Contributors

CONTRIBUTORS (Appearing in alphabetical order)

Melanie Boll is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration from Bellevue University. She resides in a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina with her cat, Theo, and other local wildlife (her alarm clock is a distant donkey bray). Although she works full-time in a retail environment, she makes sure to find time for her hobbies of reading, hiking, and cooking. Boll has been lucky to travel to places such as Hawaii and Italy. She has even had the opportunity to experience bungee jumping in Switzerland. Her favorite place to visit is Cherry Grove Beach in South Carolina.

Octayvia Symon Clemons holds a bachelor’s degree in Security Studies (Angelo State University), and she is pursuing a master’s degree in Cyber Security (Bellevue University). Clemons worked at Geek Squad as a consultant agent for five years before leaving to pursue a graduate degree full time at Bellevue University. Originally from Sumter, South Carolina, she had the opportunity to live in three other states until her father, a twentyyear Army Veteran retired at Fort Hood, Texas. Texas is now home for Clemons and hosts her accomplishments. During her undergraduate education, she earned certification in cybersecurity from Angelo State University, thereafter moving on to receive awards and recognition from her place of work. Clemons comes from a family-orientated family; they focus on love, education, and happiness. Her family provides continuous support for all her endeavors and accomplishments.

Tara Dailey has had a deep interest in anything artistic and crafts-related for as long as she can remember; hence, she has a need to create. Dailey grew up watching her parents and grandparents do different creative things, but watching her grandfather, Henry Gene Hauser, draw is what influenced her the most in the beginning. He showed so much dedication to his art by working in many media and mastering whatever he could. While in the hospital for rheumatic fever during his service in the army in the 1940’s, he held his pencils in his mouth because he couldn’t use his hands. He had also trained himself to be ambidextrous and could carve and draw just as well

with his left hand. He taught Dailey what tips and tricks he could, and she attributes her talent to him to this day. Dailey still wouldn’t be where she is now if it weren’t for her family and friends who pushed her to keep going and tested her abilities.

Both sides of Dailey’s family are filled with creators and artistic people, which leads her to believe that her talent is a gift given to her. She needs to use it and share it with the world. This is what leads her to design today. In a growing digital world, Graphic Design is the best way to use her skills as an artist, to use design as a translator for the world’s problems and cares.

Caroline Feig currently attends Bellevue University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biology while also minoring in Chemistry. Feig was born in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. She is a former resident of Oregon where her father was born and raised before entering the military. She is interested in Pharmacy school, having worked at St. Charles Medical Center as a pharmacy technician in Bend, Oregon. Feig transferred from Lane Community College, and she hopes to join her fellow classmates in running Cross Country and Track & Field for Bellevue University. Some of her favorite activities are spending time fishing with her boyfriend, buying plants with her lab partners, working in the greenhouse, and being at home with her cat. This is Feig’s first time publicly sharing her experimental project through her schooling and appreciates the help of her teacher, Dr. Moore for his mentoring. For fun and amusement, Feig writes stories and non-fiction, reads books and medical journals, as well as plays the guitar, the drums, and table tennis. She also recently learned she likes making sauerkraut.

Alisiara Hobbs (Ali) was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas by her parents Joe and Tiffany Hobbs. Majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry, she is finishing her second year at Bellevue University. Having an interest in helping people since a young age, she wants to pursue a career in the medical field. Being a part of the University’s Cross Country and Track team, Hobbs is also passionate about running, and she likes to spend her free time collecting house plants, trying new recipes, and skateboarding. Hobbs and her lab partners contribute the success of this experiment to Dr. Tyler Moore for his persistence and knowledgeable insight throughout the project.

Blair Hopkins is a New Orleans-based photojournalist and lifelong adultindustry professional. As the Deputy Director of SWOP Behind Bars, she hosts and produces our podcast, All in A Day's (Sex) Work, and has published a book of the same name.

“Well, they say you are supposed to face your fears.” That is what I was telling myself as I applied to Bellevue University. I am a forty-somethingyear-old, non-traditional student returning to school after a twenty-year hiatus. I graduated in 2000 with an Associate of Science as in Occupational Therapy. Being out of school for that long can cast doubt on one’s ability to do it again. I was no exception. I love being an Occupational Therapy Assistant, but I felt I had exhausted my possibilities with that degree after twenty years. Returning to school was a daunting idea. The fear of being unsuccessful at school nearly stopped me. It was laborious to balance working full time, being a full-time student, and full-time husband and dad. However, I was determined, and I started to gain confidence after receiving a few good grades. At one point, my professor asked if he could submit some of my work to the Bellwether, and I consented. Now, I have nearly completed my bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management. I am looking forward and looking up. I am excited by the possibilities in front of me, but I remember the fear and doubt when I glance back. The fear and doubt have dissolved into gratitude and optimism. Being a part of the Bellwether is validating; I made the right choice to face my fears. I am thankful and honored to have my work recognized in this way. Thank you, Seth

McDermott.

Morgan McIlnay just finished her freshman year at Bellevue University. McIlnay was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and she went to Millard North High School. She has a big family, which includes her parents, two sisters, two brothers, and two dogs. While conquering her courses this year, she had the opportunity to play Bellevue University Women’s Soccer. She has played soccer her entire life, but she also enjoys shopping, bike riding, traveling, swimming, and anything involving friends and family as other interests. She is an outgoing, kind, hardworking, and laughable person. Her goals after college are to become a child and adolescent behavioral therapist. She enjoys helping others and always tries to picture herself in others’ shoes so that she can better understand them. The published ethnography in this publication represents a situation where she dove deep into other people’s lives, learned about them, and produced a positive outcome.

