Finishing a college education:
Jim Baldridge, '83
B.A. Political Science
Senior Anchor, WHIO-TV
I am very lucky to have found Wright State. I graduated from high school in 1964 and began working at a small radio station in Lima. I wanted to be a radio announcer. I had no interest in college at the time. But by 1972 — after three years in the Army and two years of marriage — I realized I needed an education. I worked at WHIO-TV while attending Wright State as a part-time student. My wife, Sue, and I had small children at the time, and the combination of work and study was difficult. But I was convinced (and still am) that the life I could provide for my family was far better with a Wright State degree.
I had wonderful teachers at Wright State and I am still in contact with some of them. The Spanish I learned from Dr. Emily Cannon was invaluable during several assignments in El Salvador and Nicaragua during the civil wars of the 1980s.
I've been covering news in the Dayton area for more than 40 years. I've traveled the world during my years at WHIO to produce special reports in Germany, Thailand, Japan, Mexico, several Central American countries, China, Vietnam and Egypt. I've been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists and received a number of regional Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
I've enjoyed watching Wright State grow in size and importance. Today both my children are college graduates and have very successful careers. Wright State helped establish the tradition of higher education in my family. 
Economic modeling in real life
Christina Howard, '74, '80
B.S and M.S., Economics
Vice-President and Manager,
Entrepreneurial Development and Miami Valley Venture Funds Division,
Dayton Development Coalition
I have been fortunate in that training at Wright State gave me specific skills that were very valuable in the marketplace.
Wright State’s program in Social and Applied Economics prepared me to analyze and to identify solutions. I learned that change can happen with leadership and with good policy based on a sound understanding of the economy and its impact on all of us. It is not just theory, it is the reality of every day living and how we are all interconnected and part of a big picture. When you understand a system, any system - the city you live in, your workplace, even your family - you understand its elements and you can figure out ways to make it better or ways to meet challenges.
The course of my career includes working for the City of Dayton forecasting city revenues, working with small businesses through the Citywide Development Corporation, 10 years in the banking industry managing commercial lending for small businesses, and owning my own manufacturing firm. Now I work at the Dayton Development Coalition, where I help companies think strategically and then to execute their strategies. Sometimes that means venture capital, sometimes that is just a new direction, a new product, or a new partner, sometimes it is opening a door to a new customer or finding a key employee. Again, it is the ability to see the overall picture.
The applied nature of my program at Wright State prepared me to analyze and identify solutions. It taught me a new way of thinking, to identify ways to intercede for change.
