Local professional group Nova Singers performed songs composed and originally conducted by Barrett, which is what brought him to Illinois in the first place. It seemed every college and high school in the area leapt at the opportunity for Barrett to work with them, given the conductor was hopping between many of them during his stay here, including our chorale.

Becca Nielsen, a senior and future music educator, worked with Barrett twice: once as a chorale member and once as a member of Nova Singers. “I found it really interesting how he approached the ensembles differently but maintained such passion and sophistication in regard to the music,” said Neilsen

Barrett had ninety minutes with the choir starting his workshop with vocal warm-ups. Efficient in his methods of teaching, he would start simply and build in more complicated rhythms and harmonies. Barrett worked with chorale on two of his songs they were performing for their fall concert, Ndikokhele Bawo and Modimo. His method of slowly layering in harder concepts continued when he demonstrated the correct movements for the song Modimo, which is a celebratory piece that traditionally features South African dance.

“He was a masterclass in differentiating content without losing its complexity and substance,” said Nielsen. “Watching his process was an experience I’ll remember and use as a resource for the rest of my career.”

Barrett explained how the cultural landscape of his home country influences the music he composes. “Like any country in the world, we are still struggling with massive injustice...So as artists, it’s our job to create bridges and avenues and conversations around this so that we can do our part in making people aware.”

This spirit of connection is present in the music he arranges and conducts, which is often a mix of traditional African musical styles and traditional music from Western music. Barrett said, “Borrowing music from both...to create something incredibly beautiful, something that’s neither Africa nor Western, but what I like to call South African, and that has been the focus of my music.”

After two concerts by Nova Singers featuring his music, the chorale had their turn in front of an audience on October 23^rd. The Fall Concert featured a wide range of music beyond the South African pieces; a quintet of string players were brought on to accompany on Domine ad Adjuvandum me Festina, the big Baroque opener for the concert, and the strings accompanied as well on To The Hands, a six movement piece arranged by young and accomplished composer Caroline Shaw. The chamber choir performed as well: a slow and gentle Spanish number called Suave and a lively jazz piece called Bumblebee. After the chamber was done, it was time for Ndikokhele Bawo and Modimo. Both pieces were performed with the style and movements taught by Barrett.

Eventually, William formed an interest in astronomy, often pulling Caroline away from music to help build telescopes that they would use to map the shape of the Milky Way galaxy. Caroline helped to record and document the observations, while William scanned the sky, calling out observations. In 1782, William was named the King’s Astronomer, and Caroline was formally recognized by the government for her role in assisting him, making her the first woman in Britain to earn an income in the sciences.

In her spare time, she made observations of her own using a small telescope to search for comets, and recorded her observations of nebulae. She discovered many new star clusters; notably, in 1983 she discovered “a beautiful cluster of pretty compressed stars”, now called NGC 2360 or “Caroline’s Cluster”. In 1786, she wrote the Royal Society, stating, “Last night, the 1st of August, about 10 o’clock, I found an object… I suspected it to be a comet,” becoming the first woman to discover a comet. She later published a list of 560 stars not listed in the British Catalogue of Fixed Stars, which was the most accurate star catalogue of the time, organizing the stars by their position in the sky rather than by the constellation they appear in, which had been the standard prior to her publication. Her catalogue was published in 1802 by the Royal Society and would later become the basis for the New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, introducing the use of NCG in Nebulae and star cluster naming.

In 1822, her brother passed, and she returned to Hanover, Germany, continuing her work in astronomy. The last observation entry she made was on January 31^st,1824, with the observation of the Great Comet of 1823.

Caroline was one of the few female scientists in the late 18^th to early 19^th century who received acknowledgement for her work while she lived. In 1828, she was the first woman to receive the gold medal from the Royal Astronomical Society; the next woman would not receive this award until 1996, more than 150 years later. Caroline Herschel died January 9^th,1848, at the age of 97. An asteroid, Asteroid 281 Lucretia, a Crater on the Moon, lunar crater C. Herschel, and a comet, 35P/Herschel-Rigollet, were all named in her honor. The inscription on her tomb that she wrote
reads: “The eyes of her who is glorified here below turned to the starry heavens.”