Zane Leyden is from Firth, Nebraska, and he graduated from Norris High School in 2020. Leyden played football, basketball, and baseball in high school but also did choir and show choir. He just finished his first year at Bellevue University and also plays baseball. Leyden hasn’t declared his major yet, but he has been leaning toward Computer Information Systems. In his freetime, Leyden enjoys hanging out with friends, being outdoors, and traveling.

Megan O’Brien is a recent graduate of the Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Bellevue University. She is also a full-time Cast Member at the Walt Disney World Resort where she is an Animal Keeper on the Primate-Carnivore team. Her coworkers currently include gorillas, tigers, mandrills, gibbons, and bats. Megan describes herself as both a “people-person” and an “animal-person,” which is largely what inspired her to pursue her Master’s Degree in this field. Her research was inspired by her networking experiences and her genuine curiosity about how to improve the employee experience in the workplace.

Megan grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, which is a suburb of Philadelphia. She moved to South Carolina after high school to pursue her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Clemson University. She currently resides in Central Florida with her boyfriend and their two dogs.

Elyse Rawlson graduated with an undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies in 1987. Thirty-two years later, Rawlson began to pursue her master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Her main occupation for the last few decades has been a stay-at-home mom and homeschool educator. Homeschooling her children and seeing them grow and learn has been her greatest joy and accomplishment over the past twenty years. When she returned to school, she did not know what she wanted to achieve aside from receiving the degree. Rawlson has always loved writing but has never had the opportunity to write and research at this level. The experience has helped confirm the path she wants to pursue for her future. Following graduation, she plans to pursue her Ph.D. so that she can continue to write, research, and teach. About three years from now, she will finish her formal education with a Ph.D. at the same time her youngest child will graduate from high school, essentially graduating from homeschooling and receiving a terminal degree at the same time. She is very excited about her future and all the opportunities to continue learning and growing. Rawlson has been in school or teaching school since she was four years old and cannot wait to pursue the next steps in her education and career.

Lorena Ramirez is an Omaha/ Bellevue native raised by her parents, Francis and Ana Ramirez. Starting her freshman year, Ramirez was unsure of what she wanted to pursue in life. Once she fell in love with the medical field, she quickly switched her business major to a biology major during her sophomore year. Ramirez is now majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, and she is pursuing a career as a physician’s assistant. She hopes to find her niche as a PA and to dive into learning and helping others. Ramirez is a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field team at Bellevue University where she is very competitive. She has a strong passion

for creating art, drawing, painting, working with kids, and spending time with family. She can also make a mean apple pie.

Jennifer Ross: Sweet cream puff or one tough cookie? Originally from El Paso, Texas, Ross began her professional career in 2008 educating the LGBTQIA+ community on available resources. After completing her undergraduate Human Services degree in 2009, she was accepted into the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health in Nevada while becoming a single mother of two. She worked several jobs to support her family, and despite finishing all her classes, the degree was not conferred. In 2011, she met her husband, who emotionally supported her endeavors while she reestablished her confidence. Ross began her corporate career in 2014 and began pursuing a master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Bellevue University in 2018. In the year that shall not be named (2020), Ross and the rest of the world rode the worst rollercoaster in existence. Determined not to let history repeat itself, she completed her degree in 2021.

Ross combines her passion for human behavior with corporate business strategies and organizational development. Her education enables her to identify, implement, and analyze situations to be a more impactful presence capable of creating social change. Currently living in California, she enjoys her family time – including hiking, sports, camping, and making TikToks with her husband, children, and fur-baby. In her spare time, she is an avid decorative dagger and dragon collector. What did you decide? Is Jennifer Ross a sweet cream puff or tough cookie? Ross has proven that a person can be both; she is a sweet, tough cookie.

Saidah Scott is a native of Detroit, Michigan and earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, minoring in Marketing from Hampton University in 2014. She went on to Bellevue University where she earned her master’s degree in Strategic Marketing this year. Scott has a creative mind and strives to use her talents to help others achieve their goals. She enjoys reading, ice skating, coordinating and planning events, and giving back to the community. Scott is meticulous and vigilant about all her work, taking extreme pride in every project she takes on. She hopes give back to the community by teaching at the collegiate level and instilling her passion in others.

Eric Tijerina is a first-generation American, born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Tijerina spent his time on distance running and video games until he enrolled at Texas State University. Majoring in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) while also in the Air Force Reserve Officer

Training Corps, he was able to commission into the United States Air Force as an Aircraft Maintenance officer. Although, Tijerina did not get to utilize my GIS education, but he’s been fortunate enough to learn a great deal on communication, leadership, logistics, and people through his career in the Air Force. His experience in management, along with a big interest in technology, have led him to the Bellevue Management in Information Systems program. He would love to enter the technology workforce someday and contribute to these exciting times. He currently teaches at LSU as an Air Force ROTC instructor. While he has no family at the moment, he plans to start off with maybe getting a cactus.

Tijerina sends a big thank you to his Bellevue University professors over the years that have introduced him to a higher standard of business practices and project management tools. He has been able to bring to them to his workplace. He is surprised and an honored to have been nominated, so he says, “Thank you!”

Cheryl Welch currently works for the Midwest Regional Office of the National Park Service located in Omaha, NE. As the Technology Officer, she is responsible for contributing to national discussions on Information Technology (IT) policy and procedures and verifying that they are implemented properly to the national parks in the region.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Emporia State University. When teaching didn’t pan out, she attended the Washburn Institute of Technology to obtain her IT certificates. Twenty years later, she decided to challenge herself, and her supervisor recommended Bellevue University, her alma mater. She is currently earning her Master of Science in Management Information Systems with a concentration in Project Management.

Education is very important to her family. Her daughter is a graduate of Kansas State University and is currently working on her MBA at Washburn University. Her son attended the Washburn Institute of Technology also and has his associate’s degree in Culinary Arts from Washburn University.