John Burnley Winslow’s graduation present is a 1913 Wake Forest yearbook.

When Winslow walks across the stage to get his diploma, it will be exactly 100 years after his great grandfather Albert Rufus Phillips earned his Wake Forest degree in May of 1913.

The tan, leather-bound yearbook, with the formal black and white photo of his great grandfather, ties him to his family’s impressive five-generation history with Wake Forest.

As a Wake Forest student soon after the turn of the 20^th century, Albert Phillips studied Greek and Latin, lived in a boarding house, ran track and prepared to be a minister.

One hundred years later, his great grandson studied Spanish and mathematical economics, lived in Polo Residence Hall, played golf and prepared for a career in business.

While many things about Wake Forest have changed in a century, Winslow says one thing remains the same: “The quality of the professors.”

“That is why people come here. It is why they have always come to Wake Forest.”  Among his favorites: Eric Carlson in physics and Fred Chen in economics.
 

A long legacy

Winslow remembers his grandfather, John Dalton Phillips (’49), talking about attending Wake Forest reunions with his father, Albert, when he was growing up. While visiting the Old Campus, John Dalton Phillips met legendary professors such as George Paschal. Wake Forest College was located in the town of Wake Forest until 1956, when it moved to Winston-Salem.

Nearly 40 years after Albert Phillips got his Wake Forest diploma, John Dalton Phillips enrolled. As a high school senior, he traveled from his home in Stokes County to Wake Forest with his father and two of his high school friends. “Come and bring your $50 to register for summer school,” the bursar, E.B. Earnshaw, said to him.

Soon, he had his own favorite professors: Jasper Memory in education, K.T. Raynor in math, Owen Herring in religion and Hubert Poteat in Latin.

After graduation in 1913, Winslow’s great grandfather went on to seminary. Then, he and his wife served as missionaries in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Later he became pastor of First Baptist Church in Nashville, N.C. Finally, he moved back to the family’s home place in Stokes County in 1927 and was a teacher and principal in a number of schools in Stokes and Surry Counties.

Three of the Phillips’ children attended Wake Forest: John Phillips (’49), Anne Radford Phillips (’58) and William Rufus Phillips (’60 BA, ’63 MA).

Back to the beginning

Matthew D. Phillips (1875)

The Phillips/Winslow family’s Wake Forest legacy actually stretches back to 1875 when Winslow’s great, great grandfather Matthew Dalton Phillips and great, great uncle John Y. Phillips earned their Wake Forest degrees.

John Y. Phillips (1875)

According to a brief family history compiled by William Rufus Phillips, Winslow’s great uncle, the curriculum at Wake Forest College in the late 1800s included four years of Latin; four years of Greek; four years of mathematics and four years of English. Both brothers came to Wake Forest in 1871. They graduated together in June 1875, in a class of nine men.

John Dalton Phillips has the 1875 class picture hanging on the wall in his Raleigh home.

Two Wake Forest awards were established in the brothers’ honor in 1975. The Matthew D. Phillips Award recognizes an outstanding student in the classical languages department each year. The John Y. Phillips Award honors an outstanding math student each year.

“This feels like home”

“I don’t think there’s another legacy like this. It makes me excited and proud and gives me goose bumps,” said Winslow’s mother, Catherine Phillips Winslow, who recalls driving over to the Old Campus with her father and visiting with her father’s friends and professors when she was growing up. She remembers the sense of history and belonging.

John Winslow (’13) talks with his great uncle, William Rufus Phillips (’60, MA ’63), his grandfather John Dalton Phillips (’49) and his great aunt Anne Radford Phillips (’58) in front of Reynolda Hall.

“John made up his mind in seventh grade that he was going to make straight As and get into Wake Forest,” Catherine Winslow said.

Was her son pressured to follow in the family footsteps and become a Demon Deacon? No, John Winslow said, even though his father Robert Raymond Winslow III is also a Wake Forest graduate.

