• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2012-12-07_Vol78_No12_CampusLife_B04

B4 pDecember 7, 2012 FEATURES Alumni Spotlight: Kenya Hoffart By Jessie Swink Contributing Writer When asked what one wants to do with their degree, few will ever think to say they hope to be a stay-at-home parent. There is, after all, no de- gree requirement to raise a child. However, working from home is where Kenya Hoffart has found herself, twelve years after obtain- ing her degree at Western Carolina University. . When I first applied to WCU, I planned to become a teacher, Hoffart said. Business was what she wanted to teach, but with- in a short period of time after starting at Western Carolina University, the business education pro- gram was discontinued. Hoffart quickly realized she was more drawn to the business aspects of the program than the educat- ing aspects and chose a marketing degree. Her first job was with Drake Enterprises where she started work in Cli- ent Services, though she would be moved multiple times over the next five years. She learned how to manage customer com- munications and client. relationships, print and digital marketing design and development, how to gather marketing re- search and even a certain amount of technical sup- port. She said her favorite part of the job, though, was the traveling. When Drake Enter- prises parent company, PRemiere Marketing, was in need of an Account Executive, they turned to Hoffart to take the position, and she gladly accepted. It was there that she began writing profes- sionally and discovered her love for it; a job that she still has as a freelance writer. : In 2006, Hoffart and her husband, Will, had their first child, a boy named Andrew. Her husband took a job in Asheville, and Hoffart decided to leave her permanent job to stay at home with their son. Within the next three years, their first daughter was born, Megan, and two years later their most recent daughter, Rachel. However, staying at home doesnt mean she isnt still working! Hoffart . still works as a freelance writer for PRemiere Marketing and has even considered taking new cli- ents when Rachel is more independent. Despite her job with PRemiere Marketing, Hof- fart will immediately tell you that her primary job is as a stay-at-home mom, but that it is a lifestyle afforded to her thanks to her education at West- ern Carolina University. Being a freelance writer gives her the freedom to work out of the house, meaning she can spend quality time with her children that she would otherwise not be afforded, not to mention write and do her work within areas of her own comfort. My favorite time to write is early in the morn- ing before everyone is up, Hoffart said. The house is still quiet, and I feel refreshed enough to think clearly! Hoffart lives in Ashe- ville now, where she said she is hopefully raising three promising Cata- mounts for Western Caro- lina University. She fondly recounts her experiences here, saying that WCU gave her confidence in life. . Take advantage of the knowledge and experienc- _, es your professors have to share they can teach you much more than just what you find in text books, said Hoffart. There are many opportunities avail- able that you can benefit from outside the class- room. Before They Were Educators, Dr. Mark Couture By Tyler Auffhammer News Editor - Hola, {como estas? Te damos gracias por la lec- tura. If you can read that, you might have taken Spanish with Dr. Mark Couture, associate professor of Spanish in the Depart- ment of Modern Foreign Languages at Western Carolina University. Couture grew upin - northern Michigan in a small town with one stop- light. Once his dreams of sports glory ended with a broken ankle, Couture took up bass guitar and was in a band by the time he was a junior in high school. Se Its normal to thin in high school that you will be a rock star, said Couture, but as I entered - college, I was a little more clearheaded and focused . more on my studies. Called Super Spartan by his sixth grade social studies teacher, Couture followed in the footsteps of almost his entire fam- ily and attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., after graduating from high school. Michigan State was the only school I applied to, and was accepted. Growing up, I can remem- ber listening to football games on the radio and once in a while we would. _ drive to East Lansing to watch a game, said Cou-: ture. As an undergraduate, Couture was an interdis- ciplinary studies major, . which was a mixture of Spanish language, history and international stud- jes. Oddly enough, Will Peebles, director of the School of Music at WCU, was Coutures advisor during this time. Initially, I thought I would study engineering because my dad was an engineer. It wasnt that I thought I couldnt have done well as an