Malone Alumni News

Nikki Kalenges '75 is a sales associate with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. Nikki, a specialist in residential sales, brings years of experience to the Howard Hanna team. She loves working with people and especially Malone University families and alumni. Nikki may be reached at nikkikalengis@howardhanna.com.

Allegra Waldron '02 is the owner/consultant of Maple Run Management Solutions and Practice Manager at Maple Run Veterinary Clinic LLC in Mt. Gilead. What is your advice for working in a secular world? I am blessed to work for a Christian boss, however I have co-workers that are not Christians. I strive for the same thing in my work place as I do in everyday life, to be the best witness for Christ that I can be. I was raised to preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words. What’s the greatest thing Malone prepared you for? My road to the profession I have come to love was a rocky one. When I was at Malone I thought I had the future all figured out. How wrong I was. God had a plan for me that I never expected. I am learning to trust His plan and His timing. I got such a diverse education at Malone that my degree still prepared me for almost anything. Malone also prepared me to be able to stand as a Christian in a fallen world. What’s the best advice you could give about life ...

Liz Barkan '03, pictured with her daughter, is the Band Director at Fairless Local Schools and Fine Arts Department Chair. Here is #MyAlumAdvice from Liz for the Class of 2015: What is your advice for working in a secular world? If you live according to Jesus' teaching, it is easy to be an example for Christ - even if you can't use words. I saw a quote once that said, "Your life might be the only Bible someone reads." What’s the best advice you could give about life after graduation? Continue to search for God in every experience, friendly encounter, and situation. Malone may offer you a "bubble of comfort" but it also offers a pillar of strength that cannot be taken away from you. What skill should recent grads hone? The ability to show your skills with humility, grace, and integrity. How did you find your first job? Through the education department, I was placed in a great student teaching assignment. While there, I utilized Career Development to hone ...

    Corey Easterday ’11 and Megan Tomkins on September 26, 2014. Corey is the missional outreach pastor at River Tree Lake and the director of Current of Ohio. The couple lives in Canton.

  A daughter, Brylee Lynn, to Jeremy ’07 and Kara (Keener) Rodgers ’07 on February 28, 2015. Brylee joins two big brothers, Bryson and Brexton. Jeremy and Kara teach for New Philadelphia City Schools.

Twin daughters, Mirabel and Madelyn, to Tiffani and Joe Scalzo ’01 on March 5, 2015. Joe is a sportswriter for the Youngstown Vindicator.

  A son, Logan Crannell, on February 4, 2015, to Kevin and Heather (Riggar) Naylor ’08. He joins big sister Kyla. The family lives in Simpsonville, SC.

A son, Landon, to Kurt '04 and Megan (Dodd) Letner '04, on September 30, 2014. Kurt is a supervisor with Swagelok. Landon joins big sisters Caelyn and Emily. The family lives in Wadsworth.

Heather Craig '08 teaches at Marlington Local Schools and is th e founder and executive director of Love the Children Ministries , a nonprofit organization she started in 2004 to serve families in the city of Canton. What is your advice for working in a secular world? I remember being concerned about not being able to share Jesus with my students. Shortly after I had a classroom of my own I learned that every choice I make and every reaction I have shares Jesus with my students. When I build relationships with my students and fight for their hearts, Jesus is given the space to move freely in my room. Don’t be afraid to show your faith - it is a huge part of who you are and how you live! What’s the greatest thing Malone prepared you for? My time at Malone was incredible! I was prepared to write and execute lessons as well as step into a classroom of students. I knew what to expect for the most part and how to be flexible and handle unexpected things as well. Malone also helped me la...

