Alumni Awards

Meet Our Alumni

• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2314-tammy-mcmillan-parks" title="Tammy Parks" aria-label="Tammy Parks"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/6,0,157,150/4597_Tammy_Parks.rev.1536941020.jpg" alt="Tammy McMillan Parks" title="Tammy McMillan Parks" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="290" data-max-h="150"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2314-tammy-mcmillan-parks"><p> Tammy McMillan Parks is making sure her students see art all over the world: paying forward a gift bestowed by an E&H faculty mentor.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Tammy McMillan Parks (E&H ’95) is taking a page out of the Royce Morris handbook.</p><p> Tammy was an art major at Emory & Henry, and loved classes with E&H’s classics and art history professor, Dr. Royce Morris (deceased). She went with him on his semi-annual trip to Rome, and found the experience to be life-changing. Now that she is an art professor herself, she is carrying on his legacy of sharing the world’s most amazing art with young people.</p><p> She is a professor of art at New River Community College (Dublin, Virginia), and she is committed to offering her students opportunities to see, try, and experience art in every possible fashion.  Study abroad is a huge part of her teaching method. “Travel accomplishes two wonderful things: it makes them appreciate things at home they never really paid attention to before and it makes them consider how their home could benefit from doing things in some of the ways they encountered abroad.”</p><p> Her last trip with students was to the Balkan region of Europe – Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. She said the experience was great. “This past summer is no different from my many years of taking students abroad…our plane flight back home was filled with their new memories, laughter, plans for future travel and all their ideas for new art projects and trips.”</p><p> She is known as a professor who goes beyond the classroom to serve her students. Right now she is involved in expanding the clubs at NRCC to create opportunities for students to travel more – not only to see the world but also to experience the history and culture of the area. “I want them to see places like Biltmore and museums and festivals that are accessible within our own region and surrounding states.  We don’t have to go to Rome to appreciate other cultural experiences! These experiences can have a strong influence on their understanding of the arts in and around place they study and live.”</p><p> Tammy earned her bachelor’s degree in art from Emory & Henry, she earned a master’s in Spanish from the University of Southern Mississippi, and an M.F. A. in public art from Goddard College in Vermont. She is currently working on a Ph.D. at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, Portland, Maine.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2314-tammy-mcmillan-parks" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2582-abby-hathorn" title="Abby Hathorn" aria-label="Abby Hathorn"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,185,1326,1510/6069_53294665_1229786347177427_5300967083331289088_n.rev.1553045627.jpg" alt="Abby Hathorn" title="Abby Hathorn" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,185,1326,1510/6069_53294665_1229786347177427_5300967083331289088_n.rev.1553045627.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,185,1326,1510/6069_53294665_1229786347177427_5300967083331289088_n.rev.1553045627.jpg 3x" data-max-w="1472" data-max-h="2208"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2582-abby-hathorn"><p> Abby Hathorn is a Social Media Influencer Specialist.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Spend five minutes with Abby Hathorn and you will find yourself completely captivated by the world of sunscreen. “There’s a lot more to sunscreen than people realize…and more than even I realized before I took this job!”</p><p> Abby is the Social Media Influencer Specialist for Crown Laboratories, and works primarily with Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen and PanOxyl. “I work hands-on with influencers on social media and bloggers to create campaigns focused around a specific brand or product. I build and manage these campaigns by strategically recruiting professional bloggers and content writers with traits and engagement statistics that match brand standards and consumer profiles. The goal of these campaigns is to enhance Internet and social-media chatter about a specific product (or products) while also generating revenue growth–often from new demographics.”</p><p> She also gets to  create the graphic design and content-work associated with influencer campaigns – items like the fliers, personalized coupon templates, package inserts, and informational “E-Packets.” “E-Packets are my unique way of ensuring that  partners and ambassadors have the information and checklists needed to properly execute clearly written content and sharp photos that the consumer brands can promote and re-use in social media posts and inbound marketing promotions.”