“It came down to what was going to be the right spot for me. I set foot on campus and it was magical, and I thought, ‘this feels like home.’”

In many ways, Courtney Flynn (’14) is the poster child for a 21^st century liberal arts education.

A junior Classical studies major, she pursues her passions while simultaneously safeguarding her future with the help of Assistant Director of Career Education and Counseling Carolyn Couch.

“I believe that while primary the purpose of the institution is to teach us, it’s also to teach us things that are applicable to the rest of our lives,” said Flynn, who will intern with Citigroup this summer. “There are no Romans out there hiring and I don’t want to go to law school, which is the typical path afterwards. I declared my Classical studies major because I love it. For me, the career office is a vital link between what we learn and what we can do with it.”

Wake Forest has been at the forefront of transforming the traditional, outdated concept of “career services” into a holistic, four-year approach to personal and career development.

Now, a new report issued by the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD), “A Roadmap for Transforming the College-To-Career Experience” outlines a seven-step process to help colleges and universities of all sizes and resources rethink the way they prepare students for the world of work.

This crowdsourced paper, which includes input from 20 innovators in higher education and business, also profiles and shares insights from some of the country’s leading personal and career development models in higher education.

Building upon the ideas of national thought leaders representing the professional world and from 74 premier colleges and universities, the report captures feedback from the “Rethinking Success” conference hosted by Wake Forest last year.

In addition to examining issues related to the value of a liberal arts education and employment today, the conference also helped catalyze a national movement with a clear takeaway and an urgent call-to-action.

Chan

“Career preparedness is not a talking point for graduation season only. Higher education as a whole must do more to prioritize personal and career development as a four-year long, mission-critical component of the college experience,” said Chan. “To achieve a life of meaning and purpose, students need to be employable for life, not just employable immediately after graduation.”

Investing in personal and career development pays off

Four years ago, President Nathan Hatch envisioned an undergraduate experience that gave students not only an academic education, but also a career education that teaches them about themselves and their options in the world of work.

Since 2009, Chan has built an innovative, resourceful “College-to-Career” community designed to intentionally prepare students in a comprehensive way, starting with their first days on campus.

In three years, Wake Forest has raised more than $10 million to invest in personal and career development, and the results are paying off. Of the Class of 2012, 95 percent reported being employed or graduate school just six months out of college (compared to a 66 percent nationally).

Rethinking personal and professional success for students

To that end, it might seem surprising that, according to the National Association for Colleges and Employers, colleges and universities have slashed career office budgets by an average of 16 percent in the past year.

Though many schools – from large public research universities to traditional liberal arts colleges – face real resource constraint issues, they cannot be an excuse for not providing the necessary career support for every student, says Chan. To that end, he outlines seven key steps institutions of all types should take to successfully enable and implement transformational change in the area of personal and career development.

“Unless we can demonstrate to current and prospective students and their families that the four years spent at college will result in real employment prospects, there will continue to be those who disparage a college education as a waste of time and money,” Chan said.

For students like Flynn, the OPCD experience isn’t just professional – it’s personal.

“I want to emphasize how office is invested in us as people. I have developed a relationship with my career counselor and she emails me all the time about events that would be of interest to me,” she said. “She’s also interested in how I am as a person and how things are at home. That’s the allure of the office. They’re interested in getting to know you and helping you.”

The full report and roadmap are available at http://opcd.wfu.edu.

From researching regenerative medicine in Sweden to teaching in Vietnam, 11 Wake Forest students and recent graduates have been awarded Fulbright scholarships to go abroad during the 2013-1014 academic year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program — the most prestigious international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government — offers opportunities for students and young professionals to conduct research or teach English in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Jason Green (’13) of White Plains, N.Y., will conduct regenerative medicine research in Sweden, and Diane Hazel (’05) of Washington, D.C., will study law in Namibia.

