From the President:

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”— Romans 3:23

When Paul wrote this, he didn’t make any exceptions (except for Jesus Christ, of course). In fact, before his conversion to Christianity, Paul was one of the biggest offenders, ruthlessly persecuting the followers of Jesus before his conversion on the road to Damascus.

But God found redemptive qualities in Paul, eventually choosing him to tirelessly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles before his eventual death at the hands of the Romans. What a transformation!

I believe God is still transforming people like Paul today. He certainly believes in redemption, and following His example, so do we here at Siena Heights. In fact, it’s embedded in our mission statement to “respect the dignity of all.”

In this issue, we highlight two alumni who were originally on the opposite ends of the criminal justice spectrum, but are now championing efforts to improve the system—and those in it—from the inside out.

Siena Startups

Ashlee Trempus ’15 co-founded the startup company SignOn, which is a “virtual immersion program” that connects the hearing and deaf communities through authentic learning interactions.

Recent Graduates Follow Their Passions to Create New Businesses

Editor’s Note: From time to time, Reflections Magazine will highlight entrepreneurial alumni who have recently started business ventures within the past year. This article spotlights Ashlee Trempus ’15 and Kenneth DeGraaf ’16.

Ashlee Trempus ’15: SignOn

As a sign language interpreter, Ashlee Trempus ’15 is used to face-to-face contact with the deaf community in helping them communicate with the world around them.

When she graduated from SHU’s Lansing campus with a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies, she decided to bring that face-to-face concept to the Internet. Trempus co-founded the start-up company SignOn, which is a “virtual immersion program” that connects the hearing and deaf communities through authentic learning interactions.

Trempus said she got the idea when an illness slowed her ability to complete her required hours of interaction she needed for her interpreter certification.

“I became homebound,” she said. “I was unable to travel.”

SHU Students, Faculty Members Play a Role in “Hockey—the Musical!”

By Arthur Gwoszdz, Student Writer

Mitch Albom’s original production of “Hockey—The Musical!” had a distinct Siena Heights presence this summer. The show returned to Detroit’s City Theatre inside Hockeytown Café, with SHU musical theater students J.J. Hoss (right, middle) and Patrick Wallace joining the musical’s cast. Also, SHU Assistant Professor of Theater Daniel Walker was the lighting designer for the show.

The production, which premiered last summer directed by Peter Albom, was very successful, said Walker.

“After a successful run last summer, they are going to remount it. This year, they put out the word that they were casting, so I made a phone call and said, ‘I think I have a couple of guys and a couple of women, would you want to see them?’” added Walker, who said the producers were doing their last days of auditions in Detroit before heading to New York. “So, the very next day, I sent them Patrick and J.J. (The producers) said, ‘we will fit them in for 15 minutes and see them since we know you,’ and they kept them for the whole day. They ended up going to New York and still hired our guys.”