Holy Family University Magazine - Summer 2020: The Changing View of Education

UNIVERSIT Y M AGAZINE

Su mmer 2 0 20

Special Class of 2020 Issue

Complete Listing Inside

The Changing View of Education

Plus, Learn How Healthcare is Getting Smarter

Table of Contents

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President’s Message

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Letters to the Editor

6 News The latest about people and happenings connected to our community

11 Spotlight: Senior Riley Turner His self-journey helps others

12 Making Healthcare Smarter Technology and transformation are trending in healthcare and health education

19 Spotlight: Alumnus Jim Bennett A true Tiger through and through

20 The Changing View of Education From classrooms to screens, how educators and students are viewing the shift

26 Athletics Student athletes upping their game on every field

28 Vision and Values Meaningful moments we spent together

32 Class Notes Alumni updates

36 Hats Off to our 2020 Graduates!

A complete listing of a very special class

44 Pen to Paper Self-study brings our best to light

45 Then and Now What’s new on campus?

Photos: Greg Beyer (spread); iStock.com/PeopleImages (cover)

SUMMER / 2020

Growing Community

“Solitude is very different from a time-out from our busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which community grows. Whenever we pray alone, study, read, write, or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we interact with each other directly, we are potentially opened for a deeper intimacy with each other.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen University President Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD, spent several solitary moments this spring, contemplating and communicating her thoughts with the Holy Family community in both written and videotaped messages. Here she sits for her close-up with the camera for a video shoot.

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The Value of Family

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Editor Debbie Lewis /HolyFamilyUniversity

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Art Director Jay Soda Contributing Writers Debbie Lewis Barbara Link Greg Pellegrino Julie Rempfer ’10 All photos credited on page.

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President Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD Vice President for University Advancement James C. Garvey, EdD Interim Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Amy Beyer Holy Family University Magazine is published semiannually.

Please address correspondence to: Editor, Holy Family University Magazine Marketing & Communications Department 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 magazine@holyfamily.edu Letters to the Editor become property of the magazine.

The opinions and views expressed in Holy Family University Magazine do not necessarily reflect the official policies of Holy Family University. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published information.

Holy Family University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, gender, age (as defined in the relevant statutes), veteran status, religion, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other classification protected under federal, state, or local law. This policy extends to all educational, employment, and service programs at the University and complies with applicable federal laws. Holy Family University is committed to providing all qualified applicants and employees equal employment opportunities, not only because it is the law, but also because of our belief that adherence is morally correct.

Holy Family University complies with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in an institution's education programs and activities.

For information regarding the University’s ADA/Section 504 for students and for Title IX information, contact Marianne Price at 267-341-3204, Campus Center Second Floor. For inquiries regarding equal employment opportunity/non-discrimination, contact Human Resources at 267-341-3479.

SUMMER / 2020

President's Message

Dear Holy Family University Community:

T

Bob Scott

he past few months have been the most unusual times. From the public health and economic crush of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the unconscionable deaths of men and women before our very eyes, the start of 2020 has been a wake-up call. Now, more than ever, we need to pull together and take care of one another, especially our students who are the promise of our future.

I am grateful for the $2 million in funding we received in May from the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. Just over $1 million was made available to help our students most in need, allowing them to pay rent, purchase food, and afford housing during these difficult times. In keeping with the guidance from the US Department of Education, and our core values of service and responsibility, Holy Family very quickly developed a plan that allowed us to maximize support for our neediest students. To date, this process has distributed more than $820,000 to a total of 636 undergraduate and graduate students, and we have received many messages of deep appreciation.

Even in the best of times, financial aid is a game-changer for our students. We qualified for the CARES Act grant because so many of our students receive Pell grants. The majority of our students also receive University-funded scholarships, state aid, and scholarships generously funded by our alumni and friends. Even if financial aid covers their entire tuition, students still often need to borrow to cover the most basic living costs.

We strive to help our students graduate without a heavy burden of debt, and they receive a strong return on investment (ROI) for their Holy Family education. According to Georgetown University’s 2019 ranking of ROI for US colleges and universities, Holy Family placed 20th in Pennsylvania out of 76 private, nonprofit, four-year institutions.

I am most proud of how our students and alumni are paying it forward. They are nurses jumping in to care for COVID-19 patients, educators creating novel learning experiences to keep students engaged from home, and global citizens challenging social injustices of all kinds. The hallmark of a Holy Family education is exactly what is needed in these demanding times—bright minds with big hearts, making their mark in ensuring the world becomes a better place.

Sincerely, Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD University President

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Letters

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,

Dear Editor,

I just felt the need to reach out based on Sister Maureen’s Easter Message.

