For Schneider, following her passions led to realizing her dreams

By: Paul Hunter, Practicum Writer

Growing up, Abby Schneider didn’t have cable television. She grew up playing in the woods of a small town in New Hampshire. Despite this, her dream was to be like Warren Miller, a well-known filmmaker of ski movies. She wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Schneider graduated from Colgate University in Hamilton Village, N.Y. – a town smaller than her own – and with no clear vision for her future, referred back to her childhood fantasy. 

“I’m going to be Warren Miller when I grow up,” she said. 

While applying for jobs in Beverly Hills, Calif., a former professor recommended she apply for a position with ABC News in New York City. The job was a long-shot and Schneider didn’t expect a call back, but sure enough, she got the job and not too long after, the small-town girl who grew up running in the woods of New Hampshire picked up everything and moved to the big city.

Her memories of New York City are highlighted with extremes. She remembers using an unopened Crockpot box as a desk and a bucket from the Dollar Store as a chair. At this desk, she would transcribe episodes of ABC’s famous show, “What Would You Do?” She worked on the show doing casting, location scouting, scenario development, waiver signature collecting, and transcribing episodes. 

She’d go to bed late, then wake up as early as 3 a.m. to make it to the next shooting location. She commonly worked 90-hour weeks.

“It was a really exploitative system,” Schneider said. “It was a really crazy time.” 

Living expenses were high and her salary low, so Schneider worked side jobs tutoring for the SAT and walking dogs. 

Her mother, Sandy Schneider recalled this chapter as a developmental one.

“ABC helped her become a professor, too, because she realized she didn’t like working in television as much as she thought she would,” she said. 

After some time, Schneider realized that a job in television wasn’t for her.

An email arrived in her inbox from a former academic adviser at Colgate: It was a call for a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. Remembering her passion for psychology, her college major, Schneider promptly did some research on the position. 

A new section of psychology called “Judgment and Decision-making” was being added to marketing departments at universities across the nation. In her sparse spare time, Schneider began applying for research assistant positions. Shortly after starting the search, she found a position at Columbia University with faculty member Gita Johar doing survey development, data collection, and data analysis. She quickly left ABC behind and began working on experiments at Columbia University in New York City.

While she worked as a research assistant, Schneider attended lectures and talks about new research in the field. She slowly recognized that she found every talk enticing. This ultimately inspired her to apply for graduate school. 

When application decisions came back, Schneider was left with a tough choice: Attend the University of Colorado Boulder or Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.  Evaluating these programs represented a dilemma: Would she follow her heart by moving to Colorado, a place she’d always wanted to live, or pursue an education at a top-rated, prestigious university? 

Schneider ultimately chose to attend CU to pursue her master’s degree. She recalls this decision as a turning point in her life; prior to this moment, she was concerned with the status of academic institutions and perfecting her academic identity, which she attributes to how she was raised.

Schneider recalled her parents showing her, through emphasis and action, the power

of intrinsic motivation.

“I could have gotten a lot of money, but my parents wanted to maintain that it was something I should be intrinsically interested in,” Schneider said.

She had friends with parents who gave them money for each A on their report card, but

Schneider remembers her parents solely showing pride for her accomplishments. 

“This is definitely a decision I think about frequently, still. I wouldn’t do things differently because that decision got me to where I am today and I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” she said.

In Boulder, Schneider studied consumer choice and taught undergraduate courses, such as “Marketing Research.” She soon discovered her “true passion for teaching.” 

In an interview, her father, Mike Schneider, observed that Schneider comes from a long line of teachers. Her great-grandmother was a teacher, he himself was a teacher, and Schneider was raised among teachers. Her father also remembered what he thinks was the first time she showed interest in consumer behavior and marketing.

“She was crawling around and there must have been a checkbook laying around somewhere … she crawled around with it and I think that this was her first interest in money and marketing.” 

Schneider’s mother recalled her daughter had good teachers, who were good role models, and that Schneider had been interested in psychology from a young age. 

For Schneider, teaching in this field almost seemed a destiny. 

An aspect of her time at CU that Schneider recalls fondly was the Watson program, which was focused on social responsibility. Schneider first crossed paths with Bead for Life at a Watson seminar, which completely changed her life and the course of her career. 

“It was the answer I was looking to in terms of how we can use business for good. It was the first time I felt like the path that I had chosen was aligned with my values and who I was and something deeper than just ‘marketing stuff,” Schneider said. “It was at this moment that I decided that I was going to do something with Bead for Life someday.” 

