Profiles - About Alumni for July 2008

Featured Alum: Chayo Moreno, Class of '81; Liberal Arts

Graduated B.A. Graphic Design, San Diego State Univ.; Master's of Organizational Management, Univ. of Phoenix.

"I have worked in Corporate America for the last 20 years in management, now I work for Farmers Insurance/Financial Solutions; I am also an adjunct faculty at Alliant International Univ. in San Diego, also for Southwestern College in Chula Vista. I teach business and leadership courses. I also work as a management consultant with individuals wanting to develop their management skills.

My two years at Yavapai are still some of my best. I played college basketball and volleyball there. I developed great friendships and still have contact with those friends. I was in Student Government in 1980-81 and I had so much fun developing the events, such as the dances at the student center. I remember driving over to Embry Riddle to post flyers so that we could get those guys to come over to the dance. I had a great time at Yavapai. Coach Dave Murphy expected us to be the best not only as volleyball and basketball players, but also as individuals.

I left Yavapai College in May 1981, and that summer I toured Australia for a 2-week basketball tour representing USA, along with other Yavapai team members and California players. It was a great experience for a 19-year old.

Then I went to play for Pacific Christian, with a handful of ex-Yavapai players. That team didn't last long for me, before I headed out to San Diego to play for Kathy Marpe at the University of San Diego. I played there one year, finished my Bachelor's degree at San Diego State University, and at the same time, assisted basketball coaching at USD, then another year, at University of California at San Diego (UCSD).

I went to work for the San Diego Union-Tribune, worked up to management in a few years, which would be my start in management. For the next 18 to 20 years I worked in different organizations in sales and management.

I am now a Farmers Insurance Agent in San Diego, and also work as an Adjunct Professor for a couple of colleges/universities in San Diego County, Southwestern College in Chula Vista and Alliant International University in San Diego. I work part-time with Kaplan, I teach the math section of the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) to help students pass the exam prior to graduation. I am also looking forward to teaching at another management school in the area. I also use my spare time in volunteering at various organizations, such as Junior Achievement and Community Housing Works, in which I help low-income families/individuals with budgeting, credit, and loans, in hopes that they will own a home.

I still enjoy playing a few sports. I bicycle, boogie board, a little bit of surfing, and walking. I don't do as much running as I use to at Yavapai College, though. I used to run to Iron Springs road from the college and then back again. Those days are over. But it's easy to stay active here in Southern California.

I hope that my class mates in 1979 thru 1981 will send me a hello, as I miss my playing buddies on the basketball and volleyball court, also the fun dorm life we had. Best to all!"

(back to top)

Kayla Luhrs, Attended 2004-2005, Former Student Ambassador

Bob Hoskovec, Director of Recruitment and advisor for the Ambassadors, keeps in touch with many of the former student Ambassadors. The alumni office caught up with Kayla Luhrs to gather more information. She is most inspirational and is continuing her education after graduating magna cum laude this spring from the University of Wyoming.

Kayla brings us up to date with her life. She writes:

"I was a student during Fall 2004, J-Term 2005, and Spring 2005. While I was there I worked with Bob Hoskovec giving campus tours and representing YC at community events. I did not necessarily declare a major at YC; I just took general classes.

When I first got there I was studying arts because I thought I wanted to be a dance teacher. I took a careers class my first semester there and realized that was not a good career fit for me. I still wanted to study dance so I tried to maintain a dance major with my science curriculum at the University of Wyoming. My time was too constricted though so I changed that to a dance minor with my physiology/biology major. Eventually I had to drop that as well and now just dance for fun. I now have my bachelor of science in zoology/physiology without any minors, although I did graduate magna cum laude.

The vast majority of my time this year was consumed with schoolwork. I completed my 7th semester of college (5th at University of Wyoming) and will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in zoology/physiology on May 10th. I took the admissions test for medical school (MCAT) this past August and have been working on applications for medical school. I have completed applications for 13 schools and will hopefully be receiving interviews January-March of 2008.

