OCR Text |
Show rf ' I IKS 'mif' V New Assistant Director of International Recruitment Christina Steele shares her journey from Korea to Utah Lindsay Kavanagh Contributing Writer I want to bring the world to Westminster and also introduce Westminster to the world, said Christina Steele, Westminster Colleges new assistant director of international recruitment. Steele may be new to her position on campus, but she is far from inexperienced in international recruitment. As Westminster is making an effort to attract international students to add more diversity to campus, Steeles past experience comes into play. Born in Korea, Steele moved to Boston, Mass, when she was eight years old. As a high school student in Boston, Steele had the opportunity to intern with several large companies as a translator, translating documents from Korean to English. It was through her experiences as an intern that Steele first became interested in international work. After she graduated from high school, Steele attended Boston College with interests in a business management degree. While in college, she completed a semester abroad in Korea. It was there that Steeles interest in the international side of business grew even more. I managed to bring three high school students back with me, said Steele. I was able to help enroll them in American high schools and college afterwards. Steele explained after this study abroad experience, she was known as a miracle teacher because she was viewed as being able to get international students into college. In reality, however, it was her own experience that helped her assist international students in applying to college. I was noted as a miracle teacher, but in reality I was just another student who had gone through the process a few years back, said Steele, After graduating from college, Steele took some time to figure out what was the next step in her life. Her mother always wanted her to become a lawyer. So Steele took the LSAT and applied to two schools, but she still wasnt sold on the idea of law. Steele spent a year as a paralegal to immerse herself in the field and ultimately decided it was not the career for her. After nixing the idea of law school, Steele applied for a human resources job at the Harvard Medical School. A little lost, she volunteered to reorganize all of their files. Her boss then asked her what she wanted to do with her life. When she told him she was unsure, he suggested she consider the idea of attending graduate school. After considering this idea and his offer to write her a letter of recommendation, Steele decided to attend Suffolk University. After graduating with a Masters degree in Adult and Organizational Learning, Steele again returned to Harvard to work in human resources. She knew by See Christina Steele on page 5 Westminster Flight team takes second in competition Jordan Winkel says with practice team will make nationals Co-Capta- in Feli Anne Hipol Contributing Writer The Westminster Flight Team won second place this year in the ground events for the N ational Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Competition. According to the NIFA web site, The National Intercollegiate Flying Association was formed for the purposes of developing and advancing aviation education; to promote, encourage and foster safety in aviation; to promote and foster communications and cooperation between aviation students, educators, educational institutions and the aviation industry, and to provide an arena for collegiate aviation competition. According to their handbook, The Mission of the Westminster College Flight Team is to become nationally recognized as professional pilots whom exceed industry standards in safety, academics and precision flight. The team will promote aviation safety and professionalism in all aspects of training and competition. Through teamwork and leadership, team members will gain the experience and expertise to exceed industry standards. of the flight team, said Jordan Winkel, the three main ground events consist of Aircraft Identification, Computer Accuracy and SCAN (Simulated Comprehensive Air Navigation). Winkel said, In Aircraft Identification, there are 30 questions, each showing you a different picture of any plane, whether its inside or outside, in the cockpit, or in the cabin, for three seconds, and then the screen goes blank Then you have to figure out the make and the model of the aircraft. According to Winkel, the Computer Accuracy event involves the use of handheld manual computers, and we use them to make calculations and conversions. He said, There are also wind problems associated with that, and thats my forte because I love math. Winkel said the SCAN event tests your flight planning skills, so you have to see whether things are legal and how long its going to take you to get somewhere. According to Winkel, these events are usually conducted in a room, and they tally up the scores for co-capt- ain each flight team. He said whoever gets the highest score, wins. Winkel was very proud with how the flight team did in their ground events. We were absolutely stoked with how we did in our ground events, because we were right behind the Air Force, in second place, but we dont have any money or time to practice because we dont have the funding for it. Gerry Fairbairn, director of Aviation Studies, oversees the flight team. One of my roles is to try and find ways for them to be able to raise money and get them organized in a way they can effectively compete, said Fairbairn. According to Fairbairn, the Westminster Flight Team doesnt receive as much funding as the other clubs and sports on campus because flight team competitions According to Winkel, I think one of the things that could make this school shine is the flight team, we just need the proper support from administration. And thats why I wanted to change the handbook, so it ties us directly to administration. Winkel said, Us getting second in the ground events shows how determined and intelligent our members are. So if we have the ability to practice, even once a month, theres no doubt well be able to make it to nationals. 0 arent a spectator sport. Fairbairn said aviation is an expensive field because in order to most students have to pay practice for the events held in NIFA competitions. He tries to help the students develop fundraising strategies so that the donors have a better picture of what the money is intended to do, he said. Fairbairn thinks the flight team is a great way to attract students to the aviation program. The Westminster Flight Team was one of the reasons Winkel came to Westminster. Winkel said, I started as a freshman admiring the flight team. It looked really cool. Its for the elite, I got on, and its great. Winkel is now proposing some changes to the Westminster Flight Teams Guidebook in order to make the team more efficient. Im hoping this will make things flow better, and now I just want to leave it better than I found it, said Winkel. Winkel has submitted a proposal to Fairbairn in order to see the changes occur for the fall semester. I presented to the team, a manager position. The manager would take the role of coach, he would take the role of advisor in all of our competitions, and he would help us coordinate for our events, said Winkel. out-of-poc- ket , 4 ' K. Fell t V 1 . 1 w jt'i j r i i - Alfr' rv i r Westminster Flight team placed second ground t at this years NIFA competition in events APRIL - iBBWafW'n: nee 13,2010 |