After Schneider graduated with a Ph.D., she applied to 95 universities, seeking a teaching position. 

“Out of the 95 schools that I applied to, there was only one that stood out … and it was Regis,” she said. 

Schneider always pictured herself at a liberal arts school, but never thought she’d be a business professor. When Regis came along, it opened up that door for her and she appreciated how the Anderson College of Business’ curriculum incorporated Jesuit values and applied a social justice lens.

When application decisions came back this time around, making a decision to follow

her passion was a bit easier. Now a professor of marketing at Regis’ business school, Schneider teaches classes that ask questions not only about marketing, but about the social impact of marketing on the global business environment. 

Last semester, Schneider even took a group of students to Uganda, in east-central Africa, to study social entrepreneurship, visiting a Bead for Life program as a part of her Marketing for Social Change course. As she’d promised herself years ago, she was living out another of her dreams. 

12 Years of Inspiring Regis Students Through Botany

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

A classroom full of students learning about plant taxonomy is normally the last place one would expect to find enthusiasm and laughter, but in Introduction to Botany, taught by Catherine Kleier, Ph.D., it’s just another Tuesday morning. As a National Geographic Explorer, and 2015 Colorado Professor of the Year, Kleier’s enthusiasm and infectious love for nature stretches far beyond the classroom. 

Kleier’s achievements during her 12 years teaching at Regis include being named the 2015 Colorado Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. However, one of her proudest achievements was receiving a National Geographic Waitt Foundation grant in 2011, which allowed her to travel to Chile to explore a rare alpine cushion plant called Yareta. 

Botany was not a priority for Kleier during her undergraduate years. She studied Biology and also enjoyed taking humanities courses such as Classics and Film Studies. Her interest in botany wasn’t sparked until she took a plant class her senior year at the University of Colorado Boulder. She then took a few additional botany classes after she graduated before returning to Boulder for more classes, and then headed to the University of Oregon in Eugene for graduate studies in plant taxonomy. Kleier later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology.    

Research has taken her across the globe. Her dissertation work in the Andes mountains of Chile was inspired by her love of alpine cushion plants, which she became acquainted with during her time in Colorado. She’s now one of the leading researchers of the Yareta plant. 

“Good teaching is supported by good research,” Kleier said.  

During her time in Colorado after college, Kleier was a trip leader for an outdoor adventure company, where she led teenagers on hiking and backpacking trips in the mountains. It was during these summers —hiking and backpacking in the Colorado wilderness— that she realized she wanted to become an alpine ecologist.  

Kleier believes students can learn from her own late introduction to botany. Her journey to graduate school began with curiosity, but she lacked a clear path toward what she wanted to do or be. She followed her newfound love for botany to see where it would take her, and it led to more academic schooling. Never did she expect her interest in botany to lead her to where she is today – a professor at Regis. Her interest in teaching began as a teacher’s assistant at the University of Oregon. She combined her desire to teach with her appreciation for research, and that’s when she decided to pursue her doctorate at UCLA. 

“It’s important to me that students understand that you don’t always know what it is you’re going to do,” Kleier said.

Discovering your career in this organic manner, rather than setting on a path before understanding it well, is what Kleier brings into the classroom. She recommends being open to learning and changing one’s mind.  

Her students appreciate Kleier’s teaching style. 

“She introduced me to a side of nature that I take with me everywhere I go,” said Noah Garcia, a student in her botany class. “She opened me up to a new appreciation of my surroundings that I never thought I would see before.”  

Kleier’s extensive work in botany evolved alongside her passion for the outdoors. As an avid hiker, her love for the outdoors finds its way into her classrooms.   

“I find when we give attention to nature, it’s very fulfilling. You’re celebrating it and it can be a hobby that is not consumptive,” said Kleier. 

She believes that students introduced to botany learn to appreciate nature wherever they are. Beyond that, it’s a healthy hobby that anyone can enjoy. 

“To be more familiar with your surroundings makes you feel at home wherever you go,” Kleier said.

Kleier’s love of nature and the outdoors resonates with her students. 

“Dr. Kleier has deepened my interest in my already existing passion for the outdoors,” said Nicole Linkowski.

Other students shared similar sentiments. And many could quote a Kleier motto: “Botany isn’t rocket science; it’s much more complicated.” 