“There isn’t a known cure for it. The most that you can do is be monitored and possibly get a heart transplant, which is also kind of a struggle for them because of how many complications there are,” said Lantau

Lantau has been very close with Osborne and her family for years, Osborne being the niece of Lantau’s brother. “I absolutely adore them. We’ve all gone on many trips together and just tried to make as many memories as we could for this little girl together.

The painting Lantau made of Osborne shows her in her mermaid dress with her arm around a flamingo, her favorite animal. The painting took Lantau around 2-3 weeks to finish because of its larger size. “At first, this painting was going to be potentially auctioned off and used to raise more money, but as we were going into it, we realized that maybe it would be best if it went to her mother, Jennifer, as something to keep forever.”

The painting was made as part of Osborne’s Flamingo Ball. A party, thrown because Osborne was sad she couldn’t go to prom with older kids and because she had a major operation coming up. Osborne was known as the High Empress at the ball. “Over a 1000 people showed up to make her dreams come true.”

The first time Osborne had this surgery, there were complications. Lantau said, “She went into what we believed was cardiac arrest while on the table”. The second time she had the surgery was initially more successful, but there were more complications later. While she was unresponsive for a time, Osborne has woken up and is doing much better. “She is doing incredibly well! She is an absolute miracle. She is now able to sit up all by herself.

Drew then went on to his internship and residency at Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal General Hospital, where his focus turned toward blood transfusions. He earned a Rockefeller fellowship in 1938 and started toward a doctorate at Columbia University, where he began collaborating with John Scudder and continued his research into blood preservation and fluid replacement.

In 1940, Drew published his doctoral thesis titled “Banked Blood: A Study in Blood Preservation,” during World War II, when Great Britain was in dire need of blood and plasma, leading to Drew and Scudder’s crucial work in launching the “Blood for Britain” program to transport plasma overseas. The delivery of plasma can be used with any blood type and helps to replace essential fluids and treat shock, meaning the 5,000 liters of plasma that were delivered to England were monumental in saving the lives of wounded soldiers.

With the success of the “Blood for Britain” Program, in 1941, Drew became the first Black surgeon to serve as examiner on the American Board of Surgery and the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank in New York. Despite the desperate need for blood during World War II, though, the armed forces prohibited black donors. Eventually, in January of 1942, the Red Cross began allowing black donors, but much to the opposition of Drew, the blood was segregated, supplies stored separately by race, and only allowed black blood to be received by a black person. In 1944, Drew wrote to the director of the federal Labor Standards Association saying, “It was a bad mistake for 3 reasons: (1) No official department of the Federal Government should willfully humiliate its citizens; (2) There is no scientific basis for the order; and (3) They need the blood.” The American Red Cross finally ended its blood segregation in 1950.

After his work with the National Blood Bank, Drew focused on training and mentoring surgical residents and medical students; he was appointed chief of staff at Freedmen’s Hospital in 1944, elected Fellow to the International College of Surgeons in 1946, and was a consultant to the Surgeon General in 1949. In the end, Drew was a professor and Chief of Surgery at Howard Medical School when he tragically passed after a severe car accident in 1950.

In 1942, during World War II, Ross had the opportunity to join the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as a mathematical research assistant where she specialized in understanding how aircrafts respond to aerodynamic forces. Through this work, Ross decided to pursue advanced aeronautical engineering courses, eventually qualifying her as a registered professional engineer in 1949. This made her the first known female Native American engineer. Ross’s work with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation then led to work with their new company, Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, where she worked on submarine-launched missiles and the Agena launch vehicle, which transported military, intelligence, and civilian materials to space. Unfortunately, due to the confidential nature of her work, much of what she did remains unknown and classified, though she did contribute to NASA’s Interplanetary Flight Handbook, Vol. 3 (1963), which provided spacecraft flight paths to Mars and Venus and was used to aid the work of human spaceflight researchers.