</p><p> Abby isn’t only about marketing and social media: she is intensely well-versed about the product line she’s been hired to promote – and can weave a great description of Blue Lizard’s Australian roots and their commitment to ingredients that won’t do damage to humans or the coral reef.</p><p> The Mass Communications graduate is grateful to former profs like Dr. Teresa Keller, Dr. Mark Finney, and Brent Treash and says her breadth of experience in college has given her flexibility for the work she’s doing now. “Because the Mass Communications program isn’t focused on just one skill set, I was able to learn about marketing before I realized that was the world I would be entering. I was very broadcasting/television focused at E&H as a student; however, I was able to change and adapt after college because I had had classes in social media, marketing and graphic design on top of participating in EHCTV, WEHC 90.7, and electronic media courses.”</p><p> Now she’s learning literally every facet of the work done by her employer and the elements needed to make their products successful. She is writing, blogging, photographing, emailing, and doing a lot of communicating….talking to customers, talking with other marketing partners, talking to people all over the United States. “Being a Mass Communications graduate, it’s obvious I love, love love to communicate!”</p><p> “Overall, this job is teaching me to appreciate every step and every person involved in a company–big or small. From marketing to the lab to the warehouse, every job is important. The marketing staffers recently got recruited to to add neck-tie labels to about 6,000 tubes of sunscreen! Sometimes duty calls: we are a small and growing team, so there has to be willingness to adapt to what’s needed to be done.”</p><p>  </p><p> Abby is another E&H grad who has completed her college days with self-confidence and a unique set of skills. “Emory & Henry College prepared me in so many ways. I was able to soar outside of the walls of Emory & Henry–which I think is every senior’s deathly fear after being involved in such a close-knit community for years.”</p><p>  </p><p><a href="https://www.ehc.edu/live/image/gid/68/width/1000/6070_53817009_2293269727602631_4509757811609042944_n.jpg" class="lw_preview_image"><img width="1000" height="370" alt="Abby Hathorn and a coworker doing photography for Blue Lizard Sunscreen promotions." src="/live/image/gid/68/width/1000/height/370/6070_53817009_2293269727602631_4509757811609042944_n.rev.1553045902.jpg" class="lw_image lw_image6070 lw_align_left lw_column_width_full" data-max-w="851" data-max-h="315"/><span class="lw_image_caption lw_column_width_full lw_align_left" style="width: 1000px">Abby Hathorn and a coworker doing photography for Blue Lizard Sunscreen promotions.</span></a></p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2582-abby-hathorn" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/791-brent-treash" title="Brent Treash" aria-label="Brent Treash"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/568_brent.rev.1505410086.jpg" alt="Brent Treash" title="Brent Treash" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/568_brent.rev.1505410086.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1000" data-max-h="666"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/791-brent-treash"><p> An E&H alumnus is the top dog at Bristol’s biggest music festival this year.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p><strong>Emory & Henry</strong> has more in common with Bristol’s <strong><a href="http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/festival/">Rhythm & Roots</a></strong> event than just an ampersand: we also share Brent Treash.</p><p> Brent is a 2001 Emory & Henry grad who works in the College’s communications office…AND he is the 2017 chair of the biggest music festival in the region. Bristol’s Rhythm & Roots Reunion boasts of nearly 80,000 patrons in 2016 – including the nearly 500 musicians and countless food and merchandise vendors.</p><p> Brent got involved with Rhythm & Roots because local organizers wanted to pick his brain about jambands. While the festival takes place in the city that proudly hails as the Birthplace of Country Music, the event prides itself in offering a wide range of music styles. Brent says that’s very intentional. “When The Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers recorded those first songs at the event now called ‘The Bristol Sessions’ they were sharing a new kind of music with the world. We like to think that Rhythm & Roots does the same thing; it exposes the audience to new bands and new music styles.”