Additional Alumni Spotlights

Pam Hoffman

There’s nothing like heading out the door each morning knowing you’re your own boss. It’s even more gratifying when it means you’re making a difference in the lives of others.

Pam Hoffman would be the first to attest. After all, the Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) graduate has been helping people improve their nutritional habits since opening her Total Nutrition Shop in 2006. The shop, located at 6873 W. 130th Street in Parma Heights, provides individuals with customized meal plans, personal training, nutrition education and an extensive selection of nutritional supplements all under one roof.

“I draw strongly on my nutrition background every day and continue to learn more on my own,” Hoffman said. “Even though I’m in retail, I often use an educational approach with our customers. I believe that has separated us from the pack. I really focus on quality in products and science for explanations to get results people want.”

Hoffman, who earned an associate degree from Tri-C in 2005, is a certified personal trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). She is presently working to complete her bachelor’s degree in technical management and entrepreneurship at DeVry University.

“My business continues to grow,” Hoffman added of her Venture Worthy silver award-winning operation. “People are amazed at the information we freely give and the way we explain it in terms they can understand.”

Hoffman also practices what she preaches. The Parma Heights native competes in running, biking and powerlifting, holding state and national records for women’s bench pressing.

“We’re weathering the economic storm reasonably,” Hoffman pointed out. “As long as I continue to get new customers due to referrals, I know we’re doing something right.”

For more information, contact Hoffman at (440) 345-5660 or visit www.totalnutritionone.com.

Halle Chiappone

Eight students from a capstone interior design class at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) Eastern Campus joined forces with Color Your Corner in connection with Rainbow Babies & Children Hospital to remodel the bedroom of Mylee Fruits, an 8-year-old girl from Garfield Heights with cystic fibrosis.

Co-founded by Tri-C graduate and interior designer Halle Chiappone of Mentor-on-the-Lake, Color Your Corner of the Brynn Monahan Foundation allows children with serious medical conditions to develop at home, in an environment that accentuates their individual personalities. The organization believes that a positive, fun environment can be an extension to a child's medical development by making a technology dependent environment more kid-friendly.

With a budget of $1,500 and many generous donations, the students created a dazzling space for Mylee. “I think, we more than exceeded the family’s expectations,” said Sheila Tiddle of Moreland Hills, an interior design student and president of the Tri-C chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). She said Mylee was overwhelmed with excitement upon seeing her new room. “It’s a little girl’s room that happens to have some medical equipment.”

“Design – yes, it’s to beautify your interior, but it’s really to enhance your environment,” Tiddle explained. “Whether you’re in a million dollar house or a little girl who wants a special place to call her own, I think it’s just as important.”

Mylee recently paid the kindness forward, donating her own hair to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada, under the age of 21, suffering from long-term medical hair loss.

Tri-C’s interior design students learn to solve the functional and aesthetic design problems in residential and commercial interiors. The program prepares students for employment in interior design studios, architectural firms, showrooms, retail and furniture stores and manufacturing firms. For more information about the Interior Design program at Tri-C, contact program manager Karen Taylor at (216) 987-2253 or Karen.Taylor@tri-c.edu.

For more information about Color Your Corner visit www.coloryourcorner.com, or contact the organization at info@coloryourcorner.com or (440) 487-4178.

Ashley Baker

Ashley Baker leads a busy but fulfilling professional life. The Tri-C alumna is the owner of Rhapsody Music Studio where she teaches private piano lessons. Tri-C played an important role in Baker’s journey. "My major was undecided throughout my two years at Tri-C," said Baker. "But the College challenged me in many different areas of study, and gave me an opportunity to explore my many interests." Ultimately, Baker transferred to Baldwin-Wallace College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education, with a focus on Middle Childhood Education. Baker learned her teaching techniques and skills from Baldwin Wallace, but her Tri-C education also plays a vital role in her everyday activities. "I really enjoyed my studies in music theory and music history at Tri-C," she said. "The knowledge I gained from those classes is used every day in my own teaching and playing." Baker has returned to Tri-C since her days as student, coming to see her brother, a current Tri-C student, perform in the College’s choir.