Ross was considered a legend to Native American engineering students. She retired in 1973 but continued to encourage her Native American culture through the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and attended the 2004 opening of the NMAI in Washington, D.C., to which she gave more then $400,00 to the museum toward an endowment. Ross died in 2008 at the age of 99, just four months short of 100.

Directed by Professor Todd Quick, Macbeth follows the tragic downfall of a warrior who returns from the war. Three witches offer Macbeth complete control as they see a prophecy that he will one day become king. Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, then try and make the vision a reality, resulting in a devastating chain of events as they use any means necessary to hold on to power.

Senior Lindsay Logan, who will be playing Lady Macbeth, said “She is a very complex character that you can even empathize with at times…I have never played a morally grey character before, and it is difficult.”

Robert Robison will play the main character, Macbeth. Abby Zayas will be playing Macduff, and Adyson Beebe will be playing Banquo.

The show runs October 9-11 at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are still available online by visiting the Theatre Program website.

Day two, the 26^th, was when the business truly began. We started with attending regional meetings, where we talked about the more individual logistics and operations. Then we moved on to two educational sessions with multiple options that attendees could choose from. I attended The Pressure to Perform: Redefining Success and Well-being sesion, where we discussed how to make sure you are taking care of yourself and others in the face of academic and professional stress and pressure.

For the second session, I attended a panel titled Make Your Mark: Raising Your Chapters Campus Profile, where we heard from successful chapters on how they maintain a campus presence. We then had a keynote speech from Kathy Cleveland Bull titled The Good Life: Why Relationships Are Our Greatest Achievement.

Following lunch, we attended a mini expo where we received resources to help us build and grow our chapters, and one last educational block, where I attended another panel titled Bringing People In: Building a More Engaged Chapter. We got tips and advice from other successful chapters to help encourage participation of chapter members. Finally, the night ended with a candlelight banquet where various awards were handed out to chapters, alumni, and volunteers. The conference ended with a simple but impactful ceremony where chapter names were read out in the order of founding, and as your college’s name was read, you lit your candle.

On the final day, Sunday, September 27^th, we ended with a final wrap-up with our regions before a closing with the whole conference.

By 1942, Guillermo had developed and patented the first adaptor for television equipment to produce a colored image. He then began to work to be the first to bring the first color television system to Mexico; however, John Logie Baird in 1944 beat him to it in 1944 when he demonstrated the first electronic color television.

Despite not being the first to the color television system, on January 21^st 1963, with Guillermo’s help, Channel 5 broadcast the first color image in Mexican television history, using his own color system. Guillermo dedicated his work to using television for educational purposes, creating many educational programs, , including one on basic first aid, earning him the highest civilian order in Mexico, the Order of the Aztec Eagle. Guillermo tragically died in a plane crash, not knowing that in 1979 his color television system would be used to convert images of Jupiter to color pictures

.

“I think it’s really important because there is such a high percentage of college aged students dealing with mental health problems...so this is really a population for suicidal thoughts...and I think it’s really important to raise awareness,” said Rachel Link, chair of philanthropy for Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Anthony Guppy, a junior and philanthropy chair, said it takes everyday work to prevent suicide. The subject of suicide prevention is a personal one to Guppy. During his freshman year, an alum who had returned to play in the wind ensemble tragically took his life. “That was pretty sudden, pretty earth-shattering,” Guppy said. “Because that was a person that sat right next to me.”

People from across campus showed up for the mental health walk, and Kappa Kappa Gamma President Alayna Earle Earle said, “getting us out, walking around talking and having a good time with our friends,” we find community to be the common thread between all those working this month.