Nine students were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships and will be teaching English abroad:

• Sal Badillo (’13) of Tampa, Fla. is teaching in Spain
• Theodore Barton (’13) of Pinon Hills, Calif., is teaching in Poland
• Amanda Cain (’13) of Alexandria, Va., is teaching in Vietnam
• Elizabeth Cannon (’13) of Atlanta, Ga., is teaching in South Korea
• Carter Kenyon (’13) of Brentwood, Tenn., is teaching in Germany
• Carleigh Morgan (’12) of Greensboro, N.C., is teaching in Turkey
• Annie Ornelles (’11) of Winston-Salem, N.C., is teaching in Andorra
• Becky Perry (’13) of Monroe, N.C., is teaching in Germany
• Renee Slawsky (’13) of Knoxville, Tenn., is teaching in Russia

Including the 11 named here, 83 Wake Forest graduates or students have been named Fulbright scholars since 1992.

Two students who were recommended by the U.S. Fulbright committee to the host committees in other countries are currently listed as alternates for English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) abroad:

• Molly King (’13) for Ecuador
• Ken Meyer (’13) for Turkey

Maggie Rodgers (’13) is an alternate for the Fulbright ETA to Germany. She is the recipient of an Austrian Fulbright Commissions ETA for 2013-14.

One Wake Forest graduate, Paige Haynes (’11), was chosen as an alternate to conduct political science research in Poland.

When Rahel Tafese spent a day shadowing a sales representative for a company called BioRx, she learned a lot about treatments for immune deficiency, but more importantly, she made connections that will help her as she figures out what path she will take within the health professions.

Tafese, a first-year student from Maryland, participated in Wake Forest’s new job shadow program with Wake Forest alumni offered through a course in the counseling department called “Options in the World of Work.”

“It was amazing,” said Tafese, who is thinking about majoring in health and exercise science.  “Several of the physicians and pharmaceutical company representatives I met offered the opportunity for me to shadow them as well. Where else would I get that kind of connection?”

Forty Wake Forest alumni in North Carolina offered an insider’s view of their work to current students. On the flip side, alumni find out what it is like to be a student today.

“It’s a fun way to stay in touch with the Wake Forest family,” said Eric Hill (’88), who arranged Tafese’s visit to BioRx, the company he co-founded. “It doesn’t require a lot of effort to give a student access to a real business environment. I would encourage other alumni to do this.”

In addition to connecting students with sales representatives in the Winston-Salem area, he has offered to arrange for students to visit the company’s operations center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“This program has been successful in more ways than we imagined,” said Department of Counseling instructor Heidi Robinson, who directs the series of College to Career courses. “Students are experiencing all different industry and career settings:  consulting, sales, finance, education, medical practices. And, our alumni provide each opportunity.”

One student spent a day with a chaplain in an Iredell County hospital.  Another shadowed an orthodontist. Robinson partnered with Lori Sykes, who works on the employer relations team in the University’s Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD). Wake Forest’s Alumni office helped recruit local alumni to participate.

“Job shadowing opens up possibilities,” Sykes said.  “It opens a student’s mind to hear from an alumnus who received a history degree, but works in private wealth management. Making that connection to someone who has been in their shoes before can make a huge difference in how they see their future.”

For some younger students, who have no idea what career they want, just seeing a day in the life of someone in the work world is valuable.  For others, who are already focused on a particular career, shadowing that professional either makes them confident about their choice or makes them take a broader look at what else is out there.

“Either way, it’s very beneficial for the student to do that earlier rather than later,” Sykes said.

Opportunities were listed in the OPCD’s recruiting system on a first-come, first-served basis. As soon as it was posted, Nick Syris signed up to job shadow Cameron Kent (’79), a news anchor for WXII-TV.

“I met everyone from producers, to the traffic reporter, the weather director, the sports director, to the people who run the station’s website and handle the technical aspects of the news station,” said Syris, a first-year student from Florida. “Three hours felt like three minutes.  I loved the adrenaline rush I got from watching a show go live.”

