Thiel Happenings

58 Tomcats named to PAC Academic Honor Roll

A total of 58 Thiel College student-athletes were named to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll for their performance in the classroom during the fall 2022 semester.

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Five students recognized for their efforts in the fall as ambassadors for Thiel College

Katie Aaron ’24, of Lehighton, Pa.; Sofia Mullenix ’25, of Cumberland, Md.; and Seth Phillips ’25, of Hubbard, Ohio; as well as Jade Rhoads ’23 and Emily Irons ’24, both of Franklin, Pa. were recognized by the Office of Admission during the fall 2022 semester as Thiel Team Members of the Month for October due to their work as ambassadors for the College.

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Penn-Northwest director and Thiel employees to be recognized for Founders’ Day 2023

The Executive Director of Penn-Northwest Development Corporation Rod E. Wilt ’86 will join 10 Thiel College employees as honorees for the College’s annual Founders’ Day celebration at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

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New IT Support Request System live

The new IT Support link https://thielcollege.freshdesk.com which is also available through the Thiel College webpage or the Tomcat Tunnel (The little white square in the upper right-hand corner) with the IT Support icon went live on Monday.

The support email has also changed. You can still submit IT support requests via email but you must use support@thielcollege.freshdesk.com The old support ticket email address will be phased out and will not create a support ticket in the new system.

Email notifications! You will notice better communication as you will receive email notifications when you create a new ticket, a support member adds comments or needs more information from you, and, of course, you will receive a notification when the case is closed. All of these emails allow you to reply to them which then automatically adds your comments and questions to the ticket for the IT support staff to review.

In summary

New support request:

• Website to bookmark: https://thielcollege.freshdesk.com
• Support Ticket email: support@thielcollege.freshdesk.com
  

Alumnae gather for recognition and Title IX celebration

Alumnae of the women’s basketball program were on campus Saturday to recognize the 50th anniversary of the winningest teams in the College’s history and celebrate the recent golden anniversary of Title IX.

The reunion included an alumni basketball game, a reception and a halftime ceremony during the women’s game against Allegheny College. The event was profiled in the Greenville Record-Argus.

Student News

Taylor shares the wisdom of the “Four Fs” with the Ruth A. Miller Seminar

Damen Taylor ’95 was the featured speaker at the Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar on Jan. 25. 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.

“Thiel alum Damen Taylor spoke at our seminar this week. He graduated with a dual degree in business administration and accounting, and a minor in religion. He has been on the alumni board at Thiel since 2013. He is a first-generation college student, and the oldest of six siblings; all sisters.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Damen Taylor, an alumnus of Thiel, spoke to us about his journey in both life and business. Damen grew up in McKeesport, Pa., the oldest of six children. Raised in a working-class household, his upbringing was not the easiest. He had to work hard for everything that he has achieved.” Tyler Zere ’23

“He went through a lot of trials during his childhood, which shaped him into the man that he is today. He stated that what molded him the most was that he learned (about) adversity from a young age. His childhood also showed him that he did not want to raise a family in a town like McKeesport where he grew up; he wanted to provide better for his kids.” Ian Yahner ’24

“Mr. Taylor had a connection to Thiel, as his father went here and was one of the founding members of OBC.” Matt Castles ’23

“In addition, he was a Tomcat whose affectionate love for the school was incomparable to anyone else. He got a job through the Thiel Career Center and met a life mentor named Professor Miller. It is no exaggeration to say that these two connections changed his life.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

“Damen’s presentation was very energetic, genuine, and passionate. The majority of his lessons were centered around the principle that there are Four F’s of life: Focus, Faith, Family, and Finish.” Allison Walsh ’24

“In the bulk of his speech, he focused on the Four F’s, as opposed to the Four P’s that are discussed in marketing principles. His first idea, Focus, taught him the hustle of being successful. In the four years that he studied in school, he lost five close family members and friends. He had to stay focused despite the many personal losses that he went through. His second idea, Faith, had a different turn on the normal meaning of the word. He said to have faith in yourself, which really resonated with me. He instilled the confidence in himself to be whoever he set out to be. For the third F, he talked about how important Family is to him. He mentioned many times phrases his mother used to say to him that resonated with him. For the final F, he talked about Finish, in which he mentioned how important the finish to anything is.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

“Toward the end of the presentation, he had three volunteers come up and hold papers that said ‘Good,’ ‘Fast,’ and ‘Cheap.’ However, you can only have two at a time; if you are fast and cheap, you will not be good; if you are good and cheap, you will not be fast. Damen’s mentality taught me to be good and fast at any job that I have because the money will speak for itself.” Asher Patton ’23

“He taught me that there are many other ways to communicate besides words.” Sujin Park ’23

“Damen Taylor is a self-motivated man who could overcome any obstacle. He preached about making mistakes but only doing it at a hundred miles per hour, and never making the same mistake twice.” Asher Patton ’23

“Damen pointed out that he believes in us so much that he drove here on 24-hour notice, and in less-than-ideal-weather so that he could be there for us. He displays the kind of alumni support that is present in every other Tomcat I know – it is a trait that I am certainly thankful for.” Allison Walsh ’24

“Damen said, ‘Thiel is his family,’ so when you become a Tomcat, you become a part of his family. I know for a fact that when you are a Tomcat, you become family. Any time that he is on campus he takes time to talk to everyone.” Amy Jackson ’23

“Damen is a father of four, grandfather of one, a loving husband of roughly 26 years, and lastly, he finished what he started. To end my summary, I am excited to say that Damen and I are now family.” Emily Grandy ’23

Lessons Learned

• “Believe in the people who believe in you.” Matt Castles ’23
• “It’s OK not to know.” Ian Yahner ’24
• “Remember four things in business: focus, faith, family, finish.” Inseo Chong ’23
• “Trust what you know; have faith in yourself.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “Thank your parents!” Amy Jackson ’23
• “Trust what you believe.” Sujin Park ’23
• “Surround yourself with people who have the same goals as you.” Allison Walsh ’24
• “Do not chase the money.” Tyler Zere ’23
• “Always have faith in yourself.” Emily Grandy ’23
• “I may not know someone who can help you, but I promise I know someone who knows someone.” Natalie Zgurich ’23
• “College is hard for a reason.” Amy Jackson ’23
• “Once we meet, we are family.” Ian Yahner ’24
• “Great people are what makes Thiel great.” Autumn Gourley ’24

Dinner “Dishing”

• “Today's dinner was organized by Professor Witosky, as concierge, and consisted of Asian-inspired foods. The meal was light and hearty, starting with a salad with fresh tangerine dressing, and finishing, refreshingly, with a creamy dessert consisting of tangerines and tapioca.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

• “Our table had a lovely mix of people who allowed for entertaining and involved conversation. As always, both the food and conversation were wonderful! Allison Walsh ’24

• “Dinner was fantastic. The main course was cooked to perfection and the dessert was fantastic. I was fortunate enough to sit next to the speaker, Damen Taylor, who made great conversation.” Tyler Zere ’23

Staff Appreciation Club recognizes Admission Team

The Staff Appreciation Club stopped by and recognized the hard-working folks in the Thiel College Office of Admission last week.