Today, FALL/WINTER 2006 1 - University of the Ozarks

Quincy to the family on June 9, 2006.Chivon Cogan ’03 married Mark Waldoon Oct. 21, 2006, at Mount Magazine StatePark. The couple live in Clarksville.Amanda James ’03 married ScottWhitwam on June 10, 2006, in Hartman, Ark.Joanne Brown ’04 married Jim Vandiveron Sept. 3, 2006. The couple live in Detroit,Mich., where she works as a generalaccountant for Bridgewater Interiors.Marcie Norried ’04 is living in ValleyGlen, Calif., where she is a graphic designerfor a real estate company.Kristen Riggs ’04 and husband Derekof Van Buren, Ark., welcomed baby girl AllieElizabeth to the family on March 7, 2006.Melanie Barrier ’05 is living inOrlando, Fla., where she was recentlypromoted to the Southwest U.S. ProductManager for Tourico Holidays, Inc.Eden Porter ’05 married Steven Whiteon July 8, 2006. They live in Maumelle, Ark.Guisela Alfaro ’06 is a secondarymarketing officer for Pulaski Mortgage Co.,in Little Rock. She is also a yoga instructorand has plans to pursue a master’s degree.David Hamilton ’06 is playingprofessional basketball for the MississippiMiracles, an American BasketballAssociation (ABA) team located inCleveland, Miss.Brandon Schluterman ’06 and BrittneyStickley were married on June 17, 2006, inSubiaco, Ark. The couple is living in Lamar,Ark., where Brandon coaches girls’basketball and cross country.Dayna (Trembley) Hilton ’86, ofClarksville, a local volunteer firefighterand public safety educator, appeared onthe Sunday morning broadcast of Fox &Friends in New York City on Sept. 24 withher two Dalmations to promote fire safety.Ozarks’ alumni, students helping Hispanic communityMore Hispanics in Johnson Countyare taking advantage of banking servicesthanks to a project undertaken by severalcurrent and former Ozarks students.Working with First Security Bank inClarksville, which has at least threeOzarks graduates on its staff, the studentshelped produce a brochure, printed inSpanish, that explains available bankingservices and has lead to more than 100new accounts, said Cole Martin, thebank’s chief executive officer.Another brochure gives step-by-stepinstructions on how to write a check, saidAna Moncada, the bank’s culturalmarketing and community developmentrepresentative and a 2005 Ozarksgraduate. “(For) many (Hispanics) it’s thefirst time they’ve seen a check,” she said.Moncada and Martin said thebrochures have lead to an influx ofHispanic customers, who are interestedin everything from car and home loansto safe deposit boxes.“They can own a car, they can ownreal estate, they can own a lot of things,”Martin said.The project began in the fall of 2005after Martin spoke with Dr. RickeyCasey, director of international studies atOzarks, who suggested utilizing Ozarks’chapter of Students in Free Enterprise(SIFE) to help reach local Hispanics.Ana Moncada ’05Casey suggested a focus group, andseveral Ozarks students hailing fromMexico and Central America reservedHoly Redeemer Catholic Church inClarksville for a presentation andquestion-and-answer session.“The (students) didn’t mess around,”Martin said. “They met with us on aMonday and were meeting with (localHispanics) the following Sunday!”Moncada and Casey worked with thestudents to develop the presentation. Thegoals of the project, both said, were tohelp Hispanics overcome their reluctanceto use a bank, which in some cases isrelated to fear of government institutionsin their home countries, and provideHispanics with information about bankingservices.“Having (Hispanic) students theregave them people whom they trust,”Casey said.After the church meeting, whichwas attended by about 35 localHispanics, Moncada drew up thebrochure, which lists documentsHispanics need to open an account andcontact information for the bank’sSpanish-speaking employees.“Unlike many well intentionedbrochures which are simply translationsof existing English-language brochures,Ana’s brochure for First Security waswritten for the Spanish-speakingaudience in terms with which they arefamiliar,” Lyn Haralson, a communityaffairs officer in the Little Rock branchof the Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis, wrote in an e-mail message. “Thisstrategy is key to a successful Hispanicbanking program and the reason we haveasked Ana to speak to financialinstitutions across our district.”A native of Honduras who came toOzarks after meeting Casey during a visitto her high school, Moncada earned abachelor’s degree from Ozarks inmarketing.Today, FALL/WINTER 2006 19