students! R U O Y GET R TODAY A E G R E B E W OFFICIAL CAMPUS STORE OF WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Weber State honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the campus and community at the Annual WSU Salutes Homecoming Awards ceremony. “WSU Salutes is one of the many highlights for me during homecoming week where we celebrate a select group among our many alumni, community leaders and changemakers for their great, Great, GREAT accomplishments,” said Brad Mortensen, WSU president. The 2023 ceremony was held in October at the Browning Center Austad Auditorium. wildcatstores.com Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 37 EMERITI HOMECOMING ROYALTY EDWARD G. BS ’72 & DEANNA SPARROW KLEYN Ed Kleyn and Deanna Sparrow Kleyn attended Weber State until Ed completed his degree and was drafted into the Army. Ed relied heavily on his WSU education and previous church service to fulfill his duties as a counselor in the Army prison system at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He also started work on a master’s degree at Pope Air Force Base. Following his military service, Ed accepted a job at a bank and gained a passion for banking. He finished his MBA in 1976, cultivated meaningful associations with his customers, supported numerous community organizations and served on several boards. In 2010, Ed received the Wall of Fame Award from the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce. Deanna assumed primary responsibility for raising the couple’s six children, four of whom graduated from WSU. She also worked at her family business, Sparrow’s Home Furnishings, for 49 years. Deanna and Ed have been married 54 years and appreciate how much WSU has enriched their lives. They give back to the university through a scholarship fund and Ed’s service on the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics Business Advisory Council. EMERITI ALUMNI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD S. NEAL BERUBE BS ’79 Neal Berube is a lifelong resident of Weber County and a proud graduate of Weber State. As a student, he served as vice president of Academic Affairs. While campaigning for this office, Berube met fellow student Jeana Hancock, and they were married in February 1979. Upon graduating, Berube went to work for Deloitte in Salt Lake City and obtained his CPA. He was subsequently employed by the Goddard family at United Savings Bank in Ogden. He spent the last 30 years of his career at Associated Food Stores, where he served a decade as CEO. Berube, a former commissioner for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, was invited to serve on Gov. Gary Herbert’s committee for efficient and effective government. Currently, he is mayor of North Ogden and serves on Intermountain Health’s board of trustees. Berube lends his time and expertise to the WSU Alumni Association Board of Directors and the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics Business Advisory Council. He and Jeana have three sons, all of whom are WSU alumni. In honor of their oldest son, Ryan, who has muscular dystrophy, they established a scholarship for WSU students who may have a disability. Berube was also instrumental in obtaining scholarship funding for students with a family history of renal disease. WSU PRESIDENT’S AWARD JESSELIE BARLOW ANDERSON 38 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 LEWIS W. SHURTLIFF AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION Sydnee Dickson has served Utah children for 42 years. In 2007, she joined the Utah State Office of Education, which became the Utah State Board of Education and oversees public K-12 education in Utah, and was named Utah superintendent of public instruction in 2016. Her previous roles have included teacher, counselor, and school and district administrator. Dickson’s education began in a two-room schoolhouse in rural Utah. She went on to earn master’s degrees in school counseling and school administration, as well as a doctorate in education leadership and policy. Dickson has served on numerous state and national committees, task forces and boards and is frequently called on to present at national convenings. Currently, she serves on the Council of Chief State School Officers Board of Trustees and WestEd’s Board of Directors, along with many state councils and commissions. She is passionate about developing education ecosystems of support to ensure all students are given access and opportunities for success through a high-quality education. SYDNEE DICKSON OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD Morgan Saxton credits Weber State for helping her launch her career as an awardwinning broadcast journalist. Saxton recognized her professional path in seventh grade, and WSU nurtured her passion by helping her graduate from high school with an associate’s degree. After earning her bachelor’s degree at age 20, Saxton was hired at the Standard-Examiner newspaper. Six