The Easterner Senior Issue Class of 2020

Congratulations Volume 103

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Special Edition

Class of

Photo by Ryan Gaard

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Multimedia Director/ Co-Managing Editor Malati Powell easterner.multimedia@gmail.com

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Editorial

Welcome to our special commencement issue

Sports Editor/ Co-Managing Editor Drew Lawson easterner.sports@gmail.com News Editor Randle Kinswa easterner.news@gmail.com Malati Powell for The Easterner

Copy Editors Lauren Reichenbach Web Editor Keri Kelly easterner.online@gmail.com Social Media Editor Isaiah Gessner easterner.social@gmail.com Photographer Mckenzie Ford Reporters Ben Blakney Star Dragon Emily Driskel Aaron Hutchinson Karlee Van De Venter Director of Student Newspaper Jeff Bunch jbunch@ewu.edu Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely jneely@ewu.edu

DREW LAWSON Co-Managing Editor & Sports Editor Hello Easterner readers, and welcome to our special commencement issue, which celebrates the accomplished Class of 2020.

To all the graduating seniors: Congratulations! Earning a degree, no matter the level, area of study or cumulative GPA is a feat worth recognizing. We hope this special issue aids in your celebration.

Before I start breaking down all the content you’ll see in this issue, I’d love to give you a few words of advice as a graduating senior myself.

• Take the time to thank your favorite faculty member.

Without our professors and advisers, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this feat of getting a college degree.

• Use your degree to try and do good in the world. Whether you’re in engineering or English, all graduating Eagles have a heightened opportunity to improve their communities.

It’s a tall order, but I believe we’re all up to the task.

• Take tons of pictures of your virtual commencement. This is a memory that will last forever, and you (and your mom) will want to relive it for generations to come.

• If you’re ever back on campus, catch a club hockey game.

They’re pretty fun.

• Follow The Easterner on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Now that you’re about to be an alum, you’ll want to stay up to date on what’s going on at your alma mater, and I know just the source for that information.

Now, here’s a little rundown of what you’ll see in this issue. This was truly a team effort, and I commend everyone on The Easterner staff for their important contributions to this project.

The content I’m most proud of, and hope you pay special attention to, is the eight features written by our writers on some outstanding EWU seniors: Miguel Calvillo, Gabrielle Marquez, Mason Peatling, Samual Hatfield, Raghda AlHmeyrat, Hunter Sheffield, Miriam Carlson and Grace Wahlman.

These seniors were selected to be featured by our editorial staff. We received nearly 40 nominations for these senior features and wish we could’ve told everyone’s stories. To us, however, these eight truly stood out, and we hope their stories reflect that.

From veterans who served our country before coming to school to those who have overcome trauma and tragedy, these features show the incredible will and determination that EWU seniors possess.

While the features are my personal favorite part of this issue, there’s plenty more for you to enjoy as you celebrate commencement with friends and family.

Our cover spread features a timeline of notable events that have taken place at EWU in the last four years. From the national championship appearance in football to the remodeled PUB opening (finally), this timeline covers it all.

There are fun pieces including exclusive confessions from the “Confessions Guy,” a crossword puzzle with buzzwords related to EWU and your one-stop guide on how to celebrate commencement using your virtual graduation kit you got in the mail. You’ll also see a compilation of EWU senior’s “Top 5” lists, including top five places to eat in Cheney and top five spots to study on campus.

There are also other articles pertinent to this year’s graduating class, including a reflection from several seniors on their favorite memories at EWU. There’s an alumni advice column, where former Eagles provide the 2020 graduating class with all the tips needed to succeed in life. There’s also an article about how seniors’ plans have changed in the wake of COVID-19.

Each and every one of The Easterner’s 12 student-staff members played an enormous role in the production of this issue, and I’m very proud of them all. I know The Easterner is in good hands moving into next year.

Our writers, which include Randle Kinswa, Lauren Reichenbach, Karlee Van De Venter, Aaron Hutchinson, Ben Blakney, Emily Driskel, Star Dragon and me, put together all the written content in this issue. That includes articles, data compilation, the timeline and senior features.

The digital team, headed up by co-managing editor Malati Powell, was in charge of all the graphics, illustration and design of this issue. Website editor Keri Kelly also put together the crossword and social media editor Isaiah Gessner gathered the confessions. Photographer Mckenzie Ford took some of the detailed images throughout this issue.

All of us at The Easterner are very excited and have relished the opportunity to help celebrate EWU graduates, and we hope this special issue helps you be proud of your accomplishment despite these uncertain times. Here’s to the Class of 2020! •

About The Easterner

MISSION We, as independent student journalists at the Easterner, inform our EWU audience of the governance, activities and views of our community. We provide a learning environment for students to engage, connect and make informed decisions.

CIRCULATION The Easterner publishes a weekly print version as well as web content during the week at www.TheEasterner. org. The Easterner is distributed throughout the Cheney campus and businesses. If you would like The Easterner to be distributed at your business call The Easterner office at 509-359-6737

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CORRECTIONS The Easterner never knowingly publishes inaccuracies. If any error is found, The Easterner is obligated to correct the error as soon as possible regardless of the source of the error.

The Easterner does not remove any editorial content from TheEasterner. org. However if there is a factual inaccuracy in a story, the editors will run a correction or an update as needed.

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EWU senior crossword

Questions compiled by Keri Kelly for The Easterner

Malati Powell for The Easterner Across 1. What musical was performed by the theatre department in 2017?

3. What is the Cheney pub that is named after a piece of metal and a farm animal?

4. Where does the EWU Climbing Club meet?

5. Where did students eat before the PUB was built?

6. Who was EWU’s new football head coach in 2017?

7. What TV show was released in 2017 and inspired by the Archie comics?

8. Who became the president of the United States when 2020 graduates were freshmen?

11. The Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships are held in what city?

12. Larry Weir is the football radio ____________ for EWU. 15. What famous movie was released in April 2019?

17. What social media platform is popular for its temporary photos and face filters?

19. What is defined as “a female organization at a college that is represented by Greek letters?”

24. What organization provides students with the opportunity to go on exciting trips?

25. What big city is close to EWU? 26. What is the oldest dorm hall on the EWU campus?

27. During the 2020 pandemic, what software did EWU’s ROTC program use to train their cadets?

29. What EWU team won against Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Championship, in 2016?

Down 2. What was the last name of the NFL quarterback who retired from the Denver Broncos in 2016?

9. What did EWU do to address food insecurity for students in 2018?

10. What restaurant’s name is defined as “a place where birds congregate”?

13. What kind of bird is Swoop?

14. What is the name of the pandemic disease sweeping the planet in 2020?

16. What website is used by EWU teachers to communicate digitally with their students?

18. What EWU club encourages women to pursue careers in STEM? 20. What department started the Coffee Club?

21. What is the mascot of Eagles’ rival in Montana?

22. What is it called when a student works with an organization to gain experience, sometimes without pay?

23. What happened in November 2019 when religious extremists visited EWU’s campus?

28. What Instagram account posts anonymous messages from EWU students?

30. What kind of party is held in the Roos Field parking lot during the fall?

31. What does an EWU 2020 graduate do after commencement? (Hint: rhymes with great)

See answers on page 16

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MIRIAM CARLSON

Carlson juggles classes, parenting and pursuit of psychology career EMILY DRISKEL Reporter

Being a full-time student in college and pursuing one major is difficult enough. Miriam Carlson, a future EWU grad, will not only graduate with two psychology degrees, but homeschools her two children and commits to volunteering in Spokane every day.

Carlson is receiving a B.S. in applied developmental psychology, a B.A. in psychology and a minor in communication studies. She said that applied developmental psychology was very hands-on.

“If you are a B.S. in psychology, you are required to do a field study,” Carlson said. “It is awesome because you get to get out there, work in the community and practice what you have learned in class.”

Carlson has homeschooled her sons Mychal, 11, and Joshua, 9, since they were in preschool. Before she started to homeschool them, she volunteered at the school they were attending three to four times a week. She enjoyed being in their classes, helping the teachers and seeing how the class structure was. Going into school psychology, she wants to be one of the support staff for teachers.

“Setting the [students] up for success is kind of what led me to going to school psychology,” Carlson said.

Carlson said that her kids are very flexible when it comes to doing their classes.

“We have done it on a quarter-toquarter basis because my classes change so much,” said Carlson. “They have been so flexible to be able to accommodate my schedule.”

Carlson grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, and lived about 40 minutes away from downtown. Her dad had a house that was right outside the city. She then moved to California and started college at Hope International University for about a year and half. At the time, she was 18 and unsure of what she wanted to do.