Botany is an endless and joyful pursuit, Kleier believes, and one worth sharing with the world. It’ll always be needed and relevant. 

"You can’t climb mountains forever, and you can’t ski black diamonds forever, but you can botanize forever," said Kleier, who, incidentally, does all three.

So, what’s next for Kleier?  

She wants to learn more about genetics, molecular biology, astronomy, and basically all things outdoors. She’s working on another course, in addition to her book/video course, “Plant Science: an Introduction to Botany.”In 2020, she plans to visit New Zealand on sabbatical to research plants. 

A mom, botanist, mentor, and inspiration to many, Kleier proves that botany is much more than a science class; it’s a class about life. She exemplifies how passion can stick with someone for the rest of her life and blossom into a relationship with nature worthy of sharing with the world. 

Vartabedian, the Kindly Philosopher Professor

 By: Emily Summers, Practicum Reporter

Beginning in kindergarten, Becky Vartabedian attended 59 consecutive semesters of schooling, culminating in a Ph.D. from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. This was no easy feat, and stands as an accomplishment not shared with many others. Among Vartabedian’s many schools and universities is Regis University, where she is currently an assistant professor. 

Vartabedian teaches in the Philosophy department, the Honors Program, and the Integrative and Foundational Cores. In both attending school and teaching at Regis, Vartabedian has been well respected, according to students and colleagues.

Vartabedian found her love for philosophy while attending Regis. In high school, it hadn’t been a subject she particularly enjoyed, but during her time at Regis, things unexpectedly changed. 

As a first-year student, Vartabedian took a philosophy class from Professor Karen Atkins, Ph.D., also her adviser. 

Vartabedian recalls it was in Atkins’ classroom that “it just started to make sense.” 

After graduating from Regis, Vartabedian attended Denver Seminary and the University of Colorado Denver before earning her Ph.D. at Duquesne University. She then taught at several universities as an adjunct faculty member before coming to Regis in 2012. 

For four years, Vartabedian served as a term instructor before becoming an assistant professor, the title she currently holds. She teaches many subjects, such as philosophy and peace and justice, saying she has no particular favorite. As a professor, Vartabedian enjoys learning with her students versus merely lecturing in front of a class. 

“As a teacher, I want to learn with my students and a lot of what we’re able to teach here at Regis gives us that opportunity,” Vartabedian says.  

Vartabedian is well liked among her students, who used the following words to describe her: “engaging, intelligent and inspiring.” She focuses her classes on a more dialogic approach, rather than lecture-based, which has proven to be an effective and engaging method. 

“I feel as though Dr. Vartabedian’s class opened my eyes to other perspectives and worldviews. Her class really showed me what Regis is all about,” says Paul Lenz, a third-year Regis student. 

Although Vartabedian’s class was requirement for the third-year business major, Lenz explains that he would take the, Writing for Social Justice, class again. Despite the fact that the class had nothing to do with his major, Lenz found Vartabedian engaging. 

Vartabedian’s colleagues also speak highly of her. Professor Eric Fretz, Ph.D., department chair of the Peace and Justice Studies, has taught alongside Vartabedian for several years and describes her as “brilliant, yet humble.” He explains that despite her exceptional intelligence, she carries herself with a deep level of humility, which he called rare. 

“Every time I talk to Becky, I learn something I didn’t know. In addition, she just makes me feel good as a friend; I never feel talked down to,” says Fretz. 

Vartabedian’s reputation extends beyond Regis’ Northwest Denver campus. She belongs to several professional organizations, including the American Philosophical Association and the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World. Through these and other organizations, she speaks at conferences and contributes to literary journals. 

 Vartabedian enjoys writing; her first book was released last year. The book, “Multiplicity and Ontology in Deleuze and Badiou,” is about “a dispute in contemporary French philosophy about the nature of being.” 

 She explains that the book developed from her dissertation and took about 18 months to complete. Following the release of her book, the American Philosophical Association featured her work in their “Early Career Scholar Spotlight.” 

 Beyond Vartabedian’s professional life, she enjoys weight lifting, baseball, and spending time with her husband, Andrew, whom she met when they were students at Regis. She met her husband while visiting a classroom for a school project. He was student teaching in that classroom.

 Her husband is her greatest inspiration, Vartabedian says. He’s an artist – working in photography and ceramics – as well as an art teacher at Northglenn High School. Their relationship is full of curiosity and excitement, she says.

