Alumni Spotlight:
2015 Graduates Mitchell and Sophia Yanak Smithbauer
Sophia received her Biology degree from Mercyhurst College and her medical degree from LECOM. She is in the last training phase as a resident family medicine physician in the State College area and will graduate in 2025.
Sophia’s favorite memory of ECCHS is winning the State Softball Championship in her senior year. During her time at ECCHS, Sophia reflects on the teachers who impacted her future. “Mrs. Roth impacted me (and many of my classmates) by bringing so much joy and support into the classroom. My love for reading (especially expanding the types of books/stories I read) can be directly attributed to her. I will also always remember another beloved teacher, Mrs. Laura Anderson. In my human anatomy and physiology class, after a challenging muscle quiz that I did well on, she commented, “You should consider becoming a physician,” to which I replied, “What is a physician?” The rest is history, said Sophia.”
After High School, Mitchell received his degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State Behrend. He is a design engineer for Electric Traction Controls at Wabtec in Erie, PA.
Mitchell’s favorite memory from ECCHS was the Marching Band winning the Chapter Championship against rival Tyrone. “It’s far from a true championship, but it was the first time ECC’s band won the chapter title. We had a rock-solid band of talented, dedicated musicians, including ECC’s Mr. Glatt. As a freshman, I joined the bands for the first time, having never learned to read or play music on any instrument. Mr. Knight was a fantastic mentor, and the friends I made were the best I could have asked for. The championship was a culmination of a fantastic high school band experience. The friends I made through the band also led me to Sophie. So I would say my time spent with my friends in the bands is my favorite memory, said Mitchell.”
The teachers at ECCHS who impacted Mitchell were “Mr. Knight for his compassion, light-hearted, and inspirational mentorship throughout high school, for all things music and life; Mr. Hanes, teacher and principal, for his masterful way of teaching Calculus at a college level and setting high expectations for all of us to aspire to; and Mr. Lallman for inspiring a love for science, physics, and math, which I still feel every day at my job, said Mitchell.”
When Mitchell and Sophia have a break from their busy schedule, they enjoy spending time with each other and their feline family, Minnie and Phoebe. Mitchell’s most prominent hobby is railroads, which started in childhood. “I love collecting and reading old railroad books and books about railroad history. I also spend too much money on model trains, and I work for one of the two companies that build freight locomotives for North America, said Mitchell.” Sophia and Mitchell both enjoy traveling. “We have a goal of visiting all 63 national parks; we have seen 12 so far, my favorite being the Everglades, said Sophia.”
Pictured are Mitchell and Sophia from their Junior Prom and one from their honeymoon.