Carlson needed to get out of an unhealthy relationship, so she moved in with her sister in western Washington, along with her two sons. Eventually, she met her current husband, Chad, who she said has been super supportive and adopted the boys.

In western Washington, Carlson met one of her close friends, Carl Cary, about 10 years ago. They met through mutual friends and still keep in contact. Cary said that Carlson is one of the most

selfless people and will sacrifice herself for the benefit of others. She helps motivate him with her goals.

“Her story is very inspiring and could motivate other women,” said Cary. “She goes forth with beauty and passion.”

A domestic violence survivor, Carlson said her experiences led her to choose psychology as well.

“Psychology is one of those things where they have different therapies, and they have different ways of getting through that process and finding themselves,” said Carlson.

When Carlson and her family moved to Spokane about five years ago, she felt like she was ready to start school again.

At that time, Carlson knew that she wanted to pursue psychology.

Dr. Nick Jackson had C a rl s o n i n h i s a d u l t development class, and he became her adviser around the same time in the fall of 2018.

“That’s when I began to get to know her as a person,” said Jackson. “She was one of those exceptional individuals who is humble but very determined, very bright, extremely polite and cordial.”

He told Carlson to create a vita, which is a resume for professors. Jackson saw a list of accomplishments going back around 10 years.

“Every community that she was in, she was volunteering for advocacy for women who were at risk for abuse or were impoverished,” Jackson said.

“She initiated an advocacy group in her church where she did this whole training to lift self-esteem and bolster the general positive feelings of women who had been victims of abuse or neglect.”

Carlson enjoys working with young people and could see herself working in a mentorship position.

“That may be outside of school psychology, but it might just be partnering with an organization … and bringing my learning and my experiences to helping other people,” said Carlson.

Outside of homeschooling her sons and studying for college, Carlson volunteered at the Fa m i ly P r o m i s e Emergency Shelter.

She worked with guests to help serve their housing needs She also started a homework club with the children. She intends to go back when

quarantine is over.

“If this order was lifted up today, I would be there next week,” Carlson said.

“I was there every day for three hours for 10 weeks.”

Carlson also volunteers with the children at Life Center Church in Spokane. She helps structure their class and plays with them. “[The kids] open up to you because play therapy is very much a thing,” said Carlson. “I like seeing when they get picked up by their parents. They are happy, and they have this little cool art project that maybe they worked on, and they cannot wait to tell their parents about it.”

Carlson is a McNair scholar and said that this program has given her clarity when applying to graduate schools.

She got to do a research project of her own under the mentorship of Dr. Aryn Ziehnert.

Ziehnert first met Carlson in her research methods class. She eventually ended up becoming Carlson’s mentor, and they have been working together for a little over a year. She said Carlson puts 110% effort into everything she does.

“She doesn’t drop anything,” Ziehnert said. “She always has this centrality focus, just wanting to help others and engage with others in a kind, compassionate manner.”

Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart, chair of the psychology department, said she originally met Carlson to discuss advising questions about how to progress through her majors. She said Carlson is the ideal student.

“She always goes above and beyond and is amazingly humble, so I don’t think she ever gets full recognition of all of that,” said Islam-Zwart. “She is doing amazing things and is a standout student.”

Carlson is attending Gonzaga University in the fall for their school psychology program. She hopes to work in a school once she has finished this program.

“There is a huge need for school psychologists in the United States, and I think it is a really good field that is going to be amazing to be a part of,” said Carlson.

Ziehnert said she has seen Carlson bloom in her confidence as an individual.

“She is just growing in this confidence of who she is, and she has a voice that is so necessary in our world,” said Ziehnert. •

Miriam Carlson grew up in Kenya.

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

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GRACE WAHLMAN

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Wahlman finds a way through writing STAR DRAGON Reporter

in technical communication. She went on to become the vice president of the Women in Engineering Club, founder and president of the Astronomy Club, and vice president of the Rocketry Club.

“Most of my life I was trying to prove myself,” Wahlman said, “while chasing after something that wasn’t authentically me.”

While Wahlman was able to reach math classes as high as Calculus III, she still wasn’t satisfied with her achievements. During her junior year she decided to take a quarter off from school to rethink her goals.

For two months, Wahlman worked as an au pair in Pisa, Italy. During this time she read a book called “The Garden City”

by John Mark Comer. “‘The Garden City’ is about using your gifts that you already have and to become really good at them,” Wahlman said. “It was like a slap in the face.”

While in Pisa, Wahlman began to consider switching majors due to her lack of love for engineering.

Then suddenly on March 4, 2018, Wahlman’s brother Seth Wahlman, and his girlfriend took their lives.

This tragedy would forever change Wahlman’s path, outlook and mission in life, and she realized she wanted to become an advocate for mental health awareness. Wahlman wants people to know her brother’s story so she can help fight stigmas against those with mental illness.

“I like to talk about his death because I want to spread awareness and advocate for suicide prevention,” Wahlman said.

Wahlman flew back to Washington and returned to EWU that following quarter. For half of the quarter she continued toward an engineering degree. Then, with the support of CAPS and guidance from Dr. Kate Crane, director of the EWU technical communication program, Wahlman took a leap of faith and changed her major to technical communication.

“What sticks out about Wahlman is she will do anything if she thinks it’s the best way to move herself forward,” Crane said. “She doesn’t let any opportunity go by.”

Wa h l m a n e m b a r k e d o n h e r new-found passion for technical communication by interning for Get Lit!, the public relations firm DH and Family Promise of Spokane. She also wrote a grant for NAOMI, a non-profit transitional home for homeless women and their children, and worked as a PR and marketing assistant for EWU Alumni Relations.

“I finally started doing something I was actually passionate about,” Wahlman said.

Wahlman found working with Family

Courtesy of Grace Wahlman

Grace Wahlman grew up in Lake Stevens, Washington, surrounded by nine older siblings, horses, chickens and a big, beautiful garden. When she wasn’t playing with her brothers and sisters, she would find herself writing about them. That is how Wahlman found her lifelong passion for writing.

“I can’t write out of obligation,” Wahlman said. “I allow whatever is stirring in my heart, or whatever memories that I want to talk about at that time, drive what I write.”

Wahlman remembers that her grandfather would pick her up when she

was a child, sit her on his lap, look into her eyes and tell her that she was truly capable of anything.

However, other family members told Wahlman college would be a waste of time and money. It wasn’t until Wahlman’s senior year of high school that college seemed at all achievable.

Because of Wahlman’s passion for education, her older sister Hayden encouraged her to attend EWU. College continued to seem impossible until four weeks before the fall quarter of 2015, when Wahlman was finally accepted to EWU. To overcome her childhood struggles with math, Wahlman decided to declare a major in engineering, with a minor

Grace Wahlman’s passion for writing led her to study technical communication.

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Promise of Spokane one of her most rewarding experiences. Family Promise is a 24/7 emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness. She used her love for writing to publish stories on families staying at Family Promise.

Wahlman’s stories are still posted on Family Promise of Spokane’s website at https://www.familypromiseofspokane. org/blog.

“If my writing can be inspiring or spark solidarity in someone else who happens to read it, then that’s awesome,” Wahlman said. “It’s all I want.”

“She wants to use her education to help other people, like she did when working with Family Promise,” Crane said. “I’m so proud of her.”

“I love her,” Cassady Graham, a close friend of Wahlman, said. “She is the type of person where you leave a conversation feeling understood. She wants to cheer you on.”

Graham pointed out that Wahlman’s success comes partly from her willingness to engage with mentors.

“She reaches out to professors,” Graham said. “She doesn’t just go through the motions.”

Although academics are important to Wahlman, there is more to her than good grades.

“Grace is a great student and most importantly, a great human being,”said Jessica Boyer, Communication Studies Lecturer from EWU. A typical morning for Wahlman may include talking to one of her sisters on the phone, meditating, writing a blog post or drinking tea. When not in class or writing, Wahlman can be found running, hiking, reading, hanging out in Hargreaves Hall or eating peanut butter by the spoonful.

Wahlman listens to a wide variety of music and still has all her old CDs from high school. She listens to bands such as Nirvana, Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Chance the Rapper, Post Malone and old-school Macklemore.

Although Wahlman takes pride in her music collection, she says her biggest achievement was winning the Frances B. Huston award.

Crane nominated Wahlman for the award and praised her determination to go to college.

“It takes an extraordinary person to say I’m going to do it anyway,” Crane said.

“I am confident she will go out and accomplish incredible things- we will miss her,” Boyer said.

Now Wahlman looks back and reflects on her journey to authenticity.

