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PROFILES OF PIONEERING SPIRIT

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Adriana Roberts ’90

San Francisco, California

Amy Giannotti ’95

Winter Park, Florida

Angelique Evans ’09

Champaign, Illinois

Ashley Thomas ’14

Garfield Heights , Ohio

Darren LaShelle ’89

San Francisco, California

Don and Leslie Straub Ritter ’81

Dallas, Texas

Dr. Joseph Webb ’07

De Pere, Wisconsin

Dr. Kenneth Andrus ’70

Honolulu, Hawaii

Krista Tkacz ’09

Sicklerville, New Jersey

Leah Seaman ’21

Philippi, West Virginia

State

California
Adriana RobertsDarren LaShelle
D.C.
Lindy Nester
Florida
Amy Giannotti
Hawaii
Dr. Kenneth Andrus
Illinois
Angelique Evans
New Jersey
Krista Tkacz
Ohio
Ashley ThomasScott and Rachel Worthington Burnham
Texas
Sarah MayoDon and Leslie Straub Ritter
West Virginia
Leah Seaman
Wisconsin
Dr. Joseph Webb

Country

Browse
Close
People Location
Adriana Roberts ’90

San Francisco, California

Amy Giannotti ’95

Winter Park, Florida

Angelique Evans ’09

Champaign, Illinois

Ashley Thomas ’14

Garfield Heights , Ohio

Darren LaShelle ’89

San Francisco, California

Don and Leslie Straub Ritter ’81

Dallas, Texas

Dr. Joseph Webb ’07

De Pere, Wisconsin

Dr. Kenneth Andrus ’70

Honolulu, Hawaii

Krista Tkacz ’09

Sicklerville, New Jersey

Leah Seaman ’21

Philippi, West Virginia

State

California
Adriana RobertsDarren LaShelle
D.C.
Lindy Nester
Florida
Amy Giannotti
Hawaii
Dr. Kenneth Andrus
Illinois
Angelique Evans
New Jersey
Krista Tkacz
Ohio
Ashley ThomasScott and Rachel Worthington Burnham
Texas
Sarah MayoDon and Leslie Straub Ritter
West Virginia
Leah Seaman
Wisconsin
Dr. Joseph Webb

Country

Ashley Thomas ’14

Garfield Heights , Ohio

M.Ed., Cleveland State University B.A. Sport Management, Marietta College

About

Founder of Sevynteenth, a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of today’s youth • First African-American person elected to the Garfield Heights City Schools Board of Education

Scott and Rachel Worthington Burnham ’12

Marietta, Ohio

Scott: B.S. Petroleum Engineering - Rachel: B.A. Public Accounting

About

Scott: Distribution Engineer — Columbia Gas Co-Owner • Fitness Instructor & Run Coach — Rockstar Wellness • LLC Marathon Runner; Rachel: Co-Owner, Fitness Instructor & Nutrition Coach — Rockstar Wellness • LLC American Council on Exercise Certification • Athletics and Fitness Association of America Certification

Icon for their major

Ashley Thomas ’14

Garfield Heights , Ohio

M.Ed., Cleveland State University B.A. Sport Management, Marietta College

About

Founder of Sevynteenth, a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of today’s youth • First African-American person elected to the Garfield Heights City Schools Board of Education

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There are no days off for Ashley Thomas ’14. As a single mother of a young daughter, a Care Coordinator for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, and the founder of the Sevynteenth nonprofit, Ashley may look like she’s being pulled in a thousand different directions, but in reality, she’s the one pushing everything else forward.

For her, it’s about progressing her community — and it all starts with the children. With the birth of her daughter, Sevyn, Ashley became driven to help improve the educational system in Garfield Heights, which is why she decided to run for a seat on the school board. When she was sworn in, she became the first African-American person elected to the Garfield Heights City Schools Board of Education.

“I ran a city-wide campaign, knocked on a lot of doors, canvassed businesses and spoke to a lot of community members. Our school board hadn’t changed in 20 years but our student population did. Our district is about 85 percent minority and comprised of five schools. Our city just celebrated its 100th year and I’m the first African American elected for a full term on the school board. Our district offers a good education, and our board is working together to improve the way our district works. The community is very open about what they want to see happen and they were ready for a change!”

Related Links

Business & Economics Department
Sports Management major

Listen to a podcast with Ashley Thomas

https://soundcloud.com/user-475194276/episode-13-ashley-thomas-14
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Above: Ashley at the Garfield Heights Board of Education office.
Inset: Ashley’s campaign materials that she used to go door to door helped to get her elected.

