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Donna (Baker) McIntyre (’96), Stillwater,<br />
Okla., stays at home with her three girls and<br />
says,” I enjoy watching them grow and seeing<br />
things through their eyes.” E-mail<br />
mcmavrik@yahoo.com.<br />
Jennifer (Roach) Miller (’96, ’98) and Kris<br />
Miller (’00, ’02) reside in St. Peters, Mo.<br />
Jennifer is a Spanish teacher and serves as<br />
chair of the World Language Department at<br />
Francis Howell Central High School. Kris is a<br />
guidance counselor at Pacific High School.<br />
Their twins, Matthew and Rachel, were born<br />
May 19, 2008. E-mail<br />
jenn_miller04@charter.net.<br />
Tim Naegelin (’96), Campbell, Calif., is a<br />
senior trade show associate for Abbott<br />
Vascular. E-mail timnaegelin@yahoo.com.<br />
Ryan Reeson, Omaha, Neb., owns<br />
TradeMark Door. E-mail<br />
ryan@trademarkdoor.com.<br />
Talia Teer (’96), Olathe, Kan., is director of<br />
ethics and compliance for Embarq.<br />
Ali (Wayman) Welky (’96) and David<br />
Welky reside in Conway, Ark. Ali is a<br />
copyeditor for Encyclopedia of Arkansas<br />
History and Culture. David is an associate<br />
professor of history at <strong>University</strong> of Central<br />
Arkansas. They have two children, Jude and<br />
Katharine. E-mail awelky@conwaycorp.net.<br />
Chad Wolbers (’96), Dubuque, Iowa, is chief<br />
operating officer for the Finley Hospital. He<br />
and his wife, Regan, have three children,<br />
Kenna, Josie and Gavin. E-mail<br />
rcwolbers@hotmail.com.<br />
Aaron Bryant (’97), Chicago, Ill., is the<br />
principal of The Bryant Law Firm LLC, which<br />
represents plaintiffs in personal injury and<br />
workers compensation matters. Aaron also<br />
represents clients in criminal defense, real<br />
estate transactions and immigration matters.<br />
E-mail abryant@blgchicago.com.<br />
Amy (McFarland) Clay (’97) and John<br />
Clay (’05) reside in St. Louis, Mo. Amy is an<br />
attorney for the Missouri <strong>State</strong> Public<br />
Defender. John is a student at Washington<br />
<strong>University</strong>. They have a son, Keenan. E-mail<br />
amymclay@sprint.blackberry.net.<br />
Tracy (Cardwell) Fahrion (’97), Urbandale,<br />
Iowa, is an information specialist for the state<br />
of Iowa. E-mail iagal@hotmail.com.<br />
Christina Hotger (’97), Burnsville, Minn.,<br />
moved to the position of nurse practitioner<br />
specializing in pain management at Twin<br />
Cities Pain Clinic.<br />
Dave Janney (’97), Algonac, Mich., is an<br />
aviator with the U.S. Coast Guard Air<br />
Station Detroit.<br />
Melissa (Johnson) Maloney (’97) and<br />
Brian Maloney live in Liberty, Mo. Melissa<br />
is a human resources specialist for the Social<br />
Security Administration. Brian is a physical<br />
therapist supervisor for North Kansas City<br />
Changing the World One<br />
Student at a Time<br />
Anative of St. Louis, Mo., April Warren-<br />
Grice’s life goal is to change<br />
the world, and she plans to do this one<br />
student at a time. She first came to <strong>Truman</strong><br />
<strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> to participate in the Scholastic<br />
Enhancement Experience (SEE) program, but<br />
did not intend to stay for the school year. “I<br />
had already made a verbal commitment to play<br />
basketball at two other schools,” Warren-Grice<br />
said. “So I was just going to <strong>Truman</strong> to see<br />
what it was about, but the SEE program really<br />
connected me to the university.”<br />
She stayed at <strong>Truman</strong> where she became a<br />
McNair scholar and played point guard on<br />
the girls’ basketball team. After receiving a<br />
bachelor of arts from <strong>Truman</strong> in 2000 and a<br />
master of arts in education in 2004, she<br />
returned to St. Louis to teach and inspire kids.<br />
Teaching English at Ritenour High School,<br />
she also coached the varsity girls’ basketball<br />
team and implemented Partners in<br />
Achievement (PIA), a program she had participated<br />
in as a high school student. “When I was<br />
in high school, I knew I was supposed to go to<br />
college, but I didn’t know how to get there, and<br />
that was the same with the students I was<br />
working with―I was tired of pulling the kids<br />
out in the hall one by one, so I said ‘let’s start a<br />
group’ and I did,” said Warren-Grice, who<br />
started the PIA program to help African<br />
American and Latino students get to college.<br />
Along with two other teachers, Warren-<br />
Grice oversaw 80 kids in the PIA program<br />
while providing speakers, workshops and field<br />
trips to colleges. One of the most memorable<br />
field trips occurred when Warren-Grice took<br />
20 students to the Inauguration of President<br />
Obama in Washington, D.C., an experience<br />
that she described as life-changing for the<br />
students’ vision for success. “Their map had<br />
changed; they were now thinking higher than<br />
St. Louis because before that trip many of<br />
them had never been out of St. Louis,”<br />
Warren Grice said.<br />
In 2007 Warren-Grice won the prestigious<br />
High School Teachers of Excellence Award<br />
after being nominated for her work at<br />
Hospital. They have three children, Brenner,<br />
Cade and Teagan. E-mail<br />
Melissa.maloney@ssa.gov.<br />
Teri (Fields) Meylink (’97, ’98) and her<br />
husband, Steven, announce the birth of their<br />
Ritenour. “I was<br />
one of 24 in the<br />
nation to get the<br />
award,” Warren-<br />
Grice said. “I guess<br />
it was big, I<br />
thought I was just<br />
doing my job.”<br />
After five and a half<br />
years at Ritenour,<br />
she left to pursue a<br />
Ph.D. in<br />
April Warren-Grice educational policy<br />
studies at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> of Illinois-Champaign. She also<br />
continued her work with PIA and other<br />
marginalized high school students through<br />
Visionaries Educating Youth and Adults.<br />
She is also working with the Centennial<br />
High School in Illinois through the<br />
Achievement Via Individual Determination,<br />
an international program geared toward<br />
helping marginalized and underrepresented<br />
students reach academic success. “I want to<br />
see all the different aspects of how these<br />
programs are helping students, particularly<br />
students of color, reach academic success,”<br />
Warren-Grice said. “My purpose for coming<br />
back to the school is to save the world by<br />
closing the achievement gap.”<br />
This past summer, Warren-Grice traveled to<br />
the Dominican Republic where she worked on<br />
community building, teaching students, and<br />
continuing her research on marginalized<br />
students. After she gets her Ph.D., she plans on<br />
becoming a professor but would still like to<br />
work with high school students. “What I want<br />
to do is bring the theory to practice,” Warren-<br />
Grice said. “A lot of researchers and professors<br />
have never really been in the field and have just<br />
theorized―that’s not how I roll. I really want<br />
to make sure this stuff is working and<br />
implement some of the great ideas that myself<br />
and other researchers are coming up with.”<br />
And with those plans, April Warren-Grice<br />
will change the world, one student at a time.<br />
―Stephanie Hall<br />
son, Tyler, on Feb. 17, 2009. They also have<br />
a son, Ethan. The family resides in Neenah,<br />
Wis. E-mail meylink66@hotmail.com.<br />
Laura (Beck) Potthast (’97) resides in<br />
O’Fallon, Mo. E-mail laurapotthast@yahoo.com.<br />
Winter 2009-2010 23