Alumni Story

Go and do all the things you have any interest in; it’s all there.”

- Christopher

It was the rocking chairs that caught Tonya’s attention. Featured on a Catawba brochure, a photo of the rocking chairs in a professor’s office depicting students sitting and conversing with faculty showed just the kind of college experience that Tonya envisioned for herself.  She explains her thought process: “I’m going to be in a new environment, and if I need help, I want to know that my professors are there and are open and welcoming to students being there and talking to them, and the rocking chairs just really sold it.” Tonya arrived at Catawba from Tampa, Florida; Christopher found his way to Catawba from Raleigh, NC.

Christopher and Tonya met on their third day at Catawba at a freshman dance and met again on the first day of their work-study jobs at the campus library. They both had voluntarily signed up for an 8:00 a.m. shift. They were also randomly selected as two of three freshmen to participate in a focus group sharing their impressions of Catawba’s marketing efforts. The likelihood of having that many chance encounters at the start of freshman year seems unusual unless, as Christopher points out, “We were destined to meet.”

The two remained an item throughout their years at Catawba. Christopher had Dr. Pat Whitley for his freshman orientation class. After graduating, the pair kept up with her for years. Tonya laughs, “She didn’t think we would make it as a couple. She would send us a card every year saying, ‘I can’t believe you two are still together.’” Dr. Whitley is still on their Christmas card list.

Tonya majored in history, and Christopher chose business, so they rarely shared the same classes. The most notable exceptions were a couple of Honors courses, one of which concluded with a trip to Paris; the other, centering on art and the Renaissance, included a trip to Italy. That trip was expectedly memorable for Tonya and Christopher, with a highlight of New Year’s Eve spent in Florence.

Each of them set about making the most of their Catawba experience. Christopher was involved with SGA and the Order of the Blue and White. He took Portuguese, French, and Spanish, ultimately minoring in Spanish. Tonya served three years on the yearbook committee, taught piano in the music department in the afternoon to children, and was involved with Wigwam Productions, which planned and oversaw student activities. Since they were dating, Christopher was also active with Wigwam Productions; if Tonya was volunteering at an event or activity, Christopher joined her there. The two also participated for three years in chorale together, “one of the most enjoyable components of something not related to a major,” Christopher adds, and both agree that Dr. Barry Sang’s class in archery “was our favorite class ever.”

Names of professors whom they remember fondly and easily come to mind for Christopher and Tonya: in addition to Dr. Sang, there was Rosemary and Karl Kinard in music. In history, Tonya recalls Dr. Freeze and the late Dr. Griffith. Christopher contributes the names of Dr. Bethany Sinnott in English, Dr. Henderson, and the late Dr. Peevy in Spanish, as well as Dr. Andy Vance for business law and French. He greatly appreciated the class he took on Tolstoy taught by Dr. Charlie McAllister, and he credits Dr. Jamie Slate in the business school as being the reason he remained connected with Catawba and why he now serves as an adjunct professor at Catawba.

Tonya recalls Annie, the housekeeper for the library, who made Tonya’s mornings with her cheerfulness. The two added more names of staff members: Linda Hamilton of the President’s Office; former First Lady Jean Wurster, son Mark Wurster, along with Suzanne Wilson, all of whom worked in the library. Plus, there was the late Dr. Martha West, who traveled on the Honors trips; Dr. Carl Girelli, who taught Tonya’s freshman orientation honors class; and Professor David Pulliam, who was the yearbook advisor for one year. They go on to expand their list of Catawba community connections to include art professor emeritus, the late Dr. Walter Hood, and his wife Liz, with whom they often visited and with whom they remained friends until the Hoods each passed.

Upon graduating from Catawba in 2004, Christopher went to NC-State in Raleigh for his master’s degree in economics while Tonya worked for GMAC Insurance in Winston-Salem. After Christopher completed his master’s degree, the couple married.

Christopher has worked in a variety of organizations over the years, first in sales operations and then in compensation. He now focuses primarily on sales compensation and incentive design, predominantly in the healthcare space. Christopher has authored half a dozen books to date on the area of sales compensation and pay transparency, where sales and HR come together, and is a frequent speaker on those topics. Tonya does all the design work for Christopher’s books. In addition to serving as an adjunct professor at Catawba, Christopher also teaches classes for WorldatWork, a total rewards association that provides certifications in compensation, benefits, and the like.

The couple enjoys traveling. They recently bought an RV and traveled again out west, inspiring Tonya’s new endeavor: writing a children’s book about the RV, their dog, Gracey, and adventures on the road. They enjoy learning and going and doing, and the pair rarely suffer from boredom – except during COVID when they were unable to be on the go, so to stay busy, they both decided to get their MBA degrees.

Christopher encourages Catawba students to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to them, “Go and do all the things you have any interest in; it’s all there.” He also recommends pushing through the awkwardness of trying new things, “Embrace the discomfort whenever possible in order for you to overcome it; there’s a barrier there, and most of the time it’s self-imposed.”

Tonya shares insights she gleaned from her own Catawba experience, “Find your people. You’re going to have to go out and look for them. Just remember, y’all are all going through the same thing.” She recalls the start of her freshman year: “I was homesick, I was not doing well, there was so much going on, but I had people - I had some girlfriends at Catawba - and we’ve stayed in touch over the years. I would have left the first semester if I hadn’t met Christopher. Embrace the Catawba culture and the people. Sitting in the quad talking with friends were some of the best times.”