</p><p> Those early Bristol Sessions are now considered the big bang of country music – <em>Keep on the Sunny Side</em> being the genesis that led to <em>Mama’s Broken Heart</em>. The big Rhythm & Roots festival celebrates all those nuances of country music (Dwight Yoakam is headlining this year) while also giving you a taste of blues, rock, folk, Americana, and more.</p><p> Brent has been on the Rhythm & Roots board for a decade so he has seen every aspect of the event: from tickets to stage set-up to cleanup. The contacts list on his phone can get you to hundreds of bands and just as many music managers. He is a walking Wikipedia of musicians, music, and music history. But in the end, he still enjoys the music. “The festival roster has no shortage of legendary musicians, but I love that our event has become a place where people come to discover new talent. We’ve been fortunate in the past to have artists like the Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson and St. Paul and the Broken Bones as they were just starting their careers. People come to Bristol each September looking for the next big thing. This year we have a Canadian singer-songwriter with a deep baritone voice named Colter Wall. He might be the best songwriter I’ve heard in several years.”</p><p> Brent also serves on the board of directors for the festival’s parent organization the Birthplace of Country Music.</p><p> In addition, he does a weekly radio show on WEHC 90.7 that highlights some of the great music discoverable at Rhythm & Roots. And his thoughts are never far from the event. “Every year we start planning earlier and earlier for the following year. I’m getting messages on a daily basis about bookings for 2018.”</p><p> Planning an event this huge doesn’t come without a share of disappointments and Brent occasionally has to suffer the pain of losing a band or performer he was really set on having at the event. But with a festival that features nearly 130 different acts, there will be music aplenty to console his broken heart.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/791-brent-treash" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/683-" title="Victor Trussell" aria-label="Victor Trussell"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,33,533,566/322_Victor_Trussell.rev.1499440958.jpg" alt="Victor Trussell" title="Victor Trussell" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="533" data-max-h="800"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/683-"><p> Victor Trussell ’13 starting acting on a whim – and now he’s acting professionally.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Victor says he started acting his freshman year of high school, enjoyed it so much he majored in theatre at Emory & Henry, and now he on the stage all the time.</p><p> “I have been performing with a variety of different professional theatre companies since graduation. I have toured the country multiple times with companies like Bright Star Touring Theatre and The National Theatre for Children, both listed by Backstage as ’12 Touring Theater Companies That Make a Difference.’” Not only has acting become his vocation, but he is proud of the impact he is having on school kids.  “These experiences have allowed me to perform for thousands of children, educating them on a range of topics spanning from historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. to the importance of energy conservation.”</p><p> His range of theatre involvement shows an amazing array of skills. He has performed with <em>Trumpet in the Land</em>, a historical outdoor drama in New Philadelphia, Ohio, that tells the story of frontier Ohio.  And he has also been in <em>Hairspray</em>, <em>Les Miserables</em>, and even <em>Winnie the Pooh</em>.</p><p> In the summer of 2016, Victor will be performing at the Tecumseh Theater in Ohio doing Shakespeare. “Either <em>The Tempest</em> or <em>Macbeth</em>, or both!”</p><p> Victor is also a playwright. His one-act play <em>Millennial Show</em> has been published in the first edition of <em>Young Scribblers</em>, a publication started by fellow E&H alum Forrest Williams (E&H ’16). “The play, in the form of a variety show, pokes fun at generational stereotypes as well as challenges the ‘problems’ young people face today. Taken from real interviews, <em>Millennial Show</em> also features commentary on related topics addressed within the play.”</p><p> Victor ended up at Emory & Henry because he “loved the intimacy of the campus and classes. I had a ton of hands-on experience in the theatre department.” He is planning to use that experience to keep on writing and performing and inspiring others.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/683-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2543-dr-clarissa-tatum" title="Dr. Clarissa Tatum" aria-label="Dr. Clarissa Tatum"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,5,127,132/6005_EASTMAN_u772853_LThumb.rev.1551199284.jpg" alt="Dr. Clarissa Tatum" title="Dr. Clarissa Tatum" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="127" data-max-h="192"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2543-dr-clarissa-tatum"/></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Clarissa Tatum was a chemistry major at Emory & Henry, and played tennis on the varsity team.