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Stories from the College of Communication & Information
BLASTED BY ADVERSITY The Making of a Wounded Warrior
Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Luke Murphy (B.A. ’11) and Julie Strauss Bettinger (B.S. ’83, M.A. ’09) co-wrote “Blasted by Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior,” published Memorial Day 2015. Murphy’s first-person story documents his incredible ascendancy as an Army infantryman. A self-proclaimed “regular guy” from South Florida, Murphy persuaded his dad to allow him to enter the Florida National Guard as a high school junior. After 9/11, he put college on hold to protect the Miami International Airport in his first active-duty assignment. Murphy went on to serve two tours with the 101st Airborne Division’s 187th Infantry Regiment.
On the morning of April 25, 2006, he survived an IED blast that injured his left leg and led to the amputation of his right.
Since medical retirement in 2007, the Purple Heart recipient has become an advocate for wounded veterans. Luke Murphy
The book gives voice to a new generation of wounded veterans. “I want people to know that while the injury deformed me, and caused me unimaginable pain, it will never define me,” said Murphy. “I went back to college, got my degree and pledged a fraternity at age 27.” Bettinger is no stranger to Florida State either; her late father, Theodore “Buddy” Strauss (B.S. ’50), was FSU’s “first football hero,” and she co-wrote “The Book of Bowden” about FSU’s former coach. Her next book, “Encounters with Rikki: From Hurricane Katrina Rescue to Exceptional Therapy Dog,” publishes in January. Julie Strauss Bettinger Photo courtesy of Stephen Camp
In its second printing, “Blasted by Adversity” has garnered press from around the nation and received a 2015 Florida Authors & Publishers Association’s President’s Book Gold Award in the autobiography/memoir category. Murphy attended Gov. Rick Scott’s inauguration, where he handdelivered an autographed copy and shared the story of his journey to FSU.
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HEATHERLARSON
Corporate Operations Engineer at Google Sunnyvale, California • B.S. Information Technology ’11 Heather Larson keeps Google up and running. She supports server side applications that keep Google’s physical security and building systems running from California to Belgium. Larson is often traveling across the globe for support installations. She enjoys hiking with her husband and two 5-year-olds when time permits.
STEPHANIEMEARS SMB Cloud Architect Team Leader at Comparex USA Austin, Texas • B.S. Information Technology ’12 Based in downtown Austin, Stephanie Mears manages a team of cloud architects who develop innovative Microsoft Cloud solutions for business needs. Before joining Comparex USA, she was a support engineer for Microsoft, specializing in Skype for Business support. She can be found eating her way through Dallas’ food scene and cheering on the Noles.
GINACYRILLE
Business Intelligence Developer at General Motors Atlanta, Georgia • B.S. Information Technology ’12 Gina Cyrille spends her days with databases and wouldn’t have it any other way. As a business intelligence developer and architect, she works with metadata, SQL and data mining on a daily basis to create financial reports for General Motors. She’s active in sports leagues in Atlanta and loves running with her two dogs.
KATIESMITH
Senior System Analyst at Cerner Corp. Kansas City, Missouri B.S. Information Technology ’12 M.S. Integrated Marketing Communication ’13 After graduation, Katie Smith joined Cerner, a leader in health care technology based in Missouri. As a senior system analyst, Smith works in IT health care project management. She travels across the country and Canada to meet with clients and champions the implementation of the clinical reporting solution in order to reduce paper medical records. She enjoys photography, traveling and the Midwest.
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WOMEN ARE TAKING OVER TECH In 2014, 26 percent of the U.S. computing workforce was female. That percentage is on the rise: In spring 2015, the College of Communication & Information graduated equal numbers of men and women from technology-based programs. Meet four alumnae who are shining in their tech careers.
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The Gift of
HEARING Each year, School of Communication Science and Disorders faculty members Selena Snowden and Halle Van Oss (B.S. ’03) take 10 students on an audiology mission trip. In March, a group spent eight days in Guatemala giving the gift of hearing and shelter. Malnutrition and hereditary factors impact hearing for a wide range of people. To help detect and treat any hearing issues, the group spent two days running an audiology clinic in the town of Sololá and fitting hearing aids for pediatric to geriatric patients. The third clinic day was held in Panajachel, where around 100 hearing evaluations were completed. Senior Rachel Steiner helped make earmolds for the hearing aids. “We had different stations for otoscopy, tympanometry, screenings and threshold testing, and then we made earmolds to attach to the hearing aids,” she explained.
Earmolds were made by mixing a silicone-like material to take an impression of the ear. The impressions were then shaped and threaded with tubing so patients would have custom-fitted earmolds. Usually an ear impression is sent to a manufacturer, but the group made every earmold on-site. Then, the earmolds were attached to a hearing aid programmed via computer specifically for an individual’s hearing loss. During the three clinic days, 34 hearing aids were fitted. Construction filled other days, as students worked on a home for a single mother, Sylveria, and her eight children and grandchildren, who all shared two mattresses. Work included digging a hole for a septic tank as well as mixing and pouring concrete.
“The people there were so friendly and warm. Regardless of the poverty-stricken conditions, everyone there was happy or had a smile.” - Kasia Baginski (B.S. ’15) Photos courtesy of Kasia Baginski SPECIAL CONTENT
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Alumni Gifts Honor Public Speaking Mentor Professor Mark Zeigler (M.S. ’89) has been a fixture in the School of Communication for the past 25 years, teaching Florida State students the importance of public speaking. Serving as both a mentor and a friend, Zeigler has influenced many lives during his tenure at Florida State. A group of alumni led by Mike Haggard (B.S. ’92) have created the Mark Zeigler Endowment for Excellence in Public Speaking Education with aspirations to prepare a new generation of outstanding public speakers.
Photo courtesy of Bob Haggard
Zeigler goes above and beyond the job description of “professor.” He has spent the past 10 summers with students abroad through the Communication in London program. Through the years he’s officiated at 10 student weddings, read thousands of names during commencement and taken to the stage to perform in FSU’s 2014 production of “Ragtime” and again in 2015 for “The Fantasticks.” Haggard, managing partner at The Haggard Law Firm in Coral Gables, Florida, made the lead gift toward the endowment. More than 20 years after graduating from Florida State, his time in Zeigler’s classroom has stayed with him. During his undergraduate years as a communication major, Haggard decided to pursue a career in law. His education in public speaking provided a solid foundation. Haggard joined the Dade County Public Defender’s Office in 1995 and went on to work in medical malpractice before joining his father’s firm, The Haggard Law Firm, where he practices trial law.
Zeigler officiated at the wedding of alumni Brett Fulkerson (B.S. ’14) and Rebecca Slupecki (B.S. ’14) in 2014.
Zeigler also had an impact on FSU Alumni Association National Board Directors Sam Ambrose (B.S. ’91, M.S. ’92), Tracie Domino (B.S. ’02), John “JD” Doughney IV (B.S. ’02, M.S. ’03) and Marion Taormina Hargett (B.S. ’93), as well as former chair Allen Durham (B.S. ’93), who all made commitments to the endowment.
Sam Ambrose
Tracie Domino
John “JD” Doughney IV
Allen Durham
Mike Haggard
Marion Taormina Hargett Photo courtesy of NBC Universal
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