MBCNews - Commencement 2009: Seniors Show Bold Character in Media

Commencement 2009: Seniors Show Bold Character in Media

By Dawn Medley

2009-04-24

Commencement 2009 events begin at Mary Baldwin College May 22. In advance of the festivites, we will post several articles in connection with Commencement. The following is a feature about members of the senior class.

Several seniors demonstrated their media savvy during the 2008–09 academic year by offering opinions, expertise, and heartfelt stories for members of the local and national press. Whether they stepped up when called on by Mary Baldwin’s media relations and publications team, or they were simply in the right place at the right time, one of the many ways MBC seniors will be remembered is for the ways they boldly represented the college on television and in print.
• Two of the biggest national stories this year were the presidential election and inauguration of President Barack Obama, and Mary Baldwin seniors were in the thick of the coverage. Casby Stainback supported Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, but she had the last word in an Associated Press article that was picked up in more than 160 national and regional media outlets with a nonpartisan parting line. “The more people who participate, the better off we’ll be,” said Stainback, MBC Student Government Association president. She was interviewed by Chicago AP reporter Martha Irvine for a piece that ran just a week before the election.
Stephanie Ragland gave local media an up-close view of the January 20 inauguration when she attended several events in connection with the inauguration as an alumna of the Presidential Classroom program. She shared a memorable story withThe News Virginianin Waynesboro, Virginia about then-Senator Obama shaking her hand and calling her by name.

“’How do you know my name?” she remembers asking,” read the article. “’Your name tag,’ he said, laughing and shaking her hand. ‘As we see on TV, he loves to communicate,’ Ragland said.”
• Coverage and reviews of MBC theatre and community productions was filled with regulars on stage such as seniors Katelyn Scott and Shae Armstrong. Scott had a co-starring role in MBC's production of the musical comedyWonderful Townand Armstrong grabbed headlines as the lead in ShenanArts spring showThe Secret Garden, keeping Mary Baldwin’s presence in the community’s thriving fine arts scene.(Pictured l to r: Rachel Ellenberger '09, Katelyn Scott '09, and Brad Kurtz)
Senior Robyn Stegman was also part of a local news story about election issues discussions at MBC, but her interests also shined in two later pieces. She spoke passionately on Harrisonburg television station WHSV-TV3 in February about her attendance at the second annual Clinton Global Initiative conference and the college’s commitment to help young girls who are at risk. In March, she contributed several journal-type entries to the online publicationDiverse: Issues in Higher Educationwhile in El Salvador working with MBC Artist-in-Residence Claudia Bernardi on a mural in a community that was devastated by civil war.
• Students were key to putting a face on the college’s March announcement of a Student Stimulus Package for those in the Residential College for Women. Senior Hannah Barrow appeared in television and print pieces to explain how the parts of the plan — Julia’s List, changemaker internships, and Leadership Gateways scholarships — would benefit students, specifically her sister Sarah Anne Barrow ’12.
Visit www.mbc.edu/commencement for more information about Commencement activities May 22–24.