2006.05.23: May 23, 2006: Headlines: COS - Kenya: Awards: Marine Protected Areas: Wildlife: Business North: Kenya RPCV Dana Topousis, communications director for the National Marine Protected Areas Center in Washington, D.C., has been named “Alum of the Month” of the College of St. Scholastica
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2006.05.23: May 23, 2006: Headlines: COS - Kenya: Awards: Marine Protected Areas: Wildlife: Business North: Kenya RPCV Dana Topousis, communications director for the National Marine Protected Areas Center in Washington, D.C., has been named “Alum of the Month” of the College of St. Scholastica
Kenya RPCV Dana Topousis, communications director for the National Marine Protected Areas Center in Washington, D.C., has been named “Alum of the Month” of the College of St. Scholastica
Topousis was deputy press director at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. A Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya for two years, Topousis also worked for the Peace Corps regional office in Los Angeles. A highlight of her work there was a week spent in Guatemala with People magazine, which resulted in a six-page feature article about Peace Corps volunteers.
Kenya RPCV Dana Topousis, communications director for the National Marine Protected Areas Center in Washington, D.C., has been named “Alum of the Month” of the College of St. Scholastica
The College of St. Scholastica
5/23/2006
Dana Topousis, communications director for the National Marine Protected Areas Center in Washington, D.C., has been named “Alum of the Month” for May 2006.
The “Alum of the Month” designation recognizes alumni who are role models to current students and an inspiration to St. Scholastica alumni.
Topousis received a bachelor’s degree in business and communications in 1990. In her role at the marine center (a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), she is responsible for building awareness of the types and purposes of marine protected areas in the United States. Topousis oversees the content and management of Web sites, writes educational materials and identifies outreach opportunities around the country.
The marine areas include national marine sanctuaries, national parks, national wildlife refuges and national estuarine research reserves.
Before working for the National Marine Protected Areas Center, Topousis was deputy press director at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. A Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya for two years, Topousis also worked for the Peace Corps regional office in Los Angeles. A highlight of her work there was a week spent in Guatemala with People magazine, which resulted in a six-page feature article about Peace Corps volunteers.
Topousis is studying for a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University and expects to graduate in December. As a student at St. Scholastica she worked in College Communications and was editor of the Cable student newspaper for two years.
Topousis said the College’s Benedictine values “motivated me to look beyond my little world and see how I could contribute to understanding the larger world, and even work to improve it in some small way.
“My service as a Peace Corps volunteer and as an English as a Second Language volunteer instructor in the United States were influenced by observing that tradition at St. Scholastica,” she said. “I’m endlessly curious about the world and am always looking for opportunities to learn and grow. Sometimes you have to push yourself to get out of one groove and into another one.”
The College of St. Scholastica, the fastest growing private college in Minnesota, is regularly recognized as one of the finest colleges in the Midwest. The 2006 “America's Best Colleges” survey by U.S. News & World Report magazine ranks St. Scholastica in the top tier of Midwestern universities. The Washington Post has rated St. Scholastica as one of the nation’s 100 “hidden gems” among U.S. colleges and universities.
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Story Source: Business North
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Kenya; Awards; Marine Protected Areas; Wildlife
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