When asked about his future goals in terms of his career, Kyle stated that he would eventually like to work his way up the professional ladder and become the Director of Tennis at a country club.  However, it seems as though he is very content with his current position and will stay where he is for a few years.

I was curious to know what Kyle thought about his experience at Catawba.  When I fired him a question about his overall experience, he commented on certain classes he took within his major and how they benefited him.  “My sport management classes, especially facility management and sports marketing, have definitely helped me in my current profession {since I am} managing a tennis facility and planning events.”

Off the court, Kyle enjoys playing a round of golf, camping, and tries to attend as many Panthers games as possible, claiming himself a “die hard fan.”  He is always up for watching Wedding Crashers and enjoys eating bacon cheeseburgers.  His advice to current seniors is to enjoy the college experience.  “Once you get in the working world, you can’t go back!” he exclaimed, saying all that one has of college once they have graduated are the memories they made as students.

Well seniors, it looks like we have about three months to live it up, according to Mr. Thortsen.  Let’s get it!

The atmosphere is very welcoming. The colors inside of the store are very bright with pictures of vegetables on the
walls. The staff is always friendly and welcoming when you walk thru the door. You can order your food and eat in the restaurant, or you can take your food with you to go. Since most of us have tried joining the healthy trend that has come about in the past few years, Subway has seemed to be more popular among consumers.

You can make your meal anyway you want to. They have turkey, chicken, ham, salami, etc., along with a variety of vegetables. You can also choose from a few different kinds of bread. People can go in and create their own mouth-watering meals for cheap.

Many college and high school students get a job at a Subway or another fast food place. This particular Subway happens to have a Catawba College student on staff, freshman Rachel Thompson. She has joined the sandwich artists recently and hopes this job will help her work and get some money as she continues her education.

A 2010 Catawba graduate hailing from Seaford, New York, Jen came to Catawba to discover herself. She was looking for a college that would offer her the luxury of being far away from her home state to help achieve this goal, and felt that Catawba was the perfect fit. An opportunity to be a person, instead of just a number, and participate as a student-athlete solidified her decision to come to Salisbury.  “When I visited Catawba, I knew it was the perfect place for me. The people were so friendly and inviting, and I fell in love with all the activities to do on campus. Plus, I wanted to play field hockey, which I was so lucky to play at Catawba!”

Having known since the eighth grade that she wanted to be a reporter, Jen made the easy decision to become a communication major, while minoring in English.

Now, living in Farmington, Connecticut, Jen uses what she learned at Catawba and works as a graphics systems controller at ESPN. She expresses her gratitude towards the professors she encountered during her stay at Catawba. “Each [professor] has made a huge impact on me, and I really have to thank them for pushing me and helping me get to the place where I am now.”

A typical day for Jen begins around four o’clock in the afternoon and does not end until one or two in the morning. Working in the control room, she builds the graphics seen on ESPN shows ranging from SportsCenter to International Soccer. She then animates the graphics when cued by the director, creating the effects seen on televisions across America.

Next time you’re tuned in to ESPN, look for the handy work of one of Catawba’s own!

The Indians came into today’s game with a 5-12 record overall and a 2-7 conference mark, a disappointment in every sense of the word. The men’s team fought through a cold winter with no wins in the month of December, while the women’s squad rode a 7-game winning streak into January before slipping 63-42 at Tusculum.

Hot shooting and strong rebounding have anchored the Lady Indians in the thick of the SAC race, led by leading scorer Nisha Long and leading rebounder Dana Hicks. The same cannot be said though for the men’s team, where inconsistent shooting really has hampered them down the stretch.

Today’s game marks a critical juncture in the season for each team. The Lady Indians look to improve upon a stellar conference record while the Indians look to pull together another win and salvage the season. The same trend continued for the Lady Indians as they pulled out an impressive victory, forcing the Lady Eagles of Carson Newman to cause 25 turnovers. Senior Nisha Long had another dominant night, scoring 20 points.

The men’s team came up short 73-69 in a hard-fought contest against the Eagles. Catawba could not capitalize on 17 Carson-Newman turnovers and relied too heavily at times on leading scorer Keon Moore, who finished with a game-high 25 points and 9 rebounds.

Come out and support Catawba Basketball Wednesday, February 1st as they take on Wingate. The women’s game starts at 6:oo p.m., with the men following at 8:00 p.m.

