Meet Our Alumni

Alumna pays it forward with teaching career

In eighth grade, a teacher cautioned “think smaller” when Stephanie Messel shared what she hoped would be her life’s work.  She credits a few Macomb faculty, as well as author Stephenie Meyer, for convincing her that there was no limit to what she should dream or could do.

“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was in second grade,” says Messel, who earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Wayne State University last year and teaches middle school at My Virtual Academy (MVA). “My learning disabilities left me behind in many areas, but they also helped me succeed in others. Today, I am able to connect to my students on their learning levels because I have been there.”

Students attending MVA often experience difficulty learning in a traditional classroom, as Messel once did.  Assigned early on to special education classes, she worked through her memory and comprehension issues and “grew out of them” by high school.  Still, one learning obstacle still lingered. Enrolling at Macomb, she met with Counselor Patricia Dolengowski and disclosed a debilitating test anxiety. Dolengowski arranged for Messel to take all of her tests at the Learning Center, and soon the education major was outperforming her own, and one former teacher’s, expectations.

“By the time I transferred to Wayne State (at Macomb’s University Center), I no longer needed test-taking accommodations,” says Messel. “Macomb helped me make that transition. I love that school.”

The daughter of two teachers and sister of a John Hopkins professor, Messel also loves teaching.  This year, she is teaching seventh graders math, science, language arts, social studies and history, as well as two electives: journalism and health, which she creatively customized based on the MVA syllabus.

“One of my students asked me if I like my job, because I always sound so happy,” relates Messel, who conducts her classes via computer, Skype and weekly telephone calls to all of her students. “And I do, but I one hundred percent want to experience teaching in a classroom.”

And she is also one hundred percent certain that working at DisneyWorld helped her develop the confidence she needed to teach others.

“What a great experience. That was my living away from home,” says Messel, who spent over a year in the Magic Kingdom, on three different assignments through Macomb’s Career Services.  “It opened me up to different cultures.  I even learned a little bit of Portuguese from one of my roommates.”

Messel also took American Sign Language at Macomb and as many social science and history courses as she could, after discovering in a class on Egypt and from the Twilight books, that she has a passion for  both learning facts and reading fiction. “As long,” she says of the later, “that it has a happy ending.”

And, like her student’s learning issues, happy endings are another thing she knows a little bit about.

“I’m living my dream,” says Messel, who will soon be pursuing a master’s degree in education.  “Macomb helped me prove some people wrong.  You can’t let anyone bring you down. Whatever you want to do, you just have to try.”

Macomb provided soft landing for Disney on Ice star

It couldn’t teach him how to control a jump with his toe pick, but Macomb did make it possible for Daniel Palmeri to triple axel his way around full time-work, school and Olympic-level training as he entered figure skating competitions following six tours with Disney on Ice.

“It worked into my already crazy schedule,” said Palmeri, who continues to train every day but Tuesday and works full time as the skating director at Onyx Ice Arena in Rochester Hills, averaging 10 to 15 hours a day on the ice. “Everyone at Macomb has been so supportive.”

This spring, Palmeri was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in Colorado and earned his second gold medal in the Adult Figure Skating Championship – master’s junior/senior men’s division. Prior to the two golds, the 2015 Macomb graduate won a bronze and silver, respectively, in the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships.

“It all started when I was six and my parents took us to see Disney on Ice,” relates Palmeri. “I was a big Disney kid growing up and that was our first Disney experience. I didn’t know much about figure skating, I just wanted to be in Disney on Ice.”

And, indeed, he has, performing roles as Pinocchio, Buzz Lightyear, Prince Frog and Jack Skeleton on tours that have taken him to Europe, Asia, and Australia, and across the U.S. Following two months of training and preparation, each tour averaged 12 shows a week and nearly the same number of rehearsals, “to keep the numbers clean.”

“When I got time to do anything touristy, I did,” said Palmeri, who rates Mount Fuji and Seattle among his favorite places. “I’ve gotten to see so many things and do something I love at the same time.”

Palmeri is now attending Wayne State University, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public relations, minor in broadcast, preparing for his second career.

But, the 27-year-old said, “I’ll skate until my body doesn’t let me any more.”

Discovering design made all the difference

If not for an immediate dislike of technical drawing and an ongoing relationship with Macomb, Cheryl Sacrates may never have discovered that happiness, as Charles Schultz once assured us, is a warm puppy, or two or three or more.

“I started (at Macomb) in 1991 when I was still in high school,” relates Sacrates, who was offered a partial scholarship as one of the top 50 seniors in her Roseville High School class. “I was going to be an architect but I found that instead of doing the mathematical calculations, I just wanted to make things look pretty.”

That was the first clue that she would be better suited for a career in graphic design, but, at the time, she didn’t know a thing about it. After earning an associate degree in general studies and stepping hesitantly into an unsatisfying career in accounts payable, Sacrates returned to Macomb and its Career Services Department for help researching and assessing her career options. She then entered the Media and Communication Arts (MACA) program and earned subsequent degrees in Web Design and Digital Design and Layout.

