We hope you enjoy reading all the latest personal and professional updates from our BIC alumni. We post these updates once each year, during the spring semester. We also post various alumni interviews throughout the year. If you would like to contribute an update for a future post, please email us at BIC@baylor.edu. Enjoy!
Jackson Hurst (‘99) After graduating Baylor (BIC: MIS, International Business, Spanish) I worked at Citigroup in IT for several years. I left when booking the film, The Mist, after which time I moved to Austin. I worked on Tree of Life, among others, while in Austin. I also booked Diva from Austin, then moved to LA in October of 2008. I’ve been a professional actor for 9 years, after booking NCIS: Los Angeles, Drop Dead Diva in 2008. My Current projects are HBO’s Sharp Objects coming in June, and currently in negotiations on a Netflix series shooting in June. I also work in real estate investing wherein my wife and I fix and flip homes in Los Angeles. Using that Baylor business degree. Company: Hurst & Home llc.
Andy Box (’01) recently celebrated his 15th anniversary with Jenny, a registered nurse. They have two sons, Brenden (9) and Jonathan (8), and live in Grand Prairie, TX. Andy is a Chief of Dispatch for Southwest Airlines at their Network Operations Center in Dallas. In 2006 he completed an MBA in Aviation through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. When not chasing their sons around, they enjoy traveling, reading, being outdoors, video games, and planning their next house project. Andy also likes to run and bike and is currently training for his second triathlon.
Kristen Williams Cook (’02) Kristen is a 2002 Baylor University and BIC graduate with a double major in Spanish and International Studies and a graduate of Baylor University Law School in 2005. Kristen met her husband, Read Cook, a fellow Baylor Law School grad, while in law school. Read and Kristen live in Dallas and Kristen is an in-house attorney with 7-Eleven, Inc., primarily working in the areas of real estate, fuel and environmental law. Read and Kristen have two energetic children and are members of Munger Place Church.
Carrie (Jobe) Bowden (‘03) and her husband, Greg, welcomed their third daughter, Emily Mae, in July of 2017. Big sisters Catherine (4) and Samantha (2.5) are in love with their baby sister! Carrie and Greg will celebrate eight years of marriage this summer. Carrie currently teaches at First Baptist Academy of Houston as the Lower School Technology Instruction and Integration Specialist, and looks forward to a new position in the 2018-2019 school year as the Primary and Lower School Assistant Principal
Christine Gentry (’03) After four years running the Urban Teaching Fellowship program in Boston, Massachusetts, will be heading to Corona, California this summer to launch and direct a new teacher residency program for New York University’s Embedded Master of Arts in Teaching program. In her spare time, Christine writes short stories, performs in oral storytelling shows, and produces/hosts shows for The Story Collider. Her writing has been published in Word Riot, The English Record, and Printer’s Devil Review magazines, and her oral stories have been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, PBS’s Stories from the Stage, and NPR’s This American Life. In addition to her Baylor B.A., Christine holds an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Erin Wheeler (’03) graduated from Baylor with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences, with a Major in Child and Family Studies. She taught at Baylor’s lab school for four years as a Lead Teacher before changing careers in 2007 to work in the field of adoption. Erin is currently the Executive Director and Licensed Child-Placing Agency Administrator of Generations Adoptions, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions – a non-profit, Christian adoption agency that ministers to women (and men) facing unplanned pregnancies, providing them with hope and life-affirming options. Erin believes that adoption is a beautiful way to build a family, and enjoys watching God knit together the hearts of birth-parents and the adoptive families they choose. She loves living in her college town and attending as many Baylor football and basketball games as possible. Sic ‘em, Bears!
Kenneth Wolfe (‘03) I recently had a book come out on Amazon and it hit best seller status. The book is about the growing need for passive income in our society. I own Wolfe Investments and we’re a private equity real estate firm that has been involved in $100M worth of real estate transactions across 5 states. We focus on multifamily, commercial, lending, and development real estate projects. We bring our investors together to acquire larger properties and create higher cash flow returns then they can get elsewhere.
Chris Josefy (‘04) loves Jesus, his wife of 14 years Amy (‘03), and their two kids Reagan (9) and Elise (5). They live in Cypress, TX and are both passionate about increasing awareness of the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes (which Reagan was diagnosed with at age 5). They encourage you to visit www.jdrf.org or www.beyondtype1.org to learn more.