months later, she landed her first broadcast position as a reporter in the Midwest, where she brushed shoulders with several presidential candidates during the 2016 Iowa caucuses. She moved back to Utah to marry Chase Saxton, whom she first met while covering a story as a student journalist, and to work at KUTV Channel 2 as a morning reporter. She stayed at KUTV six years before giving birth to the couple’s first child. Today, Saxton is a host for FOX 13’s lifestyle show, The PLACE. MORGAN SAXTON BS ’13 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD Jesselie Barlow Anderson credits her parents for influencing her commitment to education and serving her community. Her father, former Utah State Senate President Haven J. Barlow, and mother, Bonnie Rae Barlow, were powerful role models for their six children and set an inspiring example of community engagement and public service. Anderson attended Davis High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Utah. She took a summer job in the Washington, D.C., office of Utah Sen. Wallace F. Bennett and remained on the East Coast for 12 years, working for Rep. Laurence J. Burton, Rep. Dan Marriott and Sen. Jake Garn. She married Scott Anderson in Tokyo, Japan, where he worked for Bank of America. The couple also lived in the San Francisco area before moving to Salt Lake City in 1991, when Scott accepted a position with Zions Bank. Anderson worked for her family business, Barlow Companies, for 30 years and currently chairs its board of directors. An advocate for higher education, she served on the Utah State Board of Regents, which later became the Utah Board of Higher Education, from 2013 to 2023. At WSU, Anderson is actively involved with the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service. Anderson chairs the state’s Executive Residence Commission. Previously, she served on the Governor’s Mansion Foundation, the Natural History Museum of Utah associates board, and Salt Lake County’s Zoo, Arts & Parks Preservation Committee. BRETT D. NELSON BA ’99 Brett Nelson has worked on all seven continents with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF and Physicians for Human Rights. Weber State set Nelson on a path toward a global healthcare career. In addition to benefiting from excellent teaching, Nelson served as a teaching assistant for multiple WSU courses. He also assisted with clinical research at McKay-Dee Hospital, used electives to join a surgical mission to Mali, and participated in service projects that laid the foundation for his passion in addressing health disparities among vulnerable communities. Nelson went on to receive medical and public health degrees from Johns Hopkins University, clinical training at Harvard University and a tropical medicine diploma in London. One of his first positions out of training was chair of pediatrics and senior pediatrician for Liberia’s Ministry of Health, where he established curricula that trained the first pediatricians in post-conflict Liberia. Nelson has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and is the editor of a textbook on clinical global health. He has obtained millions of dollars in grant funding for training programs to equip healthcare providers across Africa with life-saving skills. He also codeveloped low-cost clinical innovations that continue to save lives. Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 39 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD ANTHONY JOHN “TONY” JUSTMAN BS ’88 Tony Justman grew up on a family farm in Colorado. In high school, he became active in speech and debate, which led him to Weber State’s nationally recognized debate program. As a student representing WSU, he traveled across the country, winning awards and tournaments while building skills that would shape his professional life. Justman completed majors in political science and communication. With strong support from WSU faculty mentors, he pursued a law degree at Stanford University. After law school, Justman clerked for the Honorable Herbert Y.C. Choy of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the first Korean-American appointed to the federal bench. Justman then practiced law for more than a decade in San Francisco, learning from lawyers in respected firms. In 2007, he joined Sony Interactive Entertainment, the headquarters for Sony Corporation’s PlayStation division. He advises global teams and executives in intellectual property, antitrust law, data privacy, e-commerce and consumer protection. He helped launch products like PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Store and PlayStation Plus. Recently, Justman provided executive leadership in industry efforts to ensure video game player well-being and online safety. He supports diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within SIE, in SIE’s products and services and the legal community. He has been an executive sponsor of PlayStation’s Latinx employee resource group and