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| SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES |
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| EDUCATING STUDENTS IN THE BASILIAN TRADITION |
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Rohby Word Mitchell '75
 BA, Sociology and Political Science
UST Experience
Charter member of Zeta Lambda Chapter, Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc, the first Greek Letter Organization of African-American origin chartered on the campus of UST in 1975.
"I entered UST as a young, naïve and unsure African-American woman of Protestant upbringing - and left as a mature, self-confident woman with an increased appreciation for, and awareness of, nature, human connections, diversity and my immediate surroundings.
The education I obtained at UST provided me with balance and centeredness in my life. Profoundly influenced by Wilma Goetz, my sociology professor who epitomized 'to whom much is given, much is required,' I earned a degree that provided me an entrée into the world of human resources. I have immense pride in this great institution that has made me a strong proponent of a liberal arts education."
Career Highlights
Rohby began her 25-year career in the energy industry in 1976 at Texas Eastern Gas Corporation, a Duke Energy company. She has worked sixteen of those years in the company's Human Resources Department. In 1997, she was named the company's manager of diversity and EEO.
Rohby is active in the community. She serves as secretary of the board of directors, SER-Jobs for Progress of the Texas Gulf Coast; board of directors, Initiatives for Children; advisory council, Corporate HANDS (Houston Area Network for Dependent Services); advisory board, Houston Independent School District-Business Education; and advisory board, Wharton Jr. College - Administrative Education.
Earlier this year, she received the Volunteer of the Year Award for diversity from the Houston Human Resource Management Association (HHRMA). Additionally, she and Fred Fowler, president of Energy Transmission for Duke Energy, were among executives from five companies recognized by HHRMA for diversity efforts.
Rohby is a member of the Society of Human Resources and HHRMA. She earned the Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) designation in 1991; completed professional mediation training through the Worklife Institute; and has completed continuing education courses at Houston Community College and graduate courses at UST. |
On The World's Stage
Morgan McCarthy was born an actor in a big play, one that still
enjoys a successful run on various stages. “I grew up in Kenya,” she explains. “I was always dabbling in theater. I’d make my sister sit on the couch while I put makeup on her, and we acted in little plays that we made up.”
How did McCarthy in Kenya find the University of St. Thomas? “I just loved the drama department’s Web page! The pictures on that site were so exciting,” she said. Talking to Fine and Performing Arts Chair Claire McDonald, she was astonished that they had something in common: “Many Africans pay tribute to a water god, who lives in this little pond down in a deep crater or crevice. They sacrifice chickens to this huge catfish that lives down there,” she explained. “Well, ‘Mrs. Mc’ told me she had lived in Africa for awhile and had been to this same site!”
The “magic and mystery of Africa” appeals to McCarthy even today. That’s why she’s an actress – that, and the fact that she didn’t “fit in” with African society. “I didn’t really fit in there or here,” she said. “I coped by playing a character.”
McCarthy most recently played the role of Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabler, performed in Jones Theater. She also played Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa. She played major roles in many other productions, on campus and off. She also does stage makeup,
set design and directs.
She has received the Best Actress award for three consecutive years and was recently named outstanding graduate in theatre. “Mrs. McDonald and Sam Havens do not give this award out every year, and it is a very high honor for me to receive it,” McCarthy said.
After graduation she will begin auditioning for local companies not only to gain good roles, but to build up to the University/Resident Theatre Association’s audition next February in New York. A successful URTA audition opens channels, and often scholarship opportunities, into the nation’s leading theater graduate schools. |
A Man with a Cool Plan
When you’re sitting in Minute Maid Park on a hot summer day, you can thank St. Thomas graduate Charlie Flynn for keeping you cool. Flynn, who works for Entergy Solutions District Cooling, LP, helped design and build a plant downtown that pumps chilled water to the park. Though his next project won’t be to lower the price of the $8 beers that also keep you cool, he received an MBA to add business expertise to his technical skills.
Flynn, who earned his undergraduate degree at UST and Notre Dame in 1994, is one of the first participants in St. Thomas’ Engineering Cooperative program. This dual degree program, in cooperation with Texas A&M University, the University of Houston and the University of Notre Dame, allows a student to earn a BA degree in mathematics from St. Thomas and a BS degree in engineering from one of the cooperating engineering schools.
“With well-founded self-confidence, Charlie Flynn, a first-generation college student, went off to Notre Dame under our Engineering Cooperative program,” said Mathematics Professor Sam Ross. “Charlie was the second math major from UST to work on a concurrent degree in mechanical engineering from Notre Dame, beginning in the fall of 1992.”
Flynn said he believes that St. Thomas made him a leader of faith and character. “With ethics being such a buzzword in the business community, it was important to me that the MBA program at UST has the Center for Business Ethics as its cornerstone.
“I believe the Cameron School of Business prepared me to meet my future goals.” |
Ryan Learns Dutch for Graduate School
Before Nick Ryan gets into the ebb and flow of graduate school, he’s got to learn Dutch. The graduate with majors in English and philosophy will depart soon for Belgium’s University of Louvain.
