Tribute to Jennifer Hamlin Church

SHU Alumni Director for 20 years

Editor’s Note: Longtime Director of Alumni Relations and Associate Vice President of Advancement Jennifer Hamlin Church retired in November 2015 after more than 20 years at Siena Heights University. As a special sendoff, Reflections asked a few of her past and present colleagues to pen some personal words of tribute.

Deborah Carter ’15 / Hon. – Retired Dean of the College for Professional Studies

‘Classy’ and ‘elegant’ are two words that come to mind when I think of Jennifer Hamlin Church. Her elegance comes through in her beautiful writing, and she is well aware that well-crafted language has the power to evoke powerful emotional responses, make people feel that they belong, provide meaning and further Siena’s mission. The first time I heard the ‘Voices of Siena’ I knew the beautifully crafted pieces were written by Jennifer. It was my pleasure to organize two book signings for her first book, So Much to Live For, A Memoir of Love, Loss and Living On.

Jennifer understands the importance of relationship building in Alumni Relations, and developed personal connections with alums which deepened their feelings of connection to Siena. Jennifer transformed the outreach to students and alumni of Siena Heights University’s off-campus sites, creating the hugely successful annual holiday event on the west side of the state. She added off-campus graduates to the Alumni Board, and turned the conversation toward creative ways of engaging off-campus students.

On the Right Path

Proving Her High School Coach Wrong Motivates Lucia Alfaro All the Way to Siena Heights

Editor’s Note: The following story appeared in the Sept. 1, 2015 edition of the Monroe News. This edited version was used with permission.

Lucia Alfaro ’17 (below middle) wasn’t exactly encouraged on her first day of cross country practice as a Milan freshman.

“She couldn’t even run a half mile,” recalls Big Reds coach Steve Porter. “I told her this is a running sport and she might want to go out for volleyball.”

Alfaro got mad and was determined to prove her coach wrong. Back then she ran the 3.1-mile cross country distance in 28 or 29 minutes and was Milan’s slowest runner as a freshman. Three years later, she was the Big Reds fastest runner and a state qualifier.

<strong>Above:</strong> Siena Heights cross country team from left to right—Ruth Ann Letherer, Elaine Johnson, Maria Fisher, Kristin Stobinski, Lucia Alfaro, Ashley Russo, Hannah Shellenbarger, Erica Oram, and Lauren McMahon. — **Above:** Siena Heights cross country team from left to right—Ruth Ann Letherer, Elaine Johnson, Maria Fisher, Kristin Stobinski, Lucia Alfaro, Ashley Russo, Hannah Shellenbarger, Erica Oram, and Lauren McMahon.

Personal Trainer

Three-Time Rice Award Winner Carl Kaster Helps Biology Students Take
‘The Next Step’

Carl Kaster’s father wanted him to be physician.

“When I was a college under-
graduate, if people asked me what I wanted to do when I graduated, I always said ‘medicine,’ ” he said. “If I said medicine, I didn’t have to talk about it any more, because they all knew what that meant. You wanted to be a physician.”

In fact, after working as an extern at an internal medicine private practice for a couple of years, he was ready to enter medical school at the University of Louisville.

“I met with the medical school dean,” Kaster said. “When we got through with that interview, he gave me the best advice I had had at that point. He said, ‘Stop thinking about doing what your family wants you to do. Do what you want to do. … You don’t want to be a physician, you want to be somebody who is training physicians.’ So here I am.”