Graduates in the spotlight

Andrea Milan

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Major: Biology

Post-graduation Plans: This fall I will be attending the American University of Antigua College of Medicine to become a pediatric surgeon.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? My favorite memories at Lees-McRae all involve my friends and teammates going on adventures. We would go stargazing on the Blue Ridge Parkway or hike during the day. With Lees-McRae so close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we always had something fun to do. During those hikes, we would laugh and goof off and always leave closer than we ever thought possible. 

What did you learn about yourself while you were in college? I went to college over ten hours away from home. This allowed me to become my own person. I never thought that I could be so independent and make my own decisions. I am way stronger and able to problem solve more than I thought I ever could.
 
 
 

Courtney Weathersbee

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Major: Sport Administration

Post-graduation Plans: I will be the graduate assistant for the women’s volleyball program at Marymount University. While there, I will be getting my master’s in human resource management.

What made these past four years some of the “best years of your life”? Lees-McRae has the biggest support system you need. My friends, my teammates, my coach and my professors were all there for me when I needed them to be. They made every day at school better and every weekend memorable. They are the reason that when I look back at my time at Lees-McRae and Banner Elk, a smile will always cross my face.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? Senior Homecoming weekend is my all-time favorite memory. On a Friday night, the women’s volleyball team and I took on Emmanuel College. The atmosphere in the gym was the most incredible experience and the feeling I had playing in the gym that night will forever resonate with me.
 
 

Dylan Adams

Hometown: Hiddenite, North Carolina

Major: Criminal Justice

Post-graduation Plans: When fall comes, I plan to take basic law enforcement training before attending wildlife officer training.

What made these four years the “best years of your life”? Lees-McRae made for the best four years of my life because of the friends that I have now and all of the memories that I get to cherish. This experience gave me the opportunity to explore my interests, sharpen my skills and have lots of fun while doing it.

What did you learn about yourself while you were in college? I learned how to handle myself in the most stressful of situations and that I can achieve anything when I put my mind to it.
 
 
 
 

Simona Croccolo

Hometown: Warren, Vermont

Major: Nursing  

Post-graduation Plans: I will be working at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, as a registered oncology nurse starting in July.

What were some of your favorite things to do on campus? My favorite memory is riding the mountain bike trails on campus with my teammates. It was the perfect way to unwind after a long day of classes. We are so lucky to have a trail network to ride right on campus. 

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? My favorite memory is the pinning ceremony during my first semester of nursing school. It was the moment I realized what an honor it is to become a nurse. Nurses have the opportunity to touch the lives of many people. The pinning ceremony offered us the opportunity to celebrate the commitment we made and the journey ahead of us. 
 
 
 

Kelsey Twigg

Hometown: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Major: Nursing  

Post-graduation Plans: After graduation, I plan to move to Charlotte, North Carolina. My goal is to become an emergency room nurse.

Is there a faculty member who made a special impact on you? First is Dr. Medford-Baker as she truly boosted my self-confidence as a student and helped me persevere through some tough times. Second is Dr. Fero as she continued to build onto my newly found confidence, as well as kept me grounded and believed in me to complete a collegiate sport (women's soccer) during nursing school. 

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? One of my favorite memories would be at the nursing White Coat Ceremony. My whole team attended and cheered as loud as they could after my name was called. The amount of support and love was unbelievable, and a moment like that will stick with me forever. 
 
 
 

Keri Lu Halverson

Hometown: Jefferson, North Carolina

Major: Wildlife Biology: Wildlife Rehabilitation  

Post-graduation Plans: I am currently an intern at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. I am working with the conservation and breeding program for the highly-endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chicken.

What were some of your favorite things to do on campus? My favorite thing to do on campus was work at the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I also loved to climb the rock wall at the Student Recreation Complex!

What was your favorite class at Lees-McRae? Senior research was my favorite class. I was able to choose my own topic to research and design my own experiment (with help from faculty, of course)! I love songbirds, and I was able to observe Carolina Chickadees to record their “alarm calls” to see if there was a difference in the notes between an approaching aerial or terrestrial predator. Conducting my own experiment was a fantastic opportunity to put my three years of wildlife biology classes to the test!
 