“I was always really scared to be who I was,” Wahlman said. “[Now I am] a lot more myself than I have ever been in my life.” •

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Plans change for Class of 2020 EMILY DRISKEL Reporter

Originally, the spring of 2020 was planned to be filled with seniors taking photos in their caps and gowns, a large commencement ceremony and graduation parties. But instead, a global pandemic spread across the country, and plans had to be altered.

Inga Erickson, completing a B.S. in athletic training, said COVID-19 affected her plans for the summer. “ It h a s d e l aye d my b o a r d o f certification exam that I need to take by two months and leaves me unsure about my start date for my graduate assistant position in the fall,” Erickson said.

Erickson will attend graduate school for a master’s of movement and leisure sciences in the fall at the University of Idaho and has not gotten word if classes will be in-person or not. The pandemic has not affected Erickson’s living situation next year.

“Luckily I’m moving in with my sister who lives over there, so it hasn’t affected my moving process,” said Erickson.

Erickson’s program is very hands-on, and it was a challenge to not have inperson classes this quarter.

“Not being able to have that hands on learning makes it harder for me,” said Erickson. “Not being around my classmates for support and help is challenging.”

Kyle Tauscher needed 200 observation hours in order to get a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

“I was hoping to get most of them done this spring/summer,” Tauscher said. “But all the clinics have closed their doors, which means I don’t know if I’ll be able to complete any. It may mean I have to come back in the fall.”

Not being in class for spring quarter was difficult for Tauscher when it comes to learning.

“I feel more comfortable in a classroom setting than on Zoom calls and online classes,” said Tauscher.

Tauscher was supposed to get married this summer, but with the current situation, he had to push it back.

Anne Arbanas, a dental hygiene graduate, has had to alter her summer traveling plans.

“This summer I planned on going to Kolkata, India, for a month-long mission trip which was officially canceled last month,” said Arbanas. “With limited travel and a general uncertainty of how India would be affected come August, the group I was going with decided to play it safe and cancel.”

Arbanas was able to graduate on time, but has to study this summer for national board examinations that were supposed to be completed by May 4.

“As a prospective dental hygienist, I am required to take six national board examinations in order to become

licensed,” said Arbanas. “If things go as planned from here, I will finally become a Registered Dental Hygienist in mid-August, three months later than expected.”

Arbanas plans to work as a dental assistant until all exams are completed, so she can start a lifelong career as a hygienist.

Julia Jasa, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, was going to start her master’s program but decided to take a year break due to online classes in the fall.

“I really enjoy the classroom aspect of school in that I can get to know my classmates and ask questions,” said Jasa.

Jasa has been hired by a small software company in Spokane, and COVID-19 has prevented her from actually meeting her coworkers.

“This has left somewhat of a gap in getting to know my team,” said Jasa.

Jasa said that spring quarter is always the highlight of the year for her and her friends.

“We always enjoy hanging out on campus together and soaking in the sun,” Jasa said. “Missing that last part of my last quarter is very disappointing.”

Jasa said although this has been hard for everyone, she appreciates her professors and faculty for adapting to this situation.

Jose Mendoza, attending graduate school this summer for athletic training, said that COVID-19 has changed his

plans for the summer. “[EWU] has decided to make all summer quarter online,” said Mendoza.

“Online courses are good, but not optimal in learning a profession which is mainly hands-on.”

With summer and fall quarter being online, Mendoza worries that high school sports may not happen in the fall.

“A lot of us get some of our real life experience working with high school sports,” Mendoza said. “If there’s no sports, I wonder how we will get our experience.”

Kara Nitteberg, with a degree in education, said she will be done with school this spring, and all plans are tentative as she sees how the restrictions are lifted. Nitteberg said she should be doing full-time student teaching in the classroom.

“I am still working closely with my assigned school so the process has been interesting,” said Nitteberg. “This would be the time of year that school districts would be posting openings for the fall, but those seem to be on hold.”

Nitteberg said this is an unusual time for everyone, so she tries to embrace the unknown and stay positive.

“EWU’s education department has worked hard to adapt to online learning and make this quarter an authentic experience for the education students,” Nitteberg said. •

writing, MarCom was still figuring out exactly what goes out in these boxes, but was certain that regalia and diploma covers will be included.

Once EWU students who have RSVP’d for graduation receive their MarCom care packages one week before commencement on June 13, they can begin setting in motion their celebrations of their accomplishments.

But how is EWU handling its online graduation?

“Other schools are [hosting] two-hour livestreams of graduation, running peoples names on the screen,” said Kissler. “Yes, that’s one option, but I think, if anything right now, people want to be able to celebrate the way they’d like to celebrate.”

To capitalize on the personalization of EWU grad celebrations, MarCom is creating unique, personalized websites for each graduating senior that has RSVP’d for graduation. Alongside the care package, an instructional sheet with QR code and URL will be sent out, allowing seniors to access their pages.

“Each student will get a website that is dedicated to them that they can customize,” said Kissler. “They can go on there, they can upload their picture, they can invite their friends and family to go to their page and post comments, pictures, videos and congratulatory messages.”

In lieu of forgoing a live graduation ceremony, MarCom felt EWU seniors would appreciate the thoroughness o f t h e s e p e r s o n a l i z e d we b s i t e s ,

where friends and family can leave encouraging messages and see their seniors represented.

The websites will be kept up for many months after graduation. This allows for students unable to host their own celebrations on the June 13 release date to create their own schedule and enjoy commencement on their own time.

EWU will not be hosting a two-hour, live-streamed graduation ceremony.

Instead, on the date of graduation (June 13), the university’s contributions to the student’s websites will go live.

Kissler and his MarCom team designed these aspects of online graduation with flexibility in mind.

Important EWU figures like president Mary Cullinan, provosts, deans and many alumni are in the process of creating videos to simulate graduation speeches. These videos will be released to the students’ pages on June 13 and will remain up for several weeks afterwards.

MarCom is also working with a local printer in Spokane, as well as communicating with Tri-Cities and Westside print makers, to help in the creation of yard signs for the graduates.

All of these efforts are in place to make these socially-distanced graduations as close to the real thing as possible.

“Everyone has different values of the graduation ceremonies, but we think these are the universals,” said Kissler. “Around this ideal, MarCom has adapted the EWU graduation ceremonies in innovative ways, to

reward the graduating students with the recognition they deserve.”

Kissler said that any seniors who still want to have that walking experience are welcome to walk at any future inperson ceremony. “[MarCom] wanted to give our students the moment that they deserve,” said Kissler. “We didn’t want to rob that from those students by not doing anything now.” •

How to celebrate commencement BEN BLAKNEY Reporter

With EWU’s foreseeable future continuing online, milestone events, such as Senior Commencement, had to be adjusted. Without a physical celebration, universities around the world have taken their commencement celebrations online.

Lance Kissler, associate vice president of EWU Marketing and Communications, has worked with the MarCom team to translate commencement ceremonies into the graduates’ homes. Together they’ve created a graduation kit that will be mailed to the homes of graduating seniors..

“Things anywhere from the special edition of The Easterner, diploma covers, their regalia … tassels and the little charms ...” said Kissler.

On the topic of ideas for personalized ceremonies, Kissler had this to say: “For example what I would do is I would get all my friends and family together on Zoom, or something similar, and I would kind of produce my own commencement program,” said Kissler.

“I would tee up the commencement videos [from the website] and run through them together. I’d be wearing my regalia, I’d do the you know the tassel flip, so on and so forth and I’d have all my friends and family joining via Zoom, so they can watch it. I would be my own little producer, if you will, of an event or something like that.”

Kissler also said that, at the time of

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Courtesy of MarCom

Eagle Punch recipe

INGREDIENTS • 1/2 gallon Hawaiian punch (for low-calorie version use Crystal Lite Fruit Punch) • 1 quart lemonade (for low-calorie version use Crystal Lite Lemonade) • 2 quart Sprite or 7 Up INSTRUCTIONS • Combine ingredients in punch bowl or pitcher over ice.

• Garnish with your favorite fruit.

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SAMUAL HATFIELD

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Finding passion: From bootcamp to biotech Like many other young men and women, Samual Hatfield found himself adrift after high school. He was unsure of what he wanted to accomplish in life and uncertain that he had the skills to accomplish anything anyway.

So Hatfield, born and raised in Spokane, did what many other confused young men and women do: He enlisted in the Army.

“I joined the Army Reserves because I had terrible grades and a terrible work ethic and no idea what to do with my life,” said Hatfield.