Michael Oster '99 argued cases before the Ohio Supreme Court as an attorney. Now he is a judge for the Court of Common Pleas in Butler County, Ohio. Here is his #MyAlumAdvice for the Class of 2015: During my time at Malone I learned a great many lessons, but the number one thing was always to glorify God in all things you do. I try to always remember that as I serve as a Judge and be guided by the words in Micah 6:8 "And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

Andrew Berg earned two degrees at Malone - a bachelor degree in youth ministry and a master degree in theological studies. He is the Worship Leader for Rivertree Christian Church in Massillon and oversees all worship and tech leaders for the Rivertree campuses. What's the greatest thing Malone prepared you for? Malone gave me a solid Biblical worldview and taught me to walk closely with God - while these are the bottom of the iceberg that no one may see outwardly, they are the 90% that will determine what the tip of the iceberg (top 10%) looks like that the world will see. What’s the best advice you could give about life after graduation? Realize that you don’t know everything, and that it may not all be easy to start out. Be patient, seek Jesus, and give Him time to develop you and direct your path. How did you find your first job? I prayed for God to open and close doors. Any “open” door I applied for and pursued - in the end, He closed all but one door, and I had peace about it…...

Dayna Yurkovich '07 is the Event Manager at Shannon English Marketing and a member of the Malone Young Alumni Community Board of Directors. What is your advice for working in a secular world? Regardless of where you work, just do your best in every project. Employers will see your dedication in the small things and give you more responsibility down the road. Just live by basic biblical principles. What’s the greatest thing Malone prepared you for? I had amazing guidance from staff and professors about the importance of networking and building relationships. This trained me early on about professionalism and has played a huge role in where I am today. What’s the best advice you could give about life after graduation? Don't be so concerned about finding THE job, just find A job. Once you gain the experience, it will qualify you to find THE job later in your career. You learn more about yourself and what kind of job you really want in each experience you have. What skill should r...

Deron Boring '01, J.D., is attorney at law for Deron M. Boring Law Office. He is a member of the Malone Alumni Executive Board and an adjunct professor in the School of Business. What is your advice for working in a secular world? " For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. " 2 Corinthians 10:3 Be confident and unwavering in your faith and your convictions.  Don’t be afraid to live your life out loud as a Christian but your actions, words, your work ethic, and how you live your life should do the majority of the talking for you. While I freely talk about my faith, there are times where it may not be appropriate. How I work, how I act, how I speak, and the love and compassion that I can show towards others is never inappropriate. It’s a tough world out there, standing up for what God commanded us to do can be costly.  Be firm in your faith! What’s the greatest thing Malone prepared you for? How to work hard and put my best foot forward in all I...

Alisa (Barkan) Grass '06 was promoted to Supervisor of an Intake/Assessment Unit in the Children Services Division of the Stark County Jobs and Family Services agency. Alisa has over seven years experience in child welfare and has worked in Intake/Assessment, including experience in the sexual abuse unit, and as a Wendy's Wonderful Kids Recruiter in the Adoption & Family Resources Program Area.  Alisa graduated with a masters degree in social work from the University of Akron in 2015.  

Saint Wesonga '08 Software Engineer, Microsoft Seattle, Washington In the last year of my graduate program in computer science, one of my colleagues was  intrigued by the possibility of working for Amazon. It was his dream job and he worked extremely hard to prepare for interviews with them. Driven by my own uncertainty about my career path and  my friend's unceasing exultation over the prospect of a job at Amazon, I decided to investigate software engineering jobs at Amazon. I submitted my resume and was pleasantly surprised when they reached out to me for an interview at their Seattle office. Although I hadn't interviewed much at that point, my confidence in my abilities was still high since I had performed well in school. It was a rude awakening to find that I could barely even stumble through the whole of the first technical question that came my way. Needless to say, I was (unsurprisingly) not offered a position at Amazon. However, I learned important lessons through ...

Ty Billie '14 graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in finance. He is a graduate student at Malone studying to earn an MBA. Due to a red-shirt freshman year and an injury shortened junior year, Ty has 2 seasons of (football) eligibility left and looks forward to participating in the sport he's grown to love. Ty also works as an intern at Northwestern Mutual and hopes to continue his career as a certified financial planner. "Malone is a special place where like-minded people can share their faith and learn from professors who care. Should you have interest, concern, or questions about your financial situation please don't hesitate to call - I am here to help."