News Article

Honors Graduate Teresa Fredericks Flourishes in Self-Created Linguistics Program, Prepares for CUNY
Honors student Teresa Fredericks, majoring in international studies, Spanish and French with a German minor, will graduate without the major she hoped for, but still happy. Fredericks, of Vancouver, Canada, has been studying language since her teens and currently speaks French, Spanish, German, and Italian fluently and is learning Russian and Arabic. She will start linguistics classes at The City University of New York in Fall 2007.

Fredericks, who has been active in the honors program, French club and Gregorian Chant Schola, did not let Gonzaga’s lack of a linguistics program stop her. “I was apprehensive about coming to such a small school because they didn’t have the major I wanted, but there have been some really great things about that,” she reflects, pointing to the availability of her professors as one example.

Fredericks has taken every opportunity she could to study language and linguistics. Her junior year was spent studying abroad at not one but two locations: Paris, France and Granada, Spain. “It was the best year of my life, by far,” she recalls. Knowing the many languages she does enhanced her experience. “I love to…talk to as many people as I can, so [language] has been a great way to meet people,” she explains.

Fredericks also studied linguistics as much as she could in the classes that were available to her: “Whenever I could, I did a paper or a project related to linguistics.” She also wrote her honors thesis on linguistics, examining several Italian dialects and arguing that dialects should be taught in language courses. The topic fascinated her, as well as the fact that the Foley Center Library was filled with useful resources: “What I really enjoyed is how much information there actually is…The library was full of stuff, so it was possible to do research on something that’s not really dealt with here.”

As Fredericks moves on, she has valuable advice for Gonzaga students wanting to create their own programs. It’s possible to do in almost all cases, she asserts. “Take the initiative,” she urges.

Senior Angela Wier Commits Two Years to Inner City School to ‘Do Her Part’
Sociology and political science major Angela Wier, of Phoenix, could be the poster child for Gonzaga’s Mission Statement, which aims to make students “thirst for justice.” Wier, who has been active in many activities the last four years, will head to Charlotte, N.C., in the fall to teach in an inner-city elementary school with Teach for America (TFA).

During her senior year, Wier worked as Gonzaga’s campus campaign manager for TFA, recruiting other students to join the program. “ I got involved because I strongly believe in TFA’s mission. I want to dedicate my life to helping others, and at this point in my life this is the best way I can do that,” she explains. TFA aims to end educational inequity, an issue about which Wier is deeply passionate. “Kids in low-income communities are already three grade levels behind their peers in higher-income communities by the time they are nine simply because of where they were born. I have committed to teach for two years…to do my part to give these kids the opportunity they deserve.”

Wier, an avid musician, has been involved in Gonzaga’s pep-band, wind ensemble, and chamber winds group. She has also mentored, volunteered for several retreats with Campus Ministry, and been active in GU’s Residence Hall Association as a resident assistant. In addition, she has served as vice-president of member affairs for Career Center Representatives, where she helped facilitate student presentations and assisted in career workshops and events.

In spite of her accomplishments, it is Wier’s humility that stands out. Rather than boast, she offers gratitude for Gonzaga. “ I am appreciative of the sense of justice I have gained through my time here and the skills of leadership and knowledge I have gained to be proactive about it.”

Irish Immigrant Overcomes Obstacles, Sets Sights on Saving World
Sinead Harris-Jones immigrated to the United States from Ireland when she was age 4. Raised by a single mother in Everett, Wash., Harris-Jones will receive a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations at commencement Sunday, along with a minor in religious studies and a concentration in Entrepreneurial Leadership from the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. Harris-Jones will graduate Summa Cum Laude with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.94 with honors in Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society and Theta Alpha Kappa, the Religious Studies Honor Society.

Harris-Jones has set her sights on nothing less than saving the world. She will be one of the first Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership scholars to join the Peace Corps and was firm in her request to be sent straight to Africa.

“I can only find my limits by stretching them,” she said. “It would be a waste for me to have these talents and not share them.” Described by her peers as a breath of fresh air, Harris-Jones will bring her skills and compassion to Africa as she focuses on her work as a community development worker concentrating on HIV/AIDS prevention. Once her Peace Corps service has been completed, Harris-Jones aims to earn a master’s degree in international relations with concentrations in human rights and development of the Third World.

“Learning how to serve other people effectively and efficiently with a heart for God is perhaps the noblest thing I can do at this point in my life,” she said.

GU Law Student Berhow Finishes School After One-Year Army Stint in Iraq
Christopher Berhow will graduate from the Gonzaga University School of Law on Saturday morning, after taking more than one year off from school to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom through the 321 st Signal Company for the Nevada Army National Guard. Following his first year in Law School, Berhow was deployed from Dec. 1, 2003 until Jan. 17, 2005 as a first lieutenant and served as operations officer and executive officer.

“I took my first-year fall finals at Fort Lewis ( Wash.) in between training exercises for the operation,” he said. “After training at Fort Lewis, our unit departed to Kuwait/Iraq and installed and operated microwave communications equipment between several sites around Basra, Iraq and Northern Kuwait. My job was to prepare the locations, plan the site security and the network, and supervise the installation and operation of the systems.”

He returned in time to join the next Law School class for his second year. Now a captain, Berhow serves as the signal officer of the 161 st Combined Arms Battalion, Washington Army National Guard. He will deploy with the unit to Egypt for a month in October 2007.

“I have accepted an offer from the Army to return to active duty as a JAG (Judge Advocate General) officer,” Berhow said. He will report to the JAG’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Va., in February 2008 to attend school.

For more information on any of these stories, please contact Peter Tormey at (509) 323-6132 or via e-mail.