How Centre folks are spending the summer: Part 4

RELEASED: August 2, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—Here we go again: With the Centre community, even a small request can generate a huge response. When the call went out to faculty, staff and students to tell us how they're spending their summers, it came as no surprise that the responses were quick, plentiful and interesting! Here's Part 4 of a multi-part series showcasing the cool ways the Centre community is rockin' its way through the summer. (Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series, too.)

Robby Lear, senior, Lexington, Ky.
For the past four summers, I've lived in a small town in South Carolina called Georgetown. The town is an hour north of Charleston and 45 minutes south of Myrtle Beach. While living here, I've been working on a shrimp dock and in the connecting fish market called Independent Seafood. Every day at work my duties include selling fish and shrimp to customers, as well as unloading fish and shrimp boats. It's hard work with very little payoff, but you get to meet very interesting people who tell the most bizarre stories about their past adventures and blunders. When I'm not working on the dock, I enjoy spending time on the beach with the local friends I've met, or going out boating on the rivers. This area has one of the most intricate waterways in the country because of five rivers that all empty out into the Atlantic. They make for a fun afternoon of water sports and exploration.  

Ginny Reynolds, junior, Greenwood, Va.
This summer I'm doing a paid internship at Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial in Arlington, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. Over a year ago I did a brief internship there during spring break. When I arrived home at Charlottesville, Va., from studying abroad in London (where I interned with the British Museum), there was an e-mail from Laura Anderson, the museum technician, asking if I was interested in a job. I immediately began looking for housing in the D.C. area.  

The house itself was built by George Washington Parke Custis (the grandson of Martha Washington and adopted son of George and Martha Washington) between 1802 and 1818. Custis's daughter, Mary Randolph Custis, married Robert E. Lee in 1831. Along with another intern, I clean the house every morning (including the chamber and floorboards Lee paced across while deliberating his decision to resign from the U.S. Army at the outbreak of the Civil War). The bulk of my work pertains to Arlington House's textile collection. I'm in the process of updating catalog information, researching and re-housing 19th-century textiles, mainly clothing, linens and quilts.

Josh Miller, senior, Barboursville, W.Va.
I'm spending my summer in Santiago, Chile, doing an internship.  My job consists of doing Excel work, translating the occasional email, and a lot of reading the news. It's not extremely exciting work, but it's not like I signed up to be a whitewater rafting instructor or anything—it's a business internship. They're giving me a week-and-a-half off at the end of the month. I plan to go north to the desert, come back to central Chile to explore the wine country, and also spend a few days in the south visiting the volcano and hot springs there.

Stephanie Lawler, senior, Gulfport, Fla.
I'm having one of the greatest summers of my life, teaching middle-schoolers in Norfolk, Va. I work with a great group of teachers from around the country and have been teaching an exciting and creative group of 73 students from the Norfolk Public Schools. This program, Learning Bridge, is based on a "students-teaching-students" model and is part of the national Breakthrough Collaborative organization. This summer I'm teaching algebra to seventh graders and English to ninth graders. When we're not making lesson plans and preparing for our week's activities, the other teachers and I enjoy traveling and making the most of our time in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.  

Talha Ijaz, junior, Danville, Ky.
I'm doing a research internship at the University of Kentucky Cardiovascular Research Center. My research project focuses on aneurysms in the aortas of mice. Meanwhile, I'm catching up on reading books such as Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (never got a chance to read it before); Better: A Surgeons Notes on Performance (to learn more about medicine before applying to medical schools) by Atul Gwande; and All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. I recently took a trip with my family to NYC and Hartford, Conn., to meet old friends and luckily caught the July 4 firework show there. Besides these activities, I'm trying to relax and enjoy the summer before the fall term begins.

Tate Bennett '07, Louisville, Ky.
I've been working for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games in their headquarters in Lexington, Ky., at the World Games Foundation. I've been working with the CEO directly and had the opportunity to go with the board to Frankfort, Ky., to testify before the Kentucky Senate for funding. The Games are quite prestigious and national/international events like this will have a great impact on Kentucky.

Also, I just got back from Washington, D.C., where senior Amanda Shuck and I will be spending our fall terms. I'll be interning with Congressman Ron Lewis (R-KY) as his only fall intern. I'm anxious and excited for this to get underway. I found a great apartment in a high rise on Massachusetts Avenue.
 