I was a graduate student when the atrocities of 9/11 occurred. I had just found out that my husband and I were expecting our third child. And while this child was planned and loved from the start, we all of a sudden became scared. What kind of world are we raising our other two children in? What will it be like for this unborn child when they become part of our everyday world? One thing I remember implicitly was that I was going to head into class later that week.

I am a Jewish American woman who is, and was, very active in my faith-based and synagogue community. However, even with my community, in that time of the unknown, so many were asking questions. Where was God? How could this possibly happen if there is a God? As expected, our clergy reached out and allowed us to walk with them as we either trusted that God was there, or continued to question the existence of a higher being. But what stands out to me is that feeling of comfort when I walked onto this campus. I was surrounded by so many with the same questions and, without a doubt, a love of faith. As a Jewish woman, I felt the presence of God as I walked into class that night. I felt as though just being in a space that is surrounded by nature, love and faith, would help me through all the worry that I felt. I knew that my older children would be okay and that we would continue to educate and love them and answer all their questions.

And most importantly, I KNEW that my unborn child would be born into a new world in which we were about to embark on that was always going to be filled with love.

I just want to thank ALL of you who continue to educate and love the people in our collective Holy Family community. This, too, will eventually come to a new normal and we will be able to move forward in our lives and in our faith.

Two years ago, I graduated cum laude from Holy Family after seven years of going part-time. I wish I could have bottled the feelings. Happiness, accomplishment, possibility…pure joy.

It is now two years, one layoff, two long job searches, and one “almost-but-not-quite-new-job” later (thanks COVID-19). I could sure use those May 2018 feelings right about now! But, I know things will get better.

I am forever proud of my degree, of myself, and of those years working and “momming” and studying and going to classes. I’m grateful that I was able to walk across the stage at commencement. My thoughts are with all of those 2020 graduates that can’t experience that this year. But, it’s funny, I don’t remember what was going through my head while I walked across the stage. That wonderful cocktail of feelings had started the moment I attended my last class and handed in my final paper. It continued for weeks after commencement. So, no matter what, walking or not, you’ll always remember the feelings, you’ll always remember the accomplishment, you’ll always remember feeling proud.

Sincerely, Angela Smith ’18

Sincerely, Stefanie H. (Polin) Belitsky MEd ’04

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SUMMER / 2020

Save

the

Date

31 stAnnual G O L F C L A S S IC Providing financial support to Holy Family University students

Wednesday, September 23, 23, 2020 The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale 3801 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114

Home of the historic Donald Ross golf course

To register, be a sponsor, or for more information, please visit holyfamily.edu/golf or contact Christina Bender at 267-341-3017 or cbender@holyfamily.edu.

News

Taking a Walk Down Memory Lane to Remember Bill Kellagher and His Namesake William “Bill” Kellagher ’90 was a Holy Family student unlike many others. Before officially enrolling in the University, Kellagher became a popular figure on campus, attending all of the Philosophy and English classes, studying in the library or outside during nice weather, and treating students to lunch or coffee. His rich connection to the campus community encouraged him to register for classes in his golden years, after retiring from a career in manufacturing and serving in the US Marines during World War II. Both he and his wife, Helen Kellagher, attended Holy Family University together from

Steve “Schmitty” Schmidt ’90

1970 to 1974. After Helen passed, Kellagher became a perpetual student. In 1987, he began working on his second degree as a Humanities major—50 years after graduating from La Salle University in 1937 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Philosophy. Unfortunately, he passed away the summer before graduation, and he was posthumously awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities in 1990.

Given that he was a friend to everyone who knew him, the Class of 1990 raised money to provide benches, signs, and a memorial plaque. They dedicated the Kellagher Walk, marked today by a stone plaque with his image and a flowerbed on the walkway on Stevenson Lane between Shepherd’s Fold and the entrance to the Nurse Education Building.

The Kellagher Walk celebrated its 30-year anniversary on April 30, 2020 and the Class of 1990 will celebrate its 30-year reunion on October 2, 2020 during Alumni Weekend.

“The Class of 1990 went all out to remember Bill Kellagher, because he was truly someone we could never forget,” said Class President Steve Schmidt ’90 (fondly known

William “Bill” Kellagher ’90

as Schmitty), who spearheaded the Kellagher Walk initiative.

Kellagher was such a revered member of the community, the 1990 yearbook was dedicated to him and it also named him an Outstanding Senior for Extraordinary Perseverance. The first Bill Kellagher Scholarship was created and awarded in 1991.

“We’re so proud that Dad’s memory lives on as part of the campus community,” said Fran (Kellagher) Horn ’65. “Nothing would have made him prouder than to help bright minds thrive and shine at Holy Family University.”