“Classes are taught in English,” he said, “but some knowledge of Dutch is essential to living in Belgium.” Ryan heard about the University of Louvain from the pastor of his church back home in New Orleans. “He got wind of my plan to pursue a graduate degree in philosophy, and he told my parents that there were only two schools he thought were worth attending, and those were Louvain and Notre Dame.”
Ryan began his academic career at UST as an English major with “so-so” grades. “Sr. Madeleine Grace pushed me to write a really difficult paper on St. Thomas Aquinas,” he recalled. That was the spark that ignited his interest in philosophy. “I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Sr. Grace and Drs. Martin, Osborne and Hall. They had a lot of confidence in my writing. They believed in me, and they focused on me.”
Ryan took advantage of opportunities that UST offers. Sr. Grace called on him to present a paper at the American Conference of Irish Studies, hosted by the Center for Irish Studies last February. “I was the only undergraduate presenting,” he said. His paper was entitled “The Unjust Punishment: A Spiritual Growth Retardant Within the Religious Imagery of the Voyage
of St. Brendan.”
More recently, Ryan presented “Pelagius the Gnostic: An Assault on the Effects of Original Sin and the Foundation of Thomistic Natural Law Theory” at the American Catholic Historical Association meeting in Ohio. |
Finding a Joyful Purpose Along the Way
Many graduates ponder the “what-am-I-going-to-do-now?” question after the final strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” have faded into the convention center’s darkest corners, after the tassels have been turned and the diplomas granted. Stephanie Hollomon, who graduated from the University of St. Thomas in May with a degree in political science and business administration, has had to decide which law school to attend.
Three granted her full scholarships. “I’m going to Baylor,” she finally announced. She wants to be a judge, and Baylor has a reputation for producing fine judges. “I want to make a difference without compromising my personal or family values and without focusing on winning cases just to make a name for myself or climbing a corporate ladder,” she said.
As a senior honors student, Hollomon and her class chose to examine the breakdown of the family, for their Contemporary Problems Seminar. “The United States has many problems, and often we try to solve these problems one at a time. If we could heal the family, we could solve a lot of problems at once.”
That is the approach that she and her class took with this problem for the UST Research Symposium. That research, and her part-time job teaching children with “learning differences” at the Joy School, near the UST campus, made her attractive to the three law schools. “I almost hate to say this,” she said, “but I think I learned more about myself and about life at the Joy School than at UST. Each child has such a wealth of wisdom, and I can’t go in there without learning something new.” |
Yesenia Rojas has a Plan
Biology major Yesenia Rojas applied to six different medical schools, both inside and outside of Texas. She hoped she would match with Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. She was selected not only by Southwestern but by all schools to which she applied.
“Southwestern is affiliated with a community-based hospital,” Rojas said. “I want that experience because once I finish my medical training, I plan to give back to my community by opening a medical clinic in a poor Hispanic area so that all persons have access to medical aid,” she said.
Rojas is from a Mexican family that immigrated to the United States approximately 20 years ago. She is the second oldest daughter and will be the first college graduate in her family. “Her parents both work to support the family and cannot afford to help with college expenses,” said Associate Biology Professor Rosie Rosell. “Because her need is so great and her qualifications exemplary, the biology faculty awarded her the Elizabeth Ann Peavy Scholarship in Biology for both her junior and senior years. This is the first time that the scholarship has been awarded twice to the same student.”
Rojas was also selected as the outstanding biology graduate for 2005 based not only on her grades and excellent research accomplishments but also on her service to the department, the University and her community. |
Finding a Better Way: In a Nanosecond!
J.T. Mayo is a serious science guy unafraid to go to the edge… and look silly. Recently, he dressed up as a mad scientist at Helms Elementary School’s Super Science Saturday just to get the kids interested in science. When Mayo isn’t bringing along the next generation of budding scientists, he works on becoming one himself. Mayo graduated with a degree in math and chemistry and a minor in physics.
Sounds easy for Mayo, but this last year in college was challenging. In fact, Mayo felt like he was teetering on the edge when he discovered that he has a form of epilepsy that sets off weird misfirings in his brain. Mayo has had to use all his will power to stay on course – a course that applies his research skills learned at UST to his current lab internship at Rice University. Mayo’s research is in the field of nanotechnology and the synthesis of quantum dots – small materials that are viewed in 1 to 100 billionths of a meter – but magnify into big applications, everything from water purification to potential cancer treatments to telecommunication.
This living on the edge of a frightening illness wasn’t part of
Mayo’s plan. Sometimes he has 15 mini- seizures a day. “It is hard sometimes to concentrate, but it doesn’t make you want to quit,” said Mayo, who now receives medication for his seizures. Mayo is a self-described “go-getter.” He presented or co-authored four research papers at this year’s UST Research Symposium. He also co-authored a paper with a Rice graduate student that will be submitted to one of the country’s top journals, Science.
