Link Magazine
Spring/Summer 2019
Link magazine is published twice per year through Kansas State University Global Campus. It joins thousands of students, alumni and supporters of distance education who want to learn online, grow professionally and connect globally through Kansas State University.
Dean’s Welcome Message
There are many aspects of my position that I just love! Recently, I had the opportunity to read a number of letters of thank you from learners who received Global Campus scholarships for the upcoming semester. While the scholarship amount is generally less than a thousand dollars, the impact is enormous. Some of the letters focus on the transformational nature of their education with comments like, “I live in a rural community and would not be able to continue my education without the online learning opportunity” and “I have already seen benefits from my graduate degree course work in the non-profit organization that I work for”. - Read More
Everybody has to eat, and these Global Campus K-Staters add flavor, convenience and imagination to the foods we enjoy. You’ll recognize some of your favorite brands (Popsicle, anyone?) as you read how these Wildcats make our lives a little more delicious.
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Frank Farello
Have you ever taken a bite of food and the flavor was so familiar, you were instantly transported back to a magical moment from childhood? Frank Farello loves to create those moments with chemistry.
Juliana Henriques
Orange. Grape. Lemon. Strawberry.
Consumers know how these flavors are supposed to taste — but don’t realize how much work goes into creating them.
Heather Arentz
Working the day away in a chocolate factory is a mouth-watering dream for most. But for Heather Arentz, chocolate product development is a sweet reality.
Arentz’s love for the food science field was sparked during a summer job after her freshman year at Penn State University when she began working at a Godiva Chocolatier outlet. The shop’s backroom was filled with books about all things chocolate and chocolate-making. Fascinated, Arentz found herself reading up on the subject when there was free time.
Luke Chavez
After early-adulthood career explorations (circuit board maker, ski bum, lab tech, “delusions of being a dentist”), Luke Chavez now says, “This is exactly what I want to do with my life.”
“This” is being a food scientist, serving as manager of product development in the research and innovation arm of Danone North America, creating new foods and beverages. He leads a team of product developers in what he describes as “storytelling about foods,” developing plant-based beverages under the Silk and So Delicious brands.
Martha Hunt
“K-State’s in my blood.”
A self-proclaimed Wildcat at heart, Martha Hunt attended Kansas State University as an undergraduate and knew that’s where she wanted to go to earn a master’s degree, too. The only problem? She had moved to Michigan. Not so much of a problem after all, thanks to K-State Global Campus.
It’s both thrilling and daunting to consider a big career switch. But these driven K-Staters know life is too short to spend your working hours doing something you don’t love. Get inspired by their stories and learn more about how Kansas State University Global Campus helped them take that leap.
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Sarah Dunbar
Sarah Dunbar has had a desire to be a teacher for as long as she can remember. But like many people, her professional life went in another direction.
“I have always wanted to be a teacher, and my bachelor’s is in religion,” Dunbar said. “So the career path I had taken wasn’t really one I had set out to take. I just ended up there.”
Ray'Shaun Reed
Ray’Shaun Reed has always had a passion for improvement. His strong drive began on the basketball court and has taken him — almost — all the way to a master’s degree.
Reed’s hard work originally landed him a scholarship to play basketball at a small college in Kansas after graduating from Olathe North High School in 2010. Becoming a student-athlete was a huge accomplishment, but ultimately not what Reed saw for himself.
Mee-Kyung Oh
“I don’t know if my career change path is interesting enough!”
It’s no wonder. Mee-Kyung Oh moved to the United States from Korea and later from Atlanta to Manhattan, Kansas. She’s no stranger to big changes. So, switching from teaching at a Montessori school to teaching at a public school didn’t seem like a big deal to her. But she found there were some big differences after all.
Rob Jones
Transitioning from a career in emergency medical services to financial planning might seem like a big switch, but Rob Jones doesn’t see it that way. Both professions are focused on helping people in a high-impact environment.
“I went from having people’s physical life in my hands to having their financial life in my hands - from saving lives to saving dreams,” he said.
2019 Alumni Fellow Nathan Smit and Wife Becky Establish Scholarship for Distance Food Science Students
“How will you innovate the food industry when you finish your degree?”
This is the question Nathan (B.S. in Food Science, ’08) and Becky Smit of Austin, Minnesota, want the recipients of their new scholarship for online food science students to answer. - Read More
