Baylor Connections

Richa Sirohi

From a childhood in Nebraska, to Baylor, to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Richa Sirohi pursued her dreams and is achieving significant goals as an engineer. A 2018 Baylor graduate, Sirohi is Baylor’s 2023 Young Alumna of the Year. In this Baylor Connections, Sirohi takes listeners inside her work and shares what it means to serve as a role model for students hoping to follow her footsteps into the STEM fields.

Ken Buckley

Baylor students are attaining jobs and grad school positions at an elite rate. The University’s most recent placement rate is 92 percent, and the Baylor University Career Center has played an important role in helping students build a successful approach to their career. Ken Buckley serves as Assistant Vice Provost in the Baylor University Career Center. In this Baylor Connections, he shares how the Career Center partners with students and adds value to their Baylor education.

Ryan McManamay

When flooding in Yellowstone stalled a family vacation, Ryan McManamay turned his attention to those impacted by the disaster. McManamay, an associate professor of environmental science at Baylor, earned a grant to survey business owners around the park to determine the floods’ impact on their business. That data sheds light on the role of natural resources on the communities around them. In this Baylor Connections, he tells the story behind the project and shares a broader vision for the role of places like Yellowstone National Park as critical infrastructure.

Cindy Wu and Emily Hunter

What constitutes a good workday break, and how can breaks impact both productivity and health? Cindy Wu and Emily Hunter from Baylor’s Department of Management studied these topics, and their research broke new ground and shattered a few long-held myths. In this Baylor Connections, Wu and Hunter help listeners consider their own workday breaks and how to effectively utilize them for benefits on and off the job.

Barbara Walker

A trailblazer, social worker, civil servant and leader, Barbara Walker was Baylor University’s first Black female graduate. This Spring, statues of Ms. Walker and Rev. Robert Gilbert, Baylor’s first Black male graduate, were dedicated in front of Baylor’s Tidwell Bible Building. In this Baylor Connections, Walker shares stories from her time at Baylor and her career in social work, and examines what it means to see a statue which immortalizes her contributions for future generations.

Taryn Anderson

Many students and parents have questions about financial aid. One Stop Student Services is Baylor’s resource for financial aid, billing and payment. Earlier this year, they moved to a new location in the Bill Daniel Student Center. In this Baylor Connections, Taryn Anderson, Senior Director for Enrollment Services, shares insights into financial aid, scholarships and more, and invites students and families to utilize One Stop services.

Paul Putz

The intersection of faith and sports is where Paul Putz’s research and teaching resides. As Assistant Director of the Faith & Sports Institute at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, he works with both current and future leaders in sports, and his research examines topics ranging from Christian sports organizations to social issues, sports and religion. In this Baylor Connections, Putz considers these topics and more, and shares how his work on James Naismith’s faith led to a connection with the family of the inventor of basketball.

Dakota Farquhar-Caddell

This Spring, Baylor announced the upcoming addition of two cubs to campus—Judge Indy and Judge Belle. Indy and Belle are American black bear cubs who will soon call campus home. Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, Associate Director of Student Activities and the Robert Reid Director of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, oversees the Baylor Bear program. In this Connections, he takes listeners inside the process to find Indy and Belle, shares insights into their personalities and highlights Baylor’s care for Lady as she graduates from campus to her new Baylor home.