Casey Ball

Casey Ball is a freshman from Warren, Pennsylvania. He is majoring in Psychology and is considering picking up a minor in the future, yet he is uncertain what it will be yet. He has become more social as the semester has gone on.

Casey is currently a member of Psych Club, and he can utilize the club to gain knowledge for a successful future as a Psychologist. This club allows students to listen to speakers who are professionals in this field. This club will assist him in gaining the knowledge that is essential for a successful career. He decided he wanted to major in Psychology in his sophomore year of high school. He found it to be the most interest career path to pursue.

Casey is big in music as he plays a total of five instruments. These include; the guitar, ukulele, the mandolin, drums, and he can sing quite well. He was in a band for about a year. In the Fall of 2018, they did a show for a fundraiser for his classmate who passed away. Through this show, they were able to raise over two thousand dollars. The fundraiser was the last show they did together, and it was the most successful show they had as a band. His band decided to split at that time as their lives became too hectic at that time.

Casey grew up in a unique family dynamic. He has three biological brothers, and his parents were never together. They do not have the same sets of parents. He finds this to be an interesting dynamic to grow up with, as he found it fun to have three older brothers growing up. He was in several bands, and his one brother was in one of those bands. He periodically fills in for his brother's band as he enjoys spending time with him, and he can pursue his love of music.

Casey has a unique background and is quite easy to talk to. He can be shy at times when meeting new people if you have a chance to meet him, I would highly recommend doing so. He is outgoing and is looking to meet fellow members of the Mercyhurst Community.



- Isabel C. Merriman

Christa Knipes

Christa Knipes is a Junior from Lebanon, Ohio, and is double majoring in Dance and English and minoring in Psychology. She is involved with several clubs on campus.

Christa did not have your typical upbringing; she started her education through being homeschooled in her rural town, with not much to do. She expressed she was unlike the other students in her hometown that were homeschooled. She knew this form of education was not a good fit for her, as she has a passion for dance.

Christa knew to achieve success in the field of dance; she needed to take a leap of faith. So, in her Junior year of high school, she decided to enroll in Interlochen Arts Academy. She knew boarding school would be different, but with her bubbly personality, she excelled and reached her goal of majoring in dance at the university level.

Christa grew up with her parents, her dog, and her older brother Connor who was homeschooled with her from a young age. She believes her family has been vital in achieving the success she has today, as they have been both supportive and inspiring as she took steps to reach her goal of pursuing dance at a higher level. She jokes that her family is like a real-life sitcom. The laughs and love her family has provided her throughout her life, has helped her stay grounded and be her true self.

Hurst Day 2019, Christa is on the far right. 

After graduation, Christa has several goals in mind. She plans to receive a Master's in Secondary Education and intends to become a professional ballet dancer for as long as she can. She also hopes to utilize her degree to teach English to middle schoolers and high schoolers.






Christa is active in several clubs on campus and has very little free time between her involvement on campus and her studies. She is in Dance Club, Phi Chi, Phi Eta Sigma, and NHSDA. Christa is currently the Co-President of Dance Outreach as she has limited time to herself, from her studies clubs, and her job on campus. She utilizes her free time for catching up on sleep, reading, writing, and having sarcastic conversations with her friends.


She prides herself in reading the entire Harry Potter series out loud to her dog when she was in elementary school. Her passion for reading at a young age has helped her excel as an English major, as she picked up on grammatical structures at a young age from the extensive reading she would do in her spare time. 

Christa is a student who is always on the move. If you are lucky enough to have a class with her or find her in her free time, I would suggest taking the opportunity to have a conversation with her.  You will be able to meet someone who has a unique background and has continued to work her way to the top while redefining the odds.

- Isabel C. Merriman

Nick Woll

Nickolas "Nick" Woll is a senior who is double majoring in Psychology and Religious Studies. He is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania. He is an active member across campus and is always searching for new organizations to join. 


Nick is quite active across campus; he is always doing something and rarely takes time for himself. He is currently Vice President of the Ambassador program. He is always looking to recruit more students into the program and getting more students to apply and enroll in the university. This year he became a Laker Leader for the first time and is enjoying every minute of it, as he has a passion for helping others. In the past, he has helped with the PASS Program. The PASS Program is a three-week-long program at the end of the summer, to assist students with learning differences in adjusting to college by taking classes in a structured setting. This past summer, Nick helped with the CREATE Program, which is similar to the PASS Program, but it is geared more towards the students in the AIM Program. The program is a little longer and a little more extensive than PASS. As he is always looking to help others and search for opportunities to grow, he has done various other forms of volunteer work and always puts others before himself. In the past, he has been apart of about a dozen clubs and organizations during the year. He is never afraid to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to him. As he takes everything, he does seriously.

Nick is strong in academics as he excels in his classes and puts his all in anything he choices to pursue. He took one acting class last semester and received the role of Miles in the production "She Kills Monsters," which was shown at the start of October. He is someone who enjoys planning; he began looking into Graduate school since the Summer of 2018 and is currently in the process of applying for graduate school for Religious Studies. 


Nick is easy to talk to and can be found around campus doing just about anything, and when he is not on campus, he is more than likely conducting some form of volunteer work in his spare time. He is someone you should take the time and get to know as he can easily teach you something new and put a smile on your face. He will be more than happy to share quite a bit of information and facts about the university if you ask him. 

- Isabel C. Merriman

Braeden Nearhoof

Braeden Nearhoof is a freshman from Waterford, Pennsylvania. He is majoring in Public Health and is planning to double major in Psychology. He plans to become more active around campus. 

Braeden is majoring in Public Health as he has a fascination with diseases related to the Centers for Disease Control. He has the career goal of becoming an Epidemiologist as an Infectious Disease Specialist. He hopes to earn his doctorate in Epidemiology from Boston University. 

