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Read about other Alumni and how their mentors helped shaped their future.
Colleen Lanz '08
Kim Zaffram, '08
Shane Poplawski '08
Steve Florko "04
Brian Gibbs '09
Vlad Lukic '02
Colleen Lanz, ’08, B.S., B.A.
• Dual degrees and majors: B.S. in physics and B.A. in math
• All-College Honors Program
• Math Club, Philosophy Club, Fusion Gaming Society
• Played piano in the Jazz Ensemble
• Attended and/or presented at regional conferences in math and physics
• Studying for a PhD in applied math at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, where she is a graduate teaching assistant
• Hometown: Buffalo, NY
For Colleen Lanz, interests, talents, goals, opportunities and connections all coalesced at Canisius. She started as an education major, but it wasn’t long before “my professors inspired me” to pursue college-level teaching. Besides tutoring other students in math, Colleen assisted in paleontology research with Dr. H. David Sheets. “He is an exemplar,” she says of her mentor. “He’s one of those rare people who is not only a great teacher but also a great researcher.” Not to mention a fellow jazz musician. Dr. Sheets and other professors introduced Colleen to peers at Virginia Tech, one of whom visited Canisius to teach a week-long course. Now a doctoral student in Virginia Tech’s applied math program, Colleen is focusing her own research on acoustics, combining math and physics with her love of music.
Colleen's mentor: Dr. H. David Sheets, professor, physics
“Wrestling with large ideas and concepts” – this is what inspires Dave Sheets as both teacher and researcher. “That’s why I work so much with paleontology,” he explains. “We’re grappling with some very large questions, and that means working with other faculty and students.” Dr. Sheets brings a uniquely egalitarian perspective to his role as mentor: “I don’t see myself as distinct from my students,” he says. “We’re all just scientists who happen to be at different points in our lives. Faculty members should be dreaming about the big problems, and engaging students in dreaming about them as well.”
Kim Zaffram, ’08, B.S.
• Major: special education
• Certifications: childhood and special education
• Concentration: Spanish
• Graduated magna cum laude
• Teaching English to high school students in Spain for two academic years, first in Suances and then in Oviedo
• Will begin study for a master’s degree in bilingual special education at Buffalo State College in Fall 2010
• Hometown: Buffalo, NY
As a freshman, Kim Zaffram would never have predicted “that I’d go to Spain and start a whole new life.” In fact, there’s a little serendipity in the journey that began with a Project Mexico service trip. “I was walking through the library and saw a poster and thought, ‘That looks cool,” she recalls. After her first foray outside the country, “I kind of broke out of my shell.” Dr. Julia L. Wescott, professor of modern languages, encouraged Kim to spend a semester in Spain, and she returned after graduation to teach. “Canisius definitely prepares you to be a leader, to take your own path,” reflects Kim, who appreciates “all the opportunities” the college offers. “I wouldn’t be teaching abroad if I hadn’t studied abroad through Canisius.”
Kim's mentor: Dr. Julia L. Wescott, professor, modern languages
Her students may consider foreign study a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But Julia Wescott believes “the impact will last for a lifetime.” Like Kim’s, Dr. Wescott’s college experience “changed my life,” she says. At Canisius, she is inspired to “share my passion for other cultures.” It’s rewarding to “see students actually broaden their lives, go in directions they might not have gone, and realize how wide the world is – there’s tremendous gratification in that!”
Shane Poplawski, ’08, B.S.
• Major: biochemistry
• All-College Honors Program
• Graduated summa cum laude
• Member of the American Chemical Society
• Studying for a PhD at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, one of the country’s top pharmacology programs
• Hometown: Rochester, NY
“Not many undergrads get to co-author a paper,” points out Shane Poplawski. His research on RNA interactions with Dr. Jessica L. Childs-Disney was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Hands-on experience solidified Shane’s commitment to science and strengthened his applications to graduate schools. Dr. Childs-Disney “was definitely a mentor,” he says. “She helped me understand what opportunities were out there.” Canisius offers “a great opportunity to get individual attention,” he believes. “In larger schools, you don’t have the opportunity to get close to the faculty and learn one on one.” Shane also appreciates “the overall knowledge I gained” at Canisius: “When I first got to grad school, I found I had already taken a lot of the material,” he reports. “I e-mailed my professors to say thanks – it’s coming in handy now!” Upon finishing his Ivy League biomedical graduate studies program, Shane aspires to a career with a pharmaceutical company.
Shane's mentor: Dr. Jessica L. Childs-Disney, assistant professor, chemistry and biochemistry
Jessica Childs-Disney also values Canisius’ small faculty-student ratio. “We really get to know our students in a one-on-one setting,” she explains. Shane was “very intelligent and highly motivated,” she recalls. “I immediately recognized his potential.” Inspired by the opportunity to mentor students in the lab, Dr. Childs-Disney feels “really lucky to be at Canisius. It’s a great experience to lead students through the process of understanding, to help them grasp large concepts and apply them to specific situations.”