</p><p> These days she is a research chemist at Eastman Chemical Company focusing on a polymeric fiber product used in a number of applications.  Aside from developing and optimizing product applications, she also oversees the product’s analytical testing lab and provides technical assistance to customers.</p><p> She serves as a representative on the E&H Alumni Board of Directors and is a volunteer for an alumni event called “E&H in the City” where alumni are invited to a happy hour event in order to meet other grads in their neighborhood. In 2018, more than 600 alumni participated in this all-volunteer-led event. </p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2543-dr-clarissa-tatum" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/792-bronie-reynolds" title="Bronie Reynolds" aria-label="Bronie Reynolds"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,499,543/565_bronie.rev.1505403379.jpg" alt="Bronie Reynolds" title="Bronie Reynolds" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="499" data-max-h="543"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/792-bronie-reynolds"><p> Did you ever wonder who picks the best referees in the country? Turns our Bronie Reynolds (right, E&H ’84) is one of those people.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><blockquote><p> She picks the refs who make the big calls. </p></blockquote><p> Bronie Reynolds (E&H ’84, E&H Hall of Fame basketball point guard) laughs with glee as she recalls how Dave Thomas used a dust spray around the edges of the E&H basketball court. “He took such good care of the King Center…and we all knew if you got much beyond the court lines during a game, you’d slide all over the place because he had dusted over there!”</p><p> These days Bronie is looking at basketball from a different vantage point. She is one of a handful of people who evaluate basketball referees. She works for Charlene Curtis – former basketball standout and Hall Of Famer from Radford University who selects and assigns the Women’s Basketball Officials for the ACC, Big South, Southern and Colonial Conferences.  Bronie has known Ms. Curtis for a long time. “Coach Curtis, as I refer to her since I worked under her as her Graduate Assistant Coach at Radford University in 1984, is also responsible for the evaluation of the officials for those conferences.  She has to hire Neutral Observers, like me, to help her fulfill the expectations of each conference to have the best officials on the floor for every game. “</p><p> During the summer, she attends a camp where new officials try to break into conferences like the ACC and current officials try to vie for a better spot on the referee totem pole. Bronie says it’s very competitive. “Every year they’re all evaluated – so they have to be on their best game. They have to stay in shape physically, they must know the rules, and they need to appear invisible on the court. There is always someone trying to get their spot.”</p><p> She has a “day job,” too. She is Business Manager for Blue Spiral Consulting and an Insurance Consultant for Blue Ridge Insurance Services. However, throughout the year she watches tapes of games and attends games, and she gets to watch a lot of her favorite sport. “I get paid to watch basketball! Who can complain about that!?”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/792-bronie-reynolds" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1924-major-warner" title="Major Warner" aria-label="Major Warner"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/43,48,449,456/3461_mwarner.rev.1520382856.JPG" alt="Major Warner" title="Major Warner" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="480" data-max-h="640"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1924-major-warner"><p> Major Warner, a 1991 Emory & Henry graduate, is Associate Superintendent for Instruction with Fauquier County Schools.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Major Warner, a 1991 Emory & Henry graduate, is Associate Superintendent for Instruction with Fauquier County Schools.<br/><br/> He  is a 1987 graduate of Fauquier High School. He was a standout basketball player at Emory & Henry, and is a member of the E&H Sports Hall of Fame. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management.<br/><br/> His work with students began when he worked as an admissions counselor for two years after graduation.  His post graduate work in counseling began with a  two-year program at  Tennessee Tech University, where  he finished ahead of schedule in 1.5 years.   <br/><br/> In 1996, Warner returned to Fauquier County where he worked at Liberty High School as a guidance counselor for four years.   