Hatfield started his journey toward becoming a medical laboratory technician at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, then moved to Fort Sam Houston outside of San Antonio, and finally to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, for the final phase of training. During the final phase of this long journey—6 months of resident work in a functioning medical lab—Hatfield discovered a direction for his life.

“While I was at JBLM I got exposure to science and that was when I decided what I wanted to do,” said Hatfield. “It was really my time in the Army that set me on the path I’m on now.”

Now the words “unsure,” and “uncertain,” no longer serve to describe him. Instead, Hatfield’s professors and peers use words like “driven,” “focused,” “disciplined” and “passionate,” as he completes his degree in biology with a biotech option.

“Samual ranks among the most driven students I have ever w o r k e d with,” said D r. J a s o n A s h l e y , professor of biology and one of Hatfield’s mentors. “He has a genuine passion for Courtesy of Samual science.”

That drive Hatfield and passion has pushed Hatfield to accomplish more than just finishing a challenging degree program during his time at EWU. He is a finalist for EWU’s 40k Startup Challenge, a program designed to give EWU students the chance to win money toward starting a business, or in Hatfield’s case, continuing his research into acne therapies.

Hatfield’s idea, to isolate the protein from a virus that attacks the bacteria that causes acne and turn it into adaption-resistant acne medication, was borne from his passion for science and his innate curiosity. “ S a m p r o b a b ly h a s t h e m o s t

Courtesy of Samual Hatfield

AARON HUTCHINSON Reporter

Samual Hatfield (left) served in the U.S. Army Reserves. inquisitive mind that I have encountered in a student during my 12 years at EWU,” said Dr. Luis Matos, one of Hatfield’s biology professors, and his academic adviser. “Sam regularly asks questions that I don’t know the answer to or that nobody knows the answer to because the research hasn’t been done yet.”

“I like figuring out how things work,” said Hatfield, “and it just really intrigues me, how the body works … the mechanics of how we are.”

Curiosity alone wouldn’t be enough to take on such a rigorous course of study, and Matos lauded Hatfield’s work ethic, despite Hatfield’s confession that it had once been terrible.

“He always wants to know more, and he is willing to work for the knowledge,” said Matos. “Mix that with his inherent intellectual abilities, and you have quite a recipe for success.”

Hatfield’s hard work is noted by other students as well.

“Samual is a very disciplined individual,” said friend and classmate Korbyn Edmondson. “He has lofty goals and knows he will not achieve them sitting on the sidelines. Samual rarely wastes a waking moment; he’s always doing something productive.”

Hatfield isn’t just focused on his personal ambitions. As president of EWU’s Pre-Med/Pre-Dental Society, he has taken on the challenge of helping other students prepare for medical or dental school. Hatfield was accepted into 11 medical schools, although he plans to work in the biotech field for a few years before deciding on medical

school.

“Samual is generous, especially with his time and especially with other students,” said Dr. Joanna Joyner-Matos, a biology professor and adviser for the Pre-Med/Pre-Dental Society. “He is one of the most effective peer mentors that I have seen.”

Joyner-Matos said Hatfield has helped organize networking events and that he regularly helps younger students through the testing and admissions process because he truly cares about their success. She applauded the fact

“I like figuring out

how things work ... and it really intrigues me, how the body works ... the mechanics of how we are.

”

SAMUAL HATFIELD EWU Senior that Hatfield never takes a “leastnecessary” approach and is always willing to help.

“Sam seems to consider this university to be his community, so when something needs to be done or someone needs help, he stands up,” said Joyner-Matos.

“If he was faculty, we’d call this ‘being

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collegial’ and ‘being a good department citizen.’ I rarely apply those terms to an undergraduate student.”

Edmondson, also the vice president of the Pre-Med/Pre-Dental Society, has been impressed by Hatfield’s selflessness.

“Samual is a servant leader,” said Edmondson. “He is amazingly selfless and for that, I greatly appreciate and respect him, not only as a friend but a mentor as well.”

Hatfield’s life isn’t all about goals and ambition, though. His wife, Rochelle, also in her final year at EWU, and 4-yearold daughter, Lyla, take priority in the evenings.

“It’s been challenging, but I try and make sure that from outside of 9 o’clock to 4 o’clock, I’m focused on Lyla. On family,” said Hatfield.

Whether he decides to attend medical school in the future or pursue a career in biotech, Hatfield’s supporters at EWU believe big things are in store for him.

“He is probably in the top 5, not top 5%, but top 5 students that I have had the pleasure of teaching at EWU in the last 12 years,” said Matos.

“Samual brings an uncommon level of organization and professionalism to his work,” said Ashley. “I believe his passion will carry him through.”

“He’s always engaged. He clearly is having fun while learning and his enthusiasm is contagious,” said JoynerMatos. •

8 - The Easterner

V103 - Special Edition

A walk down memory lane

Top Easterner news stories for the last four years Compiled by Randle Kinswa for The Easterner

Dec. 2016 Nov. 2017 June 2018 Jan. 2019 AprilMay 2019 Dec. 2019 Feb. 2020

• An EWU student who was also a member of the cross country team at the Grove Apartment complex suffers multiple life-threatening injuries after being physically assaulted by three other men.

• Soccer wins the Big Sky Tournament against Northern Arizona.

• Einstein Bros. Bagels comes to EWU. • EWU football loses in the FCS semifinals to Youngstown State.

• Students protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies campus-wide.

• EWU soccer team wins the Big Sky Tournament against Northern Colorado but lose to USC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

• Syfy’s Z-Nation starts filming on EWU campus.

• Funding for the new science building is approved.

• The remodeled PUB opens up for full student access.

• EWU football loses to North Dakota State in the FCS National Championship.

• EWU hockey club wins the Pac-8 conference.

• Former EWU professor Lisa Brown loses her bid to be the U.S. representative for the 5th District.

• ASEWU presidential election is contested. Reilly Responte files a grievance that challenges the results as a faculty member actively campaigned for his opponent, Key Baker. The court rules in Baker’s favor as there is no proof that Baker had any connection with the faculty advisor campaigning for her.

• EWU men’s and women’s basketball teams both finish second in the Big Sky Tournament.

• Mason Peatling sets a record for most points scored in a single game in school and Big Sky Conference history (54).

• Student-wide protest of religious extremists.

A member of ASEWU is arrested at the scene for resisting to listen to a law enforcement officer.

• EWU women’s soccer team finishes runner-up in the Big Sky Tournament against Northern Colorado for the second year in a row.

• EWU hosts the U.S. National Curling Championships.

• EWU men’s basketball team wins the Big Sky Conference for just the third time in school history.

• EWU moves spring quarter online due to COVID-19.

Gov. Jay Inslee elects to initiate a temporary lockdown.

• EWU cancels in-person commencement.

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Nov. 2016 Feb. 2017 Jan. 2018 Nov. 2018 Mar. 2019 Nov. 2019 Mar. 2020 Apr. 2020

Malati Powell for The Easterner

Oct. 2016

Special Edition - V103

Seniors’ top 5’s

The Easterner -

9

Complied by Karlee Van De Venter for The Easterner

Four years is a long time to spend in one place. 2020 seniors know EWU and Cheney pretty well by now. We surveyed 2020 EWU graduates and found their Top 5 favorites in several categories. This was an optional poll that received 66 responses. It is informal and unscientific, just for entertainment purposes.

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10 - The Easterner

V103 - Special Edition

senior

HUNTER SHEFFIELD

BEN BLAKNEY Reporter

By the time retired United States Air Force airman Hunter Sheffield arrived in Eagle Territory, he carried with him the knowledge he’d gained while serving in Qatar and Afghanistan. Sheffield graduated from EWU in Winter 2020 with an Education degree and a Special Education minor.

Born in San Diego, raised in Libby, Montana, and now in Cheney, Sheffield is following a drive for teaching. He hopes to tie that in with another passion he’s had his whole life: A passion for animals.

“I always grew up with a passion for animals,” said Sheffield. “As a kid I actually wanted to be a vet.”

Kathleen Sheffield, Sheffield’s mother, said this love for creatures goes back to as early as kindergarten.

“He knew every animal, probably in the world,” said Kathleen Sheffield with a laugh.

Te a c h e r s w e r e a s t o u n d e d by Sheffield’s wealth of knowledge about his animals, Kathleen Sheffield said.

Growing up, Sheffield was surrounded by a fairly atypical cast of pets.

“Did he tell you had an emu as a pet?” said Kathleen Sheffield. “Peacocks, rabbits, turkeys … he honestly was very instrumental in taking care of them.”