Alexandra Spencer (’05) graduated from Baylor with a B.A. in English and earned a M.S. in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University in 2007. Alex is completing her tenth year at Incarnate Word Academy, an all-girls’ college preparatory school adjacent to Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston. She has taught AP English and served as college counselor and academic dean. Alex will be joining the faculty at the Kinkaid School in Houston this fall as the Assistant Head of Upper School.
Mildred F. “Mimi” Wiggins Perreault (’05) was recognized by the Appalachian State University Student Government Association as the Outstanding Faculty Member in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at for 2017-2018. Perreault is a lecturer in the Department of Communication and Research Assistant Professor in the Research Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University, Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE), Appalachian Energy Center. Courtesy photo is of myself and junior public relations student Melissa Phipps.
Amanda Martinez Beck (‘06) is an author and editor in Longview, Texas. Her book, Lovely: How I learned to embrace the body God gave me, will be released nationwide by the Catholic publisher Our Sunday Visitor in December 2018. She blogs about size dignity, faith, and fatness at amandamartinezbeck.com and has bylines at Christianity Today Women, Evangelicals for Social Action, Christ and Pop Culture, and The Catholic East Texas Magazine, for which she is the managing editor. Amanda also co-hosts a podcast called Fat & Faithful, a show where she and her co-host talk faith, politics, and culture from a fat perspective.
Tiffany Harris (’08) I graduated from Baylor in 2008 with a BA in Speech Communication. I joined the US Army in 2011 and served active duty for three years at Ft. Carson, CO and received my MA in HR Management from Webster University. I am currently an HR Generalist for AmerisourceBergen and live in Coppell, TX with my husband and two sons.
Raymond L Panneton (’10) currently practices law at Hendershot, Cannon & Hisey, PC in Houston, Texas, where he focuses his practice on complex civil litigation. As a result of his dedication to his clients and the practice of law, Ray has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, as well as the Texas Bar Foundation. Additionally, Ray continues his service to the Bar in his role as Social Media Coordinator for the American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division, Newsletter Editor for the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s Medicine and Law Committee, and as an Editorial Board Member of The Houston Lawyer for the Houston Bar Association. Ray can be reached at rpanneton@hchlawyers.com.
Samantha (Rylander) Wallace (’10) has had a varied nursing career ever since graduating from LHSON and earning her RN license, including school nursing, OR nursing, and serving as charge nurse over the entire surgical department of Austin Diagnostic Clinic. She has since moved on to new pursuits, and now works part-time at the Victoria Eye Clinic in Victoria, TX while her husband Andrew works as a teacher/ librarian/ future media center director at Edna ISD. They are expecting their first child this coming fall, and Samantha is also looking forward to the publication of her first novel, also due out this fall. The Heart of Everything is a paranormal romance with a Christian twist, published by Covenant Books and will be available via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple, both in digital and print formats.
Elizabeth George (’11) currently lives in Plano, TX and is the Manager/Customer & Audience Solutions at Informa Exhibitions, a global events and exhibitions company specializing in trade and consumer events. She is also serving as the Chair of the DFW Chapter of the International Association of Events and Exhibitions (IAEE). She was recently awarded the Merit Award at the 2017 IAEE Expo!Expo! and Annual Meeting for her contributing work at the local chapter level. She is also the Chair of the newly formed Baylor Catholic Network which is a part of the Baylor Alumni Network at Baylor University.
Brandon Lucke-Wold (’11) I just completed my MD/PhD and Master’s in clinical translational research at West Virginia University. I matched into Neurosurgery at University of Florida and will begin training this July. I am married to another BIC alumni Noelle Lucke-Wold who is a nurse practitioner. We have a one-year old daughter named Esme and enjoy rock climbing, running with our two dogs, and traveling. I am currently finishing the 2nd international Neurosurgery rotation. I got to work in both Oman and Paraguay this spring.
Jake Peterson (‘12) got a Master’s in International Relations at Universidad CEU San Pablo in Madrid in 2015. Currently working for an educational company in Madrid, Spain, as a writer, translator, and editor. Getting married this summer. The worst part about living abroad is the time difference where I can’t watch my Bears.
Jacob K. Robinson (’12) After graduating with a degree in Film and Digital Media in 2012, Jacob spent a few years working as a freelance cinematographer and musician (with a year somewhere in there spent with the Spiritual Life Department at Baylor). In 2015, he returned to Baylor for graduate school, ultimately earning a Master of Arts in Communication (focusing on film theory, writing, and directing). Recently, his life has taken a bit of a turn as he refocused on playwriting. In March, he was accepted into the Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting program at Columbia University and will begin his time there this fall. He’s as surprised by this as you are. But he’s also, like, really excited too. He absolutely credits the BIC for shaping his approach to writing – so much so that he referenced it in his interview for Columbia (he’s convinced that’s what sealed the deal).