“It’s an amazing program with wonderful instructors,” relates Sacrates, communications coordinator for Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills. “Just last month, I called Frank Lombardo (her former photography instructor) and asked him to recommend a camera for our department to buy.”

Sacrates joined Leader Dogs in 2011 on a part time basis. Three months before she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Oakland University in 2013, she was offered full time and accepted it enthusiastically.

“I love my job, it’s always changing,” says Sacrates. “I might work on a newsletter this week and an advertisement next week. I get to go on photo shoots to help set up dogs/puppies for shots I take myself.”

Sacrates also appreciates the casual dress code at Leader Dogs and the shared commitment to the organization’s mission, both of which she attributes for the “high morale” that characterizes her work environment. And she never minds taking her work home with her.

“I have raised three Future Leader Dogs and will pick up my fourth on June 10, a male golden retriever,” relates Sacrates. “I get them at seven weeks old and return them for formal training when they are 12-15 months old. Yes, it’s hard to turn them in.”

There was one, however, that Sacrates didn’t have to say goodbye to after all. Aizyn, a two-year-old golden retriever, was “career changed” after a few months of training. She is now a certified therapy dog, as well as a permanent member of Sacrates’ family, and she and her mistress visit Beaumont Hospital every other week to the delight of patients and staff. Aizyn also gets to accompany Sacrates to work, as does any Future Leader Dog in the latter’s care.

“How many people,” asks Sacrates, “get to bring their dogs to work?”

A fringe benefit, acknowledges the lifelong animal lover, not extended to most architects or accountants.

“I could never have gotten the job I have now without the MACA program. It taught me everything I needed to know as far as design goes,” says Sacrates. “Now, I get to enjoy my job every day instead of dreading going to work. I am extremely lucky to have found a career that makes me happy!”

Macomb alumnus starring in “Hockey, The Musical!”

In his second-grade Christmas pageant, Greg Trzaskoma was the only kid who didn’t need a microphone. That booming voice and personality would do him well after coming to the conclusion, while selling television sets at Montgomery Ward, that he wanted to be an actor.

“So I went back to Macomb,” says Trzaskoma, who had briefly attended here after high school with less than stellar results, “But something changed in me and I loved it.”

Perhaps it was because he had found his calling.

Trzaskoma took acting classes and won lead roles in Macomb theater department productions of Jesus Christ Superstar (Pontius Pilate) and Grease (Teen Angel). He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from the University of Detroit (Mercy) and Master of Arts in Theatre from Wayne State University, followed by awards and critics’ praise while performing at the Hilberry Theatre, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, Planet Ant Theatre and other local venues. And, then, there was that gig with the Pistons in the early 2000s.

“After years of Shakespeare, Sophocles and Moliere,” mused Trzaskoma, at the time, “I am the ‘O’ guy.”

That’s “O” as in the red one Detroit Pistons’ guard Jerry Stackhouse painted on Trzaskoma’s stomach as part of a popular series of television commercials that paired him with local blues legend Thornetta Davis. Now, the University of Detroit Mercy and Macomb theater instructor and founder/director of the Warren Civic Theatre is starring in the much heralded Hockey, The Musical!, written by Mitch Albom, Detroit sports-journalist and bestselling author.

“He’s very hands-on,” says Trzaskoma of Albom. “His brother, Peter, is directing it but he was in England during the auditions, so Mitch ran auditions here and Peter watched and directed via Skype. Very 21st century.

However, Hockey – The Musical!, thinks Trzaskoma, is timeless.

“It should be called Detroit and Red Wing Hockey – The Musical,” muses Trzaskoma, shown here on stage at The City Theatre. “It’s very Detroit-centric with many references to our city and special appearances by celebrities and Wing greats like Steve Yzerman via video clips. But Mitch has done a nice job making it not too inside. Non-hockey fans seem to be enjoying the heck out of it as well.”

So much so, in fact, that the musical’s run at The City Theatre in Detroit, which began in May, has been extended by three weeks – through July 10. Albom calls his first musical, “Spamalot with hockey sticks.” While Trzaskoma, who plays the dual roles of Stanley/Terry, says that unlike Albom’s previous work, “There’s no message, no deep theme. Just laugh.”

New alumnus is blazing an old trail

In his first job after graduating from Macomb’s Police Academy, Mitchell Oliver finds himself enjoying the peace he has been sworn to protect as one of 13 officers entrusted with 3.8 square miles of pure Michigan.

“As soon as I stepped off the ferry, the whole pace of my life slowed down,” says Oliver, 21, whose move to Mackinac Island to live and work marked his first visit there as well. “The downtown set up, no cars, the horses, it’s completely different from where I grew up in Shelby Township.”

Oliver graduated from Eisenhower High School and earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Law Enforcement from Macomb. He followed that up with 17 weeks of Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards academy training, which, he says, prepared him well for his first job – with one exception.

“The academy definitely covered a lot of the aspects of police work, except the part about not many officers walking a beat anymore,” muses Oliver. “But that’s what I do nine hours a day.”

