Belmont students, alumni and staff served as facilitators and scribes for Metro Mayor Megan Barry’s “REAL Talk:” Forum on Race, Equity, and Leadership on September 10 at Nashville’s Music City Center.
More than 1,000 Nashville citizens shared honest and raw experiences related to race relations in Nashville and gave creative suggestions as to how we can make our community a more equal society.
If you’ve had delicious cookies lately at an event in the Nashville area, you may have been tasting a small piece of recent Belmont alumna Grace McCaw’s start-up, Nashville Cookie Company. McCaw graduated with her entrepreneurship degree this May and has been hard at work baking and selling her cookies at local stores, festivals and special events.
McCaw started her business between her junior and senior years at Belmont by making cookies to sell at various Nashville farmers’ markets. According to the company’s website, McCaw has been a native of the kitchen ever since she was young as she helped her mom “crack the eggs” for her favorite recipes. McCaw rekindled her love for baking when she moved into her first apartment with a kitchen as a Belmont sophomore. She began making her famous cookie recipe for her friends, who soon began asking for them again at their birthday parties and other special events. As the popularity of her recipe grew, so did her catering and retail opportunities.
Today, the Nashville Cookie Company sells flavors of cookies ranging from chocolate chip to peanut butter banana oatmeal and other creative combinations. It also offers a flavor and design customization option for catering bridal events which allows the cookies to match the specific style of the couple they’re made to celebrate.
For more information or to place an order with Nashville Cookie Co., visit its website.
Sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology student Mary Barber recently received recognition for her outstanding participation in the 2016 Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic (KUH) Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Barber completed a 10-week internship over the summer as an “Aspirnaut” through Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease and was a part of the larger KUH research program. She worked in Dr. Billy Hudson’s lab in Vanderbilt’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
Due to Barber’s outstanding work over the summer, she was chosen as one of 2-4 participants from the Vanderbilt program to receive a travel award that will allow her to attend the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week Conference in Chicago, Illinois from November 17-20. She will also be placed in the Kidney STARS program for the conference that provides tailored programming for students including networking opportunities and a career guidance panel. Within the Kidney STARS Program, Barber will be placed into a peer group of other KUH summer program students and will receive a group mentor who will attend sessions and events with the members.
Because of this recognition, Barber will also receive the unique opportunity to present her poster from the KUH summer program during Kidney Week. The details surrounding her presentation have not yet been announced, but Barber is more than ready to share her hard work with the scientific community. “Dr. Billy Hudson and Dr. Vadim Pedchenko at Vanderbilt are excellent mentors and allowed me to research something very interesting and important,” Barber said. “I’m excited to tell other physicians, scientists and students about the small slice of research that I spent my time on.”
Barber discussed how she was grateful for all of the unexpected opportunities that have recently been presented to her. “The most rewarding part for me is that I truly never expected to have the opportunities that I have been given, so my experiences with research have been deeply valued. I think that people (scientists, doctors, professors) realize passion, and that’s really what I have tried to embody during my biomedical research experience. Passion and appreciation can speak beyond grades or performance. ”
Barber also attributed part of her success to the supportive atmosphere that she has found within Belmont’s scientific community. “The collaborative and encouraging nature at Belmont, especially in the sciences, helped me reach out and pursue these opportunities as a freshman,” said Barber. “I am especially thankful for my biology and chemistry professors for laying a strong foundation for what I would have to learn during my research experience. Having excellent professors made it a much easier transition from the classroom to the lab. I came to Belmont with an interest in research and a desire to become a physician, and my professors and mentors here have encouraged me to pursue that dream.”
This article is an update to an earlier story published in July. Read the original story about Barber’s summer internship experience here.
Belmont University, in partnership with the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC), hosted the Kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15. Approximately 90 Hispanic business owners, elected officials and business leaders attended the event. Students in Dr. Mitch McCoy’s Spanish class and members of the Hispanic Student Association served as event greeters.
After Vice President and University Counsel Jason Rogers welcomed the group, Metro Vice Mayor David Briley presented a proclamation on behalf of Mayor Megan Barry acknowledging contributions and sacrifices made by Hispanics serving in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War, the leadership Hispanics give to corporations, non-profits, government, education and the social movements and citing the first Latina serving on the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
“We are very proud to celebrate our 12th Hispanic heritage month official kick-off celebration at Belmont. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions of those who trace their roots to Spanish speaking countries and fellow Hispanic-Americans who are also our neighbors here in Nashville. Belmont University’s partnership with us strengthens our embracing diversity and inclusion year after year with this important national observation,” said Yuri Cunza, Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president & CEO. “This is our 6th year coming to Belmont for the Kickoff. We feel like we are a part of this university. The university is the place where people are educated, and we want to educate people about the Hispanic community.”