engineer- ing major, but I was more drawn to the humanities type courses, and my par- ents never put pressure on me to do otherwise, said Couture. Couture continued to pursue his musical endeavors while an un- dergrad, participating in another band and taking some music classes. With such an nonspecific major and excess musical aspi- rations leftover from his younger days, Couture was unsure as to what his future career would be. My mothers side was completely education; my grandmother was teacher, my grandfather was a principal and on the board of trustees at a community college, my sister and brother are teachers. As a senior in college, I toyed with the idea of becoming a high school teacher and applied to the program but was too late. Then I decided to attend gradu- ate school, said Couture. Having decided on continuing his educa- tion at Michigan State in preparation for a career in higher education, Cou- ture had only to decide on what he would study. As a freshman in college, my RA was a Mexican-American and he took me to a Hispanic party in Lansing, said Couture. It was so dif- ferent from the parties I was used to back home that just had a keg of beer and blasted Led Zeppe- lin. There was good food, Spanish language, and dancing. I had to learn the lingo so I could fit in. After earning his Mas- ters in Spanish, Couture was accepted at Michigan State; UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University as a PhD candidate. He even- tually decided on Duke, citing financials as a key factor in his decision. While living in Durham and studying at Duke, Couture had never heard of WCU until the mens basketball team won the SoCon Championship in 1995. Soon after, Couture was hired on to his first teaching position at WCU. Once at WCU, Couture was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of students. There were many students [at WCU] that could have easily cut it at Duke, said Couture. Couture also had to adapt to the type of stu- dents that he taught. - At Duke, if you teach a Spanish class, there would be 20 students, and two would be from North Carolina. At WCU, only one or two of those are not from North Carolina, said Couture. Coutures admira- tion for his students is not one-sided. Many of his students have com- mented on how outgoing and funny he can be in the classroom while still keeping the class focused on the Spanish language and academics. T think Im a pretty laid back guy, friendly and that my classes are fun. You walk down hall- ways, and the students dont always look happy sitting in class. I like to use humor and tell jokes, said Couture. Coutures style of teach- ing is a product of his personal and professional personalities. Teaching to me is a little bit like acting. Who you are in the classroom isnt who you are at home. You go in and do the thing you've prepared to do. In private, Im a bit more introverted and shy, said Couture. Couture is also very active outside the class- room, sitting on the board . of directors of a farm worker advocacy group called Vecinos, which means neighbors in Spanish. -Vecinos is a nonprofit organization that pro- vides health care and business assistance to local farm workers, said Couture, who-has been as- sociated with Vecinos for eight years. Couture has also done a lot of bicycle riding, including a month-long bicycle pilgrimage up and down Japanese moun- tains to visit monaster- ies, travelling with Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla from WCUs department of psy- chology, a former Before They Were Educators subject. Couture rode around Lake Michigan and also across France. He said that he saves money by commuting to campus by'bicycle. Along with shooting Photo courtesy of Mark Couture ad RO Ss G : re} Ee [E S - Spanish professor Mark Coutures favorite sport is basketball; he played in his youth. hoops in Reid gym (al- though, Couture admitted that it has been a while since hes done that), Cou- _ture also plays saxophone on the campus radio, an instrument that he played in the band as a kid and that he picked back up when he came to WCU. Having been a WCU faculty member for over - a decade, Couture knows a thing or two about loving his job. In fact, for students who may be doubting their major or career choice, much like Couture himself did in his early years of college, he has some advice: Dont take a job for the money, but be happy with the job that you have. Theres no substitute for a job that you like. Also, dont narrow yourself to one thing. Sometimes when you study things, - it may not seem practi- cal, but if you know a lot . of things, it helps with perspective. To paraphrase Dr. Samuel Johnson: When you are young you have the energy to read eight or 10 hours.a day. Take advantage of that. Get some reading done. The energy level wont be the same. I