Mark Thress ('14), J.P. Riley ('16)

A class is more than a class when it changes lives. That's what happened when College of Visual and Performing Arts students Mark Thress and J.P. Riley pursued an idea floated by the School of Music faculty members David Stringham and Paul Ackerman. Learning about the experience of chemotherapy patients, Mark, a performance major, and J.P., a music education major, teamed up. Working through the JMU-RMH collaborative, they developed programs using iPads to ease the stress and boredom of oncology patients undergoing treatments. The results meant hospital patients had better experiences, and Mark and J.P. earned invaluable experience for their later careers.