 “He is the most interesting person and also the most curious person,” Vartabedian said. “That’s what really inspires me – curiosity.”

 Another of Vartabedian’s inspirations is French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, whose work is the basis of her master’s thesis. Merleau-Ponty’s work focuses on the meaning of human experience. Vartabedian explains that her philosophical thought, along with her worldview, closely aligns with Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. In a similar way, Vartabedian provides inspiration to her own students.  

Professor combines her passion for teaching with love of the outdoors

By: Traci Wuerstl, Practicum Reporter

Lea Stenerson continues to leave her legacy on Regis’ Northwest Denver campus through her teachings of anatomy and physiology to future nursing students. 

Stenerson grew up in a city outside of Portland, Oregon, and said she had a fortunate childhood with loving parents as well as several friends. She grew up loving sports and teaching, roles that influenced her current professions as a personal trainer and a professor here at Regis. 

 As an alumna of Witworth University in Spokane,Washington., Stenerson knew that working in a similar small, Catholic setting would be important. She was drawn to apply for a position at Regis after a close friend introduced her to the idea. She admired the community and its overarching notion of living and working in service to others.

Besides her Witworth undergraduate degree, Stenerson holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Colorado. She’s a certified personal trainer, which allows her to incorporate her dual loves for sports and teaching. 

 Though she is passionate about her profession, Stenerson explained some of the daily challenges she faces. With a busy academic and professional schedule, she finds it difficult to balance everything. 

 “Your job is never done,” she said. 

 As the years have progressed, she’s had to consider the best way to get certain content across to her students to provide the best learning experience for them. She adds humor and incorporates youthful jargon to help students make connections regarding the content. She added that although this is challenging, it’s also the best part of her job. 

 “I love teaching and I am so fortunate for what I get to do and love passing that on, so my students can find that same kind of passion for themselves,” Stenerson said. 

She has always had a passion for teaching. Throughout her life, teaching has been incorporated into what she does. As a young woman, she was an outdoor counselor and along the way found various other teaching opportunities that eventually led her toward formalized teaching at Regis. 

Nearly nine years ago she became the anatomy and physiology professor for the lecture classes. Once she applied and received the job, she continued to teach both. Along the way, she has altered her teaching methodology and the course itself to ensure that students learn the material.

After nearly nine years of teaching, Stenerson has developed her own way of making learning more enjoyable for her students. She is adored by many of her pre-nursing students for her teaching style.

“She loves anatomy and teaches in a way that makes me want to love it too,” says Emily Pennylegion, one of Stenerson’s current anatomy students. 

Stenerson says she’s fortunate to have the opportunity to help students enjoy learning through the process of making connections and finding motivation to learn more. She wants her students to enjoy the progression in learning to inspire them to keep educating themselves. 

“It’s not just about knowing where the femur is, it’s about wanting to expand on it and learn everything you can about that particular bone,” Stenerson said.

Another current anatomy student explained how much she envies Stenerson and her teaching methods. Kristen Macmillan, a second-year pre-nursing student, explained how she enjoys the constant excitement and energy that is included in every lecture. “It can be difficult to find a professor who cares as much as she does,” said Macmillan, adding that Stenerson clearly cares about her students and their success. 

Stenerson stated how professors are often seen as brilliant people with so much authority, although they have faced hardships in life as most people have and more than students may realize. As a professor for future nurses, Stenerson has an empathetic understanding of what her students go through and can better comprehend how they could feel if, by chance, they do not get into the program they desire. 

She has faced a similar hardship of not being accepted into her desired program while she was attending school. 

“Keep trying and it’ll happen,” she advised.

Stenerson applied to the athletic college at her university, and although she met all the qualifications, she didn’t get accepted. While it was difficult to understand why she didn’t get accepted, she knew she wouldn’t stop trying. To quit would’ve been the moment that she failed, and she would have never reached this point in her life. Through her perseverance she managed to accomplish many things, including getting into her chosen program.

Every professor has a life outside of teaching. Beyond coaching and teaching, Stenerson raises her three young boys with her husband. Taking care of her boys is a full-time job within itself, but Stenerson still manages to make time for other activities. As a Boulder resident, she spends a lot of time outdoors. In the summer she loves trail running, biking, swimming and camping with her family. She also leads a trail running group in the summer. Her love for sports at a young age helped her reach this career path. Coaching and personal training allows her to incorporate her passion for sports into her love of teaching. Now, with winter here, she and her family will spend more time on the downhill slopes at ski resorts. 

