A blast of color

Space. Color. Shape. Texture. They all have a place in alumna Jennifer Sánchez’s art, but it is her use of color that draws you in.

Sánchez describes her art as “exploding optimism.” A colorful mix of shapes and textures, the effect is quite upbeat, but Sánchez, ’97, says that is rarely her intent.

Worth a thousand words

Journalism student chronicles hidden cemetery in photo essay

In a secluded graveyard, simple labels like “mother” and “grandmother” peek out from slabs of cement, colored brightly with shades of pink and blue. Love is apparent there, as is the lack of money loved ones have to spend on deceased relatives.

But right next to the makeshift plots, separated only by a transparent fence, sits the pristine and modern Evergreen Cemetery. Visitors would have to move branches and step through weeds and overgrowth to get back to this “other” area, where the dates on the markers are as recent as 1990.

Audio Slideshow: Photo Essay by Haley Walker

Of oats and dinosaurs

Hirko wins $15,000 with ‘pterodactyl’ dance on ‘Regis and Kelly’

Armed only with a “pterodactyl” dance and a stuffed dinosaur strapped to his head, alumnus Andy Hirko, ’02, competed on national television for $50,000.

“My wife (Kristy, ’02) and I were praying for creative ways to pay off debt,” said Hirko, who was one of five finalists in a dance contest on “Live with Regis and Kelly.”

Video: Andy Hirko on ‘Regis and Kelly’

Reinventing baseball

Alumnus Brian Killingsworth helps launch a major league brand

Not many people would call up Kevin Costner and ask him to help kick off a major rebranding effort. But as alumnus Brian Killingsworth, ‘00, saw it, the star of epic films like “Field of Dreams” and “Bull Durham” was a perfect fit for a major league baseball team looking to reinvent itself.

Getting to the heart of Communism

Student Jessica Griner travels to China, fulfills a lifelong dream

Most college students would scoff at the idea of spending their summer vacation sleeping on plywood and concrete beds or using a community shower and toilet. But for senior Jessica Griner, achieving a lifelong goal was worth a little discomfort.

The English major spent years dreaming about traveling to China after seeing a television special on Chinese adoptions when she was in elementary school. By middle school, she was telling anyone who would listen that she hoped to live in China one day.

Not your typical teacher’s salary

Alumnus Tim Krajewski wins $180,000 on one of America’s most popular game shows

It’s one of the top-rated game shows on television, known for it’s nail-biting decisions, beautiful models and famously bald host. And it has everyone asking, “Deal or No Deal?”
For Flagler alumnus Tim Krajewski, ‘03, the decision to go on NBC’s hit game show, [...]

At his peak

Alumnus Brad Hooker takes on Mount McKinley and many of the world’s tallest mountains

It took two weeks of frostbite, whiteouts and near-death experiences, but Brad Hooker made it to the top of Mount McKinley on one of the most dangerous days of the year.

Hooker, a 2002 Flagler graduate living in Seoul, South Korea, only began rock climbing a little more than a year ago. But he quickly found a passion for nature and exploration that’s taken him to the top of some of the world’s tallest peaks, including Alaska’s Mount McKinley, 14,400-foot Mount Rainier in Washington, 19,300-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and a 13,000-foot volcano in Indonesia.

“It’s definitely been a big uphill climb the whole way,” Hooker said, pun intended.

Giving the shirt on your back

Everyone has a story.
Mike Fretto’s story begins with a trip to New Orleans in 2005.
He went to tour areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and came away with an idea that spawned a unique non-profit that uses T-shirts to change lives. Now his story includes a recent trip to the Oscars to promote the idea (see [...]