Reflections Magazine Issue #63 - Fall 2005 | Page 16

From
The Alumni
Association

Alumni Focus: Carrie Chrisman-McClure
CHILD DEVELOPMENT GRADUATE 2005
Griffin (Coordinator of SHU’s Child Development
Program) is one example of an amazing professor who will do anything to help her students
become high-quality educators; she mentored
me toward my goal.”

Dear Fellow Alumni Association Members,
As I conclude my term as your President, I’d like to
take this time to express my gratitude for the opportunity to serve and for the experience this service has
provided me. My service to Siena began soon after I
arrived as a freshman in 1995, as a member of Residence Hall Council. The service opportunities Siena
has provided, over the years, have deeply enriched my
personal and professional life.
While your financial support is critical to advancing
the mission and future of our Alma Mater, I strongly
encourage you to consider the various ways in which
you can make a difference. Perhaps your calling may
be to join the Alumni Board, or to speak to a group
of students about your career experiences. You may
even wish to host an alumni event in your area.
There are several ways in which you can make a difference! Your Alumni Board and Alumni Director are
committed to assisting you in realizing your calling.
I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with individuals
at all levels during my service to Siena. I’ve been
deeply inspired. Commencement day reminds us all
of why our service is so vital to our Alma Mater.
You CAN make a positive difference in the future of
our university!

Keith Rusie
Outgoing President, SHU Alumni Board

The Changing of The Guard
Outgoing Alumni Association President Keith Rusie
and incoming President Joe Balusik pose on campus
during commencement ’05.

Carrie attended a few other colleges and universities but says she never felt as comfortable as
she did at SHU.
“I feel like I belong at Siena. I love the warm feeling I get when I walk on campus. People here
know and support one another – I never feel like
I am a number. I always feel right at home here,”
she explained.

A

fter spending a decade at SHU,
Carrie Chrisman-McClure is one
of Siena Heights’ newest alumnae.
Carrie’s adventure at Siena started in 1995 when
she began work on a degree in elementary education. Over time, Carrie realized that her true
calling was to work with preschool children, so
she changed her focus and began pursuing a
degree in child development.
As a working adult, Carrie had to balance career
and school. So, she decided to take one or two
classes each semester – she stuck to that commitment and received her degree at commencement exercises this May.
“There were times I really didn’t think I’d make it,
but the SHU faculty are so supportive. I’m happy
to serve as proof that you really can balance it all
– work, school, and family commitments!”
Chrisman-McClure says that without the support of her husband, employer and the faculty
and staff at Siena she probably would not have
persevered.
She said, “If I ever had any problems, questions or concerns I knew that faculty members
would be there to help me. I was able to develop
wonderful relationships with my professors. Mary

14

Reflections Fall ‘05 - Alumni News

Carrie grew up in a Catholic family and says
that SHU’s Catholic identity helped her to feel
at home. She explained that the mission and
tradition of the university reinforced beliefs and
principles that were important to her. As a Siena
Heights student, Carrie says she felt pushed to
become a more compassionate, committed and
well rounded person.
“It is such an amazing experience to be with
people who are so committed to bettering themselves and their community,” Carrie expounded,
“I always felt called to think broadly and at a high
level in my courses.”
Carries advice to others: If you have the will you
can make your dreams come true – if you want
it, you can get it!
If Carrie follows her own advice it seems certain
that she will accomplish her latest goals, to
pursue an advanced degree in Child Development with hopes of teaching children and doing
research in the field.
More information on SHU’s Child Development program is available by calling Mary
Griffin at [phone].