Wichita State News: Graduate stories

Case closed: Grad student headed to CSI position

It was love at first autopsy for Wichita State University graduate student Carla Patton. The 41-year-old California native is the newest crime scene investigator for the Wichita Police Department.

Fresh on the job as of May 13, Patton is doing her part to snuff out crime in the city. Her new position comes in the same week she graduates from WSU with her master's degree in criminal justice.

Patton has been interested in the court system and law enforcement for many years and began her undergraduate studies at WSU in fall 2002.

"I think it is fascinating how small pieces of evidence by themselves don't necessarily prove anything," she said, "but put them together, and they can tell what crime was committed and how. For those who die and the cause and manner of death aren't known, the body tells the tale."

She and her parents moved to Wichita from Oxnard, Calif., in 1989 because they grew tired of the traffic and smog, choosing Kansas because her father is originally from here.

When Patton earned her bachelor's degree, she also won Senior Honor Woman, the highest award given annually to five women graduating from the criminal justice department.

After winning the prestigious award, she was motivated to continue for a master's degree, which she did in 2006.

Before going to college, Patton worked in retail management. She eventually decided college was something she needed to do.

"What WSU taught me was what I put my mind to, I can do," she said. "It gave me a sense of confidence and achievement."

Patton said her time spent at WSU has been more than worthwhile. Being in the classroom with WPD lieutenant and WSU lecturer Kenneth Landwehr was one of her most memorable experiences.

In order to help students gain a real sense of what working in the law enforcement field is like, Landwehr didn't protect the class from the brutality of cases.

"He gives you the whole enchilada," she said. "I took both of his classes while he was trying to catch BTK, and after he and his team caught him, we gave him a standing ovation in class."

To be a part of a system that works to "solve crimes, prosecute criminals and keep order in society," Patton said, is something she is proud of.

She plans to stay in Wichita, eventually hoping to move up within the police department.

Student crowds in one more opera before graduation

Todd Walters, soon to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, might not make the walk for graduation. Commencement comes the day after his two-night leading role in Opera Kansas' production of "The Music Master" by G.B. Pergolesi.

Todd Walters

"The Music Master," a comic one-act opera, has other WSU ties, too. One of Walters' School of Music mentors, Marie King, is stage directing, and Kerry Moss, a WSU alumna who earned her master's in music and is an adjunct instructor, has the female lead. Vanessa Whalen, a frequent accompanist for WSU faculty and students, is also in the cast.

Opera Kansas director Ed Ehinger appears as a slightly villainous opera house impresario who attempts to steal away a female student of the voice teacher (Walters).

King, director of WSU Opera and Musical Theatre, said Ehinger became aware of Walters' fine singing and professionalism through the Opera Kansas chorus for "Amahl and the Night Visitors." "The Music Master" is a good part for him.

"Todd was a natural choice for the role of the tenor voice teacher," said King. During his undergraduate years, Walters' vocal talent also has ensured his importance to the WSU opera program, King said.

"While just a sophomore, Todd had a lead role in 'The Merry Widow' and featured parts in 'The Tales of Hoffmann,'" she said. "Over the years, his lyric tenor has been heard in a wide variety of music, from mid-Baroque (as Mercury in 'La Calisto') through contemporary (as Laurie in 'Little Women')." He also portrayed Adam in "Eve's Odds."

For Walters, the opportunity to work with the professional opera company – even as he faced his own finals and graduate school auditions – was too good to pass up. The simplicity of this opera's storyline and presentation appealed to him, too.

"It's just a magical little story," said Walters.

Marie King

King said anyone looking for something different and fun should bring the whole family to "The Music Master" ("Il Maestro di Musica"). It will be performed in English.

The action takes place in Naples in tenor Maestro Lamberto's vocal studio. Lamberto's pupil is soprano Signorina Lauretta, who is secretly enamored of the maestro. But she rebels against his demanding methods on her path to opera stardom and insists that her family's connections will get her an engagement at Signor Colagianni's opera house.

When the cynical and lecherous Colagianni shows up looking for a singer for his new opera, he is taken with Lauretta and offers to lay the opera world at her feet. In exchange, he demands that she "give her heart" to him. The story takes off from there.

Walters plays Maestro Lamberto, with Moss as Signorina Lauretta, Ehinger as Signor Colagianni and Whalen as Ottavio.

With "The Music Master" and graduation over, Walters will concentrate on the future. He grew up in Medicine Lodge, Kan., where his family still lives.

"I'm applying to graduate schools at Juilliard and Rice," said Walters. "They did take me in and heard me; that's a start to anything."

He is also auditioning for the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty. And, if he's still around Wichita, he would love to do more with Opera Kansas.

Whatever Walters does will definitely involve singing. It's what he loves and does naturally, whether in a staged opera or solo performances. He has been a featured soloist for WSU President Don Beggs close to a dozen times this academic year alone, and has sung "The National Anthem" for major sporting and other events more times than he can count.

Meanwhile, Walters is guaranteed to be around campus for a while longer. He had so much fun volunteering as a camp counselor for the 2007 Kodaly Children's Choir camp that he has signed up again for this summer's camp.

