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COLLEGE FOCUS

“Forensics is a bug that kind of bites you,” Harper said, indicating that she’s competed in forensics since she was 14, and it’s a passion and skill she wants to share with students. “Students who take on the challenge of participating in forensics are giving themselves a lifetime of opportunity,” she said. “They are learning to create messages and convey them better than the average person.” Gaining those communication skills is more important than competing, she said. “Our students are learning skills that give them a permanent leg up in life and in their careers.”

In coaching students, Harper and Chmara try to involve students in choosing speech topics. “We find that students are more passionate about the topic and have a sense of ownership,” she said. Harper and Chmara try to help students develop their craft by sharing their experiences of what works and what will win in a competition. They’re constantly passing on tips on language, pacing, connecting with the audience. “Joel and I wear multiple hats,” Harper said. “We have to encourage and hold the students’ hands, find the talent inside and bring it to the surface.”

Class Notes Bob Carrison (’74) lives in Winnsboro, S.C, where he formerly owned a restaurant and is now an information technology professional. Lisa (Seveska) Wernli (’82) is a sourcing manager at Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate Insurance Co. Adrienne Regnier (’83) has been head of the philosophy department at the Louisville, Ky.-based Jefferson Community and Technical College since 1995. Jay Maningo-Salinas (’92), Ph.D., R.N., has been named as director of ambulatory nursing services at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Louette (Landt) Kleffner (’95) is a nurse at the North Chicago, Ill.-based Captain James H. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, which is managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Rodrigo Reyes (’01), is a senior systems administrator for Abbott Laboratories, Inc. and is an adjunct instructor of computer information technology at CLC. Chris Melnytschuk (’05) teaches health information technology at CLC after years of management and education experience. Jason Hewkin (’09) earned an aerospace engineering degree in May from the University of Illinois. He’s living in Maryland and now works for the Navy as a mass properties engineer.

Alumni still involved in forensics Several CLC alumni say they gained so much competing in forensics that they are staying involved with the team as volunteer coaches. Kristen Frey (’11), (shown above) now a school nurse, for example, said her forensics experience gave her the skills to communicate better with students, families and doctors. Mike Argol, a florist and party planner, who competed in 2008 and 2009, said forensics helped him “become a more outgoing person.” According to forensics director Lynn Harper, alumni volunteers are valuable as “another set of eyes.” And as experienced competitors, they are able to provide students feedback competitor-to-competitor, she said.

Nick Hankins (’10) works in the information technology department of Chicago-based Harpo Studios, Inc., where he previously did audio and video for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Rosie Show.”

What have you been doing lately? Let your fellow alumni know! Post your submissions online at www.clcroundtable.org. Use the pull-down menu to post in either the careers section or the message board that corresponds with your graduation decade. Selected entries also will be published in the AlumNews.

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