“My plan is to become a chemistry professor,” said Mayo. “I want to focus on research. The one-on-one personal attention I received from my professors at UST has guided me through my undergraduate degree. My future research will make a difference in the lives of others,” said Mayo. |
Having it Both Ways: Patient Care and Research
Michael W. Holliday Jr. will not have much extra time this summer: After his May 20 graduation from the University of St. Thomas, he will have only one week to regroup from earning double majors in chemistry and biology before he heads to Lubbock to begin work at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Medicine and Graduate School on an MD/PhD program. This will significantly occupy his time during the next seven years.
“I will begin summer lab rotations,” he explains, “so that by the end of my second year I will know what lab I will complete my PhD in.”
“Michael is one of the most intellectually curious young people I’ve ever met,” said chemistry Professor Thomas Malloy. “He’s very accomplished with computers and software, learns quickly, is good with instruments and mechanically inclined. In addition to being president of the student affiliates chapter of the American Chemical Society, he is the webmaster for that organization. I think he has a great future in medical research.”
One thing that makes Holliday’s story unique is his mother, who is disabled with a neurological disorder. “My mother inspired me to go to college and to pursue medicine,” he said. “I’ve had my eyes on medical school since I was five.” The reason he needs the PhD is simple: “A researcher cannot touch patients, ever,” he said. “And a physician often doesn’t have the experience of traditional graduate research. The dual degrees give education and experience in both patient care and research, enabling me to make a real contribution to science and medicine.”
Like so many other UST graduates who have gone on to medical school, Holliday owes at least a small debt of gratitude to the humble white fly. “The white flies got me started in the lab my freshman year,” he said. He has since moved on in his studies and has presented papers before the American Chemical Society and other prestigious organizations.
Another bug that Holliday caught at UST was social service. “I had the Augustine Hall experience,” he said. “It was terrific. It taught me that what I learn and contribute to science and medicine is for the common good.” |
A Big Heart for Medicine
Liliana Nañez was only seven when she moved with her family from Monterrey to the United States, where she learned English and followed her friends at DeBakey High School for the Health Professions to the University of St. Thomas.
“I liked UST because it is small, has small classes, and I was able to keep track of my professors,” she said. While at UST, Nañez was active in the Houston Humane Society, Students Interested in Medicine and the American Chemical Society. She’s been studying the white fly with biology Professor Dr. Rosie Rosell to determine why plant viruses do not degrade in the fly’s digestive system.
“Her patience with us is remarkable,” Nañez said. “Most students start doing research in medical school, but she’s already taken us there. Research at UST gave me an incredible opportunity to gain research experience and apply what I have learned in class.”
Nañez is not one for wasting time, and neither is the medical community. Because of her grades and interest in medicine, she was accepted into the Texas Joint Admission Medical Program her freshman year at UST. As a part of this program, she spent each summer doing internships at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
Now, as the result of years of hard work, Nañez is off to Southwestern Medical School in Dallas so that she may become a cardiologist.
“UT Southwestern Medical School is one of those medical schools that wants to help someone who has a passion for helping others to become a great physician,” she said. |
Thuy's Journey Through Transition and Faith
Thuy Le walked off the airplane from Vietnam 12 years ago, not knowing one word of English; neither did her college-educated parents. Today, at 21, not only is her English perfect, but her science is pretty good, too. When she graduates from St. Thomas in May, she’ll enroll in the University of Texas-Houston’s MD/PhD program. UT is picking up the tab. “I’ve been very blessed,” Le said.
“She was such a quiet, shy girl when she took my freshman class, and I have watched her mature into an amazing person and scientist,” said Dr. Joanne Romagni, associate professor of biology. “When she became involved in undergraduate research, she just blossomed.”
While her own story is sufficiently dramatic, Le prefers to tell the story of her parents’ struggle and their dreams. Her father, an officer in the South Vietnamese Army, was sent to a reeducation” camp after the Communists took over.
Then he packed up and moved the family to the United States once he had a chance. He now works as a janitor in an elementary school. Le’s mother, a professor at one of South Vietnam’s most prestigious universities, styles hair.
Le learned about the University of St. Thomas through her older sister, Thao, 23, who attended for about a year before beginning medical school. Le likes the “warm, cozy feeling of St. Thomas.”
Scholarships and financial aid covered tuition. While studying here, she found herself interested in much more than medicine. “I had a lot of questions about my faith and life in general,” she said. “Fr. Anthony Giampietro [assistant professor of philosophy] helped me find those answers,” she said, of the three philosophy classes she took from him. “My only regret,” she says, pausing briefly, “is that I didn't start studying philosophy and theology sooner.”
“Thuy represents so much of the good that UST can give, and that we can receive,” said Fr. Giampietro. Le also praises Romagni. “She opened the door to research for me. I love research, and I am so grateful that I can take advantage of UT-Houston’s program, which will allow me to become a doctor, and enable me to continue with research. UST’s Undergraduate Research Symposium gave me a tremendous advantage. It is so good.” |
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