Oliver works 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. in a rotation that includes every other weekend off. The first half of his shift is spent downtown, assisting visitors, un-impounding bikes and gently directing patrons toward their hotels after the Pink Pony, Drought House or other similar establishments close. After 3 a.m., he travels to the other side of the island, patrolling the wooded areas and looking for anyone who may have inadvertently strayed from the beaten path.

“I am surprised by how fast 12 hours go,” says Oliver, who joined the Mackinac Island force in May and will remain there until the fall colors fade in October. “After I graduated from the academy, I wanted to work in northern Michigan. It would be nice to find a year-round job up here, but, at this point in my career, I’ll go anywhere in the state.”

Oliver lives with four other Mackinac Island police officers in provided housing on Market Street not far from headquarters. On his days off, he may ride his bike to the ferry, pick up his truck in Mackinaw City and head to Cheboygan to go grocery shopping. Recently, he also enjoyed showing his family around the island, when his mom came up to compete in the Lilac Festival 10K run in early June.

“But my very favorite thing to do here is ride my bike out to the uninhabited areas – by Arch Rock or Devil’s Kitchen,” offers Oliver. “By the end of the season, my goal is to hit every trail on the island.”

For museum curator, the adventure began at Macomb

Unsure of a major, Megan Paquette Stepe wanted to “ease into the college experience.” After graduating from Mount Clemens High School, she began taking classes at Macomb in literature, ceramics, anthropology and art history, unaware she was preparing for a future career as a museum curator.

“I very much enjoyed my classes at Macomb and I met some great people,” says Stepe. “If I hadn’t moved out of state, I would probably still be in touch with some of them.”

Stepe moved to Florida shortly after graduating from Macomb with an Associate of General Studies Degree.

“I wanted a bit of an adventure after that and to be closer to the ocean,” says Stepe. “And I was still going back and forth between art history and archeology as a major.”

Ultimately, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Anthropology from the University of Central Florida, which she followed up with a Master of Arts Degree in Art History, Theory and Criticism, from Florida State University. A mixed media and ceramic artist in her own right, she also continues to study painting conservation.

“It’s not only about fixing the damage done though the decades or centuries anymore,” explains Stepe, “sometimes its about undoing the fix so that more advanced stabilizing measures can be used.”

Stepe taught art history and oversaw the art gallery at Seminole State College for nearly seven years before accepting her current position as curator of South Florida State College’s Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) in June.

“I oversee and take care of over 600 pieces of art and artifacts, which includes jewelry and objects from the Seminole Indians that lived on this swath of land,” offers Stepe. “This was the original Florida, when it was an island not a peninsula. There is just a wealth of history here.”

With her husband Kyle Stepe, a horticulturalist, and dog Larry and cats Paul and Clara still in Orlando, Stepe is living out of hotel in Sebring until the rest of the family can join her. Once they get their home, she will be reassembling her studio where she will resume her work in pottery and mixed media, including assembling aprons out of vintage fabric.

“Sewing is meditative,” she says, “and aprons are a lost art form. I would love to bring back the tradition of wearing them.”

Meanwhile, she is contemplating earning a Ph.D. and preparing to teach art history at the Florida college this fall, in addition to her curator duties at MOFAC.

“Taking those classes at Macomb was the beginning,” says Stepe. “I am so happy to be here.”

Alumnus shares stories from the White House

Kenneth Hafeli, Macomb alumnus, has shook hands with Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter many times, is Facebook friends with former first daughter Susan Ford and counts the archivist at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California as one of his best friends.

It was all part of the job for Hafeli, who served as head archivist at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor until his retirement last May. He shared his interesting perspective in a talk: Growing up Grand: Gerald R. Ford’s Michigan, on Oct. 6 at the Lorenzo Cultural Center, as part of its The President’s Photographer exhibit.

“I really enjoyed helping someone find a letter they sent to President Ford when he was in office, or a photo of a particular day when they visited the White House,” relates Hafeli. “People are so excited when they discover that stuff is still here.”
Following his presidency, seven Roadway trucks with a military escort brought Ford’s papers and photographs from Washington, D.C., to the library in Ann Arbor. There was much that was still classified as confidential at the time and Hafeli had to have security

clearance before accepting the delivery.

“Still,” he said, “I couldn’t see two thirds of it.”

Hafeli worked at the Ford Library for nearly 39 years, arriving there fresh from Michigan Technological University, which he transferred to from Macomb. And as easily as he can relate significant moments in Ford’s presidency, Hafeli can list Macomb faculty who influenced his intellectual development while a student here.

“Jacobs, Hannert, Barrons, Ritas,” offers the 1973 Macomb graduate. “I enjoyed their classes and still have some of their handouts.”

As department head at the Ford Library, Hafeli was part of an elite group of 3,600 that constitute the federal National Archives and Records Administration. And, as one might expect, it’s the type of job that can leave you speechless now and then.

“I was awed sometimes,” acknowledges Hafeli, “touching something that the president once held in his hands.”