think I did-that as a graduate student. Nowadays, I read a tenth as much, said Couture. Amateur rock star and athlete, Super Spartan, teacher and Catamount are all aliases of Dr. Cou- ture, aman who many have come to know as a dedicated faculty member and mentor. Couture served as chair of the department of Modern Foreign Lan- guages for five years, but Couture and his students are both happy that he is back in the classroom full-time, where he can make the most difference in the lives of his stu- dents. The Western Carolinian CLUES ACROSS 1. Afraid 7. Love grass 11. Hepburn/Grant movie 12. Opposite of good 13. Whale ship captain 14. A major U.S. political party 15. Rate of walking 16. A ceremonial procession 18. Unfolded 20. More pretentious 21. Ribbon belts 23. Himalayan wild goats 24. 100 =1 kwanza 25. Japanese wrestling 26, das -asty: family of rulers 27. Luteinizing hormone 29. British Air Aces 30. Being a single unit 31. Opposite of gee 33. National Guard 34. A a of rock 35. Havea yen for 37. Cornell tennis center 39. Iranian monetary units _ 41. Settings in a play 43. Olfactory properties 44, AKA platyfish 46. Free from deceit 47. Ireland 48. 007s Flemming 51. & & & 52. Kidney, fava or broad 53. W. African country 55. __ Franks diary 56. Induces vomiting ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, avoid taking on more than you can handle at work and home this week. When tackling tasks, dont be afraid to ask for and accept help. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Family and romantic endeavors may have been put aside while work issues have been at the fore- front, Taurus. It is time to shift priorities. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, theres not much you can do to change the course of this week's events. You might want to consider swimming with the current instead of against it. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, overanalyzing your work- load is not going to make it disap- pear any faster. Therefore, simply . take your assignments at face value and just get started. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 New experiences can be scary at first, but: many times you will find that they are opportunities to learn and grow, Leo. Take full advantage of all opportunities this week. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, although it seems like you have most of your financial woes worked out, now is not the time to get too cocky with spending. Being conservative is the way to go. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, career developments have BOG OUR Ee See ee CRBS CER Slat fe Gee ce be bale RL Ea ea ca ee oo] jit |5| | | [ey BOER EE 2 7 Ba: CLUES DOWN 1Jame's Fifty. 2. Scottish game pole 3. Atomic #18 4. Tattered cloth 5. Tokyo 6. Force from office 7. Wigwam 8. Dynasty actress Linda 9. Small mongrel 10. Rapidly departed 11. A corporate leader 13. King of Camelot _ 16. Mrs. Nixon 17. Macaws 19. Symphony orchestra 21. Cunning 22: Wheatgrass adjective 26: U. of Texas residential center 28. Estate (Spanish) 32. Pilots and Blues a6 Right angle building wings 38. Store fodder 40. Supersonic transport 41. Brand of plastic wrap 42. Comb-plate 43, Puppeteer Lewis 44, Tatouhou 45. Security interest in a property 49. Direct a weapon 50. One point E of due N 54. Latin for and ssessteonnnerremeenantngtananataoateds you riding high and you're anxious: to share your news with the world. This enthusiasm can be a good - catalyst for change with others. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, success may not come easy with a project youre working on. But rest easy and take solace knowing you have tried things out- side of your comfort zone. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, avoid confrontations at all costs, as this week you will not come out victorious. Keep a low profile and don't ruffle any feath- Srsrents CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, if you think about things too long, theres a good chance you won't act at all. Instead, consider _ your options quickly and then get going on your plans. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Quality time spent at home or with the family has buoyed your spirits, Aquarius. The next step on your relaxation journey is to book a vaca- tion to a warm area of the world. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Dont underestimate your ability to impress, Pisces. There are many people just waiting to hear what: you have to say next, including a possible romantic interest.

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2012-12-07
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.50" x 11.5"
  • Pages: 12
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2012-12-07_Vol78_No12
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library