 “I love teaching and am so fortunate for what I get to do, and the legacy I hope for is to leave knowing that people enjoyed the classes and hopefully they gain more inspiration for their careers,” Stenerson said. 

Creative Writing Professor is Hooked on Teaching

By: Fayetta Doll, Staff Reporter

Alyse Knorr has loved creative writing and stories since she was a little kid. Before she knew how to write she would make up stories and have her dad write them down, drawing pictures to illustrate them. Later in life, she wrote poems in her graphing calculator in math class.

Now, as a creative writing professor at Regis University, Knorr teaches what she has loved for so long. During roughly three years at Regis, Knorr has garnered appreciation and respect from many of her students, including Violet Mitchell and John Malone.

“[Knorr has] a lot of energy and she has a wealth of knowledge to give us,” said Mitchell.

“[It’s] really helped me [to] see how to be a great professor, how to be a great person for your students,” Malone said. 

Knorr saw a job posting for Regis University and was intrigued, so she decided to apply. She thought it was an “amazing school” and found the Jesuit mission “intriguing.” She also enjoyed the small school aspect. 

“Everyone is so kind and sweet and it’s such an amazing community,” Knorr said. 

Knorr attended Elon University in North Carolina, which also is a small school. She originally majored in psychology but switched to creative writing and journalism. 

“My parents, growing up, were both teachers,” Knorr said. 

Initially, she didn’t want to be a teacher like them; she wanted to be a journalist. However, when she graduated in 2009, the economy was bad, making it a good time to pursue a Master of Fine Art (MFA) in creative writing. Eventually, she realized she had to teach.

“I taught my first class and was hooked,” Knorr said. “My first day teaching felt a lot like my first date with my wife because I was immediately in love and it felt like a great fit from the beginning.”

Knorr says her job at Regis is the only job she’s ever had in which she feels more energized after work. Working at Regis University feels important to her and like something that needs to be honored. An example she gave was how seriously Regis takes assisting students in finding their vocations and how that makes her work feel important.

Right now, Knorr’s life is about to take a turn: She’s going to be a parent. Her wife is pregnant and the couple are closer than ever.

“We’re just having a great time,” Knorr said. 

They’re picking out baby items for their child and getting the room set up. They even have a “family portrait” of Knorr, her wife and their cat drawn as animals. In this illustration, Knorr’s wife is a cat, their cat is—surprise—a cat, and Knorr is an orca whale. 

Mitchell, a student at Regis University, sat on the hiring board that selected Knorr. She’s a senior now. A freshman when she met Knorr, Mitchell described the professor as “enthusiastic and passionate” during the hiring process. Mitchell has taken a class with Knorr roughly every semester since Knorr was hired. She says Knorr loves poetry and is dedicated to it.

“She helped me foster my love of poetry,” Mitchell said. “I’ve always brought her my writing and she’s given very supportive feedback.” Mitchell is on the Queer Resource Alliance, which puts together brave space trainings with Knorr. The two are founding members.

Another student Knorr has impacted is junior John Malone. He met Knorr in the fall of 2016, his freshman year, when he had a class with her called Digital Writing Lab that is required for all English majors. Since then he’s been her teaching assistant for her RCC first-year seminar, Superheroes, for two years.

“She’s very helpful; she’s been a great mentor for me,” Malone said. 

He described how Knorr taught him how to be a good professor – to be open to students and make sure they’re OK outside of the classroom. Currently, Malone is an intern for Knorr and her wife’s publishing company.

“It’s a very unique press,” Malone said, describing how they only publish female writers. He said it’s a “great job” and that Knorr is very involved in the publishing company and in the poetry and fiction worlds. “She’s a fantastic poet, herself,” he said, “She has a lot of experience, too.”

“Speaking as her intern, I can say that she’s very good at keeping up with the authors they’ve published,” Malone said. “She still keeps in contact with them; she still promotes their work. She’s not the type of person who will forget about someone she’s worked with.”

Besides teaching and writing, another of Knorr’s passions is playing music. She’s in a band called the Plagiarists with other Regis faculty. She plays guitar and sings in the band. She also enjoys working on home renovation projects.

Knorr has lived her life with words scrawled into her soul. From an early childhood of storytelling and writing poetry on calculators to now with her work.