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.

From the Heights—Fall 2015 Campus News

SHU Named Gold Level Veteran-Friendly School

Siena Heights University was one of 28 Michigan colleges and universities that earned Gold Level status in Veteran-Friendly School program created by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. The program recognizes institutions of higher learning for their dedication to student veterans and dependents utilizing their G.I. Bill and other educational benefits.

SHU Again Recognized for Online Veterans Program

Siena Heights University was again recognized as 2015 Best Online Programs for Veterans by U.S. News and World Report. SHU is ranked the following in this year’s listing:

21st overall (tied),
Second in Michigan,
First among Michigan private institutions.

Last year, Siena Heights was ranked 47th in the same category. To qualify for the Best Online Programs for Veterans rankings, the 737 online degree programs featured first had to be among the top 75 percent of schools ranked in the 2015 Best Online Programs rankings.

Ripper Presents at Center for Scholastic Inquiry Conference

SHU Assistant Professor of Business Matthew Ripper had two papers accepted by and presented at the October 2015 international conference in Charleston, S.C., on behalf of the Center for Scholastic Inquiry. His two papers are entitled “Building an Authentic Workplace Community Through Social Media” and “Community Benefits Districts: Nonprofit Governance Using Social Capital and Cross-organizational Collaboration.”

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.”