During this time Major began his postgraduate work in Educational Leadership with the University of Virginia,  that would eventually allow him to serve as assistant principal at both Parkview High School in Loudoun County and Battlefield High School in Prince William County.   <br/><br/> He was selected as principal of Kettle Run High School in 2007 serving for 10 years in this capacity.  He currently serves as the Associate Superintendent for Instruction with Fauquier County Schools. <br/><br/> In 2015, Warner won the The Washington’s Post Distinguished Educational Leader from Fauquier County.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1924-major-warner" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1228-auburn-barrett" title="Auburn Barrett" aria-label="Auburn Barrett"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,7,265,272/1709_auburn_barrett.rev.1513720110.jpg" alt="Auburn Barrett" title="Auburn Barrett" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="265" data-max-h="392"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1228-auburn-barrett"/></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><div> Auburn was an Athletic Training student at Emory & Henry, and is currently serving as an athletic trainer hired by a hospital. She is also contracted out to work sporting events at a local middle school. She worked as a Physical Therapy Tech during the summer after she graduated from college.</div><div/><div/></div><a href="/live/profiles/1228-auburn-barrett" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2055-nicole-powell" title="Nicole Powell" aria-label="Nicole Powell"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,24,1139,1161/4101_Nicole.rev.1525361616.png" alt="Nicole Powell" title="Nicole Powell" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,24,1139,1161/4101_Nicole.rev.1525361616.png 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,24,1139,1161/4101_Nicole.rev.1525361616.png 3x" data-max-w="1139" data-max-h="2017"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2055-nicole-powell"><p> Nicole Powell’s life is a like a zoo …and she loves it that way!</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Nicole Powell has a nose for career success; but when it comes to stinky barns, she can’t smell a thing.</p><p> Nicole is currently a “Swing Keeper” at the Memphis Zoo – which means she gets to move around from one area to another depending on where she’s needed. One day she might be bottle-feeding baby goats, and another day she’s helping  African Red River Hogs take a dip in the swimming pool. Nicole says they have young visitors who won’t go into some of the places where she works because they say it smells so bad; “but honestly, I smell nothing!”</p><p> Nicole was a Biology major (Chemistry minor), and she’s known for a long time this is the kind of work she wanted to do. At the end of her junior year at Emory & Henry she did an unpaid internship at the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri.  But zoo work doesn’t come easily.</p><p> She has sent out 130 job applications. After graduation, she completed additional unpaid internships in Columbus, Ohio, and New Orleans. Nicole says most descriptions for job openings ask for several years of paid experience but sometimes they’ll accept unpaid work because they expect up-and-comers to do that. “Three internships is average, but some do five.”</p><p> She’s happy to have this job in Memphis, even if it is only a part-time position. She understands that this is how it works: you get in the system and then you have the chance to move around to the best zoos and bigger jobs. When the chance arises, “I have to take the opportunity.”</p><p> Nicole admits to wishing she could get back a bit closer to her home state of North Carolina, but she is willing to do what she needs to do in order to get closer to a fulltime, fulfilling career in zoo work, especially if it’s a chance to work with giraffes. “I’d move anywhere for that job!”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2055-nicole-powell" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1954-scott-sikes" title="Scott Sikes" aria-label="Scott Sikes"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,21,867,888/3489_Scott_Headshot.rev.1520632128.jpg" alt="Scott Sikes" title="Scott Sikes" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,21,867,888/3489_Scott_Headshot.rev.1520632128.jpg 2x" data-max-w="867" data-max-h="910"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1954-scott-sikes"><p> Scott Sikes is a Senior Sales Representative for W.W. Norton Publishing.</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><div> Scott was a Senior Sales Representative for W.W. Norton Publishing, but now he is serving in the Emory & Henry Appalachian Center. He is a PhD candidate pursuing a degree in Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee. <br/><br/> A busy community advocate, Scott recently finished his stint as president of the E&H Alumni Board of Directors and has been president of the board for Abingdon Main Street. He serves on the board for the Highlands Educational Literacy Program, and is active in the Washington County Rotary Club.