Thiel Happenings

Deckinger, Shingler named Thiel College Student of the Month honorees for February

Thiel College announces Katrina Deckinger ’22, of Donegal, Pa., and Jakob Shingler ’22, of Pittsburgh, as the Student of the Month honorees for February.

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Thiel College wrestling team wins PAC championship; ties record for most conference titles

The Thiel College wrestling team won its 23rd President’s Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Waynesburg University’s Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

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Thiel College’s annual Martin Luther King awards will recognize Thiel community members

Thiel College annually celebrates the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. by recognizing members of the Thiel community who embody his ideals and values and this year will also recognize a groundbreaking education pioneer at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

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Education hosts mock interviews and speakers

On Thursday, February 10, the Department of Education and the Career Development Center hosted a mock interview event for graduating education majors in the James Pedas Communication Center.

Sixteen soon-to-be graduates had the opportunity to practice and refine their interviewing skills and network with these dedicated professionals.  Attendees were Kristin Hope, Principal at Jamestown Elementary School, Heidi Marshall, Principal at Sharpsville Middle School, Christopher Edison ‘08, Superintendent at Pymatuning Valley Local School District, and Michael Stimac, Ed.D. ‘08, Principal Grades 7-9 at Karns City Jr./Sr. High School.

Pictured from left to right, top row: Doug Hazlett, Ph.D., Edison, Hope, Stimac; From left to right, bottom row: Heidi Marshall, Kara Schreckenghost.

Student News

Taylor shares the wisdom of the ‘Four Fs’ with the Miller Senior Business Seminar

Damen Taylor ’95 was the featured speaker at the February 9 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. Taylor is the controller at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is also a member of the Thiel College Alumni Board and has been a frequent speaker on campus, both in this class and at other venues.  Damen shared his philosophy of the “Four Fs” with the seminar participants as well as his observations about the impact of a Thiel education on his life and career.

“Throughout his professional career, he had jobs such as a business manager, controller, and an accountant for several non-profit firms. Overall, he was a great public speaker and was powerful and sincere, charismatic, funny, and very interactive with the audience.” Trey Williams ’22

“Once he did that, he had us get in a line again in order, according to our birthdays, but this time we had to do it without talking to each other. In order to accomplish this, we had to use hand signals/non-verbal communication. The significance of this activity was to show us that in our careers there will be some communication barriers we have to overcome with our co-workers, managers, etc.” Adonis Scriven ’22

“Taylor’s main focus for the presentation was to discuss his four principles of life that all start with the letter F. Those being focus, faith, family, and finish. By following these ideals, Taylor believes that we will find success in what we do for ourselves and others.” Kate Sollers ’22

“The first one is focus. To be focused is to have the right mindset every day and the key to this is to walk into every room like you own it. If you think and believe like you own the room it makes it look to others like you do.” Jacob Zylka ’22

“DT gave a quote which really stood out to me and which practically embodies his whole life and is a philosophy that I stand by, ‘Your focus will determine your reality’ which is 100% correct and true to every word.” Alrick Francis ’22

“When he talked about faith, he mentioned something his dad used to tell him which was, ‘Trust what you know,’ meaning if you did the work to prepare for a class, job, etc. then have confidence that you know what you prepared for.” Adonis Scriven ’22

“The next principle Taylor noted was family. I could tell that this one was very important to him. Taylor discussed much of the loss he has experienced over the course of his life. He has grown from it and learned from it. He also noted that we are all now a part of his family and he will be there to help in any way he can.” Kate Sollers ’22

“Finish what you start! To quote his mom, ‘Rise from it or you’ll be consumed by it.’” Angela Sorg ’23

“Damen said that finish can also be described as the hardwood finish you put on a floor to make it shine. In short, this means that you put your own flair on something and always make it your own.” John Ganiear ’22

“Good, Fast, and Cheap. I learned that you want to be this in the beginning of your career but as the years go on you need to take away the cheap. You should require the top dollar for your work and your ethics in the business world.”  John Retton ’22

“Damen spoke about failure and how to cope with failing, not to be afraid of beginning again. He mentioned that all of his knowledge and wisdom was gained during his time at Thiel and choosing to go to school here was the best decision he ever made.” Abigail Cico ’22

“One of the lessons he talked about was that in life and in our work career, we must trust what we know. This stuck out to me because in work and in life you can be in situations that you need to believe in yourself and use the things that we have learned to succeed.” Richard Crooks ’22

“He discussed how he found his passion for numbers and eventually accounting which I can relate to because it is similar to how I found my passion for coaching.  I have met Damen before and heard him speak many times, but it gets better every time!” Dan Myers ’22

“One of the last things he left us with was to imagine what you will know tomorrow. This resonated with me because we are all just starting our new journey, and there is still so much to learn.” Trey Williams ’22

“He also talked about his favorite memories at Thiel, some of which included my parents. I really enjoy hearing these stories because no matter how long ago it may have been, I feel like every Thiel student encounters the same experiences in one way or another. Therefore, all of Damen’s stories were relatable.” Maddison Neely ’22

“Damen said that the best decision he ever made was to go to Thiel. Damen also played football, so he was juggling school and sports which was a challenge for him, but through great teachers and being surrounded by the right people he got through.” Emily Sears ’22

“He mentioned that all of his knowledge and wisdom was gained during his time at Thiel and choosing to go to school here was the best decision he ever made.” Abigail Cico ’22

“His presentation was super powerful and moving. Great presenter and an even greater guy!”  Maddison Neely ’22

Lessons Learned

• “You need to have faith in yourself first before you can have the faith to be successful.” Jacob Zylka ’22
• “Your focus will determine your reality.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’22
• “If you are going to make a mistake, make a different mistake.” Trey Williams ’22
• “You must believe in yourself, other people can believe you, but you won’t succeed unless you believe in yourself.” Emily Sears ’22
• “Always walk into a room as if you owned the place.” Maddison Neely ’22

Dinner ‘Dishing’

• “We had an arugula beet salad with a maple balsamic dressing, shrimp scampi (but I had no shrimp because I’m vegetarian) it had vegetables and a sauce, and for dessert a lemon trifle. This was my favorite dinner so far, so I’m really excited to see what we have for the rest of the class.” Emily Sears ’22
• “We shared many conversations about where we’re from, what our after-college plans are, and even some fun discussion about cooking and food. I have enjoyed being able to meet and talk with so many different peers and being able to hear their stories.” Madeline DePalma ’22
• “Sadly, I was not on the list to attend this week’s dinner. However, I was told by a few classmates that the dinner was spectacular!” Dan Myers ’22