Braeden has an interesting commonality with some of his relatives, as he has the same birthday as his grandmother and great-grandfather on different sides of his family. The odd of this are slim to none. He can recall this unique family connection as he can remember all dates and times.

Braeden is looking to become more active around campus. He is currently in the Public Health club and has been asked to attend Scholar Bowl in St. Louis, Missouri. He has more knowledge about public health than many of his classmates, as his father works for Erie Coke. As his father does work for Erie Coke, the number of controversies around public health issues, Breaden has been exposed to many aspects of the Centers' Disease for Control and Prevention. Some of his classmates, such as myself, have persuaded him to join Laker Student Media, as he has done similar work in high school. He was an anchor for the morning announcements of his elementary school. He attended one meeting and has fallen in love with the club and has decided to join. 



Breaden is musically gifted as he plays approximately five instruments. He is apart of the marching band as he has played Mellophone for the past three to four years. He is al looking to learn new instruments.

Mellophone

Braeden is easy to talk to, and if you ever have the opportunity to have a chat with him, I would highly recommend doing so. You will meet a friendly and outgoing member of the Mercyhurst community, and probably one of the biggest nerds out there.


- Isabel C. Merriman

Jahmyire Jones

Jahmyire Jones is a senior from Columbia, Maryland, double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. He is into physical fitness, gaming, and fashion; he is always looking for new ways to make some extra cash. He uses his intelligence and athleticism to make the most optimal results in any situation.  

Jahmyire wrestled in high school and for Mercyhurst his freshman year. He stopped competing due to concussions. He remains physically active as often as possible. He takes  Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu classes close to campus. He also takes advantage of the university's gym, as well as the area to work out in any way he can. 

One of Jahmyire's wrestling matches from High School

Jahmyire is a competitive gamer and has used it to his advantage. He used to make gaming videos for entertainment for other gamers and was able to make money through doing so. He has found through competitive gaming and his studying of neuroscience he has conducted studies on the correlation between gaming and impulsivity. He was told that his the potential to be published in the future.  

Jahmyire is into fashion, and he has proven while working at the clothing store Tilly's. He is one of the top sales personnel. He can sell thousands of dollars worth of clothes in a single day through customers trusting him to style them and purchase items they would least expect. He has had discussions of having a higher-level position but has turned it down so he can focus on his studies. 

After graduation, Jahmyire hopes to enter the Air Force. So, he can continue to conduct studies on human behavior with those he serves alongside, but from more of a scientist's perspective. He believes it will be a fun experience and that he can learn a lot. 

Jahmyire is someone who always takes a more in-depth look into something; many of us would glance over. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does and is always looking for new challenges for his future. 

- Isabel C. Merriman

Kali Beutler

Kali Beutler is a sophomore from Tonawanda, New York, majoring in Integrated Media and Strategic Communication, as well as minoring in both Psychology and International Relations. Kali is an active member around campus, as she is a part of many clubs and organizations around campus. 

Kali is close to her family, which includes; her older sister, who works as a dog groomer, her mother, and pet dog. Kali's father passed away when she was seventeen years old. 

Kali's mother works in law enforcement and similar career goals to what her mother does for a living. Kali's goal is to work in the government doing crisis communication by developing natural disaster response plans. Her major, double minors, and her mother's background put Kali in an excellent place to achieve her career goal. 

 

Kali is very outgoing and friendly. She is always full of energy and shows she is passionate and hardworking in everything she does. Kali has demonstrated her success through hard work consistently through being both active around campus and in her academics. Kali is busy around campus as she huge with campus involvement.

Kali is a part of many clubs, including; Theater club. OAC, yoga club, modern cinema club,

Multicultural Activities Council, and Student Activities Council or better known as MAC/SAC to those around campus, as well as The Merciad. She does her work-study at the campus involvement center. 

Although she is active around campus, she has been able to achieve the perfect grade point average of a 4.00 consistently. Her excellent grade point average has resulted in her becoming an active member of Phi Eta Sigma. 

Kali was like this before college. She was quite active as well. She played tennis in high school, despite not being a fan of sports. Her hobbies consist of hiking, swimming, photography, reading, and painting. She describes herself as outgoing and kind. If you ever have an interaction with Kali, it is evident that she is both outgoing and helpful. 

- Isabel C. Merriman 

Leya Belnavis

Leya Belnavis is a senior from Kingston, Jamaica majoring in Psychology with a minor in Criminology. She is involved with several clubs on campus, including Psych Club and Afrobeats.

She is a massive Harry Styles fan and has seen him in concert once, and she plans to attend more concerts. Not only does she love Harry Styles, but she also enjoys music in general, especially the musician Halsey. She will often sing along to any music that she listens to; she grew up singing and playing the piano.

She is addicted to coffee, and she drinks at least two cups a day, usually more. She also enjoys tea as well; she grew up putting milk in her tea. She also loves french fries with a dying passion, ginger ale, and any form of sweets.

Leya also enjoys animals, especially pets like dogs, and cats and cannot watch a movie when an animal is harmed most slightly. She will refuse to watch a film or scene if it has anything to do with harming animals.

She is also very family-oriented, she contacts her family daily back in Jamacia, the states, and in England. Leya is the youngest of three siblings, but she only recognizes two of her siblings. Her sister named Jordan or Jordy is married with a child living in Atlanta, Georgia. Her brother Jared and his girlfriend live in Aylesbury, England.





Leya wants to get her masters in counseling because she likes to listen to people's problems and offer advice. In high school, her classmates would often go to her for her guidance. So, she found a calling for pursuing phycology as a career.

- Isabel C. Merriman