(Editor’s note: In the previous issue, we ran a small notice asking readers to tell us about their unusual occupations. Although the jobs held by the writers of the first two letters below aren’t exactly what we were (and still are) looking for, the stories of how they found their true calling was interesting nonetheless and, we thought, worth sharing.)

Taking A Sharp Turn On The Career Path

Every time I receive Old Dominion University magazine it brings me back home to my alma mater, and the stories of remembrance, vision for expansion and success continue to inspire me as an ODU graduate.

When I saw the request for unusual occupation stories in the spring 2005 magazine, I thought I really had a usual job but in an unusual place, one of the two frontier lands left – Wyoming and Alaska – and wondered if it would count as a submission. By the time I finished writing, I didn’t think it mattered and I just wanted to share my experience.

While I look on in admiration at all those who had a straight path to success, I wonder how many ... took a road less traveled to find their own personal success. Being a proud 2000 ODU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, information technology emphasis, I went straight to work for Pricewater-house Coopers, LLC, as a systems analysis consultant. IBM bought out the consulting sector in 2003, and I stayed for another year.

Going into the IT field, I wondered whether this would be my true calling, and after three years I decided that it wasn’t my passion. I quit the corporate life and the decent wages in 2004 and joined Corporation America (VISTA). My choice was a hard one because, as a first-generation Vietnamese American, I was raised to appreciate the value of a good job. But I knew ... I could take on many other occupations with my degree.

I spent that next year as the marketing and PR director for a nonprofit organization, Wyoming Children’s Access Network in Sheridan, earning only $792 a month. In exchange for the low wages, I received the priceless experience of being able to explore and enjoy the beauty of Wyoming’s wild lands of rolling hills and majestic mountains. At the same time I was helping those in poverty.

My business degree opened the doors to yet another opportunity in the nonprofit sector when I accepted the position of executive director to start a free health clinic in Sheridan. The clinic opened on March 17, 2005, and has been a success, with increasing numbers of low-income patients each week. I am responsible for the financials, marketing and public relations, and fund raising, and I am thankful to have experience in the IT field because I also act as the technical support for our agency.

I have traveled far to find my true calling. The value of my ODU education is priceless, and I think there must be others who have found themselves not quite where they thought they would be years after graduation, but still in the perfect place.
– Ngan Lam ’00
Sheridan, Wyo.

I enjoy reading Old Dominion University magazine and sharing it with my co-workers at the Virginia Beach Armory. We especially enjoy the stories you cover on the military and the stories on former students who are now in the military.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in elementary education but discovered that teaching was not my calling. I joined the Virginia Army National Guard when I felt that I could change my destiny and do well to serve our country. As of May 2005, I have been a reservist in the National Guard for 17 years. In addition to this, I am a family assistance coordinator with the 54th Field Artillery Brigade, assisting the family members of all our deployed troops and sailors in the Hampton Roads area on a full-time basis.
– Tammy James Lancaster ’86
Currituck, N.C.

Thanks For Magazine

Thank you for sending Old Dominion University magazine. Over the years, it has only gotten better. I actually save it to send to my in-laws.

Currently of note, my husband, Dr. Max Cannon ’84 (B.S. in chemistry), just performed his 100th gastric bypass surgery in Payson, Utah. This is quite a milestone and helps him in becoming a “Center of Excellence” for this procedure. He has had no mortalities, and morbidities that are far below the national average for this procedure. He also sponsors a support group for patients that have had the surgery.
– Kathy Cannon
Salem, Utah

In Support Of Football

As a 1995 graduate and strong supporter of ODU, I was pleased to see the school is finally recognizing one of the best alumni activities in college – football. No other sport pulls alumni together, creates regional rivalries nor brings national recognition to a school.

As a previously active member of the Los Angeles area alumni and the attorney chapter, I would like to voice strong support for the formation of a football team and receive information on who is collecting funding, organizing the effort or is in any way involved on either the school or alumni end.
– Richard E. Quintilone II ’95
Irvine, Calif.


To send a letter to the editor, an update for the Class News section or a change-of-address notice, you may contact us via e-mail, sdaniel@odu.edu; fax, 757-683-5501; or by regular mail, Editor, Old Dominion University magazine, 100 Koch Hall, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529.

You may reach us by phone at:
Alumni Association and Alumni Relations Office: 757-683-3097 or 888-ODU-3435
Old Dominion University magazine: 757-683-3093