supports young, aspiring attorneys through organizations like the National Hispanic Bar Association. CLASS NOTES ALUMNI UPDATES ’60s CHERYL STRONG AS ’67, BS ’69, MS ’04 retired from Weber DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD BETTY O. SAWYER Betty Sawyer has been at the forefront of many civil rights, justice and equity initiatives in Utah’s public and private sectors. She moved to Utah from Maryland in 1975, and later earned her second bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. As director of the Governor’s Office of Black Affairs, Sawyer worked to gain passage of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday and the establishment of the Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. She collaborated with legislators and members of the Board of Regents, which later became the Utah Board of Higher Education, to gain $1 million to support a minority scholarship endowment and funding to develop strategic economic development initiatives, including Ethnic Young Achievers and the Marketing & Advertising Program. In 1991, Sawyer helped launch Project Success Coalition, a nonprofit supporting education, health equity, cultural arts, leadership and job opportunities for Ogden youth. For 33 years, Sawyer led the movement to have Juneteenth Freedom Day recognized as a Utah holiday. She founded the Utah Black Roundtable, a think tank and policy organization that brings individuals, congregations, organizations and businesses together to provide proactive solutions to pressing issues. Sawyer is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and serves as president of the Ogden branch. She led a community effort to preserve the city’s historic Marshall White Community Center, and has received many awards for serving the community. She is married to Gerod “Butch” Sawyer. School District, where she taught physical education, business and English for 30 years. She volunteers for Friends for Sight, a local nonprofit providing free vision screenings, helping people of all ages and backgrounds access quality eye care. Cheryl also worked as an usher for Snowbasin and Weber State University Athletics. Her husband, GARY STRONG BS ’69, is a retired educator and coach of 40 years from Weber School District, where he taught physical education, health, history and first aid. Cheryl and Gary have served three missions for their church. 40 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 ARTHUR JONES BS ’68 and CALLEEN WOOLSEY JONES BS ’69 met in a Weber State Georgia State University. In and Ankle Clinic in Roy, 1990, Art accepted a faculty Utah, McKay-Dee Hospital, position in the Health, Ogden Regional Medical sociology class and were Physical Education, and Center, and Davis North married in 1968. After Recreation Department at Hospital, now Holy Cross graduating, Art pursued a Utah State University. He Hospital - Davis. He earned master’s degree at Southern taught for 20 years and a Doctorate of Podiatric Illinois University. Afterward, served as department head Medicine from the Ohio they returned to Utah, where for six years. Calleen taught College of Podiatric Medicine, Art worked as a 4-H youth four years of elementary now Kent State University specialist and was later school with the Fulton College of Podiatric Medicine, appointed assistant state County School District in in 1977 and held diplomate 4-H leader. He completed a Georgia. After raising their status with the American doctorate at the University four sons, she taught in the Board of Podiatric Medicine of Utah in 1978. In 1981, Utah Logan City School District and the American Board of Governor Scott Matheson for 23 years. Art and Calleen Podiatric Surgery. Tom was appointed Art to manage enjoy life in Paradise, Utah, also a fellow of the American the Utah State Fair and the while keeping track of 19 College of Foot and Ankle Division of Exposition. Art grandchildren and four Orthopedics and Medicine. encouraged the International great-grandchildren. He served a medical training for fair managers. ’70s humanitarian mission to In 1986, Art helped create THOMAS R. AUSTAD BS ’71 is a the curriculum and became retired podiatric physician the first professor of fair and and surgeon of 34 years. exposition management at He practiced at The Foot Association of Fairs and Expos to promote university the Marshall Islands in 2011. SHAWNEE HARROP AUSTAD BS ’70 is a retired elementary teacher from Valley View Elementary in Roy, where she taught first, second and third Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 41 Your Golf Game SUPPORTS WSU STUDENTS Join the Alumni Golf Classic, and help raise $70,000 for WSU students. Make a donation of any size, and enjoy a day of golf (100% of proceeds go to scholarships). grade. Tom and Shawnee the University of Utah. Prior past 10 years. He previously School District’s principal serves on the Salvation accounting, hotel operations University. Diana serves as both served on the