ALUMNI NEWS

CHP Spotlight:

Alexandra M. Smith, '03

Received the New England Pediatric Society Award, given to a graduating medical student who "shows the most promise in the field of pediatrics" and "to whom the Society members would most want to send their own children or grandchildren."  Alexandra is currently continuing her pediatrics residency at Columbia University's Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York, which is ranked among the top 10 children's hospitals in the nation.

 

Melanie Bair, Dec. '07, Bible major

Melanie's article, "Life is in the Blood:  Envisioning Atonement with Regards to Levitical Theology," appears in Issue 37 of Princeton Theological Review 13, 2 (Fall 2007).

 

Alumni Profiles

Ryan Rich

When choosing a college, Ryan Rich, a Politics/Pre-law major from Middleboro, Massachusetts, searched for a school with excellent academics as well as an environment where he felt he could grow as a person.  After visiting with professors in Messiah College’s Politics department and spending time on campus, he knew it was the right place for him. 

“The opportunity to be a part of the Honors Program was a big plus for me,” Ryan states.  “The financial help was significant, and participating in the Program allowed me a unique opportunity to join a small network of very bright students who also shared a lot of common experiences (lectures, seminars, etc.).”  One of his fondest memories of Messiah is his first-year Honors Seminar, Cinema & Semiotics, with Dr. Crystal Downing.  “The course was an amazing challenge during my first few months at college and an important time of working with others in class through the challenging issues we discussed.”  

Ryan pursued various extracurricular activities during his time at Messiah College.  As well as being elected Student Body President, Ryan served as a Research Assistant, Apartment Life Coordinator, Student Representative for Larson Student Union Planning, was a member of the Chapel Worship Team, and enjoyed Rec. Sports.  He also spent a semester studying in England at the very challenging Oxford Honors Program. 

After graduating in 2002, Ryan attended the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill.  He felt that the professors at Messiah trained him very well to do the types of things that lawyers do:  read critically and write persuasively.  “While other very intelligent law students – who had done well as undergrads – struggled to learn how to do well in law school, I was prepared and did well right from the start (getting the highest grade in two of my first-year classes). . . .  I had an advantage over other students that had nothing to do with intelligence – I had been in that kind of environment before.”

Ryan and his wife Lindsay (Hazen) Rich, also a 2002 Messiah graduate, are currently living in Charlotte, NC, and are actively involved in their church, CityChurch Charlotte.  Ryan is a commercial litigator with the international law firm Hunton & Williams, LLP, and also does free legal work for a non-profit organization and for individuals who would not otherwise be able to get legal help. 

 

Laura Beechy

Each year at Commencement, the Alumni Merit Award is presented to a graduating senior for outstanding representation of the college’s ideals of intellect, character and Christian faith.  In May 2007, the faculty chose Laura Beechy, a Nutrition and Dietetics major – and College Honors Program participant – from Sugarcreek, OH.

When asked why she chose dietetics as a vocation, Laura responded, “Because everyone has to eat!  The field of nutrition reflects all the different ways food affects our lives.  From biochemistry to counseling to economics, I really have the freedom to pursue my ever-changing interests.” 

One of these interests involved traveling to Thailand during the summer of 2006, where Laura assisted in food distribution and assessment of food preparation, nutrition education and nutritional needs of Burmese refugees in Northern Thailand.  Laura Beechy won the first Paul and Elaine Wengert Humanitarian Service Award to support this work with the non-profit organization, Empowering Women of Burma.  For her Senior Honors Project, Laura studied the nutrition status of 29 3- to 5-year old children living in Mae La Oon refugee camp in northern Thailand, specifically evaluating the effect of a preschool lunch program on diet quality. 

Not only is Laura an outstanding scholar, but she is athletically gifted as well.  Laura appears on Messiah’s Outdoor Track & Field Women’s All-Time Top Ten List for her record in the 3000 Meter Steeple Chase, as well as being named MAC Female Track Student Athlete.  Her favorite memories of Messiah include not only running, but also swimming, wading, soaking, icing, and floating down the Yellow Breeches (see graduation photo for one last wade!).

