Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present Edward Albee’s one-act play “The Zoo Story” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Directed by Jackie Rosenfeld, a lecturer in the School of Theatre, “The Zoo Story” is about a conversation that occurs between two strangers in a New York City park. To escape his wife, two daughters and two parakeets, Peter sits on a bench in Central Park, reading and thinking, Rosenfeld explains. Jerry joins him, having just been to the zoo. He draws the unwilling Peter into conversation and extracts information from him. In return, Jerry supplies Peter with a curious medley of information about his wanderings in New York.

“‘The Zoo Story’ is considered to be the first absurdist play written by an American playwright,” Rosenfeld said.

The two-person cast includes Wichita Falls senior Travis Brasher as Jerry and Las Vegas, Nevada, senior Shane Reynolds as Peter. Stage manager is Dallas freshman Michael Nunez.

Originally from Abilene, Rosenfeld earned an M.F.A. in playwriting from Texas Tech University. She currently serves as the Region VI chair for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program and co-coordinator for the Scholar Debut Panel with the Texas Educational Theatre Association. Her plays have been produced across the country including several performances in Manhattan. Her play “keepingabreast” was recently published as an audiobook by Blunder Woman Productions.

The play is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $4. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Joy Columbus, vice president for the Houston Botanic Garden, will present “A Walk Through the Houston Botanic Garden: The Global Garden Revealed.”

Columbus works with the Houston Botanic Garden’s local, state and national partnerships to build unique plant collections and create awe-inspiring gardens designed to delight and inspire visitors.

Before her tenure at the Houston Botanic Garden, Columbus served as the director of horticulture at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois. She successfully initiated and coordinated the development of Project New Leaf, a multiphase $35 million campus revitalization plan. The project comprised 500 acres and included renovations to the historic garden’s framework and development of new garden attractions.

Columbus has previous experience working with the New York State Office of Parks and Cleveland Botanical Garden, and she served as a research assistant at Miami University of Ohio. Columbus received her Master of Science in biology from John Carroll University, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in botany with an environmental emphasis and a minor in horticulture.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Students selected from each of Stephen F. Austin State University’s six colleges and one regional college will showcase their research during the 2019 Undergraduate Research Conference from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Individual students or a student group from each college was selected as top scholar. Additional students were chosen as finalists. Top scholars will present their research during the conference in the student center theater. Finalists will showcase their poster presentations in the student center’s Twilight Ballroom.

Dr. Michael Tkacik, director of the School of Honors and professor of government, said the students were chosen based on their rigor, creativity and research processes regarding their projects.

“Ultimately, research seeks to add new knowledge to the world,” Tkacik said. “These students have demonstrated excellence in every sense. They have shown initiative, perseverance and creativity. They are to be commended for their hard work.”

Top scholars include: Kia Fisker from the Nelson Rusche College of Business; James Hutson, Casey Pederson and Courtney Elliott from the James I. Perkins College of Education; Michael Dean, Travis Wattigney, Wyatt Gay and Logan Starks from the College of Fine Arts; Carly Wright from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture; Aaron Kelley from the College of Liberal and Applied Arts; Hailey and Holly Jarzynka from the College of Sciences and Mathematics; and Hannah Horton, who is representing Tyler Junior College.

The conference is open to the public. For a list of participants and research topics, visit sfasu.edu/honors/urc/winners2019.

Imagine receiving a letter explaining you’ve just inherited $5 million from a mystery donor. The inheritance comes with one stipulation: You must travel to Paris, France, and share the money with a person you don’t know but who has been preselected. Where would be the perfect place to introduce yourself?

Jason Wright, a Stephen F. Austin State University alumnus, entrepreneur, small business owner and East Texas regional director for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, recently visited the university’s campus and detailed the above scenario. He then asked students in the Rusche College of Business which location in Paris they would choose to meet.

Several students had an instant answer, “The Eiffel Tower.” Wright said the students’ immediate response is exactly how they should want potential employers to react to them. “You want to be the first person who comes to their mind when they have a job to fill,” Wright said. “You want to stand out.”

Wright, who purchased his first real estate company at age 28, has spent more than a decade owning and operating multiple businesses, including restaurants and construction companies. A confident speaker and published author, Wright is a first-generation college student who graduated from SFA with his bachelor’s degree in 1997.

Wright recently returned to SFA to discuss career success with students participating in the Rusche College of Business’ Career Success Passport, a program that helps them build their skills while competing for scholarships.

“You have to become the linchpin, the critical or vital piece, of an organization,” Wright said.

During his presentation, Wright advised students on how to prepare themselves for career success. He recommended working harder than anyone around them, asking more questions, knowing the job expectations and becoming an expert in a specific area. He also stressed the importance of interpersonal communication and encouraged students to practice interviewing for a job as often as possible.

Throughout the semester, the Career Success Passport program hosts several events for business students to learn new skills and network with professionals in various fields. Gina Small, career success specialist, helped organize Wright’s presentation and works closely with students in the passport program.

“Our Career Success Passport program provides a platform for experts, like Jason, to come share their experiences with our students,” Small said. “Jason is not only a very successful entrepreneur and businessman, he also is relatable to students. His real-world suggestions and strategies will help our students navigate the transition from college to the professional world with confidence.”

For more information on SFA’s Rusche College of Business, visit sfasu.edu/cob.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.