WSU to moving to Cedar City in taught at Weber High School assigned to Weber Adult Army board in Ogden. She and a major renovation a student mentor and an Alumni Association Board 1998, she worked as a school and Sand Ridge Junior High Education, the 2022 Utah has four children with beginning in 2003. He earned advocate for first-generation of Directors. They are proud social worker in Salt Lake School. Between teaching Adult Education Program her husband, TOM AUSTAD his Master of Business students. Diana also serves parents of eight children and County. She loved her time stints, he worked as a CPA of the Year. As a teacher AA ’01, a general dentist at Administration from the as a volunteer with the recently completed a mission at Weber, where she met her for seven years and then and a school librarian, she Clinton Dental Group and University of Utah in 2004. Ogden City Christmas Village for The Church of Jesus Christ husband. They volunteer as the accounting manager has taught on every level Orthodontics. He attended They have five children. Committee and the Pilar Pobil of Latter-day Saints. summer evenings at the at an Ogden electrical in the K–12 setting. She Dalhousie University’s ’80s Utah Shakespeare Festival. contractor. He earned a Juris was president of the Utah dentistry school. Carolyn They have three adult Doctorate from Brigham Educational Library Media and Tom are avid Weber children and look forward Young University in 1992. His Association and also started State fans and live minutes DAVID WILLIAMSON BS ’82 to grandchildren. wife, TRACY SYME BA ’91, is PDS Conferences, offering away from the university. currently an educational aide professional development Their oldest daughter, at Burch Creek Elementary in services for educators. She Lauren, recently attained South Ogden. She previously was named the 2008 Utah her associate’s degree worked for Davis School Educational Library Media through WSU’s Concurrent District as an elementary Association School Librarian Enrollment program while in classroom teacher and of the Year and the 2022 high school and was accepted reading specialist. Utah Adult Education Leader to WSU’s School of Nursing. ’90s of the Year. She is also an They are proud to have the Ogden-Weber Chamber of WSU tradition continue in Commerce Athena Award their family. JAMES “LUKE” ROBERTS BS ’90 finalist. She holds a library attended Weber briefly before joining the United States Navy in 1972. He served as a nuclear power reactor operator and was stationed on the George Washington submarine. After his time JUNE 7, 2024 THE BARN GOLF CLUB in the Navy, he returned to Utah and resumed his studies. He held various positions with Envirotech, a data processing center in Salt Lake City, before working with the Utah State Board of Education as a computer programmer. During his 35-year career with USBE, he applied evolving software technologies to provide easier access to data. David was also part of a small team that wrote the Integrated Rehab Information System (IRIS), a program that supported vocational rehab education. He was president of Utah-based user groups for SoftwareAG and Computer SPACE IS LIMITED, SO SIGN UP SOON! alumni.weber.edu/golf Associates International, now known as CA Technologies. JENNIFER HUNTER DENHALTER AS ’84, BS ’86 is a guidance counselor at Cedar High School in Cedar City, Utah. She earned a Master of Social Work degree in 1991 from WILLIAM ORMOND BS ’84, BS ’11 is a language arts and U.S. government teacher at Clearfield Job Corps. He also works as an independent attorney specializing in wills, trusts and evictions. He received a Juris Doctorate in 1988 from J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. He is a member of the Utah Council of Teachers of English and the Utah State Bar. He served as a member of the Ogden School District Board of Education for four years and a local Boy Scouts of America troop leader for over 20 years. He received the Silver Beaver Award for pro bono services. William’s wife, NATALIE SMITH ORMOND MS ’08, taught math at Ben Lomond High School for 35 years. She also taught for two years at Carbon High School and Dixie College, now known as Utah Tech University. She is retired and helping to care for their grandchildren in Hurricane, Utah, and Liberty, South Carolina. KALE SYME BA ’88, MS ’00 has taught math at South Ogden Junior High School for the is retired from healthcare as a cardiovascular sonographer. He worked for 10 years as an independent provider through Colorado Valley Radiology, providing care in many states, including Hawaii, Maine and Alaska. He then worked for the University of Texas before retiring in 2023. As a student, Luke transferred from Baylor University to Weber State and immensely enjoyed his experience and Utah’s beauty. He and his wife have started a real estate business, R Squared Property Solutions, serving Northeast Texas and Dallas. They have two children and live in rural Texas. ANDREA