Robinson said job shadowing gives students three things:

• Confidence to reach out to other people and ask for job shadow opportunities on their own as they explore possible career interests.
• Competence in skills – preparing thoughtful, well-researched questions, reflecting on experiences, writing thank you notes – professional qualities that will be essential as they prepare to enter the job market after they graduate.
• Clarity about the kinds of work environments that excite them and align with their talents and gifts.

Written reflection helps students understand the value and relevance of the job shadow. They process it. Each student submitted written reflections to Robinson addressing three questions:  “What (they did)?”  “So what?” and “Now what?”

For sophomore Abby Rogers, spending two days observing accountants in different roles from procurement to internal and external reporting, confirmed she had chosen the right major for her—accounting—and fueled her enthusiasm for the accounting profession. “Shadowing took me out of my comfort zone and forced me to ask questions,” Rogers said.

At the end of his day shadowing Kris Downing (’93 MBA), director of business strategy and partnerships at the Center for Creative Leadership, Grey Miller was invited to apply for a summer internship. Miller is a sophomore from Morganton, N.C., who plans to major in communication with a minor in entrepreneurship.

“For me as an alumna, I found it refreshing to spend time with a college student and I had a renewed sense of pride in the work I do,” said Downing, who gave Miller the chance to sit in on research meetings and a conference call with a potential client. “It was very rewarding to share a portion of my day with an attentive, interested Wake Forest student.”

When students are home during summer break, they can feel confident seeking opportunities on their own, Robinson said.  “All this experience will translate into being better prepared and making better decisions when it is time to choose a major, select courses, and, of course, once it’s time to interview for that internship or full-time job.”

After spending countless hours in the studios in the basement of Scales Fine Arts Center, students put the finishing touches on their most prized creations. Running up the stairs, often just minutes before the deadline, they submit their work at the gallery—hoping a panel of faculty judges for the Student Art Exhibition will select their piece for the show.

Judges may choose works based on the artist’s skill, the level of improvement between a student’s first work and the work submitted, or the degree of challenge the student faced in creating the piece.

This year, works by 34 student artists were selected for the exhibition, which runs through May 20 in the Hanes Art Gallery. The show includes paintings, photographs, collages and videos.

Senior computer science major Stephen Parey combined his interests in computers and art for his work, “Rusty Motherboard.” Parey designed a copper plate to look like a futuristic computer piece by etching an intricate line pattern into it.

Cami Burruss, “Enroute”

“Working in the studio art department, it is always great to see what others are doing and gain inspiration and tips from their artwork.  The student exhibition is a great opportunity to see everyone’s designs and collaborate with them about their piece and the process behind it,” Parey says.

Those students selected enjoy seeing the pieces they have worked on throughout the semester displayed in the gallery. For some, studio art courses offer an opportunity to continue doing the art that they love; for others, the courses are a way to learn something completely new.

First-year student Cami Burruss took photography courses prior to college and enrolled in Introduction to Photography to further develop her skills.

“As a first-year student, I was not anticipating having multiple pieces presented and for the faculty to think my work strong enough to be part of the exhibition,” Burruss says.

In her first studio art course, Introduction to Sculpture, sophomore history and art history major Brittany Forniotis created “Bite,” which was selected for the exhibition.

“The opportunity to be a part of this show is a true testament to the nature of the liberal arts education that Wake Forest provides,” Forniotis said. “Even though I am not studying studio art, I have had the opportunity to experiment in the arts, and I feel encouraged by seeing my work displayed in a real gallery.”

The 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro is just over one year away. But while fan excitement builds, 170,000 Brazilians may be relocated from their homes as the city makes room for construction and infrastructure projects to accommodate the millions of expected visitors.

It’s a story that might not make the news without help from foreign correspondent Jawad Wahabzada, a graduating senior who was recently named a fellow for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The journalism program at Wake Forest is a member of the Center’s Campus Consortium, which brings foreign correspondents to campus and provides funding for the fellowship.