Fran’s siblings, Mary Ellen Haisfield-Wolfe, Kathy Kellagher and William (Bill) Kellagher, are proud to pay tribute to their father’s memory and his eternal pursuit of education.

Alumni Educators and HFU Faculty Earn Lindback Awards Two Holy Family School of Education alumni, Terese Gallen M’11 and Christine Jordan M’09, have been named recipients of the 2020 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. The awards are presented annually by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation to honor 60 outstanding teachers from Philadelphia public schools who demonstrate excellence in promoting learning at the highest levels Pamela Flynn, MFA, Professor of Art and Coordinator of Fine Arts, was bestowed the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, presented once every three years by the University to one faculty member for demonstrated excellence in teaching students.

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From left to right: Christine Jordan M’09, Terese Gallen M’11, and Pamela Flynn, MFA

SUMMER / 2020

Holy Family students outside of the Bucks County Men’s Community Corrections Center

Learning Together from the “Inside Out” Creates Powerful Perspectives Eight “Outside” students from Holy Family University and nine “Inside” students from the Bucks County Men’s Community Corrections Center had the opportunity to learn together–and from each other–in a course titled, “American Criminal Justice through the Lens of Alcohol and Drugs.”

The course was developed by Patricia Griffin, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of the Graduate Criminal Justice Program at Holy Family. In a May 27 letter to Dr. Griffin,

Bucks County Commissioner and Chair Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, CSW, wrote: “I was brought to tears by the effect the class had on the inside and outside students; but, even more, on the impact it had on the corrections officers and administration. It is my hope that you, and Holy Family University, can understand how impactful this series of classes was in changing the opinions and dogma entrenched in the Bucks County Correctional System.”

HFU Joins With St. James School to Support PostSecondary Student Success Holy Family University and St. James School have launched a first-of-its-kind program in Philadelphia to ensure post-secondary education success for low-income African American students, who are often first-generation college students and under-represented on college campuses.

The two schools will develop programs that enable St. James students to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities at Holy Family and gain access to those opportunities, including overcoming financial obstacles to attend the University.

“This is the first time we’ve teamed with a middle school to pave an earlier path to college graduation,” said Michael W. Markowitz, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs for Holy Family University. “We look forward to having our students get involved with mentoring and tutoring, and we’ll embrace St. James students from the time they arrive here on campus until they walk across the stage at commencement.”

St. James School is a tuition-free, middle school located in North Philadelphia. The school is committed to educating traditionally under-resourced students in a nurturing environment and makes a lifelong commitment to every student served. Through its Graduate Support Program, students are continually mentored and prepared for future success in high school, college, careers, and beyond.

“Our shared values of providing holistic support for student success make this an ideal partnership,” said University President Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD.

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Bonacquisti Published in Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology Holy Family University’s Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD, Assistant Professor, Graduate Counseling Psychology Department, was recently published in the Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. Her paper describes a study of the psychological experiences of mothers with infants in the NICU. It was co-authored

by Dr. Pamela A. Geller from Drexel University and Dr. Chavis A. Patterson from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Alden Trust Grant To Aid Maternity Care Education A recent $80,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust will enable the School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions to purchase manikins for simulated maternity training and education. The mother and baby manikins will allow nursing students to practice maternity care, including how to deliver a baby, while meeting their clinical hour requirements.

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News

2020 Taylor Awards to Fund Key Research and Publication Initiatives Twelve Holy Family University professors are recipients of the 2020 Ray and Mildred Taylor Awards to fund seven important research and publication initiatives, according to Michael Markowitz, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs. The awards were presented before Holy Family faculty and staff at the January Opening Meeting to kick-off Spring Semester. This year’s honorees will pursue research initiatives in the areas of cancer, women’s mental health related to pregnancy loss, emotional changes over a lifespan, and radiologic examination advances, among others.

The award program was established through an endowment created by Carol Taylor ’75, RN, PhD, a former School of Nursing faculty member. She created the award to honor her parents, Ray and Mildred Taylor.

Taylor was honored by the School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions in October 2012 with its highest award,

Taylor Award Recipients Document the Moment – Standing (left to right): Samantha Cepparulo ’12, ’13, Dr. Jennifer DiCicco, Dr. Shana Narita, Dr. Jenai Grigg, Dr. Stacey McDonald, and Dr. Kimberly Dasch-Yee; Seated (left to right): Dr. Christopher Carbone, Dr. Daniel Bassi, Mark Ness, and Dr. Madigan Fichter

the Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award.

