CAMPUS HAPPENINGS
Sisters Shannon ’03 and Heather ’07 Armbruster virtually present to a group of students about their educational and career paths in the medical field.
VOICES IN THE CROWD ALUMNI SPEAKER SERIES Hoban has created a new alumni and friends speaker series called Voices in the Crowd. The series offers students an opportunity to connect with Hoban alumni and other community members, hear their personal stories and learn from them. In the inaugural year, virtual presentations were made by LaTroy Lewis ’12, Jaelen Hollinger ’13, Ashley Horton ’04, Jennifer Brady ’08, and Shannon ’03 and Heather ’07 Armbruster. "Many people have expressed interest over the years in giving back to Hoban in different ways," Principal T.K. Griffith ’89 said. "They yearn to stay connected and pass on all they received from Hoban to our students. Voices in the Crowd was created from a brainstorming meeting about programming for Black History Month. The first presentation by Jaelen and LaTroy was well received by students." Held on Feb. 25, Lewis and Hollinger spoke about their experience as Hoban students, college and their career paths. After playing for several teams in the NFL, Lewis is now a graduate assistant linebacker coach for the University of Michigan. Hollinger earned a degree in human resources management and a minor in entrepreneurship from Baldwin Wallace University and is now a senior human resources generalist at the Cleveland Foundation. Hoban alumni span all professions and areas of interest. After a successful first Voices in the Crowd presentation, Griffith and the advancement office continued to ask alumni to share their stories with students. In April, which celebrates autism awareness month, Brady presented about her career as an associate teacher counselor at Prentiss Autism Center in Fairview Park. In her role, she assists students with severe disabilities in the classroom.
"It’s a wonderful concept to allow current students to hear the journey of our alumni," Brady said. "Our experiences, successes and even failures could help light a spark that Hoban students didn’t know they had inside of them. Exposure to a range of careers is so valuable to someone finding their path in life. I’m glad I had the opportunity to tell my story and hopefully open the door for those coming my direction, or, even more importantly, figure out maybe it’s something they don’t want to do." With the use of online meeting resources, alumni can participate from anywhere in the world. Shannon Armbruster ’03 presented from her office at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where she works as an assistant professor and recently received a career development grant from the National Institute of Health. "Meeting with Hoban’s students was a rewarding experience," Shannon said. "I appreciated the opportunity to connect with and provide guidance to our next generation of leaders, highlighting the aspects of their high school experience that will be beneficial in the future." Plans are being made to continue and expand the speaker series next academic year. "What started as a brainstorm has grown to help us build a stronger Hoban community with the synergy and wisdom from our alumni," Griffith said. Email ADVANCEMENT@HOBAN.ORG to learn more HOBAN MAGAZINE
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