Zeke Goggin, senior, Danville, Ky.
I've been helping David Hall, assistant professor of religion, in a kind of research position, you could say. I've been at work indexing his book Paul Ricoeur and the Poetic Imperative, which is about the French philosopher and theologian Paul Ricoeur and his use of biblical hermeneutics to enrich his ethical philosophy. The subtitle of the book is "The Creative Tension between Love and Justice," and that is certainly what it concerns—the line between compassion and justice for human moral agents.

I've also been transcribing interviews for Professor Hall's work with Sarah Goodrum, assistant professor of sociology, on "Basketball as Religion," research that examines the practice, belief and emotional connection to basketball by its fans, and its parallels to a functional definition of religion.

Also, I've been preparing for my senior paper in my first major (religion) by doing some readings concerning interdisciplinarity between modes of discourse, particularly science and religion, from a postmodern standpoint, as well as general readings in the philosophy of science.

Ezra Howard, senior, Nashville, Tenn.
My summer is packed full of stuff. I'm doing something called "research camp" with Beau Weston, Centre N.E.H. Professor of Sociology, where we read one book and then analyze it. On a different note, I'm writing an article with Wilson Garrett '07 and David Hall, assistant professor of religion, on the death of Captain America as an illustration of a sacrificial process which, if all goes according to plan, should be done by the end of August. The more minor stuff I'm doing is house sitting Matton Professor of Psychology Brent White's earth-covered house. In my off time I enjoy working at The Hub downtown and taking long walks on the beach.

Heather Morton, assistant professor of English
I was at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Georgetown, Md., outside Washington D.C., (right across the street from where Hilary Clinton lives!), where I studied Homer's Odyssey for a week. We spent six hours a day talking about art, archeology, ancient Greek grammar, the oral traditions, comparative mythology and much more than I can remember. There were about 30 participants from small colleges around the country, representing a variety of disciplines. It was fabulous. The link to the center is http://www.chs.harvard.edu/ where you can find online lectures on Homer's Odyssey from one of the two professors leading the seminar.

Jessi Asher, sophomore, Brodhead, Ky.
My summer's been very busy! I work in the laboratory at Rockcastle Hospital and Respiratory Care Center where I help run tests and post results. I learn something new everyday and everything is very interesting. My other job is coaching swimmers at the local country club. We're the Cedar Rapids Dolphins, and the team is affiliated with the Lake Cumberland Swim Association. I've also been riding and training Tennessee Walking horses on my farm all summer. Working with my horses is a passion of mine that has really grown over the summer.
 
Sarah Baird, sophomore, Richmond, Ky.
This summer has been really amazing! On top of being a campaign staffer in communications for the Beshear-Mongiardo for Governor campaign (probably the best job of all time), I was named the Center for American Progress/Campus Progress Student Representative of Year. I accepted my award at the National Campus Progress Student Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference included speakers Nancy Pelosi, Seymour Hersh and Representative Ron Ellison (D-MN).

David Brown, senior, Lexington, Ky.
I'm spending my summer as an acting apprentice at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Mass. Besides daily training in the Suzuki Method of Actor Training, our time is divided between classes in Shakespeare, contemporary scenes, and voice work, as well as rehearsals for "Aesop's Network," an original work by one of the artists in residence here at BTF. It keeps us busy, but we still have occasion to relax at the local lake, go out for ice cream, or see a movie (Ratatouille is amazing—everyone should go see it!). All in all, I'm having a great summer!

Bethany Pratt, sophomore, Richmond, Ky.
I've been working at Peaceful Valley Dude Ranch in Lyons Colorado. Some of my friends and I climbed the seven miles to the 14,225-ft summit of Longs Peak. While up there, I was standing on the continental divide looking out onto Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a great hike that took a total of 12 hours (up and back), including three miles of rock climbing to reach the summit. We started hiking at 2:30 a.m. that day in order to summit before the afternoon storms set in. I wish I could share all my photos of the amazing scenery!

Darcy Wheaton, senior, New Albany, Ind.
I work at The Hub Coffeehouse and Café here in Danville and spent a week in Florida with another Centre student and her family. We spent time at Lido Beach in Sarasota and then spent a few days in Orlando and went to Disneyworld. I'm also working with Ken Keffer, Centre H.W. Stodghill Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Modern Languages. He's writing an article about Pierre Villey, a well-recognized and very impressive and interesting French intellectual who just happened to be blind. I'm currently compiling a chronology of his life.

I also learned to drive a stick-shift car. My little brother taught me on his Honda Accord. He'll be going to Purdue this fall.