In addition to helping lead the district at the administrative level, Ashley found that a great deal of impact could be made by providing additional learning opportunities to children through community outreach, which is why she founded the nonprofit, Sevynteenth. The organization serves the Greater Cleveland area by providing educational programming and mentoring to children in the region, as well as opportunities for other community leaders to become involved with local youth.

The endless hours of planning, fundraising and activism that Ashley puts into her community are a reflection of how much she cares about her Cleveland-area neighborhood.

“I, Pioneer of Garfield Heights City School Board, will help change the lives of every student in this district by making sure every child has access to exceptional educational opportunities.”

Learn More

@ThomasGHBOE@msthomasboe
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Scott and Rachel Worthington Burnham ’12

Marietta, Ohio

Scott: B.S. Petroleum Engineering - Rachel: B.A. Public Accounting

About

Scott: Distribution Engineer — Columbia Gas Co-Owner • Fitness Instructor & Run Coach — Rockstar Wellness • LLC Marathon Runner; Rachel: Co-Owner, Fitness Instructor & Nutrition Coach — Rockstar Wellness • LLC American Council on Exercise Certification • Athletics and Fitness Association of America Certification

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A talented petroleum engineer and a Big 4 accountant — together, they could succeed just about anywhere in the world.

So why would Scott ’11 and Rachel Worthington Burhnam ’12 return to the small-city life of Marietta to start up a fitness center in the heart of downtown?

“I don’t know if I’d want to do this anywhere else but here,” said Rachel, who co-owns Rockstar Wellness, LLC, with her husband, Scott, whose 8-to-5 job is as a full-time engineer for a natural gas distribution company. “To me, one of the great things about starting this small business is the community. We have a lot of support behind us — from the other businesses located downtown to the people in the community and the College. We have so many people on our side.”

The two met at Marietta as students — Scott studied to be a petroleum engineer and Rachel was focused on working as a public accountant at one of the Big 4 firms. Both graduated, left the Marietta area and reached their individual goals. They married in 2015. But the downturn in the oil and gas industry and another passion that the couple shared — fitness — soon led the couple to move back to the area.

“We had a lot of people tell us we were coming into an over-saturated area,” Rachel said. “We opened right on the heels of Planet Fitness, and there are so many other gyms in the area, but we felt really strongly about what we could bring to an area like Marietta.”

Scott is an avid runner and handles a variety of management and day-to-day operations at the fitness studio, which is located on Second Street. When the pandemic hit, the Burnhams were prepared to keep the fledgling business open.

“Mentally we were prepared,” Scott said. “It was one of those times that you just had to roll with the punches. That’s also how it is in petroleum engineering: you make the best decision with the best information that you have. Going remote was a challenge but we navigated it very quickly. We knew there was a demand and we just had to figure out how to provide it. Our clients were still there and they still needed to have what we had to offer.”

Related Links

Rockstar Wellness, LLC
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“Don’t let anything hold you back. The only limit is the one you put on yourself and your imagination” — Scott Burnham ’11

Rachel says walking away from her original plan to be a Big 4 accountant in order to follow her dream of helping others achieve a healthy lifestyle was never a tradeoff.

“My favorite story is of a young woman who came in for her very first class,” Rachel said. “She works for a nearby bank and she knew she’d have to walk by our place every day so she let a coworker talk her into coming.”

The woman had no idea what a fitness class would be like or how she would be treated. Rachel and staff learned her name the first day and got to know about the woman as much as she would share.

“She was a back row participant for a while and, within three months, she was shining in the front row,” Rachel said. “Now, she’s an instructor. It’s my favorite success story — being able to watch her confidence grow, and now it flows out of her. To me, that’s what this business is about; that’s what makes Rockstar one of the most rewarding things. It changes people’s minds and it changes the way people care for themselves. Can you imagine being able to help someone do that?”

Scott admires how much his wife puts into their business and how much care she invests in their clients. Though he works a full-time job and carves out a little time for his own personal running before putting in additional hours at Rockstar Fitness, he said the business is truly a passion project.

“Since opening Rockstar, I see how it has been an inspiration within the community,” he said. “There are several gyms in the area, and ours is unique. It’s been uplifting to see the success that our customers have had. It’s not just about losing weight; it’s seeing people who have been able to use our exercise classes as therapy for other illnesses in their lives. From the owner’s perspective, being able to watch other people’s journeys has been uplifting and it inspires us to keep going because we know we are having an impact.”

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