Author: Caelin Bragg

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.

Bryonna Hawk is passionate about helping others through speech-language pathology and will continue her studies in Wichita State’s graduate program. She credits her success to strong time-management strategies and hands-on experiences at the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.

After finishing as the 2025 American Athletic Conference Individual Runner-Up, Shocker men’s golfer Jose Miguel Ramirez was named to the 2025 All-AAC Men’s Golf team April 29.

Ramirez is the 107th all-conference honoree in the history of the Shocker men’s golf program, and it marks the third consecutive year the Shockers have had an all-conference selection. He is the fourth Shocker to earn all-conference honors since Wichita State joined the AAC in 2018.

His award came after tying the best finish by any Shocker at the AAC Championship, finishing as the individual runner-up. He finished with a score under 70 in each round, capped off by a 67 (-5) score in round three.

While students are wrapping up their spring semesters, they may begin to feel the pressures of finals. The following are a few resources students who may be struggling can use:

Time management and scheduling

• Encourage students to check Blackboard and their syllabi for their final exam schedules. Visit wichita.edu/finals for a complete schedule if they need additional assistance
• Suggest strategies they can use to create a practical study plan so they can balance academic and personal time
• Student Success also has a number of tips and techniques available to help them tackle studying

Academic and mental health support

• Shocker Learning Center: Located on the second floor of the Shocker Success Center, the SLC offers help with various subjects
• Counseling and Psychological Services provides mental health resources. Encourage students to seek help if their feeling overwhelmed
• Peer support: Remind students to lean on their peers. You can also submit a CARE Team report if you are concerned about a student or encourage students to submit reports for their peers
• Additional, specialized help is available in the Shocker Success Center, including the Office of International Education, Adult Learning, Military and Veterans Services, and Hispanic-Serving Initiatives

Study spaces

If your students are looking for places to study on campus, here are a few standout spots you can recommend:

• Ablah Library: Offers quiet study spots, room rentals and a 24/7 study area
• Woolsey Hall: Features modern study rooms and the Cargill Café
• Shocker Success Center: Located in the center of campus and houses many resources

For outdoor areas, consider suggesting the following:

• NetApp recreational area: Has ample seating with great views and has easy access to the NetApp Café
• Promise Bridge: Scenic spot outside of Woolsey Hall and near the Food Truck Plaza for a quick bite to eat
• Braeburn Square: Vibrant area with multiple dining options and ambiance throughout the day and evening