Career Profiles - Snapshots of Vocation
School of the Arts
Liz Demery
Title: Owner/Performer
Employer: Self-employed at The Comedy Spot
Graduated: 1993
Major: Arts & Theatre
"There is no such thing as a typical day."
Liz avoided what can be a frustrating task of narrowing the seemingly infinite possibilities of careers in her future: “I simply picked an area where I wanted to learn,” she explains. Double majoring in art and theatre, she was able to pursue these interests simultaneously until theatre consumed the larger portion of her schedule. (more)

Heather Horton
Title: Freelance Photo-Stylist
Graduated: 2003
Major: Visual Arts
"I can't believe I get paid to do this!"
"Basically I focused on what I was interested in right then, rather than trying to decide my future career and then working backwards to plug that career into a specific major. I knew I’d have to enjoy my major for four straight years, so I chose something that I thought would hold my interest.” (more)

Katie Lebhar
Title: Director of Theatre
Employer: Episcopal High School of Jacksonville, FL
Graduated: 1999
Major: Theatre
"Teaching is a mission field..."
Ever since high school, Katie Lebhar knew she wanted to pursue an occupation in theatre. Others discouraged her, telling her that she’d find no success in the theatre business. “I felt all this pressure not to do what I loved,” Katie says... (more)

Stephen Lias
Title: Coordinator for Music Theory and Composition
Employer: Stephen F. Austin State University
Graduated: 1988
Major: Music Education
"Do what you love!"
Stephen Lias was not afflicted with indecision over which major he would choose to focus his study as an undergraduate at Messiah College. He did not anxiously search up and down the infinite lists of majors and course titles buried in the course catalog. (more)

Robin Miller
Title: Head of Slide Library
Employer: Savannah College of Art and Design
Graduated: 1986
Major: Art
"It is not my job that gives my life meaning, but it gives me time to do things that have meaning."
Robin Miller is the head of the slide library at the Savannah College of Art and Design. The slide library is making available 325,000 slides for faculty and students to utilize for lectures and presentations. His vocation also allows him the time to work on art of his own; he has presently been doing shows and has works in the Larry Becker Contemporary Art gallery near Philadelphia. (more)

Brandon Rush
Title: Senior Graphic Designer
Employer: Asbury College
Graduated: 2000
Major: Art
"It gave me a new perspective..."
“It gave me a new perspective,” Brandon Rush says of his internship. “I went into the job idealistically, and being in the field showed me what it’s really like as well.” Brandon’s internship seemed to be a mismatch... (more)


School of Education and Social Sciences:
Judy Armacost
Title: Full-time church planter in Hobart, Tasmania
Employer: International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
Graduated: 1984
Major: Home Economics Education
"It had always been my intention to return to a mission field..."
Since graduating, education major Judy Armacost has never taught a formal class. Yet, “while I have never used my major in the way I initially thought I would,” Judy says, “it was invaluable. I still see myself as an educator—I help people learn through discovery.” (more)

Kate Binder
Title: Case Manager
Employer: TresslerCare
Graduated: 2004
Major: Social Work
"The only way to become a good social worker is through hands-on experience"
The sheer number of possible majors and careers can be overwhelming to someone who feels passionately about many different things. (more)

Melody Boyd
Title: Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant
Employer: Temple University
Graduated: 2004
Major: Sociology/Communication
"I know why I am doing what I'm doing."
Entering college as an aspiring journalist, Melody declared a major in communications.  Although she graduated with a communications degree, her academic journey took a different path... (more)

Katrina Hunsberger Didot
Title: Restaurateur, A Bowl of Good café
Graduated: 1989
Major: Social Work
"I define my experience by the food that I eat"
Katrina spent several years travelling and doing missions and social work in the Carribean and South America. That experience influenced her decision to open a restaurant in Virginia... (more)

Fabienne Doucet
Title: Assistant Professor at the School of Family Studies
Employer: University of Connecticut
Graduated: 1995
Major: Family Studies
"God was just setting this up from the beginning."
“God was setting this up from the beginning,” Fabienne Doucet says of her current appointment as assistant professor of family studies at the University of Connecticut. Initially, Fabienne was uncertain of how to find an occupation related to her scholarly interest—parent-child relationships—and still pursue research in that area. (more)

