By: Dezaray Barr
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As the year comes to an end, this semester’s spotlight on the Division of Communication & Theatre at IWU comes to a close. As the series wraps up, be sure to review the eight alumni who have shared their journeys with the IWU community.
Kim Barth graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2014, after double-majoring in Education and Theatre performance. Today, Barth teaches Theatre to Elementary students at a school called P.S.195, located in the Bronx. “I love that I get to bring what I call the magic of theatre to kids who don’t have a lot of experience with that and wouldn’t if they didn’t have this program,” Barth said. “Introducing kids to an art form that changed me, and did a lot for me growing up, is exciting for me.”
Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser: From an Internship to an Understudy
Upon arriving at Indiana Wesleyan University in the fall of 2009, Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser was intending on studying education. When she began to register for classes, she discovered all the education classes were full and her advisor encouraged her to register for a theatre elective. Little did she know, registering for this class would change the rest of her life.
Cody Konschak graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2012, after majoring in Theatre performance. Konschak had a heart for theatre all throughout high school, and after finding out IWU had a theatre program, it was a simple decision to pursue what he had always loved and had natural talents in.
Rob Pelance graduated from IWU in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in technical theatre and a minor in business administration. Pelance currently serves as a sales engineer at Sweet Water Sound in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he sells musical equipment. He also owns a recording studio, Duir Tree Studios, where he works part time. Pelance is currently in the process of developing a business, Mix Matcher, where independent musicians can contact recorders within their specific budgets.
Shaelie Clark: A Childhood Dream of Being a Reporter Fulfilled
Shaelie Clark graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in the Spring of 2016, after majoring in Media Communication. For Clark, she has always pictured a career in news reporting. “I think I was probably 6 or 7, and I was playing with my doll house,” Clark said. “I remember my mom was watching the news, because my parents were always watching the news, every night at 6 … we were that family, and my mom made the comment ‘you know, you should do this when you get older.’ I don’t know what it was about that comment, but it just stuck with me my whole life. I guess that’s just what I pictured was ‘Oh, I’m going to be a news reporter!’”
Ben Smith was a Media Communication major, who graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2009. “I think a lot of people say you just felt God’s presence right when you got on campus with the buildings and the people you interacted with, the admissions staff. As I went throughout that visit day, I just really felt like that’s where I was supposed to be,” Smith said.
Amanda Gubbins graduated in 2012 with a major in communication studies and a minor in Public Relations. The biggest thing about IWU Gubbins appreciated, was how intentional professors and faculty were about teaching how to integrate faith into the workplace.
Adam Fike: The Final Installment of the Spotlight of the Division of Communication & Theatre
Adam Fike began his IWU career as a Criminal Justice major, but decided, after meeting a friend in the Media Communication major, that he would switch to Theatre Performance with a concentration in Technical Theatre. “I really loved the group that we had. It was a tight group of students, faculty and staff,” Fike stated.
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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a sophomore Strategic Communication and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. At IWU Dezaray is involved in PRSSA leadership and runs both the JWHC Blog and her own blog. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.