Bekah Fuller (Hernandez) (’13) I graduated from the BIC program in 2013 and have since gone through and completed medical school in Washington state and have now found myself in Australia, where I am currently applying for jobs in hospitals to do some work in their surgical, internal medicine, and emergency departments. I moved to Oz to be with my husband, and luckily since I spent time here previously, already knew I loved the country. I also recently discovered that Australian TV has turned Monkey into a live-action series, which has been fun to watch and compare to what I remember from the discussions held in Butler-Haney. So there you go, I’m happy to say BIC is still relevant in my life on the other side of the world 5 years later.
Elizabeth (Puckett) Newman (’13) graduated from Baylor in December 2013 with a BA in Medical Humanities and went on to the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth, TX where she has spent the last almost 4 years studying to become a physician. After a 2 week trip through Europe, she will graduate from TCOM on May 19, 2018 after which she, her husband Devvon, and their almost one year old daughter Evalyn will be returning to Waco! Elizabeth will be starting her Family Medicine Residency at the Waco FHC in July.
Madison (Holder) Dermody (‘14) I am now with Big Beat Dallas as a Group Sales Manager in Irving, TX. I also married a fellow Baylor graduate, Colyer Dermody. We live in Dallas but are always on the move with plans to travel the states this summer.
Thom Elston (‘14) Since recently completing my PhD in neuroscience at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, I have been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Federal Republic of Germany. In Germany, I will study the neuronal basis of flexible thought and action in nonhuman primates in the laboratory of Andreas Nieder at the Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of Tuebingen. I will be in Germany for at least two years and, from then, will be looking to do another postdoc and eventually start my own lab to study the biology underlying complex cognition.
Dylan Magee (’14) graduated with a BA in Medical Humanities. Since graduation, I have moved to Portland, ME for dental school and have recently completed my second year (halfway done)! This summer I will begin to treat my own patients, and this will continue for my final two years of dental school. I have also taken up marathon running as a hobby and ran in the Boston Marathon for the first time this year. Sic ’em!
Michael Applewhite (’15) will graduate from Baylor Law School on April 28, 2018. After graduation, Michael plans on practicing law in Texas. Michael intends to serve his clients well and solve all his clients’ legal problems that he can. Michael also intends to explore pro bono work and help the indigent.
Nita Hight (‘15) I received a MS in English from Texas A&M-Commerce in 2017, and then applied and was accepted, with a scholarship, to SMU Dedman School of Law, which I began attending in fall of 2017 and from which I expect to graduate in 2020.
Elisa Jelley (’15) I graduated from Baylor with my BA in International Studies and a Minor in French in 2015. Since then, I’ve served a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA, spent 4 months volunteering with a NGO in Greece, specifically working with youth in a refugee camp, and I walked 500 miles across Spain with my Dad along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. I’ll be starting law school in the fall at Michigan, where I’ll focus on refugee and asylum law.
Danielle Cooper (’16) is currently a second-year student at the University of Texas School of Law. She is on the Law Review and the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law and has recently been re-elected to the Student Bar Association’s Board of Governors. She plans to work in litigation in Austin over the upcoming summer and hopes to land in the Austin or Houston areas after she graduates and takes the Bar in summer 2019. If you have any questions about her experience at Texas Law or about the law school application process, you can reach her at danielledcooper@utexas.edu.
Carissa (Carlson) Simmons (‘15) and Will Simmons (‘15) graduated from Baylor and married a year later on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, where they currently reside. Carissa served with International Justice Mission in Manila, Philippines following her graduation and is now with Teach for America, teaching 9th and 10th grade Special Education English in ‘Aiea, Hawai‘i. She will graduate from the Johns Hopkins School of Education with her MSEd in Educational Studies this May. She and Will will move to New York City this summer, where he will pursue his Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Columbia University.
Stefanie Harrelson (Mundhenk) (’16) graduated early in August of 2015 and is currently halfway through with her law degree and master’s degree in philosophy at Georgetown University. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, David (married in the summer of 2017) and is pursuing a career in indigent criminal defense.
