What has your life been like since leaving Southeastern? What do you do for a living? And have you married and/or had children?
After working for several newspapers, I got out of the business in 1997 and made a career change to information technology where I’ve been a senior database administrator for the FMOL Health System (Our Lady of the Lake) for the last 21 years. My wife, Brandy, and I have been married 20 years with three kids, 18-year-old twins (Nick and Sophie) and a 15-year-old (Samantha). Brandy also works for FMOLHS as an applications programmer, and we both work remote from our home in Covington.
What do you remember most about your time at Southeastern and working with student publications?
My best memories of Southeastern are all associated with SLU student publications. The friendships made, the laughter, the pressure, Mr. Vic, Mrs. Beverly and all the late nights spent inside Strawberry Stadium made for a great experience. I don’t know how the school allowed it, but our trips to journalism conferences were the best times. I’m still proud to have been a writer and an editor for The Lion’s Roar.
Give me your back story. How did you wind up at Southeastern and interested in working with student publications?
I attended a basketball camp at Southeastern my senior year of high school and was asked if I wanted to attempt to walk on. While basketball didn’t work out, I stayed at school as an accounting major. Accounting was also not for me. Thinking about what I may want to major in, I had done well in an English comp class so I thought I may enjoy sports writing. I didn’t. I didn’t like keeping stats. Finally I found news writing and newspaper layout, which I continued to do once out of school and working for papers.
What would you say is the biggest thing you learned while at Southeastern?
Perseverance was one of the main things I learned at Southeastern. Not giving up when faced with challenges or bad days is an important trait that has benefitted me in my career, no matter the field.
