Through all odds: Ball State professor, spouse overcome historical obstacles before settling down in Muncie
By Brooke Kemp / October 10, 2019On a given day, Henry Velandia could be more than 600 miles from his husband.
On a given day, Henry Velandia could be more than 600 miles from his husband.
“I was seven years old when I wanted to be a director, and I've never changed that course.” For years, 2015 Ball State alumnus Joel Kirk said he would make short films with his camcorder in the comfort of his backyard. He would act, direct, edit and write his own scripts to transform pre-existing ideas into his own.
“Everybody needs something to take care of.” For Melanie Turner, advisor for communication studies and journalism, she chose to care for dogs.
Three days a week, the sound of trumpets honking, drums clashing and color flags whipping through the air echoes through campus from the lawn outside Worthen Arena as Ball State’s Pride of Mid-America Marching Band practices.
Since her childhood, Ball State alumna Karen Cooksey said she has always had a peculiar attraction to glass.
Autumn is finally here, and alongside the crisp air and colorful leaves, fall decorations are beginning to pop up in stores and on porches around Muncie.
“Painting isn’t only about self-expression, and it’s not only about translating experience into form. I think making art really has to do with advocating a position.”
When junior acting major Ogunde Snelling found out he was cast in the Department of Theatre’s upcoming production, “Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet,” he said it was insane how similar he was to his character, Marcus, a young black man coming to terms with his sexuality.
From family reunions to casual games with her friends at Ball State, sophomore marketing major Courtney Berger said she has been playing ping pong all her life.
Throughout her travels in Costa Rica, senior exercise science major Edlecia Ward said she was greeted with the phrase “pura vida.”
As part of its fall tour, Bob Dylan & His Band will be performing November 2019 at Emens Auditorium.
Singing, clapping and tapping feet filled the Student Center Tally as two piano players from Midwest Dueling Pianos gave a free, request-driven performance.
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, seeing a place in person must be worth a million.”
Five years in a row, sophomore acting major Parker Hickey said she moved schools and struggled to make connections with students in her new surroundings.
After his middle school science teacher in Los Angeles hosted survivors of human trafficking in class, Muncie Central High School (MCHS) junior Sam Voss said he was motivated to help those who have been through such "horrific, awful crimes" and were "treated as nothing."
When Alex Quillin came to Ball State as a freshman, she thought her passion was dentistry. “I wanted to be an orthodontist for the longest time,” Quillin said. “Then, I job shadowed my freshman year, and I passed out.”
About five minutes from Ball State’s campus, Minnetrista offers several exhibits, plays and programs for the Muncie community to participate in and enjoy.
“I’ve never been more terrified in my life.” That’s how senior zoology major Autum Auxier felt standing on Bloukrans Bridge in Mossel Bay, South Africa, hooked to a bungee cord, ready to fall 708 feet toward the river below.
Representing risk, creativity and freedom of expression, senior telecommunications major Mia Marrero said she would always remember the graffiti decorating the walls, bridges, doors and tunnels in the heart of Berlin.
From one of the 150 reclining seats under a 52-foot dome, Ball State students and the Muncie community can explore the cosmos during five free shows offered at the Charles W. Brown Planetarium this semester.