This August, Wahabzada will travel to Rio de Janeiro to film a short documentary about Betto Guaraciaba and his work with children living in the favelas, many of whom will be affected by the loss of their family homes as shantytowns are destroyed to prepare for the World Cup.

A retired boxer and now a photographer, Guaraciaba began his life in the streets of the favelas. He now dedicates his time to impoverished children, teaching them to box, giving them hope and keeping them away from drugs and violence.

“Through the eyes of Betto, I plan to explore how the World Cup preparations are affecting the residents of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas as families are forced out of their homes. I hope to present an original perspective to this issue from the eyes of those who have experienced it firsthand.”

Wahabzada is Wake Forest’s second recipient of the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting’s student fellowship. Majoring in communications and minoring in film and religion, he is an experienced documentary filmmaker whose previous work, “Children of Kabul,” has been mentioned on CNN iReport and CNN Backstory. Wahabzada’s proposal was selected from among many strong applications with assistance from staff members at the Pulitzer Center in Washington.

“Jawad will be working one-on-one with a Pulitzer Center editor on a multimedia project that will include blog posts, photographs, stories and a short film. His work will be published on the Pulitzer Center website and possibly in national news outlets,” says Justin Catanoso, director of Wake Forest’s journalism program. “He’ll receive mentoring on how to refine his work and prepare a final story that will inform and inspire. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is an innovative award-winning non-profit journalism organization dedicated to supporting the independent international journalism that U.S. media organizations are increasingly less able to undertake. The Center focuses on under-reported topics, promoting high-quality international reporting and creating platforms that reach broad and diverse audiences. The organization is based in Washington, D.C.

The University’s affiliation with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is made possible through funding from Wake Forest’s Office of Global Affairs.

Janelle Leuthaeuser is on the cutting edge of biophysics. A molecular genetics and genomics Ph.D. student, she is part of a nationwide effort to create a more efficient generation of protein-based drugs.

Proteins are the worker bees of cells. They get rid of waste, transmit cellular signals and carry out the chemical reactions that keep our bodies running. The biomolecules’ role as intracellular regulators and their sheer number (there are about 7,000 different types of protein molecules in a typical human body cell) also make them one of the most frequent targets of drugs.

Drugs can help your body fight off disease and infection by speeding up or altering the chemical reactions regulated by proteins. Around half of the drugs currently on the market work by targeting proteins.

Researchers have identified millions of proteins and are discovering new ones faster than ever before. The problem, when it comes to making new and better drugs, is that two proteins can have a similar structure or genetic sequence but react very differently to the same chemical compound. This can lead to adverse drug side effects that range from mildly discomforting to potentially life-threatening. In fact, more than three million serious adverse reactions to prescription drugs occur every year. There are more than 100,000 deaths from these reactions per year, placing prescription drug use as the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, ahead of pulmonary disease, diabetes, AIDS and pneumonia.

“The more information we can get about how specific proteins function the better we can target them with drugs,” Leuthaeuser said. “We have the technology to identify a lot of new proteins now, but not to efficiently identify the details of their molecular function.”

She is working with Jacquelyn Fetrow, Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics and Dean of the College, and a national team of researchers to develop an automated program that classifies different proteins by their active site, the location where chemical reactions occur. Contemporary technologies predict protein function based on the full sequence or structure of protein molecules. The Wake Forest led team found this method often vaguely or incorrectly classifies proteins. Leuthaeuser said that proteins can be grouped together by function more accurately when using the sequence and structure directly surrounding the active site rather than the overall structure of a protein molecule.

“When proteins have less than 30-40 percent sequence identity, it is more helpful to look at just the active sites,” Leuthaeuser said. “We can more accurately predict their function when we are looking at this small area.”

A simple example of how the active site information can be applied in developing more efficient drugs is with aspirin. Leuthaeuser said aspirin affects two similar proteins – COX 1 and COX 2 – that do two very different things. COX 2 is involved with general pain and inflammation while COX 1 regulates swelling in the gastrointestinal tract. Aspirin inhibits both COX 1 and COX 2.