Several fellow Centre students and I have been working with Becky Hogue of Willow Creek Sanctuary, a local animal rescue. A few times a week, junior Rachel Stamper and I drive to Becky's house to help out with daily tasks—cleaning litter boxes, refilling water and food dishes, giving the appropriate medications to animals that need it, and, of course, sharing lots of love with the cats!

Ken Keffer, H.W. Stodghill Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Modern Languages
I'm working this summer with rising senior French major Darcy Wheaton on Pierre Villey (a scholar of Michel de Montaigne) who died tragically in a massive train derailment near Caen, France on October 24th, 1933.  

Villey stunned the scholarly world in 1908 with his extraordinarily meticulous reconstruction of the chronology and sources behind Montaigne's very anti-chronological Essays (1572/1592). You see, Villey was blind since the age of three and few scholars could understand how he was able to conduct such work.

Lindsey Babcock, junior, Deerfield, Ill.
This summer I'm working at The Hub Coffehouse and Café and trying to become more a part of the Danville community. I'm also doing research along side Ken Keffer, H.W. Stodghill Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Modern Languages, with his humanities course.

I also road-tripped to Manchester, Tenn., to see Bonnaroo (a major four-day music festival comparable to Woodstock). I spent time with my parents in upstate New York getting to know their new farm animals. They've just recently tried their luck as beginner farmers with two pigs named "shy pig" and "not shy pig," a calf named "Ezra" and two lambs who are not social enough to be given names. At the end of the summer I plan to take a road trip to see the last String Cheese Incident concert before they break up at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver-Metro Colorado (my home territory). It's a busy summer packed full of fun and adventures.

Deysi Hernandez, junior, Louisville, Ky.
I'm having a great time enjoying Centre during the summer. I'm doing research with Jennifer Muzyka, Centre associate professor of chemistry. We're learning computer programming languages in order to build websites that will contain an inventory database for the chemistry stockroom, and we're improving the chemistry Web page where students can practice organic chemistry problems. On the weekends I go home or have fun with friends. I've had cookouts and been to nearby Lake Cumberland with my Centre friends. I'm learning a lot this summer, and I'm really glad I chose to do research. I've gotten to know the chemistry department faculty better, which is great because I'm a chemistry major. As you can see I'm having a pretty good summer!

Lauren Hausman, junior, Braselton, Ga.
I'm babysitting for a four-year-old boy and volunteering with the local Hospice. I plan on a career in art therapy, so I'm getting a little experience with young and old alike.

Marc Waldner, senior, Frankfort, Ky.
I'm a studio art major with a concentration in glass, so I knew early on last year that I wanted to do something over the summer that would keep me connected with glass. I talked to Steven Powell, Centre H.W. Stodghill Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Art, and asked him what some options were. He suggested I try interning at Flame Run Glass Studio and Gallery in Louisville, which is owned by a former student of his, Brook Forrest White '91. So I applied for and received the Centre Internship Plus stipend, which gave me the money to make it all possible.

As soon as I entered the studio I felt right at home. The majority of the glassblowers at Flame Run are Centre alumni, so working here has been something like visiting extended family. It's amazing how quickly working in a professional studio with some of the region's most talented glassblowers can help you learn new things and improve your skills. They have me doing a wide range of jobs from opening and closing the studio and gallery, repairing equipment, selling artwork out of the gallery, teaching beginner classes, making production work to sell in the gallery, assisting other artists, and doing demonstrations for different events like the First Friday Trolley Hop, an event where all downtown Louisville galleries open their doors to the public. I actually did a glassblowing demonstration for a group of Governor's Scholars Program students who came in from Bellarmine University.

We recently finished a chandelier that was commissioned by a church in Frankfort. This was a particularly fun project for me to work on because not only was it the first time I worked on a large-scale installation, but also because Frankfort is my hometown. It was rewarding to work on a project that was going to my own community.

I can safely say that my time at Flame Run has been well spent, and I'm looking forward to coming back to Centre with the knowledge and skills that I've gained here. Brook always says that "every good glassblower knows how to work a broom," and I can safely say that while I've spent time doing some general housekeeping, the well-rounded knowledge that I've gained here will serve me well in my glass career.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

Stephanie Lawler (middle) and another teacher with some of their students.

Ginny Reynolds (right) wearing a dress she made using period construction techniques, with another intern and the curator at Arlington House.

Sarah Baird accepted the Center for American Progress/Campus Progress Student Representative of Year award from Rep. Ellison (D-MN).

Tate Bennett has been working for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games.

Bethany Pratt on the summit of Longs Peak.

Marc Waldner (right) blowing glass with Centre alum, Brook Forrest White ’91.