Meet Rex Hafenstine
A returning adult student from La Crosse, Kansas, Rex started at Wichita State in August 2017. He’s a senior studying biomedical engineering and a regular visitor at the Office of Adult Learning. Learn more about Rex and why he chose Wichita State.
What has been your favorite experience at Wichita State so far?
I’ve had a lot of help from the Office of Adult Learning and that’s why I spend a
lot of time here. Being a returning adult student, it’s hard to find things to do,
plus I’m new to the area, so to understand where I need to go for this thing or how
I’m going to get this thing done and everything that needs to be taken care of. Susan
Norton and Pam O’Neal have been a lot of help. Their determination to help me has
been the best thing I’ve gotten at this campus.
What organizations or activities are you involved with at WSU?
I joined the Biomedical Engineering Society here on campus, but right now with my
schedule I’m not able to make it to any of the meetings, but I’m part of it, so I
get the newsletters. When I have time I’ll try to make it to those meetings. Right
now, between teaching yoga at the Heskett Center, full time school, and working part
time my calendar is pretty full.
Where is your favorite spot to hang out on campus?
The Office of Adult Learning because it’s quiet and I can come in here and talk to
Susan or Pam if I need help finding anything. The library is great for getting things
off the computer or doing printing, all that kind of stuff. Quiet spaces are good
in general because if there’s too much noise I can't think.
Who is a faculty or staff member at WSU that has had a positive impact on you?
Susan Norton and Michael Jorgensen have had great impacts on me. Dr. Norton was my
first stepping stone into Wichita State because she’s in the Office of Adult Learning.
As a returning student, the biggest thing is finances, basically how am I going to
pay for this decision to go back to school? With her help, I’ve been able to continue
to move forward. When I tried to come back to school in August, some of my classes
weren't transferring and Dr. Jorgensen did a lot of work to try and make sure that
would happen.
What’s your favorite part of campus life at Wichita State?
What I like about the campus is the trees and greenery and nature. I’ve been walking
around campus with the statues and all the different things we have on campus and
I’ll stop and talk to the gardeners.
What are you currently reading or watching that you are enjoying?
My biomedical materials lab is super cool. I’m enjoying that right now because some
of the apparatuses and things we’re using in class and how we’re testing different
harnesses with machines. I’m fascinated by that stuff – how they can take a machine,
do a test on it, and get results.
Why did you choose to attend Wichita State?
Because Wichita State is the only campus in Kansas that has the biomedical engineering
bachelor’s degree that is ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)
accredited. That drew me here. When you get your degree from an accredited institution
it helps to get your foot in the door.
About Shocker Seven: This weekly series of posts highlights students at Wichita State and explores their passions, influences and other aspects of the WSU student experience. Know a student you think should be featured in a Shocker Seven post? Email their name and why you think they should be interviewed to Sam Belsan at vpsa.student2@wichita.edu.