Joyce Searcy, Belmont’s director of Community Relations and member of the NAHCC board of directors said, “Belmont values its relationship with the NAHCC. One of Belmont’s goals is to be more reflective of the diversity in Nashville and in the world. The Kickoff is one way to celebrate a growing Hispanic community that, according to The Tennessean, has grown by almost 5,000% since 1980. Belmont is working very hard be a model for creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. That also means intentionally engaging our students in activities to make them prepared for a more diverse society.”
Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the rich cultural, economic, artistic, scientific, educational and social influences and contributions of Hispanics throughout the United States.
Belmont School of Music alumna Meredith Maddox Hicks was honored with the 2016 Encore Award on September 15 on Belmont’s campus. The evening consisted of a presentation recognizing Hicks’s achievements in the field of classical music as well as a concert performance.
Hicks,a violinist, graduated from Belmont in 1993 with a Bachelor of Music degree in performance. She received her Master’s degree in Music performance in 1998 from Florida State University and continued on to complete her doctoral coursework. She has been teaching as an adjunct violin and viola professor at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock since 2007 and has also served as a full-time core member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra since 2002. Hicks has taught at various summer music festivals including Wildwood Academy of Music and Arts, Faulkner Chamber Music Festival, Little Rock Adult Chamber Music Festival and camps at Florida State University and Stephen F. Austin University.
During Hicks’s time at Belmont, she received a music scholarship and was the winner of the Concerto Competition in both 1990 and 1993. She mainly studied under the guidance of Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Strings Elisabeth Small. Hicks was also a member of Belmont’s chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Society and the music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota.
Hicks discussed how her Belmont education has played a role in all of her career accomplishments. “Attending Belmont was the best decision for me,” Hicks said. “The small class sizes allowed me to have personalized attention and not be swallowed up in a sea of others. The faculty here is world-class and really cares about each individual student. At Belmont, I was exposed to a variety of musical styles and training and had the opportunity to participate in the first year of musical exchange with the Russian Academy of Music, Gnessin Institute, in Moscow, Russia. Later, the teacher I studied with in graduate school was someone I had met here at Belmont while performing in a masterclass. Each successive step started with my training at Belmont and I am grateful and honored to be receiving the Encore Award.”
The Encore Award was created in 2008 to honor a Belmont University School of Music alumnus for achievement in the field of classical music. Previous Encore Award honorees include Clifton Forbis (2008), Daniel Weeks (2009), Drs. Daniel and Sharon Lawhon (2010), Maestra Teresa Cheung (2011), Dr. Alfredo Colman (2012), Travis Cottrell (2013), Greg Walter (2014) and Tina Milhorn Stallard (2015).
While you may not recognize the name Mike Nawrocki, you would definitely recognize his voice. Nawrocki brings the famous “VeggieTales” character Larry the Cucumber to life by acting as the voice and personality behind the animated figure. On Sept. 14, Nawrocki took to the Massey Performing Arts Center stage to share the story behind his career and his pursuit of God’s plan with a packed audience of Belmont students, faculty and staff— and he structured it like an episode of “VeggieTales.”
Like every other episode, Nawrocki opened his talk with an “opening countertop” by showing a clip of Larry and Bob the Tomato sitting on a kitchen counter introducing the theme of the episode— in this case, “sharing.” He began sharing his memories of the passion he found at a young age for writing, performing and making people laugh. Nawrocki joined the children’s ministry at his church at 13 by putting on puppet shows about religious figures for the kids. He continued his puppet ministry again once he started college and ended up meeting and working with Phil Vischer, who later became the co-creator of “VeggieTales” and the voice of Larry’s sidekick, Bob. Nawrocki joked about how he and Vischer were “puppet rebels” and the way their ministry was viewed by their college peers.
“It’s the opposite of joining the football team in terms of meeting girls,” Nawrocki laughed.
After a short break in the talk for the infamous “Silly Songs with Larry,” he shared how he always thought God’s plan for him was to become a missionary doctor. He studied biology in college and planned to join the Peace Corps before realizing that God was trying to lead him down the path of children’s ministry that he’d been following all along.