 
 

Robert Rudd

Hometown: Banner Elk, North Carolina

Major: Psychology

Post-graduation Plans: It was a super tough decision deciding on graduate schools! Ultimately, I chose to attend Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business. I will attend full-time with a focus on finance and corporate innovation.  

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? One of my favorite memories would have to be study sessions with other motivated students leading up to tests or exams. Seeing the passion to pursue excellence is motivating.

What made these four years the “best years of your life”? Meeting my wife when we were students ranks pretty high up there. Also realizing that higher education is a bridge as opposed to an obstacle is important.
 
 
 
 

Leanne McAlexander

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Major: Biology: Health Sciences

Post-graduation Plans: After graduation, I will be working as an EMT to obtain patient care hours so I can apply to PA school next fall.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? I guess I would have to say my favorite memories are the ones that started at 5:30 a.m. to chase the sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway or at the rock, and ended with Francine’s omelets and Mountain Roosters Coffee before class. People tend to not realize how blessed they are to go to a school in an area like this and that is why I am in love with it.

Is there a faculty member that made a special impact on you? Dr. Pyatte has been a rock for me the past four years. Since my first class with him freshman year, he has pushed me to work at my absolute full potential, a level I had no idea I was capable of succeeding at, a level I have not swayed from since. Without Dr. Pyatte’s warm-hearted wisdom keeping me grounded and his unwavering support always pushing me to my limits, I wouldn’t be in as good of shape in applying to graduate school as I am now. It makes all the difference in an academic experience to be supported and cared for by your professors. Not a day went by during my time here that I felt I didn’t have someone to reach out to for help or guidance.
 

Sierra Williams

Hometown: Farmville, Virginia

Major: Wildlife Biology: Wildlife Rehabilitation

Post-graduation Plans: This summer I am working with the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech doing breed bird surveys throughout Virginia. In the fall, I will begin a two-year Master of Science program in Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University. I am attending the University on a teaching assistantship. I will be working in the Grindstaff Lab, which specializes in the impact of the developing environment on adult behavior in birds.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? This is a hard question because I’ve had a lot of incredible memories here. I can narrow it down to either helping Dr. Amber McNamara at the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in surgery or working with Sealy the Barred Owl down at the Center as well. Dr. Amber is an incredible veterinarian and I learned a lot working with her. Sealy is an amazingly intelligent and receptive owl who taught me a lot about patience and trust. 

What did you learn about yourself while you were in college? I learned a lot about myself in college. I learned that I am a lot stronger than I think I am. I learned that I am the kind of person who enjoys teaching others and helping them advance their education. I learned that even though I am a relatively quiet and passive person, I am able to be passionate and expressive about things that mean a lot to me.
 

Tyriq Royal

Hometown: Kernersville, North Carolina

Major: Business Administration: Accounting and Finance

Post-graduation plans: I am moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, to start my career at Vanguard Investment Group as a client relationship specialist.

Is there a faculty member who made a special impact on you? Dr. Glen Weaver came to Lees-McRae at the beginning of my junior year and really began to mentor me on the world outside of college. I really needed someone with a lot of corporate experience to tell me what life is like in the business world and to push me to apply for jobs I didn’t think I had a chance at getting. He has only been here at Lees-McRae for two years but he’s impacted my life a great deal and I’ll truly miss him.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at Lees-McRae? Winning our conference championship this year. There was a lot of emotion and sheer joy because we had all been working so hard and it was the best way to end my basketball career. 
 
 

Rachael Cutshaw

Hometown: Whiteburg, Tennessee

Major: Biology: Health Sciences

Post-graduation plans: Upon graduation in May, I will be moving to Johnson City, Tennessee to attend Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University. While at ETSU, I will receive my Doctor of Pharmacy in hopes to become a future clinical pharmacist. When I am not busy with school, I plan to make time for travel and enjoy my 20s.

Is there a faculty member who made a special impact on you? Dr. Billy Carver has made a positive impact on my life in more ways than one. Without his encouragement and guidance, I would not be the student I am today. I am thankful for the time and effort he has put into helping me succeed and reach my goal of getting into pharmacy school.

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your freshman self? If there were one thing I would tell freshman me, it would be to “live in the moment.” Too many times, I found myself stressing or worrying about things I couldn’t change, rather than enjoying the moment I was in. Enjoy the moments you have, because it is true that college is over before you realize.