Justin Swank

Name: Justin Swank

Pledge Class: Fall 2006 (Old Couple in Fall 10)

Major/Year graduated: Biology, December 2010

Family Flower: Pink Carnation (White Rose as advisor)

Big(s): Andy Reinert and Brandon Walsh

Little(s): Holly Sturek, Nicole Kottmann, Emily Cruse, Jared Johnson, Taira Meadowcroft

Positions Held : Webmaster, Treasurer, Food Crew Chief, Scouting Advisor, Head Advisor

Nickname: Circle Circle, Dot Dot, Now you’ve got your cooty shot; The Shocker; King of the Food Crew; Old Balls

Favorite APO Moment: All my food crew. They were great. Only had a few hiccups, but they were nothing.

How APO impacted your life: APO gave me some of the best moments in my life. I met some of my best friends there and was very sad to leave.

A little about your life now: I am engaged to be married this September. I am working as a General Manager of Hardee’s in Rushville, IL.

Sara (Braaf) Madden

Name: Sara Madden (Maiden Name: Braaf)

Pledge Class: 1994

Major/Year graduated: Political Science/ 1998

Family Flower: Pink Carnation

Big(s): Audra Walsh

Little(s): Christie  ?  She was and extremely active and influential member.  I can picture her face, but not her name.

Positions Held: Fundraising Chair, Conference and Formal planning, I think Service Committee?

Nickname: Charm

Favorite APO Moment:  With the passage of time, it all seems to get merged together....The flashes I have are of:  camaraderie, fun, friendship, learning new things, camping, late night get togethers, planning for Formal and meeting the most interesting and amazing people!  While we all joined hoping to meet new people and find a niche to belong, we also joined because we loved to serve.  I was blessed to be a part of a mix of people with those goals and ideals.  I learned so much about myself.

How APO impacted your life: In college, I added to my APO service as a Cardinal Key member, Resident Advisor, United Way Chairperson and an active member in CCF.  Through these experiences, I realized I wanted to make service work a career.  Upon graduation, I became an AmeriCorps*VISTA member in rural Maine.  I worked with community volunteers to address the educational needs of less advantaged children.  After a year of service, I attended Syracuse University's Maxwell School and earned a Masters of Public Administration with a special focus in nonprofit management.  For the next 5 years, I worked in the Washington, DC area to advance both local and national community service initiatives.  For a short time following that, I also served as both a short term and long term missionary assisting international communities to meet their daily practical needs while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Following my missionary service, I went back into the nonprofit world to work with a national cancer organization and a training company that assisted pharmaceutical companies.  Then.....I became a full-time stay at home mom. :-)  My most important career!

A little about your life now: I have been married for almost 8 years now.  We have one boy and two girls aged 6, 4, and 2.  I live near St. Petersburg, Florida.  I am a full-time stay at home mom.  I volunteer at my my church, our children's schools and on their athletic teams.  My husband and I look forward to instilling the love of community service in our children.

Jill Schaller (Scognamiglio)

Name: Jill Schaller (Scognamiglio)

Pledge Class: Spring ‘04

Major/Year graduated: Sociology/Anthropology, May ‘07

Family Flower: Red Rose (started the ScoDecker Family of the Red Roses)

Big(s): Meghan Jesse

Little(s): Stephen Barnes, Matt Crowe, Andrew Stilinovic, Joel Brune, and Matthew Christ

Positions Held: Pledge Class President (Sp ’04), Brotherhood Chair (Fall ’04), Pledgemaster
(Fall ’05), ICR Chair (Sp ’06 and Fall ’06), Recording Secretary (Sp ’07) // Also served on the National
Conference Planning Committee as the Registration Chair for the 2004 National Conference in Louisville, KY

Nickname: Little Ducky Jayhawk

Favorite APO Moment: There are far too many to count, but I’ll narrow it down to three: 1. My first Camp experience (Camp Jo-Ota and waking up to “California Love” for the first time); 2. Serving as Pledgemaster for Fall 2005; and 3. Meeting the legendary Jim Roach

How APO impacted your life: Before APO, I was shy and outgoing and would have never considered myself a leader in any way possible. But because of APO and the lasting friendships I’ve formed, I’ve been able to lead others and continue to excel in my career.

A little about your life now : I married a fellow Truman Student in April 2010 (where two of my bridesmaids were brothers Ashley Freund and Amy Wagner), and just recently had a little baby boy, Rowan (he’s almost six months old now!). My life pretty much involves the two of them, but I am getting back into APO activities by joining the Gateway Alumni Association!

Ellen Dooley

Name: Ellen Dooley
Pledge Class: Spring 2001
Major/Year graduated: German/2003
Family Flower: Pink Carnation
Big(s): Elizabeth Altepeter (married APO brother Greg Altepeter and I can’t remember her previous last name)
Little(s): Penny Feero (now Penny Coder)
Positions Held : Old Couple in Spring 2003
Nickname : The Good Times Sticker Girl
Favorite APO Moment: playing hockey with the kids at the YMCA night
How APO impacted your life: I met lots of great friends and became part of a brotherhood that lasts beyond the college years
A little about your life now: I moved to Columbia, MO after college and eventually went to the Career Center where I learned to be a medical coder. Now I live in Landstuhl, Germany and work at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as an outpatient coder (for Neurology, Neurosurgery and Hematology-Oncology), the hospital where our military members come from down-range either for care to return back to the war fronts or to be triaged back to the United States. I met my husband, Dennis here (he’s from Jefferson City) and we have a canary named Benjamin Moore and we had a bunny named Sherwin Williams but he passed away this week – we were lucky to meet Skipper the bunny who will come home with us tomorrow because he needed a new home and we have a big bunny-shaped-hole to fill in our hearts right now. We love living in Germany (although the winters are much too long and dark) and the travel opportunities of being here. I’d be happy to coordinate it that if anyone would like to make/send cards/care packages to the military members at our hospital, we could set that up and I know a few people down range right now who might also like to receive a care package if anyone would like to have their information.