Malia Meiser
Title: Abstinence Education Director
Employer: Capital Area Pregnancy Center
Graduated: 2002
Major: Family Studies
"I know that this is right, and that I'm where I'm supposed to be."
Malia's process of choosing a major mirrors the difficulty many first-year students experience as they search anxiously through course catalogs and take inventory of interests and hobbies. How is it possible to channel your interests into a career that you love even as it pulls you from your bed at indecent hours of the morning while your half-asleep arm slams on the snooze button at least eight times? (more)


School of Health and Natural Sciences:
Lyle Blackketter
Title: Ranch specialist and Financial Advisor
Employer: Self-employed
Graduated: 1984
Major: Bachelor of Science, Physical Education, Recreation, Camping
"I'm More Than Just a Modern-Day Cowboy"
It’s evening. The air is tinted with the moist earthy smell of newly-forming dew, little crystalline droplets on the rich green grass, sparkling hauntingly with the last vestiges of the day’s light. Much of the cattle’s grazing has tapered off now... (more)

Elizabeth Imboden
Title: General Pediatrician
Employer: York Pediatrics Medicine
Graduated: 1990
Major: Biology
"My role of caring for others is a way to show Christ's love to other people."
In order to cultivate her blossoming interest in the sciences, Elizabeth did not hesitate to declare a major in biology at the start of her life as a Messiah College student... (more)

Paul Logan
Title: Cardiovascular Nurse Practioner and President, Logan Solutions
Graduated: 1991
Major: Nursing
"There's nothing better than knowing you saved somebody's life . . ."
For Paul Logan, there was never a question about which major to pursue. His mother and grandmother were both nurses, and he had gotten some experience in healthcare during summer jobs at a local hospital... (more)

Brian Luetchford
Title:Director of Parks & Recreation
Employer: Lower Paxton Township
Graduated: 1981
Major: Recreation
"It seemed to be a natural fit."
Brian Luetchford is presently the Director of Parks and Recreation for Lower Paxton Township. He supervises over 200 employees and coordinates hundreds of activities. He is responsible for 14 different parklands and coordinates the Friendship Community Center, which has 6,000 members, to name a few responsibilities under his title. There was no way Luetchford could have foreseen this kind of career a couple of decades ago when he was a student here at Messiah College.(more)

Chip Nataro
Title: Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Employer: Lafayette College
Graduated: 1991
Major: Chemistry
"You've got to go above and beyond."
Messiah College opened Chip's mind to things he had never thought of before. "It got me to be a bit more open to other ideas." (more)

David Olsen
Title: Senior Investigator
Employer: Merck Laboratories
Graduated: 1983
Major: Chemistry
"The Lord has helped me and put me in a position where I can make a difference."
David Olsen stared at the long lines in the gym on Messiah College’s registration day. It was time to choose a major and he ultimately ended up in the “Natural Sciences” line because it was “the only one that sounded appealing.” (more)

Todd "Parney" Parnell
Title: General Manager
Employer:Altoona Curve
Graduated: 1988
Major: Physical Education
"I know we are making a difference in people's lives by what we do on a daily basis."
Taking a step toward fulfilling his dream of playing college basketball and becoming a coach, Parney declared a major in Physical Education. Progressing in this field of study kindled an interest in the business aspect of sports which prompted his decision to add a minor in Business. (more)

Dan Stone
Title: Wellness Coordinator
Employer: Central PA Rehabilitation Services
Graduated: 2003
Major: Sports and Exercise Science
“My vocation has a lot to do with improving the quality of life for people.”
Dan Stone, recognizing his love for the sciences, entered Messiah as a biology major, but he was not sure that it was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life... (more)

Carmen Williams
Title: Director
Employer:West Shore Recreation Commission
Graduated: 1982
Major: Recreation
"Now that's a resume."
Carmen Williams followed her passions when selecting a major. “My first interests in early high school,” Carmen says, “leaned toward becoming a health and physical education teacher. I had some misgivings about pursuing that career, and was pleased when a student teacher…suggested the field of recreation and parks.” (more)

Karen Willis
Title: Pediatric Research Dietitian
Employer: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Graduated: 2002
Major: Nutrition and Dietetics
"Passion for what you do is what makes it all worthwhile."
When she came to Messiah, Karen Willis had no problem selecting a course of study - she knew she wanted "something I was already interested in as an athlete (nutrition) and something that had a strong base of natural sciences." (more)

