Student & Alumni Profiles
 

Amber Brister, Current Student

Amber Brister knows firsthand the meaning of personal resilience. Born with a speech impediment, she overcame her classmates’ taunting by enrolling in speech therapy classes, and, by junior high, went on to win five speech tournaments in original oratory and poetry interpretation.  As a student in the BIS program, Amber’s fortitude is unwavering. After a series of dead-end jobs, she enrolled in the part-time program, even though it means commuting 75 miles to attend her classes in Charlottesville.  She doesn’t mind though. Her goal is always in sight – to walk the lawn in 2011 and eventually attend veterinary school.

Barbara Hatcher, Current Student

“The faculty teaching in the program seem to understand that people are different and that we all contribute in valuable, individual ways.”

 

 

Eric Newsome, Current Student

Eric Newsome was finding himself increasingly frustrated. He had earned an associate’s degree at Piedmont Virginia Community College and was making a good living as the director of a catering company in Charlottesville, but he no longer found the working challenging. He had always intended to go back to school, but the time never seemed right. “The busier I became, the harder it was to make the move,” he recalls. 

Having had a positive experience working as a caterer with the University community, Eric considered and accepted a temporary position at U.Va. He put to use his knowledge of fiscal and administrative policy gained through having conducted business with U.Va. His temporary assignment eventually led to a full-time job with the Department of Materials Science in the Engineering School. Soon after, he was accepted to the BIS program, and began coursework in fall 2006.

For someone returning to school in his mid-30s, the program had its challenges. It had been a while since Eric had done any regular writing, and he initially found the pace and volume of writing required by the program to be “astonishing.” But the more he wrote, the easier it became. Eric also discovered a new way of looking at the world through his courses. “BIS has broadened my horizons,” he says. “It has invigorated me. I’m not necessarily feeling younger, but I’m thinking younger.”

Heather Hummel, Class of 2003

Heather Hummel gives new meaning to the expression pursuing a career. When she sets her sights on a career goal, she goes for it. Hummel loves good writing – and she decided that being a high school English teacher would enable her to share that love with young people during their most formative years. Equipped with an associate’s degree, she enrolled in the BIS program full-time and finished her courses in just two years while substitute teaching at Jack Jouett Middle School in Albemarle County. In fact, completing the program gave her time to do some writing of her own. While teaching at Charlottesville/Albemarle Vocational Technical Center following graduation, she completed a novel. 

But Heather is not rigid or doctrinaire about her career goals. She welcomes new experiences—and when she discovered just how satisfying writing could be, she resigned from teaching and devoted herself to writing her second novel. Over a two-year period, she made contact with a series of literary agents and kept plugging away. Heather’s experience writing her BIS capstone project helped her craft a compelling book proposal and the year she spent researching agents helped her decide where to send it. 

Early in 2008, Gracefully, a novel co-written by Heather and her mother Valerie Ramsey, was published by McGraw Hill.  “Our goal is to inspire people of any age to chase their dreams and take advantage of opportunities that fall their way,” notes Heather.

Tim Supler, Class of 2003

After receiving his BIS degree from U.Va. in 2003, Tim Supler attended Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. In May 2006, he graduated magna cum laude, and subsequently sat for the Virginia Bar Exam.  

“When I came to the BIS program I hadn’t been in a classroom for almost 18 years. I wasn’t overly confident that I would be successful as a returning student. However, the excellent professors and the collegial relationships with my fellow students gave me the strong foundation I needed to continue on to law school. The process was not easy, and the workloads were often rigorous, but the faculty and staff were always available. Overall, the BIS program was a wonderful experience and one of the smartest decisions I ever made.”
 

Monica Barker, Class of 2006

Monica Barker took a circuitous route to U.Va. In 1980, she left college for financial reasons. She then started a business in Lynchburg selling Longaberger Baskets, only to discover she had a knack for business. At one point, she was mentoring 91 other entrepreneurs and generating $.5 million in revenue annually. 

For 15 years, Monica worked 60-hour weeks, too busy to even think about her long-held ambition of earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the U.Va. Darden School of Business. “One day my husband reminded me of my goal. It had been many years since I attended Mary Washington College. I decided to get my feet wet initially at a local community college. I then let a faculty advisor at the community college persuade me to enroll in the BIS program. It was definitely the right decision for me.” 

To accommodate her new schedule, Barker cut back on the hours she spent on the business – to about 40 hours. In spite of the grueling schedule and the more than hour commute each way, she thrived in the BIS program, graduating with a 4.0 in May 2006. 

Barker is now enrolled in Darden’s 22-month MBA for Executives.  

Audrey Catalfamo, Class of 2007

Audrey Catalfamo has been working in the securities industry for most of her career—but she had a nagging feeling that there was a part of her life that was unfinished.  She had gone to Virginia Tech after high school, but left before completing her degree. Attending evening classes, she earned an associate’s degree from Tidewater Community College (TCC), but the next step eluded her. 

The announcement that SCPS had formed a partnership with TCC to offer a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree changed her life. “I was given the opportunity to get a U.Va. education while remaining in Virginia Beach.” 

In May 2007, Audrey walked the lawn to accept the first U.Va. undergraduate degree awarded to a student taking classes off-Grounds. Audrey sees her BIS degree as a definite plus. “With this achievement, I see more doors opening.”

Tony Hahn, Class of 2008

“When I began working at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard at age 17, I didn’t imagine that 30 years later I would have an opportunity to complete a degree from U.Va,” says Tony.  The BIS program, in partnership with Tidewater Community College, provides students, like Tony, the opportunity to enroll in BIS classes offered at several TCC locations.
 

Asato Maehata, Class of 2008

In 2003, Asato Maehata’s son, Matthew Pluznick (College ’03) graduated from the University of Virginia. In 2008, it was her turn. Through more than 20 years of working as a single mother to support her son, Asato aspired to complete her undergraduate degree. In 2005, she was given that opportunity through the BIS part-time degree program. “I was able to fulfill my dream of continuing my education,” notes Asato.
 

 Brenda Wiggleton, Class of 2008

Currently, Brenda Wiggleton is attending graduate school at Old Dominion University.  She started in applied sociology, but changed to the master’s degree of education in counseling.  She had always wanted to work with the disabled and/or elderly, and felt that the master of education program would lead her in the right direction. “Graduate school has been a lot of work but that is nothing new to me,” says Brenda. “In one class, the instructor said that there will be a seven page paper due as the final. I found all the groans from the other students funny.  Seven pages is nothing!”  Brenda agreed that BIS had prepared her well for graduate school.

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