by Brianne Welch | Dec 5, 2012 | Sports
Chelsea McMeans, in May, will have completed one of the most difficult majors at Lipscomb, and she will have done it while playing Division I basketball. McMeans, a biology major, grew up in La Vernia, Texas, which is just outside of San Antonio. She started out aiming for medical school, but for various reasons, her plans have changed. “I definitely want to get my master’s,” McMeans said. “I am applying to grad school for genetics right now.” Helping others is something that McMeans enjoys and would love to carry with her into her career and life after college. “If I could do anything, I want to be a professor,” McMeans said. Not only does the senior basketball player have dreams of becoming a college professor. McMeans also would love to be a basketball coach. “If I could coach, I would like to coach,” she said. “Not anything big but even like an AAU team would be pretty cool.” McMeans is currently in her fourth year of playing on the Lady Bison basketball team. She played both her freshman and sophomore years but was injured during her junior year and took advantage of a medical redshirt. This season is going to be McMeans’ last season to play wearing a Bison uniform. “I redshirted last year, but I won’t be staying for a fifth season,” McMeans said. McMeans said playing basketball at Lipscomb has helped her learn some very valuable life lessons. “I learned so many important things here,” she said. Though McMeans only took a medical redshirt her junior year, she struggled with injuries throughout her career, but she said...
by Brianne Welch | Nov 29, 2012 | Sports
When Kameron Stilwell came to Lipscomb to play soccer, she wasn’t alone. Her friend Taylor Ann Summers, a teammate from her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., was also recruited by Lipscomb and moved to Nashville. And since arriving on campus four years ago, Stilwell’s circle of friends has continued to grow. “My best memory is just my freshman year,” Stilwell said. “Coming here and meeting new people and all the new things in my life were amazing.” Like others who have come to Lipscomb, Stilwell’s faith has grown too. “My relationship with God has grown significantly,” she said, adding a message of wisdom for underclassmen. “Don’t stress because God is going take care of you no matter what.” Stilwell said the people around her have inspired this growth. She credits much of her maturity to the new soccer coaching staff, consisting of Head Coach Kevin O’Brien, Shannon O’Brien, Kelsey Fenix and Chris Klotz. “The staff has influenced me so much because of where they are in their faith. It is like something I have never seen,” Stilwell said. While sports and faith have been major players during Stilwell’s time at Lipscomb, school has also been at the top of her priorities. Stilwell is looking to graduate in May with a degree in marketing. She already has one internship under her belt and is hoping for a second in the spring. “Hopefully my internship will be in something I like,” Stilwell said. “Maybe I can work there after I graduate, or at least, I can make connections.” Stillwell said she plans to stay in Nashville as long as she can after...
by Brianne Welch | Nov 15, 2012 | Sports
Vanessa Medina, a senior softball player from Bakersfield, Calif., came to Lipscomb University to experience a different world. “I wanted to challenge myself,” she said. For four years, softball was Medina’s life. According to Medina, the sport provided her with some of her favorite memories. “One of my best memories was winning conference my sophomore year,” Medina said. “We danced to ‘Baby’ on the field.” Medina was injured her sophomore and senior years, which limited her playing time. She was offered a medical redshirt but decided not to use it. Instead, Medina said she is enjoying being a regular student during her last semester of college. “I do love being a normal student,” Medina said. “I also like being busy though, so I don’t think I could handle all this free time for more than one semester.” While softball was Medina’s job and took up the majority of her time, it was just a means to a desired end. Medina is majoring in public relations and wants to use her degree to remain involved in sports. “Maybe I’ll be a sports broadcaster or the person setting up the press conferences,” Medina said. “I want to do something in sports.” Medina’s dream is for that “something” to be a job in Major League Baseball. Though her favorite team is the New York Yankees, Medina has interviewed for a position with the Minnesota Twins, among other types of jobs. “I’ve had a couple of interviews, but nothing is set in stone.” Medina said sports helped her learn valuable life skills. “I learned a lot of time management because of softball,” she...
by Brianne Welch | Oct 31, 2012 | Uncategorized
Safe Haven Family Shelter is a family homelessness organization that not only provides care for the homeless but also offers programs to get families out of poverty. Community Relations Manager Stephanie Tinnell, who is also a Lipscomb grad, said the shelter was originally able to house five families at a time, but the shelter is looking to double the occupancy in the next year. “This summer we will expand to ten families,” Tinnell said. The shelter is currently in the process of renovating the facility, so they are in a temporary location, but the renovations should bring an abundant amount of help to the shelter, she explained. “We are going to double in capacity, so we can expand our programs.” One of the main programs Safe Haven is excited about expanding is its therapy wing. Safe Haven offers different kinds of therapy programs for adults as well as children. “One of the biggest components of family homelessness is emotional and physical abuse, and we want to help the families get through that and on their own again,” Tinnell said. The plans for expansion include group therapy and a play therapy area that will be used alongside the therapy programs that are already in place. Safe Haven’s programs are designed to aid and benefit the families who come to them for help, but Tinnell says the families are not the only ones who benefit. Tinnell said her job is mainly to get word out to the public about Safe Haven and different events the shelter hosts, but she is also a volunteer who loves working with the children. “Making sure...
by Brianne Welch | Oct 29, 2012 | Uncategorized
The Contributor, the homeless newspaper here in Nashville, needs more help than simply buying the paper. It is a genuine non-profit organization in need of donations. Founder and Executive Director for The Contributor Tasha Lemley started out as a photojournalist when she moved to Nashville, and she quickly saw the homeless community as a place she could serve. “I started making friends on the street and falling in love with these people,” she said. “I thought, what can I do to fully be a part of this community?” Lemley said she knew of street newspapers in other cities and thought that using her journalism skills would be a great way to bring people together. “I never thought it would get people off the streets,” she said The Contributor started out having two goals, according to Lemley: “create a quality publication that tells about issues related to homelessness and poverty,” and secondly, “create a source of income for the homeless community.” Lemley said those were the main goals The Contributor was founded on, but a third purpose of the paper showed itself as the most meaningful and inspirational goal of all. “The most inspiring part is the stories that come out about getting people to dialogue with one another,” Lemley said. “We get to see lives changed on both sides of the economic divide.” Lemley mentioned a story about a dentist talking to a newspaper vendor and finding out that he can help the vendor by giving him free dental work. But not all the stories have monetary value, she said. “My favorite story involves an older woman who has...