School of Humanities:
Ben Armacost
Title: Full time church-planter/evangelist
Employer: International Mission Board for the Southern Baptist Convention
Graduated: 1984
Major: Christian Education
"For 20 years now my major has served as a solid foundation for [this work]."
Finding a major to study is not always a long, excruciating process. Sometimes God makes it clear on a person's heart what they want to do-occasionally even at a young age... (more)

Jon Benda
Title: College Lecturer
Employer:Tunghai University
Graduated: 1990
Major: English
"I think the best thing I can be is a good role model to students and colleagues."
Jon always had a penchant for writing. That made his college major choice easy - English... (more)

Tamara Brown
Title: Just passed the PA Bar Exam
Graduated: 1996
Major: French
"I like to think that I am the person people don't mind working with."
“I struggled as a political science major,” Tamara says, “and when I met with my academic advisor he encouraged me to consider French as a major. I loved traveling and was already pretty near fluency in French. The change in my major made a world of difference to my entire experience.” (more)

David Cummins
Title: Manager of Business Development
Employer:Transportation Systems and Services within Affiliated Computer Services
Graduated: 1994
Major: Political Science
"When one door closes, another tends to open."
God instills passions and gifts in us all. A hard lesson to learn is when the vocational path we set for ourselves does not align with God’s ultimate plan. David Cummins graciously lived this, and his story is truly a blessing in disguise. David allowed God to write his vocational journey. In turn, he is an incredibly successful businessman, who uses his gifts to minister to as many people as he is in contact with in his vocation; whether they be e mployees that he manages, customers he serves or other companies with whom he interacts. (more)

Brianna Fuller
Title:Law Student
Employer: Loyola Marymount School of Law
Graduated: 2001
Major: Spanish
"My professors always told me I could do it..."
To fulfill her dream of promoting social justice, Brianna Fuller realized she needed to follow a path to law school. Brianna’s experiences at Messiah inspired her to continue her education by both whetting her interest in social justice and exposing her to the possibility of graduate education. (more)

Kevin Hicks
Title: General Counsel and Vice President
Employer: SafeNet Inc.
Graduated: 1993
Major: Political Science
"My vocation is part of who I am..."
In weighing and determining his options of which major to choose as a student at Messiah College, Kevin fused his interests and passions with his prayer life. (more)

Ryan Keith
Title:Coordinator, Harrisburg Market Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ)
Employer:Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC
Graduated: 2002
Major: Politics
"I'm passionate about helping people..."
Ryan Keith was pulled in more directions than he could go. He had so many interests and majors that he could pursue; he could not decide what to choose. “I considered the things that got me really excited,” Ryan says of his decision-making process, “what caught my eye, what I wanted to read about, what things I enjoyed doing.” (more)

Jay McClymont
Title: Training and Development Specialist, Rite Aid Corporation
Graduated: 1992
Major: Communication
“Find something you enjoy doing and find someone willing to pay you to do it.”
These are powerful words, whether coming from their original source the legendary golfer Jack Nicolas or told to Messiah students during a Convocation chapel led by then-Messiah President D. Ray Hostetter. First-year student Jay McClymont, still undecided on a major resonated with the saying. “I enjoy speaking and being in front of a group,” Jay says, so he searched for an opportunity to pursue his passion. (more)

Keith D. Miller
Title: Pastor of Student Ministries, Manor Church, Lancaster
Graduated: 2005
Major: Christian Ministries
“The most gratifying part of my job is when I am privileged enough to get to see God change a heart . . .”
Keith Miller has always connected well with others, particularly in interactions with young people, but it took a summer camp position while he was in high school to channel this interest into potential career goals... (more)

Melinda Nowak
Title: Administrative Judge
Employer: State of Pennsylvania
Graduated: 1976
Major: English
"I write all the time; I’m always reading transcripts, putting it all together, writing the end of the story."
With these words, Melinda Nowak describes how she applies skills learned as an English major to her career as an administrative judge for the state of Pennsylvania. (more)

Kimberly Thornbury
Title: Dean of Students
Employer: Union University
Graduated: 1993
Major: Communication
"I said 'yes' to every project that came my way."
Kimberly attributes her time at Messiah with teaching her how to “integrate faith and learning in a real-world setting.” Her overall time at Messiah taught her how to think and how to be “a problem-solver and an incredible thinker,” she says. “[Messiah] taught me the value of an encouraging word.” (more)

