Stories that clicked with you: Ball State Magazine's top 10 for 2016

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]all State Magazine has told a lot of great stories in its first year, stories that celebrate the accomplishments of its students, faculty and alumni near and far. The new year promises many more, but take a moment to revisit the stories that you, our readers, made our top 10 of 2016.

1. At 16, she’s behind the wheel and ahead of her time at Ball State

Dora Lott of Farmland, Indiana, loves trig, buys vintage and watches “Friends,” but is two years younger than most of her fellow freshmen. SEE STORY

2. After a parent’s diagnosis, camp lets kids be kids

Ball State undergrads spent more than a year recruiting volunteers, raising money and finding children to attend the university’s chapter of Camp Kesem. SEE STORY

3. Theater prof takes cues from own past in guiding her student actors

Karen Kessler creates a safe, collaborative area to lead her actors through comedies, musicals and plays that can be emotionally difficult. SEE STORY

4. Starting this fall: A music program in the key of life

Mihoko Watanabe helps designs a program starting this fall that stresses skills such as grant-writing and pitching proposals to nonprofits. SEE STORY

5. ‘That’s when it hit home’: A son leaves for Ball State

Amid packing and goodbyes, Clay Miller and his Ball State alumni parents recall the Florida school that once topped his list and the talk that changed his mind. SEE STORY

6. Ball State put her on camera, and now she’s off to the races

Katie Hargitt, who grew up racing and hearing the Indy 500 from her house, found the tools to be a successful reporter on pit road. SEE STORY

7. Faculty break from the norm at Entrepreneurial Learning Academy

Lecturing and memorization take a back seat at the inaugural eight-week academy, as 10 faculty members hone classroom creativity. SEE STORY

8. Former Ball State lineman sheds, shreds his way to a new look

Cameron Lowry drops 50 pounds in the five months after his last football game in December 2012, thanks to an aggressive nutrition and exercise regimen. SEE STORY

9. Chalk in hand, professor hones the art of teaching biochemistry

Students and colleagues praise the 2016 Outstanding Teaching Award winner for his ability to convey complex ideas and relate them to everyday life. SEE STORY