In September of 2006, I began working in the Neuroscience Department here at UW doing research with a faculty member and Ph.D. candidates. The first project I worked on was a study on methamphetamines and I was the 3rd co-author on a research poster about this topic, which was presented at the International Neuroscience Convention this year in San Diego.

My main project, which I am still working on, is a study on Alzheimer’s disease. I gave a presentation about this at Undergraduate research Day 2007 entitled “Behavioral and Pathological Changes in a Bigenic (APPswe+PS1/DeltaE9) Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease”. I am now studying the role neuroinflammation plays in Alzheimer’s disease and I wrote my senior thesis on this topic.

This summer I had the great pleasure of traveling to South Africa to participate in a program on medicine. I spent several weeks going all over the country to visit various clinics and hospitals to learn about the country’s progress to overcome the AIDS epidemic. I also got to visit the apartheid museum, Nelson Mandela’s former home and an orphanage. I was really moved by all that I experienced and had an absolutely wonderful time.

That is mostly what I do these days! For fun I still dance, bead, go bargain-hunting, take aerobics, go to church, cook, go out on an occasional date, and sleep.”

(back to top)

Roberta Gentilim-Purcell, 2005 Graduate, Paralegal Studies

Faculty often keeps in touch with our alumni, and we reconnected recently with Roberta Gentili-Purcell through Susan Howery, Campus Dean for Prescott valley. Roberta is an Italian lawyer, who in January 2005, began to take Susan’s class, “Introduction to Paralegal Studies” at the Prescott Campus.

At the time Roberta didn't even know what a paralegal was, yet she feels very lucky and grateful to Susan because Yavapai College opened up a whole new world for her!

She continued her classes with Yavapai College, and in May 2007 she obtained her Post-Degree in Paralegal Studies. In the meantime, and with great sacrifice, she was able to continue her practice in Italian Law as well as to raise her family. In addition to her first daughter, Sofia Maria (she was pregnant during Susan’s class, as a matter of fact), this spring she just had her son, Nicola Leopoldo.

Roberta hopes to become a Foreign Legal Consultant, which is a lawyer admitted under another jurisdiction different from Arizona who, upon demonstration that he/she in good standing with his/her own Bar, has had no disciplinary actions and had continuously practiced law, is officially recognized also by the Arizona State Bar. As you can imagine, this would be a very important step for her and we know she will succeed!

(back to top)

Donald Ausbrooks, Attended 1972-74, Fire Science

Don writes to us:

“I retired in 1986, as Fire Chief from the United States Navy at NAS Chase Field located at Beeville, Texas. After retiring I worked in Security for Diamond Shamrock at Three Rivers, Texas for four years before moving to Corpus Christi, Texas. After I moved to Corpus Christi, I went to work for the City of Corpus Christi for 4 years. After I quit work for the City I quit working except being a house-husband doing yard and house work since my wife was and is still working.

I enjoyed my work at all the places I worked, but my work in the Fire service was the best thing I could have ever did. I enjoyed it from the first day until my retirement. I never set foot in any Fire Station since my retirement. I went back to school to get my degree in real state, which I never used because at the time of Jimmie Carter was President the bottom dropped out the housing market and you couldn't give a house away. Yavapai College is a wonderful school and anyone who attends will come away with a good education and be a better person for attending.

My memories of Yavapai is mainly about the hard work that it took for me a 42 year old man competing with young people half my age, with a clear mind, straight out of school. I had the knowledge of firefighting but not on a college level. These people would finish their test in half the time it took me. They were a great bunch to go to school. Hands-on training was very easy for me since I had been doing it for 20 years. This is where I bested my fellow students. At book smarts and math, they were the best. They showed me a lot of respect for my age and experience. All GREAT students!

My fellow classmates impacted my life with their going out of their way to assist me in some of my math. As I stated before, they were great. I had one instructor that taught math that was an excellent instructor. I can't recall his name but he was with the Flagstaff Fire Department.

At the time I was attending the College, I was also the Fire Chief for the City of Page and later for the Navajo Army Depot in Flagstaff, Arizona. May all the students that attend Yavapai College have GREAT and REWARDING life, and may you have a great love of education and knowledge gained by attending college at this great school.”

(back to top)