Shelly Tolo
Title: Owner
Employer: Tolo Events
Graduated: 1990
Major: Communication
"I use my communication and business skills on a daily basis."
While she clung to her dream, college life was gently refocusing her ambitions in a new direction. "Experiences I enjoyed at Messiah gave me insight into a career I would never have considered: fundraising." (more)

Charlotte White
Title: Protestant Chaplain
Employer: York Correctional Institution
Graduated: 1968
Major: English
"I am a non-anxiety-producing presence on the prison compound..."
Numerous students in the School of the Humanities, English included, often hear the same question when telling someone what they’re studying: “Oh, so you want to be a teacher?” On the surface it might seem that only a few career choices are open to English majors: teaching, journalism, or something in publishing. Charlotte contests. (more)

Dan Wilt
Title: Global Worship Resource Coordinator
Employer: Vineyard Worship Resources/Vineyard Music
Graduated: 1987
Major: Religion
"I feel a deep sense of privilege in what I do."
In a world that can seem full of difficult, high-priority decisions, it is often easy to second-guess and question oneself about the means to achieve an end. Struggling with "what-ifs" is enough to send anyone spiraling into doubt as to whether or not their decision was the "right" decision. (more)

Delight Yokley
Title: Director of College Diversity and residence counselor
Employer: Kings College
Graduated: 1998
Major: History
“You don’t need to be in a particular field to do what you want to do in life.”
Serious contemplation of vocation did not occur for Delight Yokley until her senior year of high school, when she decided to slacken her course load a little and take an easier level social studies class. (more)

School of Mathematics, Engineering and Business:
Owen Byer
Title: Professor of Mathematics
Employer: Eastern Mennonite University
Graduated: 1989
Major: Mathematics
"It is most important for students learn to think critically and write persuasively."
“Study what you love” is Owen Byer’s advice to students entering college or looking for ‘the right major.’  (more)

Joonsu Cho
Title: Sales and Marketing Division Coordinator
Employer: Hyundai
Graduated: 1990
Major: Bachelor of Science, Marketing; Master of Business Administration, Marketing: Michigan State University
"So You Think I'm on the Fast Track"
The world’s always been a small place. Everyone’s grown up around each other, parents knowing parents and children knowing children, with parents knowing children and children knowing parents. (more)

Nate Desmarais
Title: Human Resources Manager
Employer: Health America
Graduated: 2001
Major: Human Resource Management
“It is gratifying when you know that employees and managers come to you because they respect and trust you . . .”
Nate Desmarais grew up with the dream of owning his own business someday, and he aimed to advance toward that goal with a major in business administration at Messiah. (more)

Mike Foster
Title: Graduate Student
Employer: Drexel University
Graduated: 2002
Major: Engineering
"It's the curiosity of nature, wanting to know how things work..."
In high school, Mike Foster didn’t know what he wanted to do or become. A suggestion from his physics teacher led him to engineering. He hasn’t looked back since and is now in a Drexel University graduate engineering program. (more)

Peter Greer
Title: President
Employer: HOPE International
Graduated: 1997
Major: International Business
"This is where I feel my talents and my passion are aligned."
It was not until he received guidance from Dr. Webb in the Department of Management & Business that Peter realized his passions for traveling and foreign languages indicate a perfect fit in the field of International Business. (more)

Jeffrey Horst
Title: Tax Partner
Employer: Kuntz Lesher
Graduated: 1995
Major: Accounting
"I think contrary to a lot of the stereotypes out there..."
“I like dealing with financial information and numbers,” Jeff explains. “I think contrary to a lot of the stereotypes out there, there’s a lot of interpersonal skills required. I work one-on-one with clients.” What to do with a love for numbers and math, but also a desire for interacting with people? According to Jeff, consider accounting. (more)

Tonya King
Title: Associate Professor
Employer: Pennylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey
Graduated: 1992
Major: Mathematics
"I loved applying math and statistics to something as meaningful as the health field."
For many students, falling in love with a subject means excelling at it as well as having positive learning experiences.  While in high school, Tonya gained a new appreciation for mathematics through a great calculus teacher. (more)

Deb Pierson
Title: Consultant
Employer: Pierson Consulting Co. Inc.
Graduated: 1989
Major: Computer Science
"As a small business owner my job entails many things"
"When Deb came to Messiah it didn’t take her long to realize that she could translate her passion for computers into a major and a career." (more)