Screen Play

SHU Student Nate Adams Is Making a Name for Himself as a Movie Reviewer

Nate Adams ’17 has been a movie buff since childhood. Now, the Siena Heights University junior theater major is The Movie Buff.

He currently has a budding career as an Internet movie reviewer. After starting a movie review blog in high school, his web site host noticed that traffic to his site was “abnormal.”

“I was averaging 75 visitors a day,” said Adams of his web site, which is hosted by Weebly. “(Weebly) took notice of that. And I wasn’t going out of my way to tell people, either.”

Adams is now paid by Weebly to review movies of all kinds, which gives him special viewing privileges.

“I get to see movies early all the time,” said Adams of the pre-screenings he attends sometimes weeks before films hit the theaters. “That would be enough for me. It’s kind of cool to see a movie weeks early before the general public can see it. Then, I can tell people about it.”

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.”

Rising Stars

“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.

Rob Hemmig

Graduation year: 2007, 2009/MA.

Current title/position: Corporate Partnerships Executive, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.

What Rob is Doing: He works at Michigan International Speedway alongside many other SHU alums. His role is to find ways for companies to utilize MIS’s assets when it comes to entertainment, marketing and activation. He started as a ticketing intern in 2007 and has worked his way up to his current position.

My favorite moment/story while a student at Siena Heights was: “I think my favorite memory outside of baseball would have to be seeing the students I recruited while coaching complete their degrees from Siena Heights University.”

My favorite person at Siena Heights was: “There are so many to pick from, but Joni LeMay and Melissa Growden were always there to make sure that things were going in the right direction.”

My ultimate goal in life is: “Be successful and happy.”

My best piece of advice for SHU students is: “Create your own experiences at SHU, don’t just follow the group. Each person will and should have a different experience while in college. Get involved in activities that you normally wouldn’t do. You never know, you may find a new passion.”