WOODRING BA ’94, BA ’98 has been an educator for over 25 years and is Weber media endorsement from Utah State University; master’s degrees in both educational leadership and curriculum design, along with an English language learners endorsement, from Western Governors University; and graduate certificates in integrating technology in K–12 classrooms, adult learning, and elementary reading and literacy from DIANA MEISER AA ’99, BA ’04 is an assistant professor and librarian for the College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology at Weber State Legacy Foundation. ’00s JACOB HANSEN AS ’00, BS ’03 is a project manager for CAMI PETERSON AA ’98, BA ’00 is a case manager and peer sports specialist with Davis Behavioral Health, where she helps patients with parenting skills and cultivating nurturing home environments. She has worked as a reading specialist for Ogden School District and, through Davis Behavioral Health, prevention specialist with Title I Walden University. schools in Davis County. As CAROLYN AUSTAD BS ’98 helped students in grades became marketing manager three to six with setting for Destination Cinema goals and avoiding peer and publications editor at pressure. Her husband, the Utah Travel Council during the 2002 Olympic BRANDON PETERSON AA ’98, BA ’99, took part in running Winter Games following a family business, Jeremiah’s graduation. She currently Restaurant and Best Western owns and manages two High Country Inn, which VRBO locations in Florida his grandfather established and St. George, Utah, and in 1979. Brandon oversaw a prevention specialist, she ’CATapult provides an upward burst of momentum for students who are near graduation but without the means to continue. This scholarship supports students who have completed 50% or more of their requirements and is flexible enough to meet unique circumstances. AS OF FEBRUARY 2024... » 1,893 AWARDS GIVEN » $1,355 AVERAGE AWARD » $2,565,455 TOTAL AWARDED MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY: weber.edu/catapult Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 43 No need to go to the DMV! Scan the QR code to get your WSU plates from the DMV and support student scholarships! 1. 2. 3. 4. Select “Change Your Plates” Enter your information Select “Special Group Plate” Select “Weber State University” taken her experience to program. She is an Equality Purple Paw Parade. Kerri is public education, where Utah Ally, serves on the excited for what the future of she incorporates valuable Board of Directors for the her business holds. social and life skills into her Salt Lake City Library and language arts curriculum at teaches yoga. She lives in Two Rivers High School in Salt Lake City and loves to Ogden. Jenny is a member spend as much time outside of the TRHS leadership as possible. team and was a speaker at Education Association ’10s conference. In 2023, she KERRI CLEMENT BA ’11 the 2022 Utah Alternative received her Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. She WSU Campus Planning BEN NADOLSKI BS ’00 initiatives such as the GOAL by a variety of organizations, & Construction. After supervises operations Foundation, Wildcat Club including being named graduating from WSU, he in northern Utah for the and Weber River Partnership. the JLO Difference Maker worked with youth in a Utah Division of Wildlife His wife, JAYNEE PASKINS and receiving the 2019 wilderness setting through Resources. He is a member of NADOLSKI BS ’02, is the senior ATHENA Leadership Award RedCliff Ascent Wilderness the Ogden City Council and associate commissioner of presented by the Ogden- BONNIE RUSSELL BA ’09 is an Therapy Program. Afterward, was elected Ogden mayor in the Big Sky Conference and Weber Chamber’s Women engineering operations he worked on a gas pipeline 2023. He worked as a biologist oversees governance and in Business. She is currently platform manager at Zions from Salt Lake City to before overseeing legislative compliance for all conference an honorary commander at Bancorporation. In 2022, Las Vegas with Sterling affairs and working on schools. She is the sport Hill Air Force Base. Jaynee is she earned an Executive Construction. He found his public lands issues with the supervisor for volleyball, a fierce advocate for youth MBA from the University of way back to WSU as the governor’s office. In 2008, women’s basketball and sports and has volunteered Utah. Bonnie has completed Wildcat Stores receiving he completed a Master of tennis. Jaynee has served her time mentoring and the American Bankers manager before becoming Science in Fisheries Biology as president of the Junior coaching young girls in the Association Business of the Wildcat Design & Print from Utah State University. League of Ogden and has Ogden Untamed program for Banking Program and the manager and then moving He is active in youth been recognized for her the last five years. She and YWEmpowered development into his current position. sports and numerous