The impact a professor has on a student can extend far beyond the classroom. That impact holds especially true for Tech. Sergeant Melanie Mangan of the United States Air Force 911th Airlift Wing, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mangan, a 2004 graduate with majors in sociology and psychology, was unsure if college was right for her. She began her studies at The University of Akron in 1998 after serving five years in the U.S. Air Force. “My eyes were opened in Dr. Zipp and Dr. Yoder’s classes,” recounts Mangan. “What I learned from them stayed with me. They were inspiring, professionally and personally, and they had a strong impact on me.”
Husband and wife John Zipp and Janice Yoder are professors of sociology and psychology in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences. Zipp first met Mangan when she took his Intro to Sociology course and Yoder taught her in Psychology of Women. Counting their influence as motivation to graduate in four years, Mangan quickly began work with the Summit Developmental Disabilities Board, where today she serves as a work station specialist.
In 2008, Mangan reenlisted as a member of the Air Force Reserve. And it was during subsequent deployments in Iraq and Bahrain that she found herself remembering what her former professors taught her. So it felt right to find a way to honor them. As part of a program by the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, she was able to purchase an American flag and have it flown on a C-130 Hercules combat mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On May 20, Mangan presented the flag to Zipp, along with a certificate to commemorate the event.