In 1956, she returned to France to work at Armand-Trousseau Hospital under Raymond Turpin. Turpin had previously focused on Down Syndrome and had hypothesized that Down syndrome may be linked to chromosomal abnormalities, but lacked the knowledge needed to analyze chromosomes. Fortunately, Marthe had just returned from her work in labs and offered her experience to test Turpin’s theory. With no financial support, Marthe used her own funds and resources to prepare the cells; she spent four months counting the chromosomes of patients without Down syndrome to ensure her process was successful. In 1958, two years after beginning her work with Turpin, she finally began to work with cells from a patient who had Down syndrome. She repeated the same process as before, prepping the cells and counting the chromosomes; only this time she didn’t count 46; she counted 47 chromosomes. The 47^th chromosome changed the understanding of Down syndrome. Unfortunately, Marthe lacked access to the equipment needed to photograph what she had found, so she entrusted her discovery to Jérôme Lejeune, the protégé of Turpin.

Soon after, without Gautier’s knowledge, Lejeune presented her findings at the International Congress of Genetics in Montreal with no acknowledgement of Marthe’s contribution, though it is important to note that while Marthe Gautier identified the 47^th chromosome, Lejeune was the one to determine that the extra chromosome was on the 21^st pair. The findings were officially published in January 1959 in The French Academy of Sciences as “Human chromosomes in tissue cultures” by J. Lejeune, M. Gautier and R. Turpin. Marthe received notice one week before the paper was published and was allowed to make corrections on her own research.

Following the release of the work, Lejeune received an abundance of praise and was bestowed numerous awards, even gaining the title of “father of trisomy 21”. Following his passing, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation was created in his memory with the purpose of supporting and continuing research on Down syndrome. Meanwhile, Marthe remained silent for fear of backlash and being blacklisted. Marthe went on to continue her original work in pediatric cardiology on rheumatic Fever. In January of 2014, more than 50 years after her discovery, at the age of 88, Marthe was set to be publicly awarded for her involvement in finding the 47^th chromosome by the French Foundation for Human Genetics; however, the ceremony was held privately, as the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation showed with a court order claiming her words would degrade the legacy of Lejeune. Later that year, though, Gautier finally received the acknowledgement she deserved when the ethics committee from INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, announced that without Marthe’s work, Lejeune’s discovery could not have been made. Finally, after more than fifty years of being forgotten and ignored, her work was acknowledged, and eight years later, on April 30^th, 2022, Marthe Gautier was laid to rest.

Bibliography

Archive.org. n.d. Accessed September 10, 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20230213103017/https://presse.inserm.fr/jeudi-25-septembre-2014/15704/.

AWIS. 2025. “Marthe Gautier.” March 14. https://awis.org/historical-women/marthe-gautier/.

Badger, Jan. 2026. “Unsung Hero.” Helen: The Journal of Human Exceptionality, March 15. https://helenjournal.org/march-2026/unsung-hero-marthe-gautier.

Saharan, Shehroze. 2026. “Marthe Gautier.” The Matilda Project, May 3. https://www.thematildaproject.com/scientists/marthe-gautier.

Scientificwomen.net. n.d. “Marthe GAUTIER.” Accessed September 10, 2026. https://scientificwomen.net/women/gautier-marthe-120.

Ruby Poffinbarger joined The Courier as a contributing writer in January 2025 and was promoted to staff writer last August. “With a [communications] minor, you need a workshop and I love writing. I knew I would prefer journalism over radio, and I was correct. I loved it so much, I decided to keep writing after the journalism workshop ended,” said Poffinbarger.

Her favorite memories are sitting with copyeditor Mikaela Avery and editor-in-chief Dawsyn Wilson and writing while they edited stories. “They aren’t extravagant moments by any means, but they are special to me.” said Poffinbarger. As a staff writer, Poffinbarger has grown more confident in her writing and interviewing people, learning how to ask better questions.

“Take the feedback and ask the questions. It is okay to be wrong, it is okay to be learning, that is the point of being on the courier. Without stepping out of your comfort zone, you will never improve, and even if you think you don’t need to, you can always improve,” Poffinbarger said.