local leadership in the community Ben live in Ogden with their lives in Utah with her family, but regularly visits her old stomping grounds in Southern California. graduated as a nontraditional student from the Teacher Assistant Pathways to Teaching program. After teaching elementary school for 10 years, she decided to To better serve you, our reader, give us your feedback on the magazine and what you’d like to see in it. You can also enter for a chance to win WSU gear. Use the QR code or find a link at weber.edu/wsumagazine. helping young people The survey closes on June 1, 2024. advocacy began at Youth achieve their goals despite challenging circumstances. Her love for education and Impact Ogden, where she learned from youth and mentors alike. This work ENTERN! TO WI led to a connection with Nurture the Creative Mind, where she has instructed multiple creative writing workshops. She has now and network specialist for WSU’s Division of University Advancement since 2014. He holds a certificate in Pro Tools, a digital audio workstation developed and released by Avid Technology for Microsoft Windows and macOS. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Music Technology at Southern Utah University. take a different career path ANTONIO MOYA BFA ’13 amid difficulties brought on is an award-winning by the COVID-19 pandemic. graphic designer for WSU’s With her love of baking, she Department of Marketing created Jake’s Bakes Dog & Communications. He Treats. The quickly growing has contributed to major company, which specializes university projects such as in healthy, gourmet dog Wildcat magazine, annual treats, is nearing two years in reports and the university’s business. Custom packaged Ever Upward marketing Jake’s Bakes treats were campaign. Prior to his role featured at the WSU Alumni at Weber, he was a graphic Association’s third Annual designer at FranklinCovey. He Share your expertise, and connect a student with a MAPS Scholarship The WSU Mentoring Alumni Program and Scholarship (MAPS) creates opportunities for WSU students to connect with a mentor monthly for one to two semesters. MAPS mentors have the opportunity to help a WSU student prepare for a successful future and connect with a MAPS Scholarship. Time commitment for mentors is approximately 10 hours per year. You’re invited to become a MAPS Mentor today. Lori Belnap Pehrson BS ’87, retired aerospace leader and WSU Board of Trustees member, with her mentee, 2022 computer science graduate Dallin Welch has also been a cast member in Seven Brides for Seven two daughters. JENNY BALD STONE AS ’07, BA ’12 has a passion for WESTON LARSEN BA ’13 AS ’22 has worked as a computer CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FORSuccess Brothers and The Addams LET'S GET SOCIAL! Follow our Instagram page to stay up to date on events, news, giveaways and other opportunities for WSU alumni and friends. Family at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse in Washington Terrace, Utah. MIKELLE BARBERI-WEIL BS ’14 joined Weber State’s Department of Professional Sales as assistant director of the Alan E. Hall Center for Sales Excellence after 10 years of sales management @weberstatealumni experience, raising her children, and serving in many executive board positions. She was named alumni.weber.edu/mapsmentor 44 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 SUAA. d by W e r e ff ns o ter. omotio ewslet and pr t Alumni N s . ie e it a n , activ ver yo Wildc events ils and our ething for e a about m m d o e s e g h m for wit ivin and in ou are rece r is loaded volved tte ey le s w e Stay in will ensur the n This onth, Each m UPDATE NOW: ALUMNI.WEBER.EDU/UPDATEYOURINFO an aerospace company food pantry, hygiene station how to effectively create that provides technology- and the Zen Den stress contracts with Hill Air Force led defense and security relief center. Prior to her role Base and other Department solutions. At BAE Systems, at OWTECH, Jasmine was of Defense organizations. she supports the Air a medical receptionist at This brings newer, faster Force’s Sentinel program. Mountain View Eye Center. and better technologies to She is also the owner of She volunteers for Wasatch serve the Department of Endurance Laserworks, which Wanderers, a nonprofit Defense needs. Prior to this, offers custom engravings animal rescue organization. she worked as a research for products. teacher at the Salt Lake Ogden, a company that Center for Science Education empowers startup technology in Salt Lake City. Following companies to accelerate graduation, Amanda their involvement in the BILLIE HATCH MCJ ’21, MPC ’23 volunteered in Mozambique, Department of Defense is a support staff member for studied the NASA ICON ecosystem by providing Weber County. She competed mission at the University training, connections, for WSU in cross country of California, Berkeley mentorship and business in 2020–2021 and track and Space Sciences Laboratory, development in a