PEL Alumni featured in College Program Series events

Recently, PEL alumni brought their wit, wisdom, and expertise to bear in public panel presentations on two very different topics: "Reimagining Injustice" (February 15, 2017) and "Think Outside the Major" (March 1, 2017). Both panels were part of the College Program Series, a collection of lectures, readings, concerts, and films--most free and open to the public--scheduled for the campus community each semester.

Dovév Weaver '16, Trace Taylor '16, and William Felice listen
to questions from the audience. Photo by Donna Littell.

The first panel featured Trace Taylor '16, Dovév Weaver '16, and Eckerd's Dr. William Felice, Professor of International Relations, who gathered to discuss the various ways their work presents for thinking through the problem of injustice on both a local and a global scale. The topic for the evening built directly on the theme of this year's College Programming Series--"Imagining Justice"--which calls for presentations which encourage critical reflection on enduring questions of human justice as well as the role that education plays in equipping students to understand, articulate, and build justice within their communities.

Taylor, who is the founder and CEO of an educational nonprofit, Community Leveraged

Taylor '16, with CLL author Ciarán Forde and his parents, who
attended the panel. Ciarán later signed copies of his recently
published science fiction book, Spooshquake (2016). Photo
by Donna Littell.

Learning (CLL), shared her conviction that discovering the power of writing is the first step in developing the critical consciousness needed to discern and respond to systematic injustice. Her background in publishing helped her bring together the elements of her nonprofit, which teams up young writers with editors, educators, and graphic artists who teach critical analysis of language and produce published works which can then be used in classrooms.

Weaver '16 poses with his book, Chasing
Your Dreams: Bound for Success (2016). 
Photo by Donna Littell.

Weaver, President of Coach D Talks, built on this theme, citing his own experience in writing Chasing Your Dreams: Bound for Success (2016), a memoir about overcoming abandonment by his biological father and learning to visualize and achieve his educational, personal, and career goals. His company conveys these important lessons through trainings with K-12 and college audiences on the topics of goal setting, branding, leadership, time management, and achieving one's dreams.

Felice, who has been recognized multiple times for his excellence in teaching and scholarship (including being named the 2006 Florida Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching), brought the lens of political science to bear, showing how many global issues, including the problem of climate justice, call for a new, interdependent understanding of national responsibilities to the global community. He drew insights from his most recent book, The Ethics of Interdependence: Global Human Rights and Duties (2016).


Speaking to an audience of roughly 25 students, alumni, and community members, the group discussed not only the issues they were most passionate about, which ranged from support for public education to racial bias in the American prison system, but also their own theories of agency and how meaningful change occurs. After the panel, audience members enjoyed snacks and conversation with panelists, as well as a book signing featuring work from all three speakers.

Left: Ciarán Forde shows off his science fiction story, Spooshquake, while
signing books. Upper right: Panelists share a moment of insight. Lower right:
Felice and Weaver '16 join the conversation after the panel. 
Photos by Donna Littell.

On March 1, 2017, PEL alumna Eileen O'Hara '99 joined residential alumnae Elaine Raybourn '85

Left to right: Panelists Bob Jozkowski, Eileen O'Hara '99,
Rachel Rhodes '09, and Kurt Forster.  Photo by Donna Littell.

and Rachel Rhodes '09, alongside Kurt Forster, Certified Business Consultant for the Florida Small Business Development Center in Pinellas County, and Bob Jozkowski, Assistant Professor of Finance at Eckerd, to share advice and experience relating to choosing a major and building a career. Following the panel theme of "think outside the major," panelists counseled their audience of 40 students (nearly all freshmen preparing to declare their majors) to understand their academic major as just one stop on a continuing learning journey, pointing out that the connections between major and career are not always intuitive or direct.

Raybourn '85 reconnects with Art Skinner, Professor
of Visual Arts. Photo by Donna Littell.

Raybourn '85, who is a Principal Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, talked about how her major in Visual Arts lead to an interest in visual communication and human-computer interaction, prompting her to pursue graduate work in social science and a career in researching intelligent transmedia learning systems and the anthropology of learner's interactions with future technology.

O'Hara '99 recalled how her major in Creative Writing opened new opportunities for her to serve as a writing tutor and instructor, awakening a passion for teaching. While Creative Writing doesn't directly inform her work as co-owner and President of Brimstone Originals Specialty Foods (only one of the entrepreneurial enterprises she has founded and grown), she explained, the critical thinking and communication skills she learned as a liberal arts student are essential for her job.

Rhodes '09, who is a corporate trainer at the I.T. distributor Tech Data, recalled the daunting

Professor of Finance Bob Jozkowski answers
an audience question while Rachel Rhodes '09
looks on. Photo by Donna Littell.

challenge of going on the job market in a time when hiring freezes and lay-offs were rampant. She urged the audience to persist and remain attentive to new opportunities, citing the experience she had gained while taking a retail job at the mall--something she had not envisioned for herself while in college. This introduction to sales proved an asset when opportunities at Tech Data became available, and allowed her to gain insight into customer service, pricing, and other important topics in which she now trains new employees.

Audience members also shared stories about important learning moments. Tyler Urquhart, who is contemplating majors in visual arts and communication, remembered the day his grandmother gave him a camera, and how his perception of the world began to change with the view from behind the lens. He questioned, however, whether photography should be his career or "just a hobby." The panel urged him to sit with this uncertainty for a while, take a few classes in photography, and learn as much as he could about the daily life of a photographer.

A student discusses her choice of Literature major
with her colleagues. Photo by Donna Littell.

Forster and Jozkowski, who were invited by O'Hara '99 and Rhodes '09 to join the panel as mentors, also emphasized the importance of liberal arts education. Forster, who has taught as an adjunct instructor and even worked as an animal trainer early in his career, recalled an important insight he had gained in studying for his master's in communications--that stories are central to how humans understand the world. He now uses this principle to guide his work with small business owners, helping them to find the unique "story" that will promote and sell their products. Jozkowski entreated the audience to take advantage of the multiple opportunities for mentoring that Eckerd makes available, including committed and distinguished faculty members, internships and shadowing opportunities, and even volunteering and service learning. Experience, he reminded them, has now become a critical factor in most hiring decisions.

After the panel, speakers remained to enjoy snacks, connect with audience members, and trade information for further contact.

Think Outside the Major Panel. Left to right: Eileen O'Hara '99, Kurt Forster,
Elaine Raybourn '85, Bob Jozkowski, and Rachel Rhodes '99. Photo by
Donna Littell.

Think Outside the Major is a regularly recurring event. If you have experience you would like to share as part of a panel discussion, or know someone who might, please contact Amanda Hagood at hagoodca@eckerd.edu.

PEL Executive Director Amanda Hagood also is co-editor of The PEL Connector.