Rachel Rose (’16) I am currently a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Germanic Languages and Literature. I also teach introductory German at the university. I will receive my Masters degree in May 2018. I am Vice President of Dancing Illini, the social ballroom dancing club at my university. In the summer I will be participating in a workshop on Georgian language at Indiana University with Title VIII government funding. From there I am deciding between continuing with a PhD in Germanic Languages and Literature, specializing in GDR and post-socialist studies, or doing a PhD at the Dublin Institute of Technology in marketing research.
Priyankaa Bhatia (’17) After graduating in May of 2017, I moved up to DC to work at the NIH in a “post-bac” position. It’s a training position the NIH has for students taking a few gap years for research experience before going on to grad school or med school. I am working in a lab at the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and am doing some research on cancer cell lines and bacterial toxins that can be used to kill them. I will be here for a second year and am about to start applications for graduate school. I hope to get a PhD in Biochemistry. I’m experiencing the East coast properly for the first time and am having to learn to live in a place with cold winters!
Daniel Chao (’17) After graduation, I took several months off road tripping and traveling to multiple national and state parks and have now visited 24 of 50 states. The most interesting thing that has happened to me over the past year is definitely hurricane Harvey. Through God’s grace my family and I were safe and mostly unaffected. However, boating through neighborhoods that were completely underwater was an interesting experience and one that I will never forget. Currently, I’m 8 months into an account management position with Reynolds and Reynolds and am loving the job. Long term, I hope to continue my education (fingers crossed at Baylor) but for the time being I will be working in sales, expanding my business network and gaining experience. Sic’Em Forever!
Jaziah Masters (’17) graduated in May 2017 with a degree in political science. That Fall, he was accepted to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Internship Program. He served as a communications intern in the Office of Congressman G.K. Butterfield. This past January, Jaziah became the Education and Mobilization Assistant position at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C. Jaziah was also recently accepted to George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. There he will pursue his masters in legislative affairs.
Emily Millican (’17) graduated from Baylor with a Bachelors in Social Work, minor in Spanish. Emily accepted the job offer for her current position as a Parent Educator with the HOPES Program (a program of the Family Abuse Center) in Waco while finishing her last semester of undergraduate work. Emily’s future plans include continuing her work with HOPES, volunteering in Central or South America with the Peace Corps and attending a Social Work graduate program with a concentration in Community Development and Community Practice.
Becca Munroe (’17) I currently teach 8th grade science in Memphis TN! I am going into my second year with Teach for America and am looking forward to continuing my work here in Memphis. Currently I am coaching girls softball and working in the community garden at my school. Next year I will be teaching and pursuing a masters in education at Johns Hopkins University!
Daniela Sandoval (’17) I graduated Baylor in May 2017 with a degree in Media Business. Immediately following graduation, I went to Maastricht, The Netherlands for a summer internship at the University of Maastricht. I had a lot of trouble finding a job when I came back from the internship, and after fruitless months of searching, I took an opportunity to start my own business. I now own a marketing company in El Paso, Texas called Laurel Leaf Marketing. I focus mainly on small and local businesses, designing their websites, managing social media, and building up their brand image. I hope to continue with the company and see it grow.When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my three dogs Luka, Sofi, and Roma.
Madison Sartin (’17) I am currently employed as a Psychology Technician for Tennessee Neurofeedback while I await attending graduate school at Belmont University for my Masters in Mental Health Counseling.
Jared DeVries (’18) I graduated from Baylor in December 2017 and started working for the City of Hewitt, Texas as a Community Development Coordinator and Zoning Secretary in January. I prepare agendas for the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment. I also work with city staff to maintain exceptional economical and residential livability. In the next few years, I will be working on my Master’s in Public Administration and will continue to serve the public through city work. During my time in the BIC, I was most inspired by the story of Gilgamesh freshman year. Gilgamesh was a city planner of sorts, who ultimately realized that the best way to build a great city was to invest in its people. “Climb Uruk’s wall and walk back and forth! Survey its foundations, examine the brickwork!” The BIC has invested so much into its students and I am proud and excited to see the work performed by its current and former students. Here is a picture of myself and members of the Hewitt Chamber of Commerce!
Candace Woolverton (’18) After graduating a semester early, December 2017, Candace is taking her time off from school to work as a Preschool Office Manager. She recently accepted an offer to start graduate school at Texas A&M University in the fall where she will be pursuing her Master’s of Science in Educational Administration through the Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE) program. She will also be working as a graduate assistant in Extended Orientation in order to welcome students to the Aggie family. Candace is looking forward to proudly flinging her green, gold, and maroon afar after graduating from A&M when she will start her career in Student Affairs!