The 2020 Taylor Awards include The Seed and the Soil: Contribution of the Microenvironment to Cancer Progression, Dr. Daniel Bassi; Cross Disciplinary Proposal to Secure Funding for a Tissue Culture Incubator,

Dr. Chris Carbone and Professor Mark Ness; Breaking the Silence: Understanding Women’s Perspectives on Involuntary Pregnancy Loss, Drs. Kimberly Dasch-Yee, Jenai Grigg, and Stacy McDonald; Evaluating Adaptive Emotion Regulation Across the Lifespan Using Neurophysi-

ological Markers, Dr. Jennifer DeCicco; Photo permissions to complete the book manuscript for Strange Forest, Counterculture and Youth Opposition in the Socialist Balkans, Dr. Madigan Fichter; and Radiologic Research, Mark Ness, Samantha Cepparulo ’12 ’13, and Dr. Shana Narita.

The Office of Student Success (OSS) opened in January. Four new Student Success Counselors came on board to help Holy Family students develop proactive strategies to reach for their goals and make continuous progress towards graduation. The OSS was made possible by a $2 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant that Holy Family received from the US Department of Education in October 2019.

“We’re here to help students thrive,” said Amanda Mouser, Director of the Office of Student Success. “Holy Family students are so committed. They are gritty and resilient, and they juggle so many different responsibilities in addition to being college students. We have a variety

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of programs and individualized capabilities to help students overcome any challenges they may face in keeping all their balls in the air.”

The OSS is a centralized resource available to all students. The Title III Grant has enabled more one-on-one meetings where students can identify their strengths and their challenges in order to develop a strategic success plan with a Student Success Counselor. In addition to one-on-one meetings, the OSS also conducts group sessions to help tackle common barriers to success. The new counselors are doctoral-level students pursuing degrees in Psychology, and include T’Ana Carpenter, MA; Anthony Lewis MS ’11; Laura Prader MS’ 19; and Morgan Fisher, MS.

SUMMER / 2020

Jay Soda

Office of Student Success Opens for Business

2020 Hindsight Casts a Fresh Eye on the Future This year has been one for self-reflection, extensive evaluation, and thoughtful recommendations, as the University simultaneously embarked on a strategic planning initiative and the Middle States reaccreditation process. Both initiatives established task forces, working with University President Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD, and the executive leadership team to invite cooperative input and collaboration from key stakeholders.

For strategic planning, James C. Garvey, EdD, Vice President of University Advancement, and Michael W. Markowitz, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs, are leading a task force comprising members of the Board of Trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff advisors to better align the University’s capabilities to meet evolving educational requirements.

“We’ve had the benefit of learning fast on our feet from the challenges and lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Markowitz.

“We determined very quickly that we needed

to enable even more and better online learning capabilities to enhance our blended, in-person, and online approach. A decision was made to purchase new technology to enhance synchronous online learning, which we see as essential to delivering state-of-the-art learning for college students in any environment.”

Every eight years, the University conducts a rigorous process for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Self-Study and reaccreditation.

“It’s an 18-month process, and 2020 will be a year of setting our sights on what’s next for the University to excel and achieve its mission,” said Bernice Purcell ’85, DBA, Associate Dean, Business Administration, Professor of Information Systems, and CoChair of the Middle States Steering Committee for Holy Family. It’s a time for reflection across the entire organization to gain understanding about what’s working well and what can be improved, while also reaffirming the standards for accreditation.”

Patti Paluch

The Strategic Planning Committee (from left to right): Dr. James Garvey, Mark Green, Eric Nelson, Kim Caulfield, Gene Kovalchick, Dr. Stacy McDonald, Dr. Barry Dickinson, Bernadette Laukaitus ’00, Jennifer Luling, Isabella Brandimarto ’21, Dr. Abigail Wernicki, Sister Maureen McGarrity, and Dr. Michael Markowitz

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Lisa Ratmansky Leads New Center for Teaching and Learning Holy Family University appointed Lisa A. Ratmansky as Executive Director of the new Center for Teaching and Learning, made possible by the $2 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant, received this past fall from the US Department of Education.

“It’s On Us PA” Grant to Deter Discrimination and Harassment For the third consecutive year, Holy Family University has been awarded the “It’s On Us PA” grant, aimed at funding education, training, and the prevention of sexual assault and sex- and gender-based discrimination, harassment, and misconduct on college campuses. The University is among 36 postsecondary institutions to receive this grant.

Clearing the Air on Smoking Holy Family received a $4,000 grant from the Clean Air Council and the Philadelphia Department of Health to evaluate our current smoking policy and create a smoking education program.