field in 2021–2023, earning and taught physics and collaborative setting. In several Big Sky Conference astronomy concepts to this role, she works with honors, including the 2022 students in grades three tech startup companies conference MVP. Billie to eight at AstroCamp in nationwide, teaching them recently competed in the is the president and CEO presented research and 2015 and recently accepted of Eden Health based in served as a keynote a full-time position as Vancouver, Washington. speaker, featured speaker, assistant professor. After He joined Eden Health in panelist and moderator, serving as president of both 2023 after his tenure as both nationally and the GOAL Foundation and chief operations officer, and internationally, including the Community Foundation then chief executive officer engagements with the of Utah’s boards of directors, and president at EmpRes International Summit on Mikelle co-founded the Healthcare. His career Suicide Research, the World Ogden Circle of Giving, which in healthcare began as a Congress of the International funds programs that promote certified nursing assistant Association for Suicide positive change through at a skilled nursing facility Prevention, the International creativity, innovation, in Ogden. He later became Conference on Community education and enhanced administrator of Aspen Psychology and the American well-being. Her research Care Center. Before joining Psychological Association. 2023 cohort. interests include leadership, Eden Health and EmpRes, Corbin’s research examines prosocial theory, business Brent served Sun Healthcare how social and systemic communication and human Group as divisional vice contexts impact suicide ’20s skill/career life design. president, where he oversaw risk and prevention. He She earned an Executive the company’s western is the director of impact JASMINE LIECHTI AS ’20, CP ’23, BS ’23 is a student Master of Leadership from operations. They live in communication and success specialist at the the University of Southern Huntsville, Utah. continuous improvement at Ogden-Weber Technical the American Foundation College Student Success for Suicide Prevention and Center, where she helps currently lives in Bloomfield students with resumes, Hills, Michigan. mock interviews, elevator Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Her husband, BRENT WEIL BS ’93, has served in resident care for over 25 years and CORBIN J. STANDLEY BS ’15 earned a PhD in 2023 and a Master of Arts in 2019 in the psychology field from As a leading voice in suicide ELAINE COPE AAS ’17, BAS ’18, MS ’23 is a systems prevention, Corbin has engineer with BAE Systems, Michigan State University. weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2024 feature you. Project and is the current What have you been up to since graduation? Share information on your professional and volunteer work, any credentials or awards you may have received, or other accomplishments and interests. It’s our opportunity to share a bit of your story with the Weber State community. Weber County lead for the UWLP’s A Bolder Way Forward Initiative. alumni.weber.edu/classnote 2023 Chicago Marathon, teammate KEVIN KIRK MED ’23 where she qualified for the in September 2023. U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing 23rd overall out of more than 40,000 runners. She married Idyllwild, California. Amanda recently received a Knowles Teaching Fellowship, a highly intensive program to support early career science and math teachers. She is one of 35 members across the nation selected for the pitches and job placement. She also helps oversee the YOU'RE PAW-SOME! A special thanks to everyone and their pups who participated in the third annual Purple Paw Parade this past fall. Thanks to Weber State Downtown, Ogden City and many Ogden businesses and you, we made Ogden purple like never before! operations of a self-serve SAVE THE 46 We want to Utah Women and Leadership the interim program director at Catalyst Accelerator note assistant for Susan Madsen’s AMANDA WILLIAMS EITING BS ’18 is a high school physics sales center director in July California and a PhD from DENISE CALL BS ’21, MPC ’22 is a s u s s a P ! DATE PURPLE PAW PARADE October 5, 2024 STAYING IN TOUCH WITH ALUMNI & FRIENDS Our fall 2023 issue honored the memory of Charles “Chick” Hislop, legendary track and field and cross country coach, with an editorial by current coach Corbin Talley. A former runner wrote in with this memory. As a freshman during 1977 indoor track… ME: Coach, I’ve heard that carbonated water (soda pop) will cut your wind? Wildcat was sad to learn of the passing of Dean W. Hurst, also known as “Mr. Weber State,” on Jan. 14, 2024, at age 97. Hurst served as the first full-time director of the Alumni Association. HIM: I don’t know about that, but the sugar alone’ll kill ya. Over the course of his career, Hurst, a 1948 graduate, helped secure more than $50 million in gifts to the institution. He procured funds