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Podcast Archives - The Forum

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Category: Podcast

  • Westminster community steps up for student after Lahaina fire

    Hailey Killett, a sophomore elementary education major, was getting ready to return to campus for volleyball pre-season when she received news a fire spread in her hometown island and burned her house down. 

    The blazes that tore through Lahaina, Maui from Aug. 8 to Aug. 9 have left at least 97 people dead and 31 still missing, according to an article published by the AP on Sept. 18.

    “I wasn’t doing okay a little bit ago, but I have volleyball, I have school now to focus on,” Killett said. “So it’s like, I’m doing a lot better than [before] but that’s because I have a lot of distractions.”

    Killett said the school has helped her, financially and emotionally, and been by her side through this time. 

    Sue Dulaney, head coach of the women’s volleyball team, was the first person to reach out and offer a shoulder to cry on, according to Killett. 

    “[Dulaney] literally cried with me on the phone,” Killett said. “She told me they wanted me on campus as soon as possible [for pre-season] but that I could take all the time I needed.” 

    Associate Athletics Director Shelley Jarrard was another community member who showed support, according to Killett. 

    Killett said Jarrard reached out to the Women’s Board of Westminster, and they covered the cost of replacing a hearing aid Killett lost while evacuating Hawaii. The Women’s Board is also helping pay her meal plan, according to Killett. 

    “We just want to be a safe space, we want to be supportive and we hope we can keep her in a space where she can thrive,” Jarrard said. “I am really proud of how our university responded.”

    In collaboration with the volleyball’s staff, Killett said she is planning a fundraiser on Nov. 10 at one of the home games to gather donations and partner with brands who would support those in Lahaina affected by the fire. The plan is to send the donations to a non-profit organization to help Hawaiian victims, according to Killett. 

    Killett said the support displayed by the Westminster community has shown students’ well-being is a top priority at the institution. 

    “Westminster, they kind of just were like, ‘No, you don’t deserve to go [through] what you’ve been going through. Let us help you,’” Killett said. “And I’m still like… I don’t know. It’s incredible. I cried a little bit, but it was just awesome of them.”

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  • ‘No one believed in us,’ says Butterslabs business owner and Westminster alum

    Westminster University alum Mike Spaeth said post-graduation he continues to pursue his passion of running his own clothing brand, “Butterslabs,” while working at a finance job in Salt Lake City.

    Spaeth, who majored in finance and graduated last May, said the “Butterslabs” business idea originated from an entrepreneurship class in high school, where he entered a competition with a proposal and lost.

    “We actually got last place in this competition,” Spaeth said. “No one believed in the idea and how it could make money.”

    Spaeth pitched the idea to create a platform where people could “watch our stuff and our short music videos,” and compared it to TikTok.

    Though the original idea was rejected, the logo lived on when friends of Spaeth made a few clothing items with it, according to Spaeth. They sold out within 15 minutes of selling them at his high school, Spaeth said.

    “It was like we had a pop-up event at school,” Spaeth said.

    From there, Spaeth said they promoted the business by creating videos on Instagram while working on the clothing items. 

    “It just kind of continued to grow and get a little bigger,” Spaeth said. “We had a little bit more funding and money that we could put into designs and our marketing and stuff like that.” 

    The business continued in college, and Speath said he had the support of his teammates on the lacrosse team to help promote the business. 

    Jamie Hawkins, a senior business major, and Joe Kerval, men’s lacrosse head coach, were some of Spaeth’s supporters.

    “In terms of supporting our guys, we set up classes for them to get direction on leadership and professional development,” Kerval said. 

    Spaeth’s teammates have built a strong bond amongst each other and felt compelled to support their teammate and his brand, Hawkins said.

    “You know, I played with Mike on the lacrosse team for a year, and we all knew about his brand,” Hawkins said “Knowing who Mike is, it’s hard not to want to support the guy, and I feel like it’s our job as a team to support each other’s dreams and passion.” 

    Spaeth said that despite being busy with lacrosse, he still feels motivated to run his business.

    “It’s definitely tough,” Spaeth said. “But it is motivating because you see how tight the community is and how many people support you.”

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