30th Anniversary History Book

graduate PROFILE: Nathan Plung

the basketball court in their apartment complex.

HOME:  West Richland, WA

“The apartment complex was all around the court,” said Mass, a basketball website administrator for RealGM.com who lives in Longwood, Fla. “It was an L-shape so everyone could hear what was going on on the basketball court.” After enough neighbors complained about the hoopsters’ midnight dunks and layups, Mass and his friends made sure to end their fierce competitions earlier in the evening. Today, under the leadership of Steven McDaniels, director of fitness and athletics, Beacon College sports have reached a new level of play, with traveling basketball, tennis, flag football and powerlifting teams already making news. In February 2019, the Beacon College Tennis Club notched the school’s first intercollegiate win in any sport during its first appearance in the Delray Beach Open ‘Tennis on Campus’ Challenge. That same month in 2019, two members of the Beacon College Powerlifting Club earned gold and silver medals at the USA Powerlifting Jacksonville Open Championships. Recreational sports now include basketball, bowling, disc golf, kickball, soccer, softball, swimming, ultimate Frisbee and volleyball. The college’s Outdoor Adventures program includes bicycling, camping, hiking, paintball and ziplining. Mass, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, recalls a professor telling him that, in the years to come, when Mass saw all the great things Beacon would have, he’d be amazed but still glad he attended when he did, “because it’s the class you were with that made the difference.” His professor was right, Mass said, because he’s still in touch with the friends he made at Beacon. “But,” he said, “I do envy the workout room.”

CLASS OF: 2007

PROFESSION: Fine artist and advocate for people with disabilities

HOBBIES:  Traveling, bowling

FAVORITE MUSICAL GENRE: Classic rock and alternative rock

MOST MEANINGFUL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Starting my master’s and finding a job I love

PROFILE: A professional artist and an advocate for people with disabilities. WHERE IN LIFE DO YOU BELIEVE YOU WOULD BE WITHOUT BEACON? I don’t think college would have been in the cards for me if Beacon wasn’t in my life. HOW DID BEACON GIVE YOU A FOOTHOLD IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD? I wouldn’t have been able to market my artwork had it not been for what I learned from Beacon as well as the confidence I gained in my abilities. HOW DO COMPANIES BENEFIT FROM INTEGRATING INDIVIDUALS’ LEARNING DIFFERENCES INTO THE WORKPLACE? It’s not only what people with learning disabilities can bring to the table but what companies can learn from people with disabilities. It’s a different way of thinking and doing things. Businesses can learn from people with disabilities that you have to think outside the box.

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