During his visit, Leonard talked to the class about how important maintenance is to the future economy. He used an example of a plumber, a job that can make up to $60,000 a year because there are not many people these days that are willing to do what plumbers do. He said the same could be said about air conditioner repairmen. He explained how other countries are hungry to develop new things, but as Americans, our focus is to entertain with television shows such as American Idol. He further stated that we do not need another American Idol, but rather someone who is willing to do the small things, because there are up to 3.5 million unfilled jobs within the American job market.

One of Leonard’s major points in showing people the good behind maintenance was music, which was to get in tune with the world today. Leonard has written many songs, but his most popular is “Find Me a Maintenance Woman,” in which he talks about how he wants a maintenance woman who can fix things. Also, the song was made to make people aware that there are women working in the fields that men are known to dominate. In addition, Leonard has also written a song about the crisis that the maintenance world is going through.

Leonard introduced to the class a new media that he was asked to work for the FA18, a cockpit training game. This helps Air Force pilots learn the control of the cockpit without blowing up, which Leonard stated, “would cost a lot more money to repair than to buy a whole new plane.” In addition, he told the class about how he plans to start a camp where children ages 14 and older can learn to design, make, and market jewelry.

Leonard ended his presentation by saying these words, “If you can build it, then they will come.”

To learn more about Joel Leonard, you can visit his Facebook page, his Youtube channel or his webpage, SkillTV.net .

Iliana Rivera is, as she describes herself, someone who really likes to have fun and loves to sing. Hailing from Burlington, NC, she is a free spirited, fun-loving young woman who aspires to obtain a career in theatre. The youngest of four children, Iliana demonstrates a wisdom and independence that is rarely seen from the “youngest” sibling. She credits this to her parents, whom she said laid the foundation for her character. “Whatever dreams I ever wanted to do, they were always there to support me. But, they were always there to bring me back down to earth and show me the reality in things,” she said.

“All I really want to do is make music in some way in the world. I’d rather do what I love than be miserable all the time.” It is that love for music that steered Iliana to pursue the art of musical theatre. Throughout her first two years in high school, her main focus was volleyball. In fact, she did not become serious with her passion until the end of her sophomore year of high school. “I’ve only been doing theater for roughly three years,” she chuckled. And, even though a life in theatre was not her childhood dream so to say, it is the dream of the young adult that she has grown to be.

She explained that she did not have any particular actor or actress in theatre to serve as an inspiration to her, but the love of performing fuels her passion. It was that very passion which led her to decide to major in musical theatre at Catawba College. When asked why she chose Catawba over any other school, she stated, “As soon as I stepped on campus, it felt like home.” She described the welcoming feeling she received from the students at Catawba, whom she barely knew, and that it surprised her how friendly and stress-free everyone seemed to be on campus.

Now, in her freshman year at Cat-U, Iliana will have the opportunity to star in the semester musical Huckleberry Finn, the major musical of the year, held at Keppel Auditorium. When asked what she was most excited for, in terms of being cast, she explained, “I am excited just to see how good it is to perform in a musical. When I came to visit, I saw Hello Dolly!, and I said, ‘I want to be in a production like that’.” She then went on to say, “I hope to influence someone coming to see the show, maybe a perspective to go (say)…I want to be here because of this.”

Not only is Iliana an active member of the Catawba theatre program, but she is also a member of the “all girl group” Le Femme: a power house of musical divas who follow the motto that girls can rock just as much as guys. Iliana was the only freshmen to make the cut for the popular band, comprised of veterans from the popular music bands of The Vernaculars (the small ensembles of music business). She says, “Well, seeing as I have never worked with a band, it definitely helped me grow as a musician… to hear when to come in, and to hear the beats actually behind me. Working with Le Femme has been a lot of fun, and they’re really nice and really funny. At first, I thought it were gonna be really intimidating and they weren’t gonna be very nice, but they are some of the nicest people I have ever met.”

With this involvement in such a know group, the question rose about Iliana’s interest in a possible career in music. And though she admits that she would love to potentially venture more into music, theatre stills stands as her first passion. Therefore, she intends to put her main energy into developing a career in acting that she could be happy with. “My long-term goals in a perfect world would be to make it on Broadway. But, I do understand that… that may not happen. So I would just love to travel with any company in New York or Kentucky or anywhere there is a reputable theatre program.”

It is clear that Iliana knows how far she has come and knows exactly where she is going. And, regardless of how far theatre may take her, she finds joy in knowing that she is doing what is close to her heart. Iliana Rivera is sure to be someone to take up the spotlight in theatres worldwide.