On the move between San Diego and Libby, Sheffield saw a car strike a bald eagle on the highway. Acting fast, his father pulled the car over so Sheffield could aid the hurt bird. It didn’t take Sheffield any time to think; all he did was act. Sheffield and his father safely secured the injured animal and took it to a nearby town, where it could be properly looked at. There was no direct reward for this, just Sheffield’s desire to help a creature in need.

Sheffield got into the animal business as a boy by selling guinea pigs to a local feed store. After this, the pieces began to fall into place.

This hobby and appreciation for animals spurred Sheffield to start his own small business, Sheffield Reptiles.

His business keeps, breeds and sells reptiles and exotic pets. Sheffield runs the entire ship on his own.

“I have a pretty large collection of snakes, lizards and other creatures that I sell to people locally,” said Sheffield. “I have snake eggs that should be hatching soon, blue tongued skinks that are getting ready to have babies, and I have prairie dogs for sale right now.”

Some of Sheffield’s most inspiring connections have been underprivileged kids without the best lives. Due to histories of violence, issues with drugs, and poor living conditions, these kids weren’t afforded the secure and petfilled childhood Sheffield was.

“Two summers ago, I worked for a youth center in the Hillyard district,”

said Sheffield. “I brought a bunch of animals, and it’s always fun because these kids don’t have any opportunities to ever see anything like this, let alone touch [them].”

Sheffield has shown off his prized critters at reptile shows in Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Chico, Chicago and even overseas in Qatar and Afghanistan during his time with the Air Force.

“He brought one snake [into the Veterans Center] once because he was taking it to one of his classes,” said Dave Millet, director at the Veterans Resource Center. “He snuck one in in a big tupperware box.”

Millet was Sheffield’s boss during his job working for the Veterans Center at EWU. “He came to our office, originally as a new student because our office processes [Veterans Affairs] educational benefits,” said Millet. “Then soon thereafter, maybe a quarter or two after he started, we interviewed him and hired him as the work study student at the Veterans Resource Center.”

Sheffield found his first home at EWU among his peers at the Veterans Resource Center.

Since Sheffield served with the Air Force for five years, he was into his 20s by the time he arrived at EWU as an academic freshman. Being dropped into freshman-level classes with 18 year olds, Sheffield had a tough time making connections with his classmates.

“Being older than all of my peers … I didn’t really connect with a lot of the kids that were in my classes,” said Sheffield. “So, being in the Veterans Resource Center … it was nice to have a job that helps people as well as that social aspect of actually connecting on campus.”

Sheffield said people with similar lifestyles were the key to finding his home at EWU. Millet echoed similar sentiments, describing how once Hunter opened up, he was a sweet guy and a great friend. “[When someone has] the same kind of life experiences as you, it makes things a lot easier,” said Sheffield.

After Sheffield was provided a place he could belong, he began to set in motion his future as an educator.

“I certainly didn’t know what I wanted to do [right out of highschool],” said Sheffield. “I went for a science kind of education degree, but being so far removed from high school I was really rusty in basic science ... then following a general education route, I fell in love with it one day. It just clicked.”

Hunter’s wife Rachel is also an educator, and they greatly supported each other’s endeavors at EWU. Sheffield said he wanted to be a teacher to try and be an influence that he didn’t receive himself as a grade school student.

Sheffield holds a guinea pig for Sheffield Reptiles.

“I had a lot of not-so-great teachers that I don’t feel pushed me, and you want to be that change,” Sheffield said.

Sheffield knew he could change a students’ future by simply pushing them to be their best.

“Seeing so many people that basically whose lives, to our standards, are just terrible and flat out suck, to be blunt about it [affected me],” said Sheffield. “I want to be a kind of a rock in their life.

To promote and provide that stability for these kids. If they don’t have a good role model or model or figure to look up to, they can go down a wrong road unfortunately, so I want to be that person that’s kind of like a shining light.”

Sheffield said he originally wanted to teach an older age group. Instead, he learned something new about himself.

Sheffield found another home among his first-grade class as a student-teacher at Greensferry Elementary in Post Falls, Idaho.

“I really just enjoy the authenticity of little kids,” said Sheffield. “They’re gonna tell you exactly how they feel, and they’re gonna tell you anything and everything and they just have zero filters.”

This lack of filter is actually a bonus for Sheffield. He’s equated his appreciation for animals to teaching, as he can understand his students and his animals in similar ways.

“I’ve read some actual research that says animals and children have the same

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Courtesy of Hunter Sheffield

Future teacher, life-long animal lover

mentality,” said Sheffield. “People that like one really like the other. They both have that no-nonsense [aspect] to them.

Kids don’t lie to you, they’re very blunt.

It’s the same with animals.”

Sheffield knew he could use his practical knowledge of animals well in an educational setting, so he is searching for extra licenses and certifications in order to bring in his critters for his students. He believes having in-class pets teaches care, responsibility and appreciation.

However, in these changing times, that’s not as easy as it used to be.

“There’s so many restrictions to get animals into your classroom,” said Sheffield. “I would love to have them in the classroom, but it’s about finding a school that’s open to it.”

For Sheffield, it’s about his students’ connections.

“Most kids can easily connect to an animal where they might not connect to a human, especially if they have any kind of emotional or social or any other kind of learning disability,” said Sheffield.

Due to COVID-19, Sheffield is unsure of where exactly he is going to teach.

Despite this, he will not stop his search for teaching positions in the more certain future. He has already applied for positions in Spokane and near Post Falls, Idaho, where he conducted his student teachings.

“I’m looking at this as just a stepping stone,” said Sheffield. “There are bigger and better things for me [out there].” •

Special Edition - V103

The Easterner -

senior

RAGHDA AL-HMEYRAT

11

From a shy immigrant to a master’s degree holder – Raghda Al-Hmeyrat’s success story Originally from Karbala, Iraq, a young Raghda Al-Hmeyrat sat in her thirdgrade classroom for the first time in Spokane. Looking around, she noticed many things: No one else was wearing a hijab, no one else spoke Arabic and everyone else was white.

Her twin brother, Saif Al-Hmeyrat, had to be in a different classroom to prevent the two from speaking Arabic to each other. Neither of them knew much English– just how to count to 10.

Their mother, Hanaa Alwan, would work all day. She might have missed Iraq sometimes, but there was no future for her kids there. That’s why they spent three years in Lebanon waiting for the United Nations to grant them immigration status. When they finally got a host family to take them in, she knew Spokane would be their new home.

The strength shown by her mom helped Raghda Al-Hmeyrat stay strong when things were hard. She struggled with waiting three years before making a friend in school, spending all week on English homework and all weekend on Arabic homework, translating for her mom, and always being a part of afterschool clubs.

It wasn’t long before Al-Hmeyrat fell in love with the English language. She would constantly read books and loved learning more English. Only six months after moving to the U.S., she passed the English for Speakers of Other Languages test.

“Since I was little, it doesn’t matter what language it is [in], I really loved school,” Al-Hmeyrat said. “With English, it opened new doors and new ways to explore life.”

It was this love for English that led Al-Hmeyrat to eventually major in English as a second language. She wanted to volunteer at the same facility her mother learned English at, but after her first day, she realized it would be too emotional. Instead, she worked as a graduate teaching assistant for EWU’s English department while earning her master’s degree.

Al-Hmeyrat said she has a deep love for both Arabic and English, and she wouldn’t want to know just one of the languages. But living with both cultures brought difficulties she wasn’t expecting. In high school, people would either assume that she knew nothing or that she knew everything. She said there was never an in-between.

As she got older, Al-Hmeyrat continued to see people judging her based on her appearance.

“Especially with the way I dress, people would assume that I’m not educated or that I don’t know anything,”

Courtesy of Raghda Al-Hmeyrat

KARLEE VAN DE VENTER Reporter

Raghda Al-Hmeyrat is graduating with a master’s degree in English.

Al-Hmeyrat said. “But how you dress has nothing to do with your human rights or who you are as a person.”

She encouraged that people make an effort to learn about other cultures and meet people with different backgrounds.

Instead of clumping together all Middle Eastern people, Al-Hmeyrat said to learn about the vast amounts of cultures within Middle Eastern countries.

While being Muslim in America has brought difficulties, Al-Hmeyrat realized she’s lucky for many reasons.

She’s never had anyone try to touch or take off her hijab, as she knows many Muslim people have been harassed in those ways. She feels fortunate that it hasn’t been too bad for her.

However, when there was high tension between America and Iran, Al-Hmeyrat recalls things being especially bad.

Walking around Spokane, she would hear comments from people telling her to go back home, to go to jail or to leave this country.

“I’m not from Iran,” Al-Hmeyrat said.