for many iconic structures, including the Stewart Bell Tower and Dee Events Center. He is also credited with creating Weber State’s beloved mascot, Waldo the Wildcat. Wildcat honors the memory of Sterling D. Sessions, who served as dean of the School of Business & Economics from 1975 to 1983. In addition, he led the effort to fund the construction of Wattis Business Building and secured papers from Utah Construction Company, later known as Utah International, for the university’s archives. Sessions forged strong connections with Utah’s business community. We welcome readers to send their memories of Hurst and Sessions to magazine@weber.edu. I didn’t drink a can of pop for another three years. Coach Hislop was right. And ahead of his time. An uncomplicated and uncompromising leader. — Clark Skeen, BS ’84 Hurst was als o a talented pe appeared in ma rformer an This photo is ny local theatre productiod from WSU’s pr ns. od uc The Music Ma n, 1961–1963 tion of . WSU’s stone wall near Harrison Boulevard is a popular backdrop for student photos, but most don’t realize it was the first structure built on the school’s “new” campus in 1954. When Weber went from a college to university in 1991, the lettering was updated on the wall to reflect the name change. We posted about the historic wall on Instagram @WeberStateAlumni and received the following responses: “I remember that. I had started attending in Aug of 1990 and it became a university shortly after! 💜 ” “I was there going from college to university! What a great experience ⛄ ” That tribute to Catherine Zublin was beautiful. Thank you. It reminded me of all the ways that she has influenced my life. I remember walking into her costume history class one semester. She welcomed me even though she had never seen me in any of her classes before. She asked about my studies and was surprised to learn I was studying to be an astrophysicist. “What the hell is an astrophysicist doing in my costume class?” she asked me with a smile. From the moment I stepped into her class, she found a way to support me in my efforts. She introduced me to the costume shop, where I seemed to light up with a whole new light — I was excited and free to use my creative skills to learn and grow. It was then that she suggested getting a BIS, which would allow me to still study my astrophysics while also studying my two other passions: costumes and story writing. She had been an answer to prayer! Every step of the way from that point on through graduation she was there, encouraging me and giving me ideas for success. She never doubted me, but she did joke that my degree was the strangest degree she’d ever seen. I have learned so much from her, along with my other two mentors (Ryan Ridge and Stacy Palen). Weber State is truly blessed with wonderful teachers! Thank you for letting me share a pivotal memory with you! — Kymira Brandon, BIS ’21 Catherine was an incredible instructor and a master of costume design. She designed almost every costume I wore in productions at Weber, my favorites being Pirated!, Dracula and Man of La Mancha. Happy retirement, Catherine. Thank you for making us all look great. @steph_maxx_2011 “I remember standing out on Harrison New Year’s night when the new university sign was unveiled. ” @sithmarisbrood facebook.com/WSUAlumniAssociation @WeberStateAlumni @WeberStateU @WeberStateU Waldo's Ultimate MixTape @deb_ks We honored a legend in WSU theatre, Catherine Zublin, with an article in our fall 2023 issue about her career teaching costume design and how she inspired students. Those former students wrote in. Want to share your thoughts on something you read? Email us at magazine@weber.edu. Please note letters may be edited for length or clarity. — Timothy Letheic Goins Spring 2024 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 49 NOT-TO-MISS EVENTS! DANCE | MUSIC | THEATRE | FINE ART | FILM YOUR STORY STARTS HERE. WEBER.EDU/ARTSCALENDAR The WSU Marching Band performed at the Homecoming Fan Fest before the football team faced University of California, Davis, losing by only one point, on Oct. 14, 2023. BENJAMIN ZACK Non-profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE 1265 Village Dr. Dept. 4025 Ogden, UT 84408-4025 PAID Permit No. 151 Salt Lake City, UT For 45 years, Weber State has been lighting an electric W on a slope of Mt. Ogden during Homecoming week, igniting Wildcat spirit and community pride. It has never been a permanent fixture. Now, WSU plans to change that. A permanent Flaming W on the mountain is in the works. It will be the first hillside letter built with solar panels — reflecting the university’s commitment to sustainability. The W will be lit with purple and white bulbs to celebrate special WSU occasions. Make Your Donation Today! While much of the funding is already in place to build and maintain this landmark, Weber State is working to raise the final $500,000 to light the W for Homecoming 2024. Help Wildcat pride light up the night!