February 2023

A miracle milestone

After his brain cancer diagnosis, doctors told Juan Saybe, EMSSB ’22, that he needed to give his brain a workout. He took that to heart by—finishing his STHM graduate program. Read about his inspiring journey in this STHM Newsroom article. 

Congratulations to doctoral student Wangoo Lee and Associate Professor Lu Lu for winning best paper at the 28th Annual Graduate Education & Graduate Student Research Conference. A paper by Huimin Liu and Xiang (Robert) Li was a runner-up. Doctoral students Xingyu Huang, Yoonyoung Nam and Peihao Wang and faculty members Lindsey Lee, Michael Ok and Yang Yang also attended the conference. Read more about our doctoral students’ recognitions this fall at the Fox/STHM Research Roundtable Awards. 

In the media

• “What Broke Southwest Airlines?” Benjamin Altschuler is featured on the KYW Newsradio In Depth podcast, Jan. 3.  
• “Why Denver Will Never (Ever) Get the Super Bowl," Dan Funk was cited in the January issue of 5280: Denver’s Mile High Magazine. 
• “In L.A. Since the ’80s, the Clippers Are Finally Planting a Flag,” Thilo Kunkel was cited in The New York Times, Dec. 7.  
• “Diversity Marketing Makes Dollars and Sense,” STHM was mentioned as a partner of Tourism Diversity Matters in the Beyond Borders Gazette, Dec. 22. 

In December, the STHM ODEI conducted industry training with District III Parks & Rec titled “Managing a Successful Intern and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices.” The training, led by Debra Blair, Emily Baidia, THM ’15, and Chloe Harris, THM ’18, focused on ways of working with and serving LGBTQ+ communities with a special focus on trans youth.  

Congratulations to Gareth Jones, who was accepted to the Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s Faculty Learning Community on Supporting Under-Prepared Students. Jones spent the fall semester working with faculty across campus to develop learning activities and assignments that support the unique challenges of working with students who have gaps in knowledge or learning management skills. 

In January 2023, the Fox and STHM DEI Council recognized the following days: 

• Jan. 1: Emancipation Proclamation Day. For on this day in 1863, President Lincoln declared all persons held as slaves would be free. But it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, (now celebrated as Juneteenth) that slavery ended across the Confederacy as troops rode into Galveston, Texas. Read this powerful Jan. 1, 1863, transcript from then-President  Abraham Lincoln. 

• Jan. 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrates one of the greatest American leaders of the civil rights movement. Honor his legacy by educating yourself on Black history and Dr. King’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence. 

• Jan. 27: International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust (United Nations) commemorates the approximately 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during World War II. Consider reading a book about the Holocaust and visiting this UNESCO site for an immersive remembrance of the Holocaust. 

Christine Cleaver led a group of 11 students to the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Conference in early January, representing each of the three STHM undergraduate programs. Four students—Madeline Hill, Sam Schuleman, Ann Crocket and Molly McKeown—along with Cleaver, were awarded full scholarships to attend.  

Despina Evangelopoulos, THM ’22, and graduate student Hannah Kloetzer presented at the 2022 Meeting of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport in Las Vegas in November. Their presentation was titled “The experiences of Division I Men's Basketball Athletes who enter the Transfer Portal.” Hannah Tippy, CLA ’22 and SRM minor, also presented on student athletes and mental health stigmas.  

Assistant Professor Ashley Gardner shares insight into her sport background, enlightening students in the classroom and her research in socio-cultural studies in this STHM Newsroom article.  

Read about the volunteer experience of student M.J. Al-atharee at the World Cup in the Temple News. 

Congratulations to the following students and alumni who received industry-associated scholarships and awards. 

• Efronsini Kamariotis, Class of 2023, received the Marie Baker Brown Scholarship at the 2022 Annual Luncheon of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB).

• Veneza Crespo, Class of 2023, received the Les Dames d‘Escoffier International’s (LDEI) scholarship awarded by the LDEI Philadelphia Chapter to women pursuing careers in the food, beverage or hospitality fields.  

• Kendra Plummer, THM '13, received the Annual Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting. Plummer is the founder of Elise Capital, a hotel-focused, real estate investment and consulting firm dedicated to providing access to hotel investment opportunities for women and under-represented minorities. She was one of several STHM students named to Temple University’s 30 Under 30 list in 2020. 

Ira Rosen was named a facilitator at the Event Management School, run by the International Festivals and Events Association and National Recreation and Parks Association.  

If you have stories, accomplishments or content for this newsletter, please email sthm2025@temple.edu.

Learn more about our Strategic Plan, STHM 2025: Lead, Impact, and Transform,
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