“But people just assumed I was from Iran because I wear the hijab.”

But Al-Hmeyrat doesn’t blame the people who were rude to her. She said that it isn’t their fault that they don’t know.

Now, she is grateful for her two cultures despite challenges they may have brought. For a while, Al-Hmeyrat contemplated whether she belonged.

She felt like she didn’t belong in the United States because she was Iraqi.

But she also felt like she wouldn’t belong in Iraq because she had become accustomed to American culture.

“When you look at me, you see Iraqi culture, but when you sit down and you talk to me, you hear American culture,” Al-Hmeyrat said. “If I go back there [to Iraq], people will not really understand where I come from.”

W h e n eve r s h e s t r u g g l e s , s h e remembers how much her mom sacrificed for her and her brother. “I’m

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glad that my mom brought us here,” AlHmeyrat said. “Especially with what’s going on over there now; I’m grateful.”

Al-Hmeyrat also thinks back on the time she spent living with a host family, the Evans. Their first several months in the U.S. was spent living with the Evans. Her host mother, Sheri Evans, recalled picking up the family from the airport. The plane was full of servicemen returning home, and Hanaa Alwan seemed frightened by all of the men, according to Evans.

“I knew that in their culture, the women were not comfortable with men,” Evans said. “And here was tiny Hanaa with two little 8-year-old kids and all these men.”

But they were quick to adjust and eager to learn, according to Evans. The family had never seen golden retrievers before, or hot dogs or snow. The Evans were there for many firsts of the family, which Al-Hmeyrat is thankful for.

Mark Evans, their host father, expressed how extremely proud he was of Al-Hmeyrat. Growing from an extremely shy kid to teaching classes at EWU as a graduate student is remarkable to him.

“She had a hard time with wearing the head-coverings and everything when everyone else didn’t,” Mark Evans said.

“She just kept going right through it and we’re just so proud of her for standing up and doing what she knew.”

In fact, Al-Hmeyrat didn’t meet anyone her age that wore the hijab until she came to EWU. She’s very grateful for EWU’s diverse student body.

Al-Hmeyrat received her bachelor’s in English as a second language from EWU in 2018. Her mother pushed her to continue her education and get her master’s degree, since there might not be many job opportunities for English as a second language.

Al-Hmeyrat was unsure, as a master’s degree was never really in her plans. But she applied for a scholarship at EWU for continuing her studies and got accepted.

“I didn’t know if I was going to get in,” Al-Hmeyrat said. “But when I got in, I was like ‘OK, this is what God wants me to do.’”

Getting a master’s degree in rhetoric and technical communication proved to be harder than expected. She said the entire first year she felt like quitting, but now she’s almost at the finish line, all thanks to her mom supporting and pushing her to continue her education.

For the future, Al-Hmeyrat is eager to branch out. She’s never left the PNW, which she loves, but she’s ready to see other states. Her only employer has been EWU, which she loves, but she’s ready to try new job dynamics. She doesn’t want to plan her next few steps, but wants to experience whatever comes her way. •

12 - The Easterner

V103 - Special Edition

Favorite memories of seniors Quotes compiled by Star Dragon for The Easterner

“My fa vo rit e m em or y wo ul d be ru nn in g my la st in do or 4x 4 ra ce at co nf er en ce . As I wa s fin ish in g my la st la p on th e in do or tr ac k, my te am wa s al l lin ed up on th e sid e of th e tr ac k ch ee rin g fo r m e, an d it wa s a gr ea t re m in de r of how m uc h my te am fe lt like a bi g fa m ily th es e pa st fo ur ye ar s.

I have m ad e gr ea t fr ie nd s an d ha ve so m any fu n m em or ie s wi th my te am m at es an d cr ea te d lif el on g fr ie nd sh ip s.”

Sophie Bowles

e ory ar m e m t at vorite ave m e a h “ My f a I t a m as nds th t h e f r i e n d h av i n g t h e v i n g a ha E a s t e r n r o u p . I t ’s l i k e g e. I also s u p p o r t w ay f r o m h o m a mates, a f a m i l y d w i t h my r o o m , t o o . ere nds vo l u n t e ood frie g y m e e food r who we teered for th hang un to We v o l d i t w a s n i c e n a munity p a n t r y, h e l p t h e c o m d out an r.” togethe

a g i n u Z Mayra

e n t, sp e c if ic m o m a ’t sn a w “T h e re ed at th e m . I st a rt f o s e ri se s but a h ig h sc h o o l a in r io n se a in g E a st e rn a s e n t. My R u n n d u st rt ta S g I got a R u n n in re a ll y g re a t. s a w r a e y and S ta rt m p u s c lu b s a -c n o h it w y w e ll . inv o lv e d n ive rs it y re a ll u e th w o n k g o t to n g o in g to y p la n n in g o ll a re ’t sn a a rs , w I o f my fo u r y e st re e th r fo E a st e rn ear and n n in g S ta rt y u R y m r e ft a ame but n ey re a lly b e c e h C s, d n ie fr m a k in g my h o m e .”

n o m m a H h c Mit

“I wo ul d say th at my fa vo rit e m em or ie s at Ea st er n we re fr om my tim e do in g my te ch ni ca l co m m un ic at io ns in te rn sh ip at th e Of fic e of Su st ai na bi lit y. It wa s re al ly co ol . I sp en t th e wh ol e su m m er ou t th er e.

I lik ed it be ca us e I wa s ab le to le ar n fir st ha nd su st ai na bi lit y pr ac tic es at Ea st er n. I wa s al so ab le to sp en d a lo t of tim e at th e ca m pu s co m m un ity ga rd en .

I le ar ne d ho w to gr ow fo od fr om se ed s th er e an d ot he r ga rd en in g-re la te d sk ill s.

I wo ul d hi gh ly re co m m en d any st ud en ts wh o ar e in te re st ed in su st ai na bi lit y or ga rd en in g to co nt ac t th e Of fic e of Su st ai na bi lit y.”

Sophie Wiley

“Th e big ges t par t of my Eas ter n exp erie nce was pro bab ly my job for Eas ter n. I wo rke d at the poo l as a life gua rd. Tha t’s jus t bee n a roll er coa ste r rid e of fun exp erie nce s, em otio nal mo me nts and jus t a rea lly coo l tim e. It rea lly felt like a com mu nit y out sid e of Eas ter n.

The fun ny par t was eve n afte r a lot of peo ple gra dua ted , the y’d com e bac k to swi m or jus t vis it. Tha t jus t goe s to sho w how coo l the com mu nity was . On e tim e aro und Eas ter, Ma hi Gut ina , wh o has now pas sed but also wo rke d at the libr ary, sta rte d chu cki ng egg -sh ape d can die s all ove r the fro nt offi ce.

We ask ed her wh at she was doi ng, and she said , ‘We wil l find the m eve ntu ally, and it’ll be a rea lly nic e Eas ter sur pri se.’ She ma de us our ow n Eas ter egg hun t.”

Jared Keffeler

“ We h a d to work a class where w e got w this sem ith kindergart eners e r e a l ly f u s t e r , a n d t h a t n . We h was ad four and vis g roups ited the m F r i d a y. E a c h g r o u eve r y o t h e r p had to on one thing li work k e phono aw a r e n e logical ss, voc abulary retell an , st d writin g. T h e g o r y were 15 rou mi rotate. T nutes; then we w ps he class ould was lan and liter guage a c y.”

Autumn Wa

“One of my favorite memories at Eastern would be when I met my group of friends; Masfer, Gus, Makai, Greg, Sebastin, Flora, Vanessa, Ruwaida, Kim and the list goes on … my favorite memory is being able to meet all these people, because we are all from different backgroun ds and have different identities. We came together, partied together, made memories over the years, worked hard, learned and grew from our mistakes.”

Nathanael Elongo

r ie s I top memo e h t f o e It n “ I t h in k o ll q u a r t e r. fa t s a p is m th ; my h av e is fr o t b a ll g a m e o fo e m o h ga g a t e in t h e il a w a s d u r in t a w e r ner th that buddy Con s t t a il g a t e r fi e h t s a r It w unch of ou b u p p e r lo t . a h it w It w a s n ny u t . T h e fu h e t h r e w. o g in g n a st h r ib le , fr ie n d s , ju er was ter h t a e w e h we t t h in g w a s g s n o w, s o in p m u d and rted a n d it s t a y li t t le RV in t is h t . in g together in crammed h g u la d n in g a od, s t a r t e d t a lk h e w e a t h e r w a s n’t g o gh t .”