“This is why taking aspirin can give you an upset stomach,” Leuthaeuser said. “We would like to inhibit just COX 2 and not COX 1. “There are differences in the active sites of COX 1 and COX 2 that allow drugs to be targeted to COX 2 selectively, decreasing the potential gastrointestinal side effects.”

Leuthaeuser is in the process of characterizing active site information for a group of structurally diverse proteins using a computer program developed by members of the Fetrow Lab. While the project is in an early testing and validation stage, she said the eventual hope is that utilizing active site profiling technology will enable accurate and efficient protein function prediction. This could in turn assist pharmaceutical researchers in designing drugs with fewer adverse effects.

Patsy Babbitt, a professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, has been working with Fetrow on models to predict protein function for five years and is a collaborator on the project. She said automated systems like this will not only make it easier to develop drugs with fewer side effects but will greatly speed up the process of drug development in general. Until recently, Babbitt said the only way to efficiently and accurately identify protein function at the necessary level of molecular detail was to examine them one by one in the lab, a painstakingly slow process that requires a significant amount of time for each protein and costs a significant amount of money.

She said the goal is to bring the time down from a few years to a few weeks.

“The precision will not be as good as individual experiments,” Babbitt, said. “But, it will take much less time and money to build an infrastructure to help other scientists form hypotheses and identify the details of protein functional sites.”

As most seniors prepare to leave Wake Forest to begin jobs, attend graduate school and go on service trips, a small group of talented students have decided to start their careers here, at “Mother, So Dear.”

After commencement, 15 recent graduates will stay at Wake Forest for at least another year, having accepted positions in Admissions, Information Systems, University Advancement and as Wake Forest Fellows.

The President’s Office established the Wake Forest Fellows Program in 2008 to provide mentorship to recent graduates though a yearlong paid internship in higher administration.

“The program gives graduates exposure to a number of high-level projects across the University,” said Marybeth Wallace, special assistant to the president, who oversees the Fellows. “This helps them determine their interests and strengths and propels them toward the next stage of their lives.”

As the first-ever fellow to work in Z. Smith Reynolds library, Lauren Suffoletto (’13) sees an opportunity to learn more about the career she intends to pursue. In this position, she will assist in the development and implementation of year-round programs and events for the library and engage in other activities.

“In the next few years I would like to work in research and development for a university or non-profit organization,” said Suffoletto. “In my year as a fellow, I hope to not only engage in administrative tasks, but act as a liaison between the student body and library staff. The Wake Forest Fellows Program is the perfect way for me to give back to an institution that has given me so many opportunities.”

Keon McGuire (’08), who was a fellow in the Office of Student Life, described his experience as a “crash course” into the career world. “It gave me a picture of what different professions in higher education entail,” said McGuire, who since has worked at The College Board and Complete College America and is currently pursuing a joint Ph.D in Higher Education and Africana studies. “The fellowship gave me the invaluable opportunity to work with and learn from experienced Wake Forest personnel.”

Caroline Naughton (’11) went on to become a sales assistant at ABC Television Network after serving a year as the fellow in the Office of Personal and Career Development team, where she played an integral role in organizing a 250-person conference at Wake Forest called Rethinking Success.

“The fellowship gave me the incredible opportunity to learn in a safe environment,” she said. “I wish every student could experience this program. There is something beautiful about making mistakes in an environment where you feel comfortable.”

In addition to having a Wake Forest Fellow, the Office of Information Systems will employ two additional graduates to bring a student perspective to I.S. and help us ensure that student needs are being understand and met.

Leya Wood (’13) looks forward to working with students and staff as the new Bridge Associate. “I have been working at The Bridge for the past three years and I love the environment and the people. I am excited to continue working with them,” she said.

