Put on a funny costume. Make people laugh. Fire up the crowd to cheer on the team. Sounds easy, right? Try doing it beneath a blanket of fake fur. That’s what those who volunteer to be the Wheaton mascot, the Lyon, have to do. Paul Fineman ’11 tried it for one event, and Jacob LeBlanc ’06 was the Lyon his freshman, sophomore and senior years at more than 75 athletic games and 100 other events. So, what’s it like be the Lyon?
Lyon-hearted
Spring 2011 by
Rebecca Harvey discovers her career in science
Spring 2011 by
A Wheaton education can take one in unexpected directions. Just ask Rebecca Harvey ’08.
Rebecca Harvey '08
When Harvey arrived at Wheaton as a freshman, she was planning to pursue a career in dentistry. Today she is an ecological manager at the Squam Lakes Association in New Hampshire, where she monitors water quality, researches environmental issues and leads educational outreach for the nonprofit conservation group.
Growing up in southern Maine, Harvey had never considered such a career, although she had volunteered for an animal refuge and enjoyed her AP chemistry class. An internship helped change her mind.
Wheaton had awarded her a Trustee Scholarship, which includes a stipend to pay for a summer experience. During Harvey’s sophomore year, biology professor Barbara Brennessel suggested to her that she use it to intern at the Cape Cod National Seashore, where Brennessel has done research. [Read more...]
Working to protect others
Spring 2011 by
In New York City, Christopher Paquet ’03 has made the protection of lives his daily mission. As the intra-agency liaison officer for New York City’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response since July 2009, he plays an integral role in protecting more than nine million lives. His job entails working with the city’s leadership to develop and enhance the response capabilities to biological, natural and man-made disasters. Ensuring the safety of New York City is no small task, especially since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Christopher Paquet ’03
“Planning to respond to emergencies is never easy,” he says. “The unknowns are great, and the consequences for inadequate planning and response can lead to losses in life. It’s hard to forget that when doing my work every day. The work never ends and nothing is ever one hundred percent.”
But he loves his work. “My job is never boring. I often tell my family and friends that working here is an educational experience every day. Although I bring emergency management experience to the table, I work with world-renowned doctors and experts on very complex public health challenges. The H1N1 response was an opportunity for me to get a crash course on the spread and prevention of influenza. It was exciting to be a part of a response that I knew was helping the citizens of New York.”
Paquet graduated from Wheaton as a political science major, intending to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather as a politician. However, encounters with a different type of leadership sent him in a different direction. As a graduate student at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, he took on the heavy responsibility of managing a dorm of over 900 freshmen and 40 residential advisors, who helped the school through a crisis among the student body. During his second year at graduate school, he was given the opportunity to consult with the African Council for Sustainable Health Development, headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. As part of a team of four, he was asked to assess and report on how to better manage health concerns for the Pan African Health Organization. [Read more...]
Rugby becomes more than a game
Spring 2011 by
It’s common knowledge that rugby is one of the world’s toughest and grittiest contact sports. At Wheaton, it’s also synonymous with one of the most close-knit groups on campus.
Founded in 1998, the Men’s Rugby Club now has about 30 members who play the game throughout the school year. The club is both a competitive athletic team and a student-run group, which means the players themselves are responsible for everything from planning logistics and buying equipment to hiring coaches.
