People

Sowmya Ravi moved across the country from Chandler, Arizona, to attend Case Western Reserve University—and once she arrived, she quickly found support that made her new city feel like home. Part of her on-campus family came by way of Horizons, a medical mentorship organization that brings together…

It was just Brooke Macnamara’s first day as a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University when she had a study published that upended long-held beliefs about the importance of practice on one’s expertise. The study, published in 2014 in Psychological Science, garnered attention from such…

John Tomko learned how to code on a TI-84 calculator at the urging of a high school math teacher. Tomko took on the challenge—and now, the rudimentary programming method seems simple to Tomko, having earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and nearing completion of the Master of…

Growing up along Ohio’s northeastern shore, Dave Lucas felt the poetry of Lake Erie many years before he knew its landscapes could be thought of that way. A moment of epiphany for him came as a teenager, reading Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio—a poem that not only name-dropped a place…

Pallavi Tiwari’s passion for biomedical engineering started in a garage in India. When she and a college friend realized the difficulty people with blindness have in navigating their surroundings—especially indoors—they set to work in Tiwari’s garage, teaching themselves how to solder. They then…

Dorothy Humel Hovorka’s impact on Case Western Reserve University is indelible: She served as a trustee, a fundraiser, a donor, and the organizer of a centennial celebration of one of the university’s greatest discoveries. Last month, Humel Hovorka (HON ’09) passed away at the age of 96 after a…

A junior accounting major known for his infectious enthusiasm died early Tuesday morning in an automobile accident on the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway. Family, friends and fraternity brothers are mourning Robert Park, 20, who was known for his enthusiastic, outgoing nature—as well as the care he…

Sara Lee may be new to the role of director of health services at Case Western Reserve University, but she’s no stranger to the university. Lee graduated from the School of Medicine in 2001 and started working as an attending physician at University Health Service in 2008. But years before, during…

Students and colleagues across campus are remembering Todd (TJ) McCallum, associate professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, for his warm, caring nature and positive spirit. After a yearlong battle with a chronic illness, McCallum passed away Dec. 5. McCallum, who joined Case Western…

Aaron Aguilar almost missed his chance to play football. Worried about the injuries he might suffer, his father wouldn’t let him take the field. But Aguilar was determined to play, so in eighth grade, his mother snuck him out of the house to sign up for Junior All-American Football. “Ever since…