Christian Zavisca, a 1995 graduate of Valparaiso University, is the new associate director of creative services for the university. He will write and edit material for Valpo Magazine, the university's alumni publication, and work on advancement, publications and brochures.

Zavisca recently worked on a leaflet for the Our Valpo Campaign and will work with the admissions office editing correspondence to prospective students as well as department chairs.

"We'll really be trying to match the communication to the (students) interest," he said.

After earning a bachelor's degree in communications at Valparaiso, Zavisca worked at several newspapers, most recently at the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee.

As a copy editor, he worked on news stories with emphasis on correct local and Associated Press style, proper grammar and factual accuracy. He wrote headlines and photo captions and checked page proofs as part of a six-person night copy desk for the daily publication with an approximate weekday circulation of 120,000.

"That's a skill I like to think I bring to the office," he said of editing.

"The university's changed a lot since I graduated. It's been really great coming home. Its a wonderful university community and its got that same community feel to it," he added.

Zavisca, a former volunteer for Big Brothers & Big Sisters, embarked on a service trip to Tobati, Paraguay earlier this year. He accompanied Team Tobati on a 10-day trip in March. Zavisca co-led a student subteam that helped build classrooms and sidewalks and distributed items to poor families and school children.

"We encountered a level of poverty that I'd never seen before. About a third of the people in the area live below the international poverty level," he said. Besides working on service projects, students and chaperones had the opportunity to explore the countryside on a pair of hikes.

Zavisca is an avid hiker, runner and writer. He also is a technology buff.

To nominate someone for this feature, e-mail slbero@hotmail.com.