Laura is currently in the Massachusetts General Hospital Dietetics Internship program completing her requirements to take the dietetics registration exam.  At Mass General she has been given responsibility over projects that impact the hospital’s nutrition services.  She attends Park Street Church in downtown Boston, which has a large graduate student population, and is part of a small group at the church.  Laura plans to continue on to graduate school to study community nutrition and public health.

 

Kevin Driver

In the spring of 2007, Messiah College Honors Program alum Kevin Driver received his medical degree from Columbia University's highly regarded College of Physicians and Surgeons.  Kevin grew up in suburban Philadelphia and came to Messiah from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School.  He chose to attend Messiah largely because of the College Honors Program.  "The honors program at Messiah," he says, "was a place where I could feel comfortable but would still provide social, intellectual, personal and spiritual challenges as well as opportunities to grow."   During his four years at Messiah Kevin was involved in a host of academic and co-curricular programs.  Besides double-majoring in Biochemistry and Philosophy, he performed with the Messiah College Singers and in the Mainstage Theatre.  He also helped to design and implement an cancer-immunology project through the Department of Natural Sciences.  Kevin's Messiah memories are full and extend beyond the lab and library.  When asked about his fondest memories, he cites "cheering and throwing marshmallows at the E-town soccer game, working one on one with faculty like biologist Dr. Larry Mylin and philosopher Dr. Robin Collins, and engaging in many late night discussions with roommates and friends about history, religion and Christian faith."

Following graduation, Kevin began his medical studies at Columbia.  Kevin was drawn to medicine, he says, "as a way to practically benefit other people by providing healing." Asked if he felt academically prepared for one of the nation's top ranked and most challenging medical educations, he replies, "Absolutely! I started out on an equal footing with students from many well known, prestigious colleges."  

Kevin's years in medical school have also been a time of spiritual growth.  He has been actively involved in New York's dynamic Redeemer Presbyterian Church where, along with other young professionals, he participates in a small fellowship group.  Redeemer's commitment to diversity and service is something that Kevin's finds very appealing.  Kevin has also had opportunities to put his medical skills and knowledge to work, serving with Messiah alums Drs. John Spurrier and Phil Thuma at Macha Mission hospital in rural Zambia.  "Treating common global diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and rheumatic heart disease at Macha was challenging both because they are so relatively exotic in the US and the available resources are insufficient to meet the tremendous needs in the developing world" he notes, "but it was rewarding to care for patients who have little to return in compensation other than appreciation and who can't find another doctor by flipping through the phonebook."

Kevin is currently a resident in Internal Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, with the goal of eventually settling into a career in academic medicine, possibly Cardiology, at a major university hospital. As a Messiah College honors program participant and now as a resident physician, Kevin embodies Messiah's commitment to educating young men and women for lives of leadership and service.

Emily Ferris

At the end of her junior year, Emily Ferris, a College Honors Program participant and Elementary Education major joined-up with Urban Impact Ministries and began a summer internship in New Orleans that would alter the course of her life. Living and working in the local housing projects, Emily fell in love with The Big Easy and its people. Within a month of her Messiah College graduation in 2002, Emily moved to New Orleans to pursue her vocation as a public school teacher in the inner city. Three years later Hurricane Katrina turned Emily’s world upside down. Emily reports that “working in a city where physical and human resources are scarce has become stressful beyond imagination.” However, despite the difficulties and uncertainties, Emily says that “it’s rewarding to know that this is an historic time in which the greatest American rebuilding and revitalization is taking place.”

Central City Nebraska is a long way from Grantham Pennsylvania, but Emily chose to attend Messiah because of its strong academic reputation and Christian distinctives.  In addition to her Elementary Education major, Emily minored in Psychology and was active in a variety of extra-curricular activities, including service teams and Powderpuff football. She also spent a semester studying abroad in England.  Emily’s fondest Messiah memories are of simply hanging out and growing with her friends.  When asked if Messiah prepared her for life beyond Grantham, Emily replies that “I absolutely feel that Messiah prepared me for teaching and for graduate school.  Messiah’s challenging academic environment, solid work ethic, and strong focus on servanthood are values that have helped me to be a successful teacher and grad student.”

Equipped with an excellent undergraduate education and a clear sense of calling, both honed at Messiah College, Emily Ferris is doing her part to foster reconciliation and rebirth amid the ruins of the storm ravaged Crescent City.

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