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News

Holy Family Board of Trustees Names New Leadership The Holy Family Board of Trustees has named William (Bill) Strecker Chair and Bruce Miller Vice Chair, with terms beginning July 1. Joining the Board is James (Jim) Bill Strecker Dever Bennett, Esq. ’82.

Strecker, of Jamison, PA, has been Vice Chair and has served on the Board since 2013. He is the former CEO of Kingsbury, Inc., the leading manufacturer of highly engineered bearing products primarily serving the global oil, gas and power generation industries. His leadership skills and extensive knowledge of financial and operational issues have made him an asset to the Board of Trustees. He has also served as Chair of the Holy Family Development Committee and the Scholarship Ball.

“I am pleased to turn over the reins of the chair’s role to my friend and colleague, Bill Strecker, who will work side by side with Bruce Miller. We’ve all devoted our time to the ongoing health of this fine University, and I know our mission will continue in the capable hands taking over,” said Anthony J. Szuszczewicz, outgoing Chair of the Holy Family University Board.

Miller, of Wilmington, DE, joined the Board in 2016. As owner of a chain of Open MRI centers, he brings his business acumen and knowledge of board service to the University. He also is Chair of the Board at Prudential Bank and a Board member Bruce Miller of the Nazareth Health Care Foundation.

Bennett, a resident of Berwyn, PA, serves as Senior Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel of Ellucian, the leading provider of software and services built to power higher education. After graduating from Holy Family cum laude with a BA in English, he went on to Jim Bennett ’82 earn a JD from Villanova Law School in 1985.

Bennett has also served as Chair of Holy Family’s President’s Advisory Council and Co-Chair of this year’s Tigers on the Loose scholarship celebration.

“It’s been an honor to be asked to join the Board of Holy Family,” said Bennett. “I came to Holy Family on a full scholarship, and the connections I made here and the learning I gleaned during my tenure changed my life. Now it’s my time to pay it forward, and ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to be influenced like I was from studying here.”

“With the academic and professional pedigree from decades of work as an attorney focused on the software industry, we know Jim’s insights will be invaluable on the Board of Trustees,” said Szuszczewicz.

“We have a best-in-class Board of highly invested individuals working to make our University better every day,” said Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD, University President. “Thanks to Tony’s stewardship, we are well-prepared and positioned to meet the challenges that lie ahead. I look forward to working with our new leaders at the helm and having Jim’s fresh perspective on higher education and the opportunities which abound.”

Inspiring the Next Generation of Women Leaders Holy Family hosted its annual Women in Leadership Conference on March 6, bringing together female students from area Catholic high schools to hear inspiring professional life stories.

Kathryn Ott Lovell H’17, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, City of Philadelphia, was the keynote speaker.

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Michele Farrell M’10, Warden, Philadelphia Prison System, led a panel discussion with representatives from the Philadelphia Prison System, including Deanna Pierce, Social Work Supervisor; Latasha McMillan, Regional Vice President of Operations; and Michelle Pote, Program Manager.

Other distinguished speakers included

Jayda Pugliese ’09, M’14, Principal, St. Mary Interparochial School; Jacqueline Giuffrida, Manager, Hospital Services, Gift of Life Donor Program; Elizabeth A. Ward, Associate Director, Annual and Special Gifts, University of Pennsylvania; and Martina White, Pennsylvania State Representative.

SUMMER / 2020

Spotlight

Riley Turner’s SelfJourney Helps Others

By Debbie Lewis

A

lthough Riley Turner ’22 changed his major three times, he never lost his focus on learning.

His passion for poetry led him first to choose English Secondary Education. But he realized he did not want to grade papers and evaluate the “ideas of others.” He wanted to spark his own ideas.

“What drives me as a human being is learning,” said Turner.

“I always want to know things, ask questions, read ahead in the books and subjects I’m interested in. When I was younger, I actually wanted to be a marine biologist.”

He enjoyed tutoring science when he was a student at Neshaminy High School, so with that in mind, he changed his major to Biology Secondary Education. During his practicum, student teaching chemistry at the New Foundations Charter School, Turner determined he wanted to spend more time in the lab exploring his own curiosity.

He declared Biology as his third and final major.

“If I could be the next Steve Irwin, that would take me to the moon and back,” said Turner. “Fortunately, the University supported my transition, and I’ve had a terrific advisor in Dr. Elizabeth Carroll, Carroll who helped me navigate to where I am today.”

In addition to his quest for knowledge, Turner is one of Holy Family’s most active students. He works 30 to 40 hours a week, as a Student Ambassador for the Office of Admissions and also in the Bookstore, to put himself through college. He participates regularly with Campus Ministry, and has served two years as Chