Ohio State graduates plan to 'Do Something Great' - 06/10/05

Columbus – "CEO" is the title that one Ohio State University graduate will assume after he receives his diploma at spring commencement. Lee Shadle, who will receive his degree in marketing, will become the CEO and founder of Pesto Creative Italian Bistro, the restaurant he plans to open in the new South Campus Gateway in autumn.

Shadle is one of the nearly 7,500 who will earn degrees on Sunday (6/12) in Ohio Stadium, the largest graduating class in the university's history.

The ceremony celebrates the academic achievements and hard work that students have invested in earning his or her degrees. Each graduate will receive his or her own diploma at the ceremony, a practice rarely attempted by a university the size of Ohio State. Some graduates will continue their education and others will use their education and experience to enter the workforce.

Shadle, who calls Ohio State a "tremendous land of opportunity," has spent the last 15 months creating, refining and implementing a business plan that guides the start and long-term goals of the company.

"I've always known I wanted to start my own business," said Shadle. "I've kept a journal of all my business ideas since I was 13. Finally, in my marketing class, I began to recognize that my real passion is in organizing the people and getting the business off the ground."

Shadle entered the plan in an annual Fisher College of Business business plan competition Although it didn't win, he says the work involved in creating it "will allow me to walk into managing the restaurant after graduation."

As CEO of Pesto, Shadle plans to make sure the restaurant is successful and the company grows. He plans to expand nationally through company owned and franchised stores in about a year.

Pesto will be what's known as a "fast casual" Italian restaurant, a niche that Shadle says is currently empty in the campus area. "We'll offer pastas, hand-rolled pizzas, salads and dozens of toppings. We'll build it in front of your eyes and within a minute, you've got food," he said.

Shadle thinks the South Campus Gateway offers a tremendous opportunity and says he is excited to be a part of the new development. The seven-building project in the area of 11th Avenue and High Street will offer a unique blend of retail, entertainment, office space, rental housing and parking.

The project to revitalize the formerly blighted urban area is part of a larger effort by Ohio State to enhance the vitality of the neighborhood near campus. The university, in cooperation with the city of Columbus, created Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment in 1995 to spearhead the revitalization of the University District. The non-profit organization works with the city, community agencies, neighborhood leaders and the university.

Shadle, who grew up in Canton, approached Campus Partners with his business plan and was encouraged to pursue it. Even while taking classes, he was meeting with lawyers, bankers, food service providers and other players. When conventional banks rejected his loan applications, he then convinced the Small Business Administration to loan him the money to start up the business. Additional loans have come from his friends, family and fellow business students.

Below are other graduates who illustrate Ohio State's motto, "Do Something Great."
Storm Chaser: Jeremy Bower of New Philadelphia will earn a B.S. in geography with emphasis in atmospheric sciences. Bower, who is interested in severe weather, will attend the University of Nebraska for graduate school and focus his research in the area of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. For the last three summers, he has worked as a driver and weather forecaster for Storm Chasing Adventure Tours, which takes paying customers on a tour of the southern, central and high Plains in search of supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes. While on a tour in South Dakota two years ago, Bower witnessed 22 tornadoes in one day. National Geographic purchased the tape he created while filming them and included it in "Inside the Tornado," its documentary about storm chasers. Bower has been a member of Ohio State Meteorology Club for 3 years and president this year, and coordinated the annual Ohio Severe Weather Symposium
Clean Energy Researcher: Drew Braden of Dover will earn a B.S. in chemical engineering with a minor in biochemistry, and plans to attend the University of Wisconsin to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical and biological engineering. He hopes to continue research on the development of alternate "clean" energy sources and was an undergraduate researcher in the Heterogeneous Catalytic Research Group (HCRG) under Professor Umit Ozkan. He completed an undergraduate honors thesis on "Fuel cell hydrogen production from the steam reforming of bio-ethanol over cobalt based catalysts: An investigation of reaction network sand active sites," and won first place in the 2004 Denman Undergraduate Research Forum for his ethanol reforming project. Buckeye roots run deep in Braden's family. His brother and sister are also Buckeyes.
Undergraduate research and service: Abbey Damon of North Baltimore will graduate with a B.S. in psychology. She hopes to eventually become a school psychologist and will enter Ohio State's Masters of School Psychology Program in the fall. Damon says performing research has provided some amazing opportunities. For the past two years, she worked with Professor Barbara Anderson on the Stress and Immunity Cancer Project. Specifically, her research focused on "Finding Benefits in the Breast Cancer Experience," which was the basis of her honors thesis. Damon presented her research twice at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum and once at the Ohio State Psychology Colloquium. She also took her project to the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil as part of Ohio State's Brazil Research Exchange Program, and presented a poster at the National Society of Behavioral Medicine Conference in Boston. Damon was also very active in service and leadership activities. She served as an Honors Ambassador, chaired Community Commitment and was a member of the Student-Alumni Council. Damon is a graduate of Archbold High School.
Undergraduate researcher; sailor, and in an OSU TV spot: Adam Dunki-Jackobs of Mason will graduate with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and will enter the graduate school in the fall to continue research in robotics. He worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Locomotion and Biomechanics Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and won the department's Outstanding Research Award. His work on a project on robotics and biped locomotion was featured in TV public service announcements that aired in football and basketball telecasts. Dunki-Jacobs also has been active in the Ohio State Sailing Club and has competed in numerous regattas. As a sophomore and senior, he qualified for National Championships and placed as one of the top 15 sailors in the country by sailing the 1950s wooden sailboat he has been rebuilding. Dunki-Jacobs is a graduate of Archbishop Moeller High School.
Internships and world travel: Doug French of Grove City, who will graduate with a B.S. in chemical engineering, has accepted a job with Anheuser-Busch, where he worked two of his three internships. In addition to internships, French has focused much of his time on research and study abroad. He attended college in Australia for six months, and enrolled in a Spanish language school to learn to speak the language. Before beginning work, he plans to travel to Costa Rica for additional studies in Spanish. During much of his college career, French worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Mathematics. French's brother Andrew will graduate alongside him with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. French is a graduate of Grove City High School.
From Pharmacy to Medicine: Jordan Kharofa of Toledo will earn a B.S. in pharmacy and will begin medical school at the University of Cincinnati in the fall. Kharofa, who completed his degree in three years, says he's learned a lot about the design and effects of drugs, which will be helpful in his career as a physician. Kharofa has taken full advantage of Ohio State's commitment to providing undergraduate research opportunities. He worked in a computational neuroscience research group led by Professor Lane Wallace and completed a research thesis on "Computational Modeling of Dopaminergic Neuron Pulsing Experiments in the Caudate Putamen." He also worked and volunteered at both the Ohio State University Medical Center and the James Cancer Hospital. His awards include the Outstanding Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science award and the President's Salute to Undergraduate Academic Achievement award. Kharofa is a graduate of Toledo St. Francis de Sales High School.
Psychology and Business: Suzanne Lange of Cincinnati will graduate with a B.S. in psychology with a minor in business. She plans to work for Lowe's as a distribution coach, which mixes human resources, transportation and logistics. Lange is interested in the overlaps between business and psychology and has gained hands-on experience through internships at COSI in child psychology research and in marketing at the Ohio Historical Society. She completed a senior honors thesis on "Impairing Effects of Alcohol on Memory in Mice," and has been active in Psi Chi, the National Honor Society of Psychology. Lange is a graduate of Ursuline Academy.
Two degrees, undergraduate researcher: Marissa Lin of Cincinnati will graduate with a B.A. in psychology, a second B.A. in international studies and minor in Asian American studies. Lin took full advantage of Ohio State's commitment to providing undergraduate research opportunities by working as a research assistant in Professor Marilynn Brewer's lab. From that research, she completed an honors thesis. The poster about it won 2nd place in the 2005 Denman Undergraduate Research Forum and the work also was presented at the national meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology as well as the university's Psychology Undergraduate Research Colloquium. Lin has been very active in leadership activities and was recently honored as an Outstanding Senior for her scholarship, leadership and service to the OSU community and was also initiated into Phi Beta Kappa. In addition to serving as a resident adviser, she has participated in Campus Girl Scouts, the Diversity Leadership Transcript Program, the Minority Psychology Student Association, Honors Peer Mentorship Program, and Adopt-a-School tutoring. Lin is a graduate of Cincinnati Sycamore High School.
Inspirational Optometry graduate: Anna Ruggles of Minford will graduate with an O.D. (Doctor of Optometry). Ruggles, who hopes to open an optometry practice, was derailed from her studies for a year after undergoing brain surgery to correct an abnormality that would have caused a stroke. Following the diagnosis in her third year, fellow students rallied around Ruggles and helped get her through the difficult time. Over spring break, students held a benefit concert for Anna (to help pay out-of-network insurance costs) featuring Bad Habits, a rock band of optometry alums. Ruggles has been part of the Ohio State University Lions Club Epsilon Psi Epsilon and the American Optometric Student Association. As a member of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH), she went to the Dominican Republic in 2004 to help provide eye care and glasses to the people there.