Seamus O’Sullivan

“I have always enjoyed writing and wanted the opportunity to write outside a strictly academic setting,” said Seamus O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan joined as a contributing writer in August 2024 and became a staff writer the following semester. Last August he was promoted to features editor.

“It’s a lot of fun, especially when we meet and lay out paging. There was always plenty of banter between myself, our advisor Chris Goble, and the Editor in Chief Dawsyn Wilson. It’s something I will miss a great deal when I graduate,” O’Sullivan said. In February, O’ Sullivan’s article won first place in the Small Schools: Sports Game Story category at the annual ICPA convention in Chicago. O’Sullivan notes the accomplishment as his favorite memory on staff.

“Don’t be scared to talk to people and get quotes, especially on a tight-knit campus like Monmouth. Sure, at the start you may have some awkward interactions or have people ignore you, but its like any skill where the more you do it, the bigger your network grows, the more trust you build, and these interactions become easier,” said O’Sullivan.

Patrick Curry Jr.

Pat Curry started working with the Courier his sophomore year while taking a journalism workshop. He joined as a staff writer in junior year, and has become the sports editor this semester when Phillips graduated in December. “I joined because I have always had a passion for sports coverage and this allowed me to do what I love,” said Curry.

During his time with The Courier, Curry has learned how to write stories that readers can envision. “It was unique because it allowed me to have excuses to go to sporting events across campus and talk with players after the game to highlight their performance,” Curry said. His favorite moment is getting to see his teammates’ reactions when they see themselves featured in his stories.

“Always be curious and ask questions on what you can do to get better. Never feel like you know everything because there is always more to learn,” said Curry.

Neilly Cole

Neilly Cole joined The Courier this last semester as the photo and graphics manager because of her interest in graphics marketing and how the position worked in an organization. “I joined the Courier beginning of my senior year, just as I was figuring out what I want to do after I graduate,” said Cole.

Cole has learned a lot about the production process and how to use Adobe software. “I learned a lot about the newsletter production process, which felt really important to me going into public relations work after college,” Cole said. Her time on staff has given her the opportunity to learn and experiment.

“My advice to interested writers or editors would be to try everything out and don’t be afraid to take risks. That’s what doing this in college is all about, figuring out what you want to do,” Cole said.

Ryan Phillips

Ryan Phillips first joined The Courier as a contributing writer in Fall 2024 before he was promoted to sports editor shortly after. “I got involved because I knew I would be a great fit. I was motivated to not only create a new era for The Courier but help make the vision of bringing our newspaper to a magazine style format,” said Phillips.

It all comes down to how creative you can become while staying as professional as possible,” Phillips said. His favorite memory with The Courier was the annual trip to the ICPA convention in Chicago. In February, he won first place for “Snow Game,” a documentary he shot about the football team’s NCAA tournament game at St. John’s University in Minnesota.

“To the next editorial staff, never let anybody control the news you find and publish. The world is full of journalism that represents a specific side. Always stay independent and be understanding. If you can’t do that, journalism is not for you,” said Phillips.

Maya Dickerson

Maya Dickerson joined the Courier her freshman year after being encouraged by Lena Wickens. “[Wickens] was one of the first girls in my sorority I connected with. We talked about how I was involved in my high school newspaper and she urged me to continue this journey in college.” said Dickerson.

Sophomore year she became a staff writer and then the news and opinion editor her junior year. Her last year on staff, Dickerson has been The Courier’s web and social media manager. “I like being able to interview people I might otherwise not talk to everyday. I loved being able to sit down with President Draves and talk to her about the new schools they implemented this year,” Dickerson said.

Dickerson has enjoyed writing about books, movies, and TV shows. Her favorite memory working at The Courier has been working with other staff members, in addition to going to meetings to hear the banter between O’Sullivan and Phillips.

Kelsey Moersfelder

Kelsey Moersfelder has been working as The Courier’s distribution manager since Fall 2024 and cites an invitation from editor-in-chief Dawsyn Wilson as her motivation to join the publication. “They needed a new distribution manager, and I was happy to step up to the task,” Moersfelder said.