E ve n t h o u c t t a il g a t e fe r e p a s a it w

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terman

y e n t r a C c M Kyle

Special Edition - V103

senior

The Easterner -

MASON PEATLING

How steady Mason Peatling turned into Big Sky MVP Mason Peatling DREW LAWSON Co-Managing Editor/Sports Editor Mason Peatling has always had something to prove.

Growing up playing basketball in Australia, he was never the first guy picked for an All-Star game or state team.

But by the time he reached his senior year playing at EWU at the age of 23, he was the Most Valuable Player in the Big Sky Conference.

“He always had a chip on his shoulder that he should be that good,” EWU head coach Shantay Legans said.

A 6-foot-9 inch forward, Peatling bears a wide smile and speaks in a deep Melbourne accent. In Australia, he contributed to a suburban representative team, the Dandenong Rangers, and Peatling would try out regularly for the Victoria Navy U20 men’s team, a state team.

“I was never the best player growing up by any means,” Peatling said. “I always worked really hard, but success wasn’t something I experienced immediately.”

Eventually, after Peatling kept improving -- and grew 7 inches -- he earned a spot as an injury replacement on the state team. That same day, he began to get some American attention from one school: EWU. Peatling, by this time 19, wasn’t immediately sold on the idea of coming to the States. He said he thought a lot about the decision to move him and his wife, Laura, from the place they’d grown up and where family and friends were. (Mason and Laura Peatling were married in February 2016). Eventually, the opportunity seemed too good to pass up, so in 2016 the Peatlings packed their bags and spent the next four years of their life in Cheney.

After his first two seasons at EWU, Peatling was expected by the coaching staff to take the next step in his junior year toward becoming one of the team’s best players. He took that step, but it was later than expected. Offseason foot surgery limited Peatling’s ability to train before the season and caused him to miss the first 10 games of his junior campaign.

While the 12 missed weeks were difficult for Peatling, he knew that when he returned, he was going to be back for good.

“As an athlete, I have the mindset that when I’m back, I’m back,” Peatling said. “It’s going to take a different injury to pull me out.”

Peatling’s foot injury not only impacted his ability to start the season strong, but also affected redshirt freshman teammate Casson Rouse’s first impression of him.

“That spring and summer, he didn’t really play that much, so I was like, ‘this is the guy you say is so good?’”

Rouse said with a light laugh. “‘This is the guy who you say is going to be our guy?’ (But) obviously once he got healthy, he changed my thoughts quickly.”

Rouse and Peatling went on to become close teammates and friends, often working out together before and after practices.

When Peatling came back in his junior year, EWU went 15-9. Then, according to Peatling, last offseason he exploded.

“It was the first offseason where I actually got better instead of recovering from an injury,” Peatling said.

“I had so much confidence after that. I really started playing my best basketball after that period.”

Peatling attacked his senior season with a vengeance. On Dec. 13, 2019, he set a school and conference record with 54 points in EWU’s win over Multnomah University. He racked up double-double after double-double, averaging 18.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while leading EWU to a 23-8 record and a Big Sky regular season championship.

When the regular season ended, Peatling was named the conference’s Most Valuable Player by its 11 coaches.

Legans expected a lot from Peatling when he came to Cheney, but did he expect him to become league MVP? “To be honest, no,” Legans said. “I thought he would be a workhorse, doing whatever we ask of him … (but) when you see the (MVP season), you think, ‘Man, (look at) his growth.’”

Peatling’s game isn’t flashy. Despite his height, he rarely dunks or makes plays that end up on SportsCenter. Players like that don’t often win MVP nowadays, but Legans said the Big Sky coaches recognized Peatling’s value.

“Coaches would love to have a guy like Mason on their team,” Legans said. “He played night in and night out, never took plays off, took charges, made big shots (and) was the first guy to give his teammates love.”

Peatling and EWU had aspirations to make the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history.

Most sports fans know what happened next: COVID-19 forced the cancelation of most athletic events, including March Madness.

Nonetheless, Peatling wrapped up his shortened season with a sense of accomplishment.

“Mason is really mature,” Legans said. “He understood what was going on with the health implications and the virus. Obviously disappointment set in, but I think there was a lot of relief … he got to cut the nets down the last game of his career, at home, in front of his family and friends on Senior Day. In some ways, that’s like a storybook ending.”

Peatling’s maturity extends off the court, as he’s set to graduate with his master’s degree in business administration. He has a 3.97 GPA. Legans said Peatling is usually the smartest guy in the room, but one would never know it.

“Sometimes you can be around people that are that (smart) and they’ll let you know,” Legans said. “(But) Mason was just one of the guys.”

Rouse said Peatling is more than a teammate; he’s a role model and friend.

“He’s always at the house doing school stuff,” Rouse said. “He’s kinda nerdy. But that’s good for me, because being around someone like that who is always making the right decision is someone I can look up to … as good of a teammate he is, he’s just as good of a friend.”

Peatling spent much of his down time in Cheney with his wife. Their favorite spots in town were Starbucks and The Mason Jar. When asked if he requested that The Mason Jar name a drink in honor of him winning MVP, Mason Peatling broke into a wide grin.

“No, because they already named the whole place after me.” •

Mason Peatling graduated Big Sky MVP and conference champion.

Mckenzie Ford for The Easterner

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14 - The Easterner

V103 - Special Edition

senior

GABRIELLE MARQUEZ Marquez relies on work ethic to achieve goals LAUREN REICHENBACH Copy Editor

“You have to wake up everyday, get serious about what you want and go out and take it.

”

GABRIELLE MARQUEZ EWU Senior

could talk to about their experience.”

Marquez’s father, Tim Marquez, referred her to a prosecutor in Spokane, which led Marquez to over a two-year internship with the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office.

Now, four years later, Marquez will be graduating with 3.9 GPA and a degree

Courtesy of Gabrielle Marquez

Many college students enjoy the leisure of driving to their local Starbucks, pulling out their laptop and quietly sipping a frappé while they check emails.

Unfortunately, college life was not so leisurely for Gabrielle Marquez. Without internet at her house, Marquez ended up having to drive 45 minutes from her house in Rosalia, Washington, to the nearest Starbucks in Spokane in order to complete her assignments for the last quarter of her senior year, thanks to COVID-19. And that wasn’t the biggest struggle of her college years.

Growing up in Rock Hills, South Carolina, Marquez felt extremely out of place when her family moved to Spokane when she was 16.

“I stuck out like a sore thumb, with a big, heavy accent,” Marquez said. “It was a culture shock to leave the Carolinas and come to Washington.”

Heading into college, Marquez had no idea what she wanted to major in. While in South Carolina, she was convinced she wanted to become a doctor or a nurse. After interning at a hospital, however, she realized that any career that had to do with blood was not a career for her.

“Going into college, I had no idea what I wanted to do or be,” said Marquez.

“My freshman year, I took my very first political science class. I loved the challenge and my professor at the time had his J.D. I remember going home and asking my dad if he knew any lawyers I

But Marquez does not wish to be looked at and admired.

“This is not a glorious life,” Marquez said. “I am not someone who you should be like, ‘Wow, I admire that.’ Having 6070 hour work weeks is hard, and no one should have to do it if they don’t have to.

I had to pour myself into my goals and really have tunnel vision.”

This strenuous work load caused Marquez to miss out on what she called “the infamous college experience.” She said she was a hot mess most of the time and rarely had any extra moments in her day for socializing or going to college parties.

But in her eyes, she did what she had to do to get where she wants to be. She doesn’t regret it.

“I don’t come from money,” Marquez said. “I don’t have any money. But I have a dream. I have goals, and I know that anything can happen if you put your head down and work hard.”

“She had big shoes to satisfy … and such little time,” said Alexandra Johnson, a close friend and coworker of Marquez.

Johnson said Marquez’s ability to balance such a busy schedule while also working on her own well-being proved just how resilient she is.

“Her pain yielded a clean slate upon which she can start law school fully prepared for any challenge,” Johnson said.

Marquez was understanding about senior commencement being cancelled, but her dad was disappointed about it.

“My dad was pretty excited to see me walk across the stage,” Marquez said.

“Graduation is a big deal. I hope the seniors that are supposed to be walking in a couple weeks still feel proud of themselves for their accomplishments.”

Marquez offered some advice that may help her fellow graduates as they enter the quarantined world together.

“In life, nothing is just going to come to you,” Marquez said. “You have to wake up every day, get serious about what you want and go out and take it. The sky’s the limit.”

When asked if she could go back and give any advice to her freshman self, Marquez answered with a simple piece of encouragement for all the struggles she would soon face.