Only recently, about two years ago, was a dean structure reinstated for the KSB.  This was done to facilitate growth in many ways.  Dr. Jamie Slate was the first dean and served as so for the next two years.  Following those two years, he decided that he wanted to get back into the classroom and stepped down as the KSB Dean.  Shortly after that, in December of last year, Dr. Thompson was asked to fill the position.  Dr. Thompson has been a department chairman before, so she was familiar with some of the duties of the position.

First, I wanted to find out how she felt as the new dean. “The Ketner School of Business and Communications is a team of outstanding faculty and we have had a number of initiatives that we have been working on together that have been advanced through Dr. Slate’s tenure; these include progress towards ACBSP accreditation, improvement in assessment measures, international travel initiatives, an increase in the number of majors offered, and focus on student retention.  I am really excited to be able to continue pursuing these goals with our faculty.  There were several new initiatives started by Dr. Slate that we will be working on as well, including development of a health-related major and addition of our graduate degree program. I’m really excited about possibilities for new programs presented by the addition of communications to our school.  It’s really nice to have Professor Wittum and Dr. Moreland on our team.  We love having The Pioneer in the Ketner building!”  Well said, Dr. Thompson.

Knowing very little about the KSB and a dean’s duties, my next inquiry was to find out what exactly the job entails. “My duties are to help carry out college-wide initiatives under the direction of our Provost, Dr. Rick Stevens, and continue working to reach the goals and objectives of the KSB strategic plan and continue working on ways to integrate the communications major and college initiatives,” Thompson said.

Having heard all of this, it seems to me that she has taken on an enormous responsibility and I wondered how stressful it was.  So, my final question was, “Do you sometimes find it difficult to juggle your career as both professor and dean?” Thompson answered, “Yes, I have a full class load this semester so juggling the dean’s duties with the responsibilities of a classroom professor can get challenging!  I’m also advisor to PBL and am helping out with YES (Young Entrepreneurs Society), but I love having the privilege of working with college students!  I am trying to find time to get off campus as well in order to visit profit and not-for-profit companies in the region.  We depend on businesses to support our experiential learning program and to provide careers for our students after graduation; our relationship is extremely important.  I also want to visit as many high schools and community colleges as possible in order to help attract new students.”

Well, Dr. Thompson, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all wish you the very best of luck!

Since opening in 1971, the restaurant has been expanded four times to accommodate more customers. Walking into the building is like stepping back in time. Almost every bit of wall space is covered with a vast collection of vintage metal signs, clocks, advertisements — even bottle caps. The nostalgic pieces and friendly staff give the barbecue restaurant it’s at-home, relaxed atmosphere.

While Gary’s most popular dish is barbecue, the restaurant also offers hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, stew, and a plethora of other delicious dishes. “It’s always been my philosophy to serve good food, quick,” said Ritchie. He definitely follows his ideals; the simplicity and excellent service not only attracts regular customers, but also many new ones as well.

When eating at Gary’s Barbecue, the true essence of Rowan County’s citizens surrounds you. “Thanks to the good people in Rowan County,” mentioned Ritchie, “we were very successful.” Always welcoming, Gary’s Barbecue reflects the kindness and hospitality of Rowan County’s locals.

Gary’s Barbecue is located on Highway 29, about fifteen minutes from Catawba College.

Cliche gifts aren’t out of the norm. Some people still love roses and heart-shaped boxes of candy. Think outside the box, sometimes the best gifts are not tangible. Logic prevails that it is not the gift that makes the occasion, but the memories that are attached to it. Show your significant other that you are an integral part of their life. Gifts with that personal touch really demonstrate your genuine affinity for that person. Nothing is more flattering than knowing someone is thinking of you and listens to you with body and soul.

Both of you can enjoy a meal at his or her favorite restaurant, which include talking over dinner and exchanging gifts. You could even go somewhere else to exchange gifts.

Exaggerate the date scenario. Take each and every moment before, during, and after the date seriously. Fulfill each other’s requests as if treating each other to a spa day. Every couple is different but the respect factor still remains crucial. Dates should be about setting, hospitality, and of course food quality. Sometimes, the best dates come about in simple cafes or eateries. Over-the-top theatrics aren’t genuine unless that’s your style, and if that’s the case, I apologize.

Devote the day to each other. Life is short and so are winter days so take advantage of this commercial “stunt” to remind each other how important your significant other is in your eyes. Don’t get me wrong, this should be a daily task of yours, but it ends up being a chore since life tends to beat people up and sap the passion away. Luckily, there is a day to make up for the ups and downs and truly love that person through and through.

Victor Hugo once said, “Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.”  I like making my own quote, but this one was well said.