Her favorite part of her job being the privilege of being the very first to see the new editions before the rest of campus did later in the day. Moersfelder found it very rewarding having another way to help the campus community and getting to see the results of the staff’s work.

“My biggest piece of advice for anyone in college is to be willing to try new things. It was what helped me get involved with The Courier, and I am so glad I was willing to take on something new,” said Moersfelder.

Dawsyn Wilson

Dawsyn Wilson has been a part of the staff since August 2023, dedicating two years as the copyeditor before becoming the editor-in-chief during her senior year. “My friend, Karli Strom, suggested me to Chris when The Courier was looking for a new copyeditor. It felt like a no-brainer to me, and it’s been fun ever since,” said Wilson.

During her time on staff, Wilson has sharpened her eye for detail and has grown more confident in her creative decisions. Her favorite memories have been annoying Chris in his office about various late story submissions and bantering with Phillips and O’Sullivan during staff meetings. “I’ve really enjoyed getting others involved, too,” she said.

To those interested in the news: “Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to people. As someone who considers herself introverted, talking to strangers is something I’ll always struggle with. The bravest thing I did on staff was getting out of my comfort zone and approaching people I didn’t know.”

Held on Earth Day, the event explored how environmentalism has shifted from a historically bipartisan issue into a deeply polarized one. Nelson encouraged audience members to write to elected officials and consider environmental positions when voting, arguing that policy decisions today will shape the nation’s environmental future.

The discussion began with the origins of Earth Day, first organized in 1970 by former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, and examined how environmental awareness has evolved over the past five decades. Early environmental movements drew support across party lines, but modern debates increasingly divide along political and economic perspectives.

The central theme of the talk questioned whether nature holds intrinsic value or only matters when human interests are involved. Nelson pointed to legal frameworks that regulate human behavior even in outer space as evidence that societies recognize the need to protect environments beyond immediate human use.

Environmental justice was also highlighted, including the work of activist Hazel Johnson, whose efforts helped bring national attention to environmental racism and pollution in marginalized communities. Nelson referenced international examples as well, including a poisoning case in Nigeria, to illustrate the global scale of environmental challenges.

The lecture examined U.S. environmental legislation such as the Clean Water Act and debates surrounding air quality, including concerns about ozone depletion and worsening air pollution. Nelson also discussed recent policy controversies, including a Senate vote regarding mining protections in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and argued that shifting political priorities have affected how the United States presents itself on environmental issues globally.

President Trump was cited as an example of changing federal environmental policy. Nelson referenced Trump’s criticism of environmental initiatives as a “green new scam” and his administration’s use of national security arguments to navigate provisions of the Clean Air Act.

Throughout the event, Nelson emphasized the connection between environmental policy and broader party platforms. He noted that environmental regulation is often viewed by conservatives as burdensome to business and government growth, while liberals have traditionally made environmental protection a core policy priority.

Concluding the session, Nelson urged attendees to stay informed and politically active, warning that scientific expertise is increasingly sidelined in public debate. “We are turning our back on science,” he said, adding that individual civic engagement remains critical to shaping the future of environmental policy.

“We wanted an event for students that was outside and low effort for them,” Eli Kelly, organizer of the event and class of 2024, said. “It’s a high traffic area at a high traffic time, with pretty easy events. We wanted to support pipe band and to just have a fun event.”

The two unscored games were the most played: Maide-leisg (lazy stick) with 30 competitors, and Tug of War came in second with 20. Shot put was also an available game and had 18 participants. Current students and faculty were not the only participants in the games, as the winner, with a throw of 35 feet and 11 inches, was a prospective student on a tour. The most anticipated event of the evening was the Kaber toss, with 7 people, including Dean O. The winner was freshman Ivan Iverson.

Where do you intern and what are your responsibilities?