<br/><br/> Scott takes pride in having been a Bonner Scholar and was a first-generation college student.<br/><br/> “Being active and involved in my community is definitely a value instilled in me at Emory & Henry, and my experience as a student there helped me understand that citizenship is about taking an active role; I also learned from so many of my professors the importance of simply being a good neighbor; I particularly want to give back to the College out of the tremendous appreciation for the role it played in shaping my life.”</div></div><a href="/live/profiles/1954-scott-sikes" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2461-emma-sturgill" title="Emma Sturgill" aria-label="Emma Sturgill"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,960,960/5661_Emma_sturgill.rev.1542300590.jpg" alt="Emma Sturgill" title="Emma Sturgill" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,960,960/5661_Emma_sturgill.rev.1542300590.jpg 2x" data-max-w="960" data-max-h="960"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2461-emma-sturgill"><p> Emma Sturgill is a scientific researcher <em>and</em> an entrepreneur. </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Emma Sturgill, PhD, graduated from the Emory & Henry College in 2009 with a degree in Biology. She continued her education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, to study the activity of cytoskeletal proteins during cell division.  Upon obtaining her PhD in Cell Biology in 2014, Emma launched a biotechnology company, PurSolutions, LLC that specializes in protein manufacturing and self-assembling technologies. <br/><br/> PurSolutions, LLC is a startup biotechnology company located in Nashville that works to harness cytoskeletal proteins for self-assembly innovations and advancements in research. They operate under the premise that nature has devised the most powerful and efficient mechanisms imaginable, and work at the intersection of biology and engineering to harness natural phenomena for synthetic applications. They work to supply premium quality cytoskeletal proteins as easily accessible reagents and harness the cytoskeleton for self-assembling materials and devices.</p><p> Emma describes her work this way: “The ‘cytoskeleton’ is the cell’s internal skeleton.  It is made of protein building blocks that constantly rearrange in order to allow the cell to move and have shape.  At PurSolutions, we purify the individual protein building blocks away from the rest of the cell so that researchers can study them in isolation.  Researchers use our protein products to better understand the life of the cell and what goes wrong during human disease.”</p><p> She says she owes her fascination for cell biology to Emory & Henry. “Learning that the cell, the most basic unit of life, has molecular transport highways, power plants, assembly lines, and information data banks opened my eyes to the dynamic, microscopic world that is the center of human health and disease.  The emphasis that E&H places on the liberal arts and community service further encouraged me to work at the intersection of multiple disciplines, including entrepreneurship and education.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2461-emma-sturgill" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/2551-joshua-lee" title="Joshua Lee" aria-label="Joshua Lee"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/56,156,854,954/6044_Joshua_Lee_Pic_2019.rev.1551974189.jpg" alt="Joshua Lee" title="Joshua Lee" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/56,156,854,954/6044_Joshua_Lee_Pic_2019.rev.1551974189.jpg 2x" data-max-w="854" data-max-h="1280"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/2551-joshua-lee"><p> Josh Lee is an attorney in Charlotte, North Carolina</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Joshua graduated from Emory & Henry in 2013, and finished his Juris Doctor Degree at Charlotte School of Law in 2016. He also studied abroad at the University College at Cork in 2011. Joshua says that E&H helping him study abroad was the best experience he had in college and the biggest educational experience he had throughout his college career. “The professors at E&H, such as Dr. Gaia, were phenomenal in helping me accomplish my dream of living in Ireland and traveling Europe.”</p><p> He is currently an Associate Attorney at Emblem Legal, PLLC where he practices family law and juvenile defense. </p><p> He has been working toward this goal since his high school years when he was an intern in the Ward Law Firm in Grundy, Virginia, researching statutes and case law regarding criminal matters. He got his feet wet compiling and organizing legal documentation and evidence for use at trial, and he shadowed an attorney working on misdemeanors and homicide matters.