If Walters ends up staying in Wichita, he'll also no doubt continue giving tours for the outdoor sculpture collection as a docent for the Ulrich Museum of Art.

"The Music Master" is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15, and Friday, May 16, at the Theatre at Prairie Pines, 4055 N. Tyler Road. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students and senior citizens. The performance, in English, is about 45 minutes and also features complimentary wine, hors d'oeuvres and light desserts.

WSU grad student earns master's degree, writes novel

For Richard Davies, the countdown is on. Only a few days remain until he completes his master's degree in fiction writing at Wichita State University.

Richard Davies

Davies has been studying at WSU off and on for the past 30 years, and is earning his second degree from the university, the first of which was a bachelor of fine arts.

Besides permanent student retirement, he has other things on his mind: getting published.

The 49-year-old father of two has authored a novel for his final project in the graduate program, and plans to submit it for publication as soon as he finishes his final draft.

The futuristic novel, titled "Heirloom," looks at the negative effects of peak oil, predicting what events may occur after the depletion of the resource. Davies' book will likely be the first of a series in a trilogy.

Along with working as a freelance journalist for a number of years, writing mainly for CBS.com, Davies has also written two screenplays, one of which placed in the top 20 out of several thousand entries in a prestigious screenplay and amateur filmmaking contest.

Davies has been back at WSU after first studying at the university in 1976.

He took nearly six years off to start a family while he owned and operated Kirby's bar, located just south of the WSU campus, and completed his undergraduate degree in 1988.

Three years ago, he began graduate school and has been impressed with the program.

Davies said the instructors eagerly strive to teach students how to write well, and he believes he has made measurable improvements while learning the tools and methods he needs to become a successful author.

In addition to coursework, Davies has also acted as a graduate teaching assistant, interacting with more than 35 students on a regular basis.

Out of this experience came a love for teaching, which he found ironic since his mother had been telling him for years that she thought he would make an excellent teacher. He looked forward to each day he spent in the classroom.

"I would leap out of bed excited, thinking about what I would teach my students," he said. "I ultimately want to work as an author and teacher."

After Davies concludes his studies this semester, he plans to teach Introduction to Literature at Butler Community College this summer, and also as an adjunct instructor at WSU in the fall.

Wichita State graduate lands job with Cirque du Soleil

Center stage with eyes closed, lost in the music, Miki Masuda is in her happy place.

Every Saturday night at the Broadview Hotel in downtown Wichita, she stands under dim light with a large electric bass guitar hanging from her petite frame, immersed in jazz music.

Masuda, who came to Wichita from Japan, has been studying music and the electric bass guitar at Wichita State University since 2004.

This summer she will graduate with her master's degree in music performance and has already landed her first big job with one of the most recognized, extravagant productions in the world: Cirque du Soleil, French for "circus of the sun."

Masuda, 30, has played the electric bass guitar since 1994 when she attended high school in Wamego, Kan., as an exchange student from Tokyo, Japan.

She didn't come to the United States to study music, but by the time she went back to Japan she had developed a deep connection with it.

It was by chance that she came to play the instrument. One day while in music class at Wamego High School, Masuda noticed a spare guitar on the ground.

"There was an electric bass lying on the floor and no one was playing it," she said. "So my instructor suggested that I try it."

After she tried once, Masuda picked up the bass frequently and began enjoying it more each time. When she returned to Japan after her year-long stint in the States, she didn't forget about her new-found interest.

Back home, she finished high school and her undergraduate degree in English. Masuda returned to Kansas in 2001 to resume her study of music at Hutchinson Community College.

That's when she was introduced to Tom Fowler, WSU professor and associate chair of the WSU School of Music.

The two met when Masuda was the interpreter at a Japanese-Kansas business conference held in Hutchinson and the WSU jazz band was the evening's entertainment.

Fowler said Masuda was impressed by the band's performance and wanted to know how she could play with them. With encouragement from Fowler, she transferred to Wichita State in 2004 and earned her undergraduate degree in music performance two years later.

Although she didn't consider graduate school at the time, she gave it a second thought at Fowler's recommendation.

"Miki is an extremely talented bass player and I thought she'd do well in graduate school," Fowler said. "She is somebody who will do anything you ask of her. She's never unwilling to try something new."

Masuda enrolled in graduate school at WSU and also worked as a graduate teaching assistant, which allowed her to study and teach undergraduate courses while receiving financial aid.

When she picks up her diploma this August, she can breathe a long-awaited sigh of relief, but not for long. She will be embarking on her new adventure with Cirque du Soleil, far from the Wichita jazz scene.

Cirque du Soleil's performances are accompanied by continuous live music and incorporate various circus styles based around themes and storylines.

Masuda will play electric bass guitar during the productions as she travels around the world with the Montreal, Canada, based company.

She is looking forward to trying a new realm of entertainment, playing, improving and meeting new people; it's what she enjoys most.

"I love music. It's something I can express myself with," Masuda said. "I'm just generally happy when I'm playing."