Mark Covington (’13), one of at least two fellows working in University Advancement, will focus on increasing annual giving participation from alumni and parents while learning the ropes of higher education fundraising. He looks forward to transitioning from student to staff member. “I am excited that I will be able to travel and meet alumni from all over the country,” said Covington, a Winston-Salem native. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work in college administration. My ultimate career goal is to work in higher education.”

Here is a list of the 2013-14 fellows and the offices they will serve:

• Office of the Dean of the College: Lindsay Schneider (’13)
• Office of Information Systems: Laura Chin (’13)
• Office of Investments: Paige Bosworth (’13)
• Office of Personal and Career Development: Benjamin Magee (’13)
• Office of the President: James O’Connell (’13)
• Office of the Provost: Frances Fisher (’13)
• START Gallery: Katie Wolf (’13)
• Office of Student Life: Brad Shugoll (’13)
• Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center: Sarah Sebton (’13)
• University Advancement: Isabelle Ruane and Mark Covington (’13)
• ZSR Library: Lauren Suffoletto (’13)

Hill

Additionally, these recent graduates have also accepted positions at Wake Forest:

• Information Systems Bridge Associate: Leya Wood (’13)
• Information Systems Collaborative Technologies Associate: Kory Riemensperger (’13)
• Admissions Counselor: Victoria Hill (’12)

Senior theatre major Dean Guerra knows the power of bringing stories to life on stage. He has experienced it in his classes and through his community of friends who are also drawn to theatre.

So when the drama club at a local school needed reenergizing, he gathered his fellow actors and took the lead.

Guerra recruited members of the Anthony Aston Players, a Wake Forest student organization dedicated to the promotion of arts, to join him in teaching acting, improvisation, voice and movement to sixth through tenth graders at Paisley International Baccalaureate Magnet School.

“When I found out Paisley’s drama club needed support, I jumped at the opportunity to co-sponsor the club and serve as student coordinator,” Guerra says. “I was excited to pursue my interest in theatre education and the art of theatre and positively impact young people.”

Guerra’s commitment to Paisley’s drama club earned him a grant from Wake Forest’s Institute of Public Engagement to help fund costumes and scenery for a performance last spring.

“Theatre helps to educate children in a way that is active and engaging; kids want to learn when they are having fun,” says Guerra. “Theatre has given me a sense of community, and at Wake Forest people have invested in me and cared about my success as a student and an artist. I wanted to do the same for students at Paisley.”

Guerra is a theatre and women’s and gender studies double major from Hockley, Texas. During his four years in college, he has participated in 43 shows in a variety of roles including actor, director, sound designer, light designer and stage manager.

After graduating, Guerra plans to return to his hometown to teach theatre to children. “My plan is to use what I have learned and experienced during my time at Wake Forest to have a positive impact on their lives,” says Guerra.

Rows of brightly colored desks lined the Magnolia Quad on April 16 as Wake Forest students painted them for local elementary school students.

More than 60 students from Old Town Elementary came to campus for the annual D.E.S.K. (Discovering Education through Student Knowledge) event. They watched as their desks were painted, played games led by campus organizations and had their faces painted. Some children even grabbed a brush to help.

“Having my own desk will help me concentrate more on my homework and studying,” Natalee, a fifth grader, said as she picked up a paint brush and filled in pink flowers on the side of her bright blue desk. “Plus it has all of my favorite things.”

D.E.S.K. was established in 2004 after Wake Forest students identified a lack of workspace in the homes of students they tutored. The event pairs each child with a participating campus organization. Representatives from each group met with their student last month in order to design and paint the desk according to the child’s interests. Many children chose to have their desks decorated with their favorite cartoon characters, sports and hobbies.

This year’s co-chairs were seniors Meredith Browne and McKenna Begin. The theme was Madagascar so each child received a Madagascar-themed book and t-shirt.

“D.E.S.K. is a unique event because it brings elementary school children to the Wake Forest campus and teams them up with a student group,” Browne said. “We encourage their academic studies by providing them with school supplies, a desk that is uniquely theirs and a book. I love this project.”