Student Spotlight Archive
Clay Calfee: From Baselines to Fence Lines
Senior Clay Calfee is one of the best collegiate baseball players in the country, but he feels as much at home on the range as he does on the diamond.
An animal science major, Calfee has it tough in the spring, having to limit his time at the ASU Ranch while he plays first base for the ASU Rams. But, despite the hectic baseball travel schedule, he still squeezes in his other favorite pastime.
“I spent a lot of time at the ranch for a couple of years,” Calfee said. “This year I only have one lab class out there, but just the other day I went out there and we were working some sheep.”
This spring is even harder on Calfee because he is a bona fide Major League Baseball prospect. “Baseball America” magazine named him a preseason All-American and the top prospect in NCAA Division II.
“I’ve been getting a bunch of stuff from pro teams,” Calfee said. “I have to fill out all this paperwork and I have more of that than I do schoolwork. I always tell myself I’m going to work on stuff for my classes when I’m on the road, but it’s hard to do that. I’ve been pretty swamped.”
Originally a catcher, Calfee was an all-district and All-Montgomery County selection for Conroe High School. But, now at 6’6” and 220 pounds, he has “outgrown” his catcher’s gear at ASU.
“I guess I got too lanky for the position,” Calfee said. “I came here and caught in the fall, but it didn’t really work out. So, I was pitching and playing first base. Now I’m just concentrating on playing first base.”
That is just fine with the ASU baseball team that almost didn’t get Calfee’s services. He was planning to attend a junior college in the Metroplex until a scout put him in touch with ASU baseball coach Kevin Brooks.
“I came out here on a visit,” Calfee said. “Something just didn’t feel right about the other school, but it felt good here, so this is where I came. It has been a much better deal for me.”
That better deal helped Calfee earn Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2006 and a spot on the 2007 All-America second team after helping lead the Rams to their first appearance at the NCAA DII College World Series.
In his limited spare time, Calfee enjoys hunting and fishing, but has still found occasion to make the Dean’s List and to serve on ASU’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee. He is scheduled to graduate in December and, on the off-chance that baseball doesn’t work out for him, he can always head back to the ranch.
Jennifer Rios: Washington Confidential
As one of only five students nationally with a spring internship in the prestigious Scripps Howard Foundation’s Semester in Washington Program, ASU senior journalism major Jennifer Rios is getting real world experience in the District of Columbia, the news-making capital of the world.
Take, for example, President George W. Bush’s last state-of-the-union address. Rios was there, doing a profile on Marine 1st Lt. Andrew Kinard, who sat in first lady Laura Bush’s box during the speech.
Kinard lost both legs to an Iraqi bomb blast in October of 2006. Since then, he has undergone 48 medical procedures with, as Rios quoted him, “a few more left.”
“This was one of my favorite stories so far, probably because it involved a profile,” Rios said. “I love learning about people and getting them to open up.”
During her four-month stay in Washington, D.C., Rios is learning about more than people, whether it’s mastering the Washington Metro system, covering a congressional hearing or attending a National Press Club luncheon with some of the nation’s top journalists.
Rios has covered an anti-abortion rally and march on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. She has written stories on gender violence, on speeches at the National Press Club, on Social Security and vulnerable beneficiaries and on an upcoming National Archives exhibition on the works of the late political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman (1869-1949)
“The main difference in reporting here, compared to San Angelo, is the pace of life,” Rios said. “I may only complete a few stories a week, but everything happens so much quicker here. Interviews must be snatched up before that person leaves your sight because you may not see or hear from him or her again.
“And, while there are individuals who are friendly and helpful,” she said, “there are also those who have no interest in you if your business card doesn’t say you’re from the (Washington) Post or the (New York) Times.”
Even though the internship has bumped her planned May graduation back to the fall, it was an opportunity Rios could not pass up just like she seldom passes up a chance to broaden her experience. Few students are as driven or as good at multi-tasking as Rios, who in addition to keeping her studies up often worked multiple jobs at ASU while finding the time to bake the occasional cheesecake for her professors or co-workers.
When she arrived on campus in 2004 as a freshman, she immediately sought a job in the News and Publications Office, answering telephones, clipping newspapers and handling the odd jobs that fall the lot of student employees.
She started as an English major but then switched to journalism, attracted by its practicality, whether writing for a newspaper or a Web site.
Almost immediately, she volunteered for the Ram Page and in the ensuing years covered everything from student organizations to the university’s presidential search. She would go on to become copy editor, managing editor and editor her senior year. With a little journalism experience under her belt, she earned an internship at the San Angelo Standard-Times, a Scripps Howard paper, and continues to do stories on assignment for the publication.
While she wrote features and covered breaking news for the Standard-Times, Rios developed a fondness for one type of story.
“I really liked writing obits,” Rios said. “Some might find that odd, but I enjoyed writing the stories of their lives and even had some families call me to thank me for the job I had done.”
Though she was drawn to journalism through the writing, her classroom and work experience has broadened her perspective on the field.
“The No. 1 lesson I have learned,” Rios said, “is that writing is really a small part of the job. Meeting people, making contacts, presenting yourself well, being observant and not taking things at face value are all just as important to success.”
