Everything Nac

Sally Ann Swearingen, associate professor in Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Human Sciences, is serving as the Southwest regional chair for the Interior Design Educators Council, an organization that works to advance the education, scholarship and service of interior design.

“It has been a wonderful way to network and meet other educators in the field of interior design,” Swearingen said. “It has provided a way for faculty members to brainstorm and learn about common issues.”

Swearingen is serving as chair for two years. The Southwest region comprises educators in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. As chair, Swearingen organizes and leads the regional meeting and participates in regional conferences, which include research and professional presentations.

“It is a great way to see what others are doing and what their research interests are,” Swearingen said.

A thrum of light chatter and crinkling snack bags filled the Academic Assistance and Resource Center on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus as 45 incoming first-generation freshmen settled into their afternoon break.

Fresh out of a training module on Microsoft’s OneDrive file sharing application — preceded by an hourlong session on dealing with stress — students of the Generation Jacks Summer Leadership Academy continued to buzz with excitement.

“I love it,” said Ashlynn Beard of Arlington, incoming SFA freshman and GenJack academy participant. “The group already feels like a family. I feel like I really can open up to a lot of people in here because we have all gone through the same or similar things with our parents. Probably all of our parents struggled because they didn’t go to college and things were probably a lot harder for them.”

Generation Jacks began in fall 2014 as the brainchild of Dr. Marc Guidry, associate dean of the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, and Dr. Michael Walker, assistant dean of Student Affairs Support Services and associate professor of psychology.

“I got an email from SFA about GenJacks, my mom and I talked about all the perks and decided this is what I wanted to do,” said Denis Castillo of Grand Prairie, an incoming SFA freshman and academy participant. “What stood out to me about the program was the fact that all four years of college, we are going to be with the same group of people until we graduate. If we fall behind, someone here will be able to help.”

The aim of GenJacks is to provide an academic and social support system for first-generation students who often don’t have the benefit of a close family member with college experience.

“There has never been a program like GenJacks at SFA before, so we are charting new territory, creating higher expectations for our first-generation students, and breaking through barriers to help them become both scholars and servant-leaders at SFA,” Guidry said. “The difference between when we started the program three years ago and now is like night and day. We have never done a weeklong summer leadership academy with our students until now. We believe this new, concentrated orientation to SFA is going to boost our students and enable them to go even higher.”

Begun on Sunday, the academy is a crash course on all things college. GenJacks wake up at 7 a.m. each day and attend a consortium of sessions, modules and student-led reflections on the day’s events. The sessions teach them everything from understanding financial aid to time management.

“The rigor is intentional,” said Chelsea Heidbrink, SFA coordinator of student success. “It isn’t to bog them down or overwhelm them, but really just to give them as many tools, resources and information as we can to ensure they don’t have any doubts about their abilities or about choosing to spend their future here at SFA.”

The academy itself is an extension of the overall GenJacks program, which allows first-generation students to take courses together for their first three semesters. They then become mentors to new first-generation students and to high school students seeking to attend college.

“This highly integrated approach to student engagement, both academically, professionally and socially, will continue to demonstrate success for our students,” Walker said. “It will embody the SFA Way and provide those transformative experiences that will allow our GenJacks graduates to succeed well beyond our campus.”

GenJacks participants and leaders raved about the academy and the bonds already forged in a few days’ time.

“I am most excited to see them transform themselves in just a week,” Heidbrink said. “First-generation students are incredible students. I was a first-generation student, as well, and so it is personal for me, too. FG students are resilient and determined and for me to see that come to fruition as it relates to college is just a really amazing experience — for them and for me.”

According to data collected and kept by Guidry and Walker, retention rates have improved for first-generation students participating in GenJacks. GenJacks, as a whole, also have a higher GPA than their first-generation peers who are not in the program.

Discipline is the name of the game for Stephen F. Austin State University graduate student Jeffrey Rodriguez, who, since mid-July, has been interning as an athletic trainer with NFL team the Houston Texans.

Rodriguez, an Austin native who is a second-year graduate student in SFA’s athletic training program, is one of five U.S. students selected for the summer internship.

“Learning the Houston Texans were offering me a summer internship was one of the most gratifying moments in my life,” Rodriguez said. “This is such a memorable and unforgettable start to my final year as an SFA Lumberjack, and I couldn’t be more thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

By 4:30 a.m. on most days, Rodriguez is at NRG Stadium in Houston preparing the athletic training facility by making dozens of ice bags, filling water bottles, prepping therapeutic modality units, stocking tape, organizing rehabilitation equipment, and ensuring treatment tables are cleaned and ready for the athletes. Rodriguez said after the athletes start arriving about 6 a.m., the energy really starts to pick up.

“During this time, we become more hands on with the players by helping them get warm and stretch, providing their treatments, assisting them through rehabilitation exercises and taping before practice,” Rodriguez said. “I have been able to shadow staff members and observe many rehabilitative exercises that I have never been exposed to before.”

At 8:25 a.m., everyone is on the field. Rodriguez helps keep the players hydrated during practice, and around 11:30 a.m., he begins assisting with treatments. Until 7:30 p.m., Rodriguez and the other interns are working in the athletic training facility. Most days don’t end for Rodriquez until about 10 p.m., but he explained the early mornings and late nights have taught him discipline.

“I have gained so much valuable knowledge from this internship that will help me as I return to SFA to work with the Lumberjack football team this fall,” Rodriguez said. “The preparation and attention to detail the Texans’ staff members have demonstrated is something I will take with me and apply in all aspects of athletic training.”

Rodriguez added his stay in Houston has helped him apply what he has learned in the classroom and clinical setting to the real world. He is currently serving as president of the Organization of Athletic Training Students at SFA and is the 2016 recipient of the Sandy Miller Student Leadership award, which is presented annually to an athletic training student at SFA who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities. He also was recently awarded a scholarship from the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. After graduation, he plans to pursue a season-long position with a NFL team.

“This internship taught me the skills I need to be successful in this profession and that continually learning is going to be a big part of being in the NFL,” Rodriguez said. “I also learned the value of teamwork. Working well and efficiently with others to complete tasks is going to be an integral part of being a successful athletic trainer.”

Dr. Lynda Martin, director of Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Human Sciences, has been appointed to the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences National Accreditation Board.

The board ensures undergraduate family and consumer sciences programs at accredited universities provide the highest quality educational experiences and prepare students for professional roles to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities, according the program’s website.

Martin will serve as a board member for three years.

“This appointment is an honor as it reflects our industry’s confidence in SFA’s School of Human Science’s accreditation skills and quality,” Martin said. “It is an important and prestigious honor that my peers believe I can effectively evaluate their programs.”