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The Online Magazine for Alumni and Friends of Siena Heights University
“Rising Stars” is a regular feature in Reflections. It profiles Siena Heights alumni who have graduated within the past 10 years and who excel in their careers, occupations or community service accomplishments. To be considered for “Rising Stars” in an upcoming issue of Reflections, fill out the online form at www.sienaheights.edu/risingstars. Those who are selected to be included in an upcoming issue of the magazine will be contacted by the Reflections staff.
Lisa Lothringer
Graduation year (from SHU): 2014.
Current title/position: Assistant Executive Director, Downtown Development Authority, Van Buren (Mich.) Township.
What Lisa is doing: She is responsible for all marketing and community outreach for the Downtown Development Authority. She works to promote the businesses within the DDA boundaries, build relationships with neighboring municipalities and strengthen the sense of community. Lothringer also takes part in and organizes trade events to showcase and introduces the opportunities within the township to businesses locally, regionally and nationally.
My favorite moment/story while a student at Siena Heights was: Realizing that even with balancing family and working full-time, I was able to graduate cumma sum laude.
My favorite person at Siena Heights was: Julie Edwards.
Ultimate goal in life: “To enjoy what I do for work each and every day so it does not feel like a job.”
My best piece of advice for SHU students is: “Never stop reaching for your goals. Returning to school to finally finish my degree was a promise I had made to my dad just before he died. Fifteen years later, I know he was smiling down from heaven as I crossed that stage and received my degree.”
As Senior Editor of The Wolverine Magazine, John Borton Covers All Things Michigan
If you are a serious fan of the University of Michigan athletics, you probably have heard of John Borton ’81.
As senior editor of The Wolverine Magazine, a multimedia publication that covers the University of Michigan athletic program, the Siena Heights graduate has had a front row seat reporting all things Michigan for the past 25 years. From the Bo Schembechler era of Wolverine football to the present-day College World Series appearance by the softball team, Borton has seen—and reported—on it all.
Anyone familiar with Michigan athletics knows some of their most well-known figures. Names like Schembechler, Tom Brady, Charles Woodson, Chris Webber, Michael Phelps and Jim Harbaugh are all people Borton has gotten to know professionally, some even personally. But he said some of his most memorable interviews are also from some lesser-known sources.
Zach Bailey Turns a College Internship into Disney Career
There’s internships, and then there’s internships.
Zach Bailey ’14 had the latter back in 2012, when he spent a semester as an intern in the Disney College Program. That experience—one that included working with such enter-
tainment icons as George Lucas and J.K. Rowling (yes, that George Lucas and J.K. Rowling)—has launched a “magical” Disney career for Bailey since graduating with a business degree from Siena Heights. He is currently a park operations guest service manager with Hollywood Studios.
Bailey said he’s always wanted to work for Disney, and when he came to Siena Heights, he began to explore internship possibilities.
“I literally had no idea how to start that journey,” he said. “It’s an empire, so how do you even start to work for those guys?”
He discovered the Disney College Program, but learned that Siena Heights was not part of the program. Regardless, he drove to a nearby university to see a presentation about the program, and worked for the next year to try to make that happen.
Enter Matt Ripper. SHU’s assistant professor of Business Management worked to rewrite the business program’s internship program to help make that internship possible for Bailey.