Rios attributes her success to her ASU professors, who “really care about their students,” and her parents, each contributing in different ways to her success.
From her father Jose Luis Rios, she got her interest in journalism, following in his footsteps at the Ram Page where he was sports editor and at the Standard-Times where he was a reporter. He went on to work 13 years with the Washington Post and is today director of photography for the Miami Herald.
“He was excited to learn I was going to Washington,” Rios said, “because he knows what a great city it is for journalists.”
From her mother Julie Rodriquez, she received a reality check that helped develop her strong work ethic.
“My mother taught me that I was always replaceable,” Rios said, “and that I needed to work hard and do a good job. I always had a job, at least one, since I was 13. I learned that when there wasn’t enough time in the day to do all I wanted to do, I had to do several things at once.”
“The multi-tasking thing is a big part of me,” she said. “I get antsy when I have down time.”
With so much to write about and see in Washington, Rios will be anything but antsy this spring.
Lara Johnson: Overseas Study
Born in Germany and raised in Texas, ASU junior Lara Johnson is combining her two “homelands” into the educational opportunity of a lifetime.
A double major in journalism and German, Johnson is currently studying in Germany at Leibniz Universität Hannover, where she will spend 10 months through the ASU Study Abroad Program.
“I've always had an interest in the German culture and I think the language is completely beautiful,” Johnson said. “I have spent my last three summers in Germany and have completely fallen in love with the people, the language and even more so with the culture. I love that wherever I go in the world, despite cultural and language differences, we are all people, we all have many of the same emotional struggles, and many of the same hopes and dreams.”
While in Hannover, Johnson will take classes in German phonetics, grammar, literature, spoken communication and culture, with classes starting in October.
“My German is ‘almost’ fluent and that is one of the reasons I will be attending school in Germany, to be totally immersed in the language,” Johnson said. “I've been taking German since my freshman year of high school, so this will be my eighth year.”
But, it won’t be all schoolwork for Johnson. She plans to be immersed in the German culture as well, possibly even spending Christmas break on holiday in Bavaria.
“I look forward to not just visiting, but making Hannover my home,” Johnson said. “While being a tourist is fun, it will also be fun to learn what living in the city is truly like. I’ll be finding myself and my identity in a culture that is much like ours and so much unlike ours at the same time.”
Despite her previous stays in Germany and her eagerness to return, being away from her Texas home for so long still has Johnson a little intimidated.
“I am somewhat anxious and the beginning will be the hardest time because I'll be trying to get the feel of the city, learn the school system and build relationships at the same time,” Johnson said. “But, three students from San Angelo will be attending school in Germany the second semester, two in Hannover and another in Lüneburg. I am looking forward to their arrival, and by that time I know I will be aching to see someone from home.”
A native of Garland, Johnson is scheduled to graduate from ASU in May 2009.
Adam Torres: A Musical Experience
In lieu of a well-deserved vacation, ASU music major Adam Torres spent part of his summer undergoing intensive training as a colleague at the prestigious Conductor’s Institute at Bard College in New York.
Regarded by many as the premier training ground for young conductors, the institute is a four-week course for music students from around the world. Participants undergo technique and musicianship training through lectures, score studies and rehearsals with symphony and chamber orchestras.
“The Conductor's Institute was a great experience for me,” Torres said. “Working with conductors from all over the U.S. and with international students has given me a greater understanding of the orchestral scene on a global scale. There are very few places where young conductors spend so much time together improving their craft. We all learned so much from each other.”
One of the youngest colleagues at the institute, Torres, 22, worked with several internationally renowned conductors, including Maestro Harold Faberman, co-founder of the Conductor's Guild, and with a number of contemporary composers like Tobias Picker and Joan Tower. His musical studies included master works by Beethoven, Mahler, Brahms, Mozart, Bernstein, Ravel, Tchaikovsky and Verdi.
As a result of contacts made at the institute, Torres is preparing to appear as a guest conductor with Ars Musica in Toronto, Canada. He has also been asked to appear with the Oswego Community Youth Orchestra in New York.
“The institute was a great place to study with esteemed conductors with the opportunity to meet talented colleagues and contacts,” Torres said. “The music world is a small one and I'm sure I will run into many of my colleagues in the near future.”
Torres is also an active composer, with works slated to be performed by Ars Musica and the Portland Youth Orchestra. The ASU Ram Band has also programmed several of his arrangements.
Also an active musician, Torres has performed at many public schools, with the San Angelo Symphony and at several local and area churches. He recently accepted the position of organ scholar at First United Methodist Church. A master of the piano, cello and horn (commonly called French horn), he is also involved with almost all of the music ensembles at ASU.
Scheduled to graduate in 2009, Torres plans to pursue a master of music degree in orchestral conducting.
Jennifer Hendryx: Fun with Physics
While many ASU students were taking a well-deserved break from academics this summer, Alpine native Jennifer Hendryx was working on advanced physics projects at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
A junior physics major, Hendryx was chosen for the exclusive internship program at Los Alamos from a nation-wide field of applicants.
