Pierce College's The Pioneer - Vol. 51, Issue 1

10 / CAMPUS
Sept. 27, 2017 / Vol. 51, Issue 1
piercepioneernews.com FEATURES / 11
CENTER FOR GLOBAL SCHOLARS
OPENS NEW RESIDENCE HALL
FOR FALL QUARTER
Off-campus living quarters is accepting applications from students
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
MEET SOANNA REED
Mother of six perseveres through the power of multi-tasking
Chalk Corner wall in the residence hall.
By ANDREW PAULSON
Contributing Writer
THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL
SCHOLARS HAS a new residence hall
that is accepting students for this fall
quarter and in the future. The residence
hall at 8407 Steilacoom Boulevard
provides off-campus living for students
that attend Pierce College.
The Pierce College Foundation
purchased the hall, located about one
mile from the campus, with its red
A bed in a two-bedroom suite.
brick building and triangular roof. The
residence is fenced for privacy with
limited, secured access.
“There are new challenges with different
teams and divisions to coordinate with,”
said Tyson Mauermann, interim resident
manager and adjunct professor at Pierce
College. He coordinates with Myung Park,
director of the International Education
office.
“Justine Gold and Leethia Mitchell are
the resident assistants. They are a vital, key
part of keeping the hall functioning. They
The shared TV room area.
are the gurus for understanding how the
hall works,” Mauermann said. The resident
assistants are students at Pierce.
The residence hall has rooms still
available, Mauermann said, and includes
amenities and monthly activities for those
who live there. There is a TV room, free
Wi-Fi, a self-service kitchen and a laundry
facility.
The residence hall has open courtyards
that provide areas for students to sit, relax
and hangout. More details of amenities
can be found in the 2016-2017 Residence
Hall Handbook.
Steilacoom Boulevard has bus routes to
many local destinations, including Pierce
College and Lakewood Towne Center.
Additionally, shopping centers are within
walking distance and Fort Steilacoom Park
is close by. The hall is three miles from
Steilacoom and just beyond that is Puget
Sound.
The residence hall provides students
with a safe place to live and the chance
to create long-lasting friendships,
Mauermann said. He said it is a resource
for students to be a success in and out
of the classroom and the staff is there to
provide support for the student.
The application process, criteria and
guidelines for students can be found at
pierce.ctc.edu/ie-cgs.
Entrance and hallway to the kitchen.
Photos by Andrew Paulson/Contributing Writer
Soanna Reed is a personal trainer with a
desire to develop a gym focused on people
with special needs.
By KATIE BURROWS
Reprinted from The Pen
BETWEEN TAKING CARE OF
HER six children and earning a degree
in Kinesiology from Pierce College,
Soanna Reed has mastered the art of time
management. Her oldest daughter also
graduated from Pierce and attended at
the same time as her mom, and it wasn’t
uncommon for the two to take turns
caring for the youngest son on campus in
between classes.
Reed is especially proud her children
can see her juggling responsibilities
and working hard each day to reach her
The Pen/Contributing Photo
educational goals.
“I have a full schedule, but it keeps me
moving,” she said. “Everything I do is for
my children, and I want them to see me
achieve my goals. I push myself because I
want my kids to be the best that they can
be, too.”
In addition to earning her associate in
Kinesiology, she also earned a certificate
in coaching, and continues to attend
nutrition courses to learn more about
her field of interest. Even though she
graduated last spring, Reed maintains her
“I WOULD LOVE TO
DEVELOP A GYM
FOCUSED ON PEOPLE
WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS AND OLDER
FOLKS.”
— SOANNA REED
connections to Pierce, teaching fitness
classes and working with coaching staff.
In the future, she hopes to work with
special populations including seniors and
people with special needs, developing
programs to help them live healthy
lifestyles. Serving people with special
needs is personal to Reed, whose 17-yearold
son was born with Down syndrome.
She works with him on a regular basis,
helping him learn ways to perform various
tasks on his own.
“The further I went into the Kinesiology
program, the more I wanted to focus on
special populations because of my son,”
Reed said. “I would love to develop a gym
focused on people with special needs and
older folks.”
Reed is well on her way to achieving her
goals, and she credits much of her success
in the program to the faculty and advisors
at Pierce.
“I loved that one of my professors
was also my advisor,” she said. Advisor
and program coordinator Lisa Murray
has so much experience in the field and
has amazing stories to help students
understand the material. I enjoyed my
time in the program so much.”