A Letter from the Editor Dear Stark State Community, The end is drawing near! For all of us, the end of the semester is fast approaching; for many of us, myself included, that means graduation as well. I am proud to be graduating and moving on to Kent State (Stark), but I feel a bit melancholy about it as well. I have formed so many bonds here. There are so many people that had a hand in my success at Stark State that I would like to thank. If I missed you, I apologize. Thank you to: • My teachers, for innovative, interesting and challenging classes, and for encouraging me to work hard. • My adviser, for enlightening me about the 2+2 program and keeping me on track to graduate in a year and half. • Every teacher that let me take tests early when my husband left for and returned from Afghanistan. • My classmates for making me laugh and making classes enjoyable. • Group Potential from my Small Group Communication class. I really dreaded that class, but working with you made it great. • My Earth and the Environment classmates for laughing at me—I mean, with me—when I fell in the creek.
• The teachers that encouraged me outside of the classroom and helped me build my network. I feel privileged to have had that opportunity and also so much more prepared for the real world. • My graphic arts teacher for showing me another world of interest and pushing me to explore my boundaries. I have far too many interests now! • Everyone that has held the door for me and my ridiculously enormous backpack. • The cooks in the cafeteria for their upbeat personalities—a great place to stop if you need a smile. • The guy who chased me down to give me my Gatorade that got stuck in the vending machine. • The gentleman that carried my rolling backpack up the stairs when the elevator was down. • The school for providing a “Nursing Mother’s” room, so that I could work diligently at school and still express milk for my son. • The girl that gave me a quarter when I was rummaging through my purse to find enough change to get something to drink. • Everyone that made small talk with me. Sometimes a brief chat with a stranger about nothing at all can really brighten your day.
• The Stark Voices advisers, for granting me the pleasure and challenge of editing the newspaper. I hope you still think you made the right decision. • All of the students who came to me about things they would like to see in the paper. Power to the people! • All of the students for reading the paper. There are many more. Everyone I have encountered at Stark State has made me feel like a real part of a community. That community is why I love Stark Voices—it is a place for everyone to connect. I will be proud to say I graduated from Stark State. But you have not heard the last from me. I will be taking advantage of the Career Development Center for a long time to come. I will also stop by and visit my mentors. Stark State has done a lot for me, and I hope to give back to the Stark community as an alumnus as well. Thanks and good luck, Josi Heinz P.S. Look for Stark Voices during the spring semester!
Josi Heinz Editor
Josi Heinz (Editor) will graduate from Stark State with an associate’s degree in technical communication in December. Upon graduation, she will be working on a bachelor’s degree in applied communication at Stark branch of Kent State. In addition to being a student, Josi is the founder and President of the nonprofit organization Connect the Troops, Vice President of MOM’s Club 44203, an Alpha Delta Pi (Beta Tau) alumnus, and active with the Canton Ad Federation. Josi’s husband, Matt, returned home after a year in Afghanistan in September. They have two children, Olivia (4 years) and Isaac (16 months).
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