“I knew I wanted to do summer research or an internship, so I searched online for something to pique my interest,” Hendryx said. “I applied to Los Alamos National Laboratory, but what turned out to be key was directly e-mailing the people in charge of the internship informing them of my interest. They had me send my resume straight to them and hired me before the application process was even complete.”
Her research at the lab included plasma physics experiments attempting to find an efficient means to generate fusion energy.
Now that her internship is over, it’s back to the Angelo State classrooms and physics labs. But, that doesn’t mean the fun is over. Hendryx is the incoming secretary of the ASU Society of Physics Students (SPS), which has planned a whole slate of fall activities. She is also a member of the SPS Peer Pressure Team, which travels to area school districts performing dramatic physics demonstrations at student assemblies.
“Honestly, I like playing with the fun toys and eating frozen marshmallows during the Peer Pressure demos,” Hendryx said. “I think my favorite experience, though, was going back to Alpine for demos last year. Roman Rodriguez (also an Alpine grad) and I got the chance to go home and show students that physics and science, in general, are not impossible or untouchable subjects. We are regular people with an interest in the workings of the world around us and it wasn't that long ago that we were in our audiences’ shoes.”
Hendryx credits the ASU Physics Department for expanding her options and putting her on the track to success.
“The professors are so personable and accessible,” Hendryx said. “They are not out to flunk anyone and they want students to learn and grow as scientists. We physics students also rely on one another to get through, so we are a pretty tight-knit group.”
Hendryx is set to graduate from ASU in May 2009 with plans to then move on to graduate school.
Adree Lakey: She Had a Hammer
This summer Adree Lakey used a hammer to craft a gold medallion for herself.
On her third throw at the 2007 NCAA Division II National Track and Field National, soft-spoken sophomore Adree Lakey threw the hammer farther than anyone in ASU history and, most importantly, farther than anyone in the 17-person field in Charlotte, N.C., to earn the NCAA national championship gold medallion.
Lakey made a lot of noise that afternoon as she became the eighth female individual national champion in Rambelle history with her toss of 184′4″, shattering the previous school mark, set nearly a decade ago, by almost 20 feet. In addition, she claimed All-American honors in both the shot put and javelin, earning 23 points at the national meet, sparking the Rambelles to a fourth place finish, the best in the 25-year history of the program.
"As soon as I let it go, I knew it was a good throw," Lakey said. "I had been throwing the hammer better at the end of the year in practice and I knew if I could get one off at nationals, I could place pretty high. But I never thought I would win."
A shot put and discus state champion while at Roby High School, Lakey had never thrown the hammer before attending college. In fact, she had never seen the implement before her arrival at ASU.
"I picked it up for the first time the fall of my freshman season," Lakey said. "I just started out doing drills and kept working on it until I got more comfortable. As a freshman, it wasn’t one of my strongest events."
In two years with the Rambelles, Lakey has now collected All-American certificates in each of her four throwing disciplines, also claiming the honor with a sixth-place finish in the discus as a freshman. With two seasons remaining at ASU, Lakey has a chance to become a multiple national champion, a feat never accomplished by a Rambelle.
"I feel that I can pick up where I left off in each of my events at the end of last year," Lakey said. "I hope to defend my title in the hammer and I think I have a good chance to do well at nationals in my other events as a junior. My goal is to be an All-American in all four events this year."
Anthony Sanchez: South American Adventure
While most ASU students were attending 2007 spring classes in familiar campus surroundings, senior Anthony Sanchez was half a world away gaining valuable experience at the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru.
As an intern with the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS), Sanchez assisted with trade development and promotion activities, including international partner searches and trade missions, shows and events. He also conducted market research and addressed inquiries from U.S. companies on doing business in Peru and from Peruvian companies seeking American products and services.
"Meeting such an impressive and diverse group of people enhanced my understanding of the professional world," Sanchez said. "It was from this same group that I developed both working and personal relationships that made my stay at the embassy highly worthwhile."
An international business/accounting major, Sanchez learned of the internship opportunity at a seminar organized by Dr. Sharynn Tomlin, ASU director of international education. But, it was a pending family trip to Peru to visit relatives that really opened the door of opportunity for him.
"I e-mailed Dr. Tomlin explaining my visit to Lima and my idea for an interview," Sanchez said. "Without hesitation she contacted the FCS office and within 20 minutes I was connected to them through e-mail. Everything began falling into place and just two days after talking to the FCS office in Lima, I had set up an interview."
After acing his interviews, Sanchez was awarded the internship and spent four months working at the embassy alongside college interns from South Carolina, Michigan, Toronto and the University of Chicago School of Law. His key accomplishments included writing three International Market Research Reports that were published in BuyUSA and the 2007 "Peruvian Oil and Gas Report" for The American Oil and Gas Reporter magazine. He also helped remove a trade barrier between a U.S. company and a Peruvian company by utilizing government contacts and embassy personnel.
At ASU, Sanchez is a member of the international business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi and is an instructor for the ASU Salsa Club. He is slated to graduate in December 2007 and plans to spend a month backpacking through Europe before looking for a job.
"The Foreign Service is a sector that has definitely captured my attention after my internship in Lima," Sanchez said. "The overall experience was unforgettable."