“Remember each hurdle you jump, or each challenge you face is only shaping you into who you are meant to become,” Marquez said. “Embrace it.” •

Gabrielle Marquez will attend Gonzaga law school on a full-ride scholarship. in political science with a minor in criminal justice. She is also receiving a full-ride scholarship to the Gonzaga University School of Law. Allison Butterfield, a close friend and colleague of Marquez, said Marquez is always willing to give any job 110% in order to get it done.

“She has worked so hard and accomplished a lot and will continue to accomplish a lot,” Butterfield said.

And working hard might be an understatement for how much effort Marquez put in to achieve her goals.

“Getting accepted [to college] was a great accomplishment,” Marquez said.

“But the question ran across my mind, ‘Well, you got in. How are you going to

pay for it?’ [That question is] daunting, but getting a college degree has always been a dream. So I went to work.”

Marquez was raised by her single dad.

“For all my life (he) hustled and worked his tail off,” she said. Seeing him constantly work so hard, Marquez quickly picked up his work ethic.

“I started my first job working 40 hours a week at the age of 17,” Marquez said. “And I have worked full-time ever since to put myself through school.”

For the past two years, Marquez has worked a regular job of 40+ hours a week, put in around 20 hours a week at her internship with the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office and somehow managed to keep up with school.

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Special Edition - V103

The Easterner -

senior

MIGUEL CALVILLO

15

The story of a firstgeneration engineer RANDLE KINSWA News Editor

“He has a lot of

personality ... very polite ... you could definitely tell he was not afraid to crack a joke.

”

CRYSTAL MEDINA Eagle Ambassadors Adviser

Courtesy of Miguel Calvillo

Throughout his high school career, Miguel Calvillo pictured himself graduating and going right into the workforce as an electrician. In his senior year, though, a teacher convinced him to attend college.

Calvillo decided to give EWU a try.

At a school that prides itself on serving first-generation college students, he soon became a prime example.

He was so successful at EWU, in fact, that he’s graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with a focus in embedded systems design and a 3.84 cumulative GPA. When Calvillo moved into Pearce Hall, he had never even been to Cheney.

“The first week was actually really exciting,” Calvillo said. That week I actually met my friends who would later be my roommates.”

Calvillo said he enjoyed staying in the dorms and recommended that everyone should live in the dorms at least once.

“It was a lot of fun,” Calvillo said. “I made a lot of friends and they made me feel like I was part of the campus community.”

He also was a part of Eagle Ambassadors. During his time at Eagle Ambassadors, Calvillo said one of his responsibilities was to welcome new students and make EWU their new home. He said that being a part of Eagle Ambassadors was special, and helped a lot with his public speaking.

Miguel Calvillo is graduating with a degree in electrical engineering.

“Right away I could tell that he was a funny guy,” Crystal Medina, an adviser for Eagle Ambassadors, said. “He has a lot of personality … very charismatic … you could definitely tell he was not afraid to crack a joke.”

Medina said Calvillo is the type of student to take his school work seriously, and isn’t afraid to help those in need and was always a great worker for Eagle Ambassadors.

Medina said her favorite memory of Calvillo was when all the employees at Eagle Ambassadors took part in an

activity, where participants needed to pull out a random thing in your bag and talk about it for a minute to help the employees develop public-speaking skill.

“He gave the most elaborated story about the object he had picked out,” Medina said. “He just went on and on and on … we thought it was a true story … and at the end he said that none of it was true.”

Calvillo was really relatable to students while working for Eagle Ambassadors, according to Medina.

“When he has the opportunity for his

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personality to shine,” Medina said, “he totally shines.”

Associate professor Uri Rogers, who teaches a variety of subjects in the engineering program, said he and Calvillo developed a great mentor relationship. He said Calvillo has matured a lot over the course of time they’ve known each other.

“He didn’t have an understanding of how the world works or how education works,” Rogers said.

According to Rogers, Calvillo’s confidence grew over time as well. He said Calvillo had to start in basic math rather than calculus because of the poor education he received in high school.

After a while, Rogers told Calvillo that he and his friends were studying so hard, that he was afraid they would all get burnt out.

“Getting the perfect grades at the expense of your health is maybe not the best thing,” Rogers said. “He refocused … and I think he’s a happy person now.”

One of the most exciting and saddest moments of Calvillo’s EWU career was when he and his friends studied together for the last time.

“It wasn’t until last quarter we had our last study session together,” Calvillo said, “we realized after this class it was over … it was just going to be our capstone, and we’re done.”

He said it was a reality check that they would never get to do that again together.

One of the ways Calvillo said he’s grown over the course of his EWU experience is becoming more professional.

“What EWU taught me is that it’s nice to be goofy and be yourself,” Calvillo said. “But they also gave me the skills to know when to be professional.”

Calvillo went to Sunnyside High School in Yakima, Washington, with his current girlfriend Edith Madrigal.

Madrigal said that she and Calvillo have been dating for almost nine years.

“We’ve been together since I was like 14 and he was like 15,” Madrigal said. “He has grown so much as a person.”

“He’s definitely learned so much over here, “ Madrigal said. “He’s become independent.” •

16 - The Easterner

V103 - Special Edition

EWU alumni offer advice for 2020 graduates LAUREN REICHENBACH Copy Editor

online courses. Continue to add to your toolbelt and give yourself an edge.”

Both Vu and Rasmussen advised students to not be afraid to take on difficult jobs, even if they aren’t completely sure what they’re doing at the beginning.

Learning to be okay with saying, “I don’t know,” but following that thought up with, “This is what I am going to do to find out,” is something Vu said will be very beneficial for graduates.

“It is okay to fail,” said Vu. “[The] ‘fail fast; therefore, learn fast,’ mentality is encouraged. Just don’t make the same mistakes over and over again.”

“To get ahead, you have to put in the work,” said Rasmussen. “Take initiative on projects; anticipate what employers are seeking and be prepared for the challenge.”

Ron Valencia, who graduated with a degree in government and is now a governmental and constituent officer for the Spokane County Commissioner’s Office, stressed how remarkable the Spokane area is for graduates to find a job in the mess of the pandemic.

“Keep hope and stay in Spokane,” said Valencia. “Spokane is an amazing place.

There are plenty of job opportunities and [the] cost of living is cheaper than most places in the region. Spokane was in [the] top 10 jobs and housing market before COVID.” Valencia offered some advice specific to graduates with government-related majors. According to Valencia, within the next five years, the government is expected to lose approximately 40% or more of its workforce due to the babyboom generation retiring. Valencia suggested that graduates take this time to get their foot in the door of their career and wait, because their dream job could open up at any time.

Rasmussen also said graduates should not turn down jobs they are offered simply because those jobs aren’t exactly what they’re looking for. With most of the world still under lockdown, many graduates’ dream jobs may not be available for months.

“There are many industries that are still thriving in this economy,” said Rasmussen. “The jobs in them may not be what you thought your career would look like, but if you are willing to branch out a bit, you might find they suit you.

Think outside the box!” •

Malati Powell for The Easterner

2020 seniors are graduating into possibly the most unprecedented times since the Great Depression. With the job market crashed, unemployment rates soaring and businesses around the world shuttered until further notice, this year’s graduates may be discouraged and looking for any advice they can get in navigating the new realm of adulthood.

Many EWU alumni have reached out to give advice and tips for these 2020 graduates.

Vin Vu, graduate of 1986, offered some advice to engineering graduates.

“Learn to be good at a few things first … [and] be really good at [them],” said Vu. “This is how you build up your visibility and credibility. It is impossible to be master of everything, especially just starting out.”

However, Vu stressed that having a degree is not an entitlement to a successful career. “[I] hate to say this but you are NOT special,” said Vu. “Celebrate your achievement, but don’t depend on it as

a sole source of success. What else can you bring to the table? Learn how to be a team member; learn how to effectively collaborate and [be] an individual contributor.”

Stacy Rasmussen, a 2003 alumni who graduated with a communications degree, talked about how important networking is for students in a broad major like communications.

“Make connections with anyone and everyone,” said Rasmussen. “My favorite jobs have been the ones I got because of who I knew, not my skill set — although having my skill set was required.”

Rasmussen said it may be useful for graduates to take this time to broaden their knowledge of specific interests within their major.

“If you took additional courses that seem to be in an area of emphasis, highlight that,” said Rasmussen. “If not, I encourage you to narrow your focus to a specific industry or topic.”

Vu also said that graduates should continue learning about their major during the pandemic, even if they can’t immediately find a job.

“Keep on learning,” said Vu. “A lot of higher-ed institutions [are] offering free

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