During my internship, I was responsible for maintaining a cleaned and organized clinical environment by preparing and sanitizing patients’ exam tables and treatment areas. I assisted by gathering and setting up necessary equipment for physical therapy sessions, as well as preparing therapeutic modalities such as hot and ice packs. Additionally, I assisted by helping guide exercise sessions, by reading upcoming exercises, demonstrating proper form, and providing hands on.

What skills or knowledge have you gained from this experience?

I learned how to be flexible and adjust to the changes, whether it was modifying exercises or assisting with different patients... I became more aware of patient handling techniques and the importance of maintaining a safe environment to prevent injury for both patients and the healthcare providers...Overall, this internship helped me build strong communication skills, develop clinical knowledge and skills, become adaptable, and understand the importance of safety and documentation.

Mason Reed - Knox College

Where do you intern and what are your responsibilities?

I intern at Knox College, and I have quite a few responsibilities. Some of which are to wrap athletes, attend games and practices, and help around the room with tasks as assigned and many more

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges I thought I would face was being a Monmouth college student at Knox but that was never a challenge. The learning curve I experienced with how they run there training room and the equipment they have in it. At Knox college they have student workers who cover the day-to-day tasks which free up the trainers to help more athletes every day. The equipment they have is different than what I was used to here at Monmouth. They also approach rehab differently than we do which has helped me in a tremendous way to find out what I like from both training rooms I’ve worked in.

Colin & Hannah. Photo by Gary Bonifer

“I had no idea, I forgot to say yes at first,” McGhee said. The pair met at Monmouth and bonded over their love of performing over the years. Being involved in theatre, chorale, and Greek life are just a few of their similarities.

“I started planning about four months ago. I was so nervous that she figured it out,” Kreipe said.

While this capped off the night, many Broadway hits from shows ranging from West Side Story to Cabaret to Little Shop of Horrors were performed by students and faculty.

Prof. Logan Mayfield sings “Maria” from West Side Story. Ray Shaul performs “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. Shea Scott and Zoe Nizzia sing “Say No to This” from Hamilton. Photos by Gary Bonifer

Where do you intern and what are your responsibilities?

During my internship, I worked on integrating AI into an existing manufacturing/business system used by the company. Their operations were built around JobBoss, which was outdated and hard to use, and a SQL Server database, so a big part of my role was helping bridge modern AI tools with that existing infrastructure.

How has this internship influenced your goals and career path?

This internship significantly influenced my career goals. It showed me how powerful AI can be when applied to real business problems, and it made me more interested in building practical tools rather than just theoretical projects.

Jake McGarry

Where do you intern and what are your responsibilities?

I intern with Warren Achievement Center, and my responsibilities are to plan and coordinate receptions and product purchases (ex. Outdoor signs).

How has this internship influenced your goals and career path?

Working for a non-profit like Warren Achievement Center has shown me that no matter what career path I take, it should be something that I genuinely enjoy doing and then worry about the money later.

“For me, every month is National Poetry Month.” says English professor David Wright. “But in April, one of the things that a lot of poets do is they try to write or post a poem a day as a way of promoting poetry, so I try to write a poem a day every April.”

When asked where one could find these poems, Professor Wright said: “I’m hiding them. I’ll let them go into the world when they’re ready, okay?”

Junior English major Abby Zayas has always been fond of poetry and came to appreciate the art through the classes she’s taken. “I’ve always known that I wanted to write. That was the career path that I was striving towards.” said Zayas. “I think it’s a collaborative art form that can reveal a lot about yourself, more than you expect it to.”

Zayas’s favorite poem of hers was one she wrote for a class she had with Professor Wright. Wright had tasked the class with writing a poem that acted as a letter to an abstract concept, and Zayas wrote to grief, a poem she says helped her come to terms with the loss of a family member.

“I think it was just a perfect storm,” said Zayas. “We have been doing all this practice with form and this letter type of poem in class already. Then, there was this personal high energy, and the two of those mixed together creating something I was very proud of.”

For aspiring poets and people who just write poetry for fun, Zayas offers the following advice: “Just sit down and do it” and “get out of your own head.”

