I Although some new students might have spent part of their college experience on campus at the same time as an older sibling, few could boast of being siblings with a Harding professor. Sophomore Eric Ulliman, however, could. Ulliman, a transfer from Otterbein University in his hometown of Westerville, Ohio, was aided in his transition to Harding by his older sister Katie Ramirez, mass communications instructor and director of student publications. "I came to Harding on my Spring Breakjust to visit Katie and Nate [Katie's husband]," Ulliman said. "By Wednesday of that week, I had decided to transfer and called up my parents to tell them I was staying another week to get everything figured out." Ulliman and Ramirez were the first in their family to attend Harding, and having a sister as a faculty member gave Ulliman a head start on all things Harding. "Even though this is technically his first semester at Harding, Eric has visited so often it feels like he has been a student for years," Ramirez said. "He remembers when The Flying Pig barbeque used to be Grandpa's, has visited the zebra-donkey in Kensett and has already spent hours driving up and down Race Street on the weekend looking for things to do." Since becoming a student, Ulliman had the opportunity to grow closer to his sister and her husband, in everything from living with them to supporting their social clubs, and Ramirez supported him in return. "We went to his first Harding [club] basketball game," Ramirez said. "Eric became a member of Gamma Erica Beaman Briana Bess Delaney Bivens Holly Bohnett Dacia Bolt John Bone Latifah Booker Hannah Brittain Tanner Brown Hallie Brunegraff flNV\il!_1 affair Sigma Phi, and as a sponsor for Iota Chi, I was able to go to some of his events during club week." Ramirez, who graduated from Harding in 2008, said it was comical at times to cross paths with her students who were also friends with her brother, and Ulliman agreed. "It's kind of funny to find out that some of my friends in Gamma Sigma Phi also know Katie pretty well and [knew her] before I knew them," Ulliman said. The siblings enjoyed watching the shock mutual friends experienced upon the realization that they were, in fact, related. "I panicked at first and then realized they had a lot in common," senior Chris Briggs said. ''Actually, it made a lot of sense." Although Ramirez was originally the main advocate for Ulliman's transfer to Harding, Ulliman had since become acclimated and was making his own name at the university. In his first year, he changed his major to physical therapy and joined Harding's newly established Allied Health Department. Of course, his favorite Harding experience so far, he said, was joining Gamma Sigs. "Getting to know all the guys, I could tell they were a close brotherhood, and I was excited to get to be a part of that," Ulliman said. ''Also, the sports aspect was a huge factor for me." No matter the challenge, Ulliman could always be confident that he would have a sister and a professor to turn to. John Shrable People •• 5'1
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