Faces of LIFE- Melissa Castaneda
Melissa Castaneda and her older brother grew up in Grayson, Georgia with their parents who immigrated to America from Mexico before she was born. Castaneda is a first-generation college student, the first of the family to not only go to college but also pursue even higher levels of education as a D.C. student at Life University (Life U).
Faces of LIFE – Facilities & Grounds
Today we are doing a different type of Faces of LIFE. Normally, we highlight one person, but with Orientation and LIFE Vision Extravaganza this week, we have decided it is most fitting to highlight an entire department. This area is known as the quiet warriors of the Life University (Life U) campus. Who are they? Our Facilities and Grounds team members. Together, these two groups form the department known as Facilities Management.
Faces of LIFE- Andre L. Clanton
André L. Clanton, Director of Conflict Resolution and Accountability in Student Affairs, began working at Life U in 2011 before leaving for another opportunity and then returning in 2015. He has been here ever since. A new and important role that Clanton has taken on this year is with the Association of Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) as their Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Chair.
Faces of LIFE- Omi Acosta
“Wrestling saved me, and I like to share that story and go around the country and let guys and girls know that they can do it too. I need to try and influence as many people as I can and let them know that wrestling can change lives. That’s why I do what I do.”
Faces of LIFE- Ricardo Tossas
Hailing from Arecibo/Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, Ricardo Tossas has fostered an interest in studying a health-related profession from a young age, since playing sports as a kid. In his senior year of high school, he created a student club called Movimiento Estudiantil de Quiropráctica, which promotes chiropractic awareness and education for high school students.
Faces of LIFE – Charlie Farmer
Charlie Farmer celebrated his 20th year teaching by receiving two unexpected awards. Farmer was both surprised and honored to receive the 2022 Vulcan Materials Company’s Teaching Excellence Award and Life University’s (Life U) Athletic Professor Award for his work with student-athletes.
Faces of LIFE: Jaha Kefentse
Jaha Kefentse is a B.S. in Biopsychology student at Life University who grew up in the Bay Area of California with her two older brothers and her loving mom and dad. She also has two other older siblings. “What I enjoy most about attending Life U is probably the friendliness, just in passing, people you don’t know. Most of the time you are welcomed with a smile. I’ve always enjoyed nature, so definitely the campus is a nice aspect,” said Kefentse.
Faces of LIFE- Courtney Bliese
As a small-town girl from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Courtney Bliese grew up with two brothers, and she described her childhood as happy and “pretty normal.” She attended the University of Minnesota Duluth for her undergraduate, graduating with a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Her chiropractic journey and interest began when she started to experience migraines that led her to seek chiropractic care.
Faces of LIFE- Olivia Porpora
Going into her collegiate years, Olivia Porpora’s initial plan was to continue on to medical school. She studied Exercise Science at the University of Delaware, and while completing her bachelor’s degree, Porpora decided that medical school was not the path she wanted to take because it didn’t align with her personal beliefs on what health care should look like. She had been seeing a chiropractor and “always thought it was a really cool profession.”
Faces of LIFE- Luis Perez
As an only child from a Chicago suburb, Luis Perez was no stranger to the world of sports and, therefore, injuries and chiropractic care. He pulled a hamstring running track and field. He first visited a physical therapist but did not find much relief in that route, so his mom suggested a chiropractor. The chiropractor asked him about his college experience and future plans, and Perez was leaning toward physical therapy as a career path.
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