</p><p> Later he would do additional intern and extern work at Ingalls Law in Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office.  </p><p> In addition to his work for Emblem Legal, he is also a community manager for Startup Grind, an independent start-up community connecting thousands of entrepreneurs. Joshua is also active with the Mecklenburg County Bar and on their juvenile defense list where he regularly defends juveniles accused of committing various crimes. </p><p> Joshua says his days at Emory & Henry were important because he fully believes E&H prepared him for the rigorous experience that was law school. He says that the professors at E&H always went above and beyond to answer any questions he had regarding class or life in general. They helped him make the decision to eventually become the attorney that he is today.</p><p> You can find Joshua at: https://www.emblemlegal.com/joshua-lee</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/2551-joshua-lee" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/1746-cathy-cuskey-large" title="Cathy Large" aria-label="Cathy Large"><img src="/live/image/gid/68/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/201,93,535,426/3153_cuskey_large.rev.1518207527.jpg" alt="Cathy Cuskey Large" title="Cathy Cuskey Large" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="604" data-max-h="453"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/1746-cathy-cuskey-large"/></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Cathy Cuskey Large (’93) used to avoid physics like the plague: so, of course, she is now flourishing as a Medical Physicist.</p><p> “I took physics in high school and just hated it. But I had a teacher at Virginia Highlands Community College who made me love it.”</p><p> So she transferred to Emory & Henry, graduated with a major in physics and a minor in math, and then headed to UT for a master’s in physics. While there she ventured into the engineering department to explore a more applications-based area of physics (less theoretic), and that’s where she first heard about medical physics. She’s never looked back.</p><p> She has worked at the clinic level where she had to implement logistics necessary to make it safe for cancer patients and health workers to be around radiation treatment. “We even have to take into consideration someone who might be working on the roof on a given day.”</p><p> Her work there involved everything from selecting proper building materials to measuring wall widths. These days she’s working for Phillips Medical as a consultant, and is writing algorithms for the administration of radiation. “It’s a great career, and there aren’t a lot of people doing this – so there are great opportunities for new grads.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/1746-cathy-cuskey-large" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/701-" title="Will Wadlington" aria-label="Will Wadlington"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,411,441/351_22190fabaa5cf5891f3c9f97021a2c3b_f7834.rev.1500384865.jpg" alt="Will Wadlington" title="Will Wadlington" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="411" data-max-h="441"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/701-"><p> Salad Days </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Will Wadlington (’08) recently shared a little tidbit:</p><p> “You may like to know I just accepted a new position as Lettuce Breeder, fyi.”</p><p> How could we not have follow up questions??</p><p> He recently defended his Ph. D. work in Plant Biology at the University of Illinois, and his current research is on spinach sex chromosomes. Working at Everglades Research & Education Center, Dr. Wadlington says they are doing research to determine how plants control whether they are male or female. “We don’t really know how plants do that, so I’m researching how spinach (my specialty) and also papaya use sex chromosomes to have male or female plants.  It’s basic research to figure out how botany works.”</p><p> Turns out there’s an advantage to being able to change the sex of spinach: “I developed a variety of spinach that makes YY spinach (not XX not XY but with two Y’s).  Breeders use those for seed production to make the most pollen.”</p><p> His next post-doc job will be working with lettuce. In particular, he’s looking at making lettuce more disease-resistant.  “Lettuce in the field gets pathogens sometimes and it can ruin a crop or make them ugly.  We are finding varieties that are resistant to common diseases so we can then breed naturally occurring resistance genes into major lines.”</p><p> The hope is for less food waste and higher quality produce – which is great for growers, but also for the environment. “Disease-resistant lettuce requires fewer chemical sprays when cultivated, so it’s cheaper to produce, better for the environment, and great for the people that work in the fields and eat salads.”</p><p> Let-us all hope for Will’s success.</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/701-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