Steve Florko ’04, B.S.
• Major: management information systems
• European Navision Development Team Lead for Game Stop, the world’s largest video game retailer, based in Grapevine, TX
• Hometown: Buffalo, NY
“I don’t think I’d be where I am today without Canisius,” Steve Florko states. Juggling a family and a full-time job, he appreciated the advice and assistance of Pat Clayback, director of adult academic services. “She really went the extra mile,” he recalls. Canisius offered Steve “a different kind of career path, a unique niche that would allow me to use both accounting and computers.” His education ultimately proved to be even deeper and more valuable. “The difference is that Canisius builds character and leadership,” Steve believes. The college instills “that you are a leader, and that’s what we are preparing you for.” Dr. Ed Garrity, another mentor, “challenged me to think outside the box, to always expand and learn, and always take the leadership role.” Now, he concludes, “my current position fits my profile perfectly. My employers have confidence in me because they know I can be a leader, and that is what has inspired me the most.”
Steve's mentor: Dr. Edward J. Garrity, chair, information systems
Ed Garrity is “not surprised” that Steve Florko holds “a very important job.” He remembers Steve as “super-enthusiastic,” a student with “lots of leadership potential ... a sharp guy who could handle a lot of problems without getting flustered.” Like Steve, Dr. Garrity values student-faculty relationships. “Part of mentoring is just being friends with students,” he points out. “They can pick up attitudes and skills you have that help them to be successful later on.”
Brian Gibbs ’09, B.A.
• Major: history
• Played first base, Golden Griffins baseball team
• Junior associate, S3 Partners LLC, a Wall Street brokerage firm where he interned in summer 2008
• Hometown: Pittsford, NY
Although “history was always my favorite subject and I still enjoy it now,” Brian Gibbs “started looking at finance as a possible career path.” The flexibility of Canisius allowed him to take finance courses, where he received encouragement from Dr. Ronald R. Reiber. “I thought he was a great teacher – he was constantly interacting with students,” Brian says. The professor’s practical approach was appreciated as well: “Every day, coming into class, he knew what information we needed to learn to prepare ourselves, not just for the next class or the next test, but for the rest of our lives.” A dedicated student athlete, Brian applied the same focus and determination to land, first, a summer internship and then a position on Wall Street. His advice: “Students don’t necessarily need to know what they want to do – as long as they’re motivated, they will succeed, especially coming out of a quality school like Canisius.”
Brian's mentor: Dr. Ronald R. Reiber, associate professor, economics/finance
Ron Reiber was both surprised and impressed that Brian Gibbs sought out his courses. “Nobody in history takes finance – that’s very unusual,” he marvels. “But I talked to him and thought, ‘He really does get it.’” Dr. Reiber’s an enthusiastic mentor who invites prospective students to visit his classes. “When I was a student, I wasn’t sure what to major in, what to do with my life,” he recounts. “Here, I welcome students’ questions about possible careers and what their options are.”
Vladimir Lukic ’02, B.S.
• Major: management computer information systems
• All-College Honors Program
• Dean’s Award for highest business school GPA
• Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society
• Tennis team captain and co-captain
• MIS Club
• Vlad held several campus jobs, including contacting alumni for the $30 million Imagine Canisius campaign
• First Canisius exchange student to Sweden
• Assistant to the CEO, then assistant product manager for GISDATA Group in Croatia
• MBA, MIT Sloan School of Management
• Currently a project leader at Boston Consulting Group in Cambridge, MA
• Hometown: Osijek, Croatia
From the vision that brought him halfway around the globe, to his goal to be an agent of change, the story of Vladimir Lukic stands out. Vlad came to Canisius to prepare for “a career in a known global corporation, one that would give me a chance to travel the world and gain exposure to business at the highest level.” As he acquired “the practical tools and theoretical knowledge to help me achieve those things,” he also “became more and more confident that I could achieve them,” Vlad explains.
Vlad had many mentors at Canisius, and he’s grateful to them all. He cites the “open door policy” of everyone from the college president to professors who offered guidance and made time to “talk about life and where I was heading.” People in the Office of International Student Programs “treated us like their own children.” And living with a local family made it easier to be so far from his own.
In his current position – working directly with C-level executive clients at one of the world’s top consulting firms – Vlad is already well on the way toward an altruistic ambition: to attain a level of influence that will empower him to effect positive change. He envisions returning to Croatia to create new opportunities for education, sports, and employment, as well as simply “helping with whatever the critical needs of the area are at the time.” He hopes, he says, “to give back in return for all the help I’ve received over the years.”
Vlad recommends Canisius with great enthusiasm. “For people who have dreams and know where they want to go, Canisius has everything in place to help you develop your skills,” he says. For students whose paths are less clear, the liberal arts curriculum makes Canisius “equally good, because it gives you such broad exposure it helps you define your dreams.”