“I started finding that I wrote some of the best poetry that, I feel that I’ve done, has been not based on an extreme emotion, a moment of high stress, or high excitement. Whatever it happens to be.” said Zayas.

The month concludes on April 30th with “Poem In Your Pocket Day,” where poets write original poems, keep them in their pockets, and read them aloud to anybody throughout the day.

Lucas Kessinger

Where do you intern and what are your responsibilities?

I intern at The Warren Achievement Center, here in Monmouth, where I work with individuals with disabilities (referred to as achievers). My responsibilities include leading movement-based activities, creating games that promote movement and coordination, and changing exercises to fit each individual’s ability level.

How has this internship influenced your goals and career path?

This internship has helped confirm my interest in working in a field that involves helping others improve their quality of life. It has also shown me the importance of being adaptable, having patience, and creating deeper relationships in a professional setting.

Marco Aona

Where do you intern and what are your responsibilities?

I intern at Clear Profits, and I help manage some projects here.

How has this internship influenced your goals and career path?

This was my first experience working in a company here in the USA, so it was nice to get used to how things work here. I am in a very creative setting; it isn’t exactly what I saw myself doing as a career, but after my time here, I am open to working in a company like this after graduating.

All donations will be going to the Recharge Teen Center (RTC) in Monmouth. RTC provides a safe space for local teens to participate in activities and programming that encourage personal growth.

The wnners of the annual Jog-a-thon, Pi Beta Phi and Phi Delta Theta members: (Left to Right) Kaeley Kent, Zoey Johnson, Claire LaBadie, Ben Ragon, Payton Lamb, and Bronte DeZwart. Photo from Claire LaBadie.

Hosted every year, the Jog-a-Thon raises awareness and funds for a local charity. Beyond fundraising, it also highlights the leadership and values Order of Omega represents.

“The Jog-a-Thon does well because the incentive works; getting chapters to run miles in the spirit of competition,” said Kent Huth, Vice President of Order of Omega. “We’re a ‘Greek Life Family’, sure, but siblings thrive on a little respectful and healthy competition every now and again.”

Donations were collected during the week and used to determine how many miles each fraternity and sorority pair would have to run or walk. Every $5 raised from each pair equaled one mile that had to be run or walked.

Participants cheered each other on and worked together with their team, which created a positive and supportive environment.

By the end of the event, over 130 miles were run. Pi Beta Phi and Phi Delta Theta won, raising a total of $340 and running 68 miles.

“The competition is why Greek Week does so well. We love showing pride for our fraternities and sororities,” said Huth. “The Jog-a-Thon is its own thing; however, it’s also a good warmup to Greek Week next week.”

As Greek Week approaches, the Jog-a-Thon sets the tone for healthy competition and collaboration within the FSL community. Support for the local community will continue as chapters collect more donations for the RTC during Greek Week.

KKG president Alayna Earle recounts having last done the event in 2023 as a freshman and aimed to bring it back because of how popular it was. “The seniors at the time told us that we had been doing it for many, many years. It’s always been a charity event, and a lot of people always like to do it,” said Earle. “It’s been a couple of years without doing Kappa Kickball.”

Aside from the competition aspect, Kappa Kickball also aimed to raise money for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). NEDA aims to raise awareness about eating disorders and change the way they are understood and treated. Most importantly, the organization provides support for people struggling with eating disorders and their families.

“Using that competitiveness to create a charity event that also can help fund our philanthropy is just a really great experience, and it’s great for what we do,” said Earle. “We can take that competitive energy and funnel it into something better.”

Molly Shook running bases. Photos by Gary Bonifer.

“I feel pretty good about [the wins], it was a clean sweep,” said sophomore SigEp Evan Reed about his team’s victories. “We locked in, and then we got the W.”

Earle estimates that KKG raised $60 for NEDA through team registration fees, but due to groups that could not make it to the event pitching in generous donations, it is estimated that the grand total of proceeds was upwards of $100.