• <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/705-" title="John Honeycutt" aria-label="John Honeycutt"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/355_cb05c7c2dda509f77c32d255409bb14f_f3246.rev.1500387149.jpg" alt="John Honeycutt" title="John Honeycutt" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/355_cb05c7c2dda509f77c32d255409bb14f_f3246.rev.1500387149.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1000" data-max-h="666"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/705-"><p> John Honeycutt: Successful Attorney </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> John Honeycutt said his experiences as a student at Emory & Henry reached far beyond the four walls and whiteboard, making a positive impact in his life a decade later.</p><p> As an attorney in Abingdon, Va., Honeycutt believes his college experience opened the door for his eventual profession.</p><p> “Becoming an attorney was not a driving force for me during college, but I enjoyed the legal classes I took through the political science department and eventually decided the study of law was more than a passing interest for me,” he said.</p><p> Honeycutt credits many members of the College community, including political science professor <a class="soft-link" title="View Dr. Joe Lane's profile page" href="http://www.ehc.edu/profile/view/822/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Joe Lane</a>, for building his confidence.</p><blockquote><a class="soft-link" title="View Dr. Joe Lane's profile page" href="http://www.ehc.edu/profile/view/822/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Lane</a> helped me become a big fish in a small pond, but at the same time, he made sure I knew there were lakes and oceans out there. When I got to the ‘lakes’ and ‘oceans,’ I wasn’t shocked by the fact that smart, capable people are everywhere. Instead, I knew I was one of them and found my own place.<a title="Learn more about this outstanding Emory and Henry College alum" href="http://www.pennstuart.com/attorneys/jhoneycutt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Honeycutt</a><br/> Attorney</blockquote><h2> A Successful Struggle</h2><p> As is typical for many college students, Honeycutt struggled early on to find the right academic path. “I come from a family of ministers, and I initially took a lot of religion courses with <a class="soft-link" title="View Dr. Joseph Reiff's profile page" href="http://www.ehc.edu/profile/view/888/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Reiff</a> and Dr. Kellogg,” he said. “I was close to going down the path of religion for my major and profession, but I was never quite as comfortable and confident with religion as I am with the law.  It’s funny how things work out.  I really appreciate what Joe Reiff and Fred Kellogg taught me. What I learned from them was a vital part of my E&H experience.”</p><p> Following graduation from E&H, Honeycutt earned a Masters of Public Administration at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before attending the College of Law at University of Tennessee. For the past four years, he has practiced employment law at Penn, Stuart & Eskridge in Abingdon, primarily representing employers in workers’ compensation claims filed by their employees. He also represents employers in federal employment discrimination law suits.</p><p> “E&H challenged and grew my capacity to work hard,” said Honeycutt. “When I was in graduate school and law school, I drew on the experience of classes I took from Dr. Lane, Dr. Kathleen Chamberlain, and Dr. Joe Reiff to get me through. The papers, tests, and presentations for these classes made me realize I had to be better to be successful. Those challenges pushed my limits, and when I got to graduate school and law school, I was able to handle the difficulty when other students from less strenuous undergraduate institutions could not.”</p><p> Honeycutt said E&H helped him learn about work ethic and self-awareness. “Most any institution of higher education can teach students facts and figures, but E&H does better than most,” he said. “What sets E&H apart, however, is the unique environment in which it teaches students those facts and figures. To those students who engage the entire college community, E&H provides context better than any other institution of higher education I’ve seen.”</p><p> He added, “I also appreciate my experience at the College because it’s where I met some wonderful friends with whom I’m still close more than 10 years later. I also met my wife, Jenna, while we were students at E&H.  We have a precious little girl, Anna Claire.  We love her, and we’re so proud of her.”</p><div id="social-sharing-links" class="right clearfix"/></div><a href="/live/profiles/705-" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>