“I had my own plans for life, but I had to be open to God’s plans for me,” said Nawrocki. “God had put me in the right place at the right time with the right talent to do His will.”
Nawrocki and Vischer began releasing “VeggieTales” episodes in 1993. The series is having its 23rd anniversary this year and is continuing to reshape itself for more releases. The show recently signed a deal with Netflix and plans to release 121 new episodes for the binge-watching pleasure of viewers all over the world.
During Belmont’s spring break last March, students and faculty from the nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy and social work programs traveled to Guatemala to provide health screenings, patient teaching programs and medications and vitamins to citizens in Antigua. The trip was made possible through the university’s partnership with a Guatemalan coffee company, Kafes Guatemala, through its CoffeeMed Program. The students and faculty served over 350 people.
Belmont’s College of Health Sciences and Nursing has been involved with the CoffeeMed Program for the last three years, serving more than 800 patients. The program aims to provide basic needs to workers on Guatemalan coffee plantations who don’t always work under ideal conditions. In addition, the program takes students on a hands-on tour of plantations, hoping they will realize the importance of their involvement. Students who participate in the program are expected to fund the trip themselves by selling coffee from Kafes Guatemala in their communities.
In addition to current students and faculty, 2015 nursing graduate Claire Zetak served as a team leader on the trip. Zetak noted the importance of student engagement in an interview conducted recently with Roast Magazine. “In the health care profession, interdisciplinary works are always taking place,” said Zetak. “Nurses are working with doctors or physical therapists or pharmacists, so this is an example of what they’ll be doing in their future careers.”
Founder and President of Kafes Guatemala Pablo Castaneda realizes the value of the help Belmont students bring to Guatemala and expressed his gratitude for their work. “Thank you, Belmont students, for your love for others,” Castaneda said. “Never forget you can change lives for good. Your love for others is impacting so many lives, and it goes beyond medical attention to proving you are serving a living God.”
For more information on the programs provided by the College of Health Sciences and Nursing, click here.
A group of 18 Belmont students and faculty members, representing the Belmont University Psychology Club, participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Walk on Saturday, September 10. The walk took place in the Music Row community, starting at Owen Bradley Park. The Psychology Club donated $250 towards the walk fundraising goal, allowing them to be an event sponsor.
With more than 800 participants, the walk raised more than $73,000. According to the AFSP website, the Out of Darkness Community Walks has created a movement. Held in hundreds of cities across the country, these events provide people with the courage to open up regarding their own journey and creates a platform to change our culture’s approach to mental health.
Elly Fell (mathematics major, class of 2017) was awarded the Southeastern Actuaries Conference (SEAC) Scholarship for the 2016-2017 academic year. This $1,500 award is a competitive scholarship available to students at southeastern U.S. universities who plan to pursue a career as an actuary.
Actuaries work in the insurance and financial sectors and specialize in analyzing the financial impact of risk and uncertainty.
Belmont University’s Belmont Actuarial Students Society is an organization for students interested in pursuing the Actuarial profession. Dr. Daniel Biles is the faculty advisor for this student organization.
Belmont Campus Security–in partnership with Residence Life and Facilities Maintenance Services–recently donated 30 bikes to the Edgehill Bike Club, an organization in the Edgehill neighborhood that aims to provide free bicycles to local children. The partnership began last year when Campus Security members donated 20 bikes to the organization.
Security gathers the donation by collecting abandoned or forgotten bikes from racks across campus at the end of every summer. After sending out several notifications to current students in an effort to have the bikes reclaimed, they donate the ones that have been left behind to a local non-profit.
Officers were referred to the Edgehill Bike Club by a similar program at the Oasis Center that usually receives the donation but had a full inventory. The Edgehill Bike Club, which “seeks to change lives one child at a time by combining the refurbishing of bikes with regular bike rallies and mentoring,” was created in 2013 by Terry Key in an effort to create crime-free communities. Key hoped to achieve this goal by educating and inspiring children and families living in disadvantaged neighborhoods to participate in active community-based programs.
Belmont Campus Security Administrative Captain Louis Mills described how this donation process rewards the members of their office in addition to those receiving the free bikes. “The most rewarding part about donating the bikes is seeing the joy on people’s faces when they receive them and knowing that you are helping the community and those in need,” Mills said. “Having been a bike patrol officer for over ten years, it is a blessing to share and cultivate the love of cycling with others.”
