Author: Caelin Bragg

Jeffrey Blessant transferred to Wichita State because of its cost and to study in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is an avid reader who wants access to books for more people. His favorite book is “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and he recently read “Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar.

President Rick Muma and WuShock stopped by the Post Office on the first floor of Morrison Hall to recognize the staff as the next recipient of Rick Rewards. The team was recognized for exemplifying Wichita State’s student-centered mentality shown through their excellent customer service, being the go-to destination for many in the community to receive their passports.

Rick Rewards is awarded each month by President Muma to show his appreciation for the efforts of the campus community.

5A state baseball and softball will be held on Wichita State’s campus May 29-30 and state track May 30-31. Last year, these activities brought more than 30,000 people to campus. The university is asking for help from the campus community to drive golf carts and staff Fan Alley during these events.

New this year, Fan Alley will have food trucks, yard games and local area businesses May 30 and 31 along Perimeter Road on the north side of Shocker Hall. This will be a fun and engaging atmosphere and provide options for visitors between events. Individuals staffing this area will ensure the yard games are running smoothly and be available to answer any vendor or visitor questions.  

Golf cart rides will be offered May 30 and 31. Drivers will provide visitors rides to their destinations on campus.

If you are interested in working these events, sign up online. There are three tabs at the bottom of the sheet: one to sign up as a golf cart driver, one to sign up to staff fan alley and one to include your sign up information. Volunteers signed up by May 16 will receive a T-shirt to be worn during the events, so indicate your preferred shirt size and include your email address on the third tab of the sign up. Detailed information will be sent the week of May 26 to those signed up to help.

These events would not be successful without the support of our Shocker family, and we sincerely appreciate your help in creating a welcoming campus for our guests.

Arland Wallace sat down with The Active Age to discuss his time at Wichita State. After his first semester at WSU back in 1970 didn’t go well, he returned over 50 years later to get his bachelor’s degree in anthropology, with plans to move on to his master’s. “I just made the decision that cancer was not going to define me.”

Sayed Mohib Hassan came to Wichita State University thanks to the Barton School of Business and its business analytics program. While at WSU, Sayed made sure to make the most of his time by engaging in extracurriculars, participating in clubs and working for the Graduate School and recommends his peers do the same.

Tayana Martin, a junior majoring in sport and leadership studies with a minor in sign language, is gaining hands-on experience as an operations specialist with Ennovar at Wichita State. A lifelong Wichitan, Tayana supports student hiring and corporate partnerships while building skills that will serve her well after graduation.

More than 5,000 Shockers each year take what they’ve learned in the classroom and transfer that knowledge into real-world environments. Applied learning — which is required for every Wichita State student — happens in offices, factories, laboratories, nonprofits, industries and companies across the globe. Students work side-by-side with seasoned professionals to ensure that they’re fully prepared to make meaningful contributions to their employers and their communities when they graduate.

Shocker women’s tennis sophomores Xin Tong Wang and Giorgia Roselli were named to the 2025 American Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis All-Conference team April 30.

The pair became the fifth and sixth All-Conference selections for the Shockers since the team joined the American in 2018. It also marks the second consecutive year the team has had an All-Conference selection.

For Wang, it is her second All-Conference selection in as many years. The China native piled up 19 singles wins on the year, with 10 wins in dual matches. She has been ranked in each ITA top 125 singles poll this year and currently sits ranked at No. 104 in college tennis. Her nine wins at No. 1 singles were the most by any Shocker at the top singles spot since 2018, when Fatima Bizhukova had ten wins.

For Roselli, this is her first All-Conference honor in her career. She was second on the team in total singles wins with 20, and she had a record of 10-7 in dual matches. Roselli ended the year hot in singles, winning her final four matches of the year, and she went 9-3 across her final 12 decisions in singles.

Wichita State outfielder Lauren Lucas started college planning to work on the business side of professional sports. Five years later, she plans to coach softball in college.

She changed course in part due to a shoulder injury that took her off the field and into the dugout as a coach.

In the summer of 2023, she helped coach a youth team in Texas while she took time off from playing to rest her shoulder. In 2024, shoulder surgery sidelined her during Wichita State’s season. She dove into a role as an unofficial assistant coach, specializing in hitting.

Both roles taught her that she enjoyed working with young people and wanted to stay in the game. WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner and associate head coach Elizabeth Economon endorsed the plan.

“I had a conversation with Coach B last year,” Lucas said. “She said ‘You have to coach. I know you. You have to coach.’ If one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for thinks I would be a great coach, that speaks volumes to me.”

The Elliott School of Communication is honoring 1984 graduate, Carla Eckels, as the Outstanding Alumna for the 2024-25 school year.

Eckels, the director of organizational culture and host of “Soulsations” at KMUW, the NPR affiliate for Wichita, has spent her career serving the community through programming focused on race and culture.

“Carla goes well out of her way to mentor young journalists and interns,” Debra Fraser, the KMUW general manager said, “introducing them to contacts that are hard to reach and sharing some of the challenges ahead that they can prepare for today — especially minority students.”

Ashlyn Riggs came to Wichita State University thanks to its proximity to home and she already had a connection to campus through her mother, who is an active employee. While at WSU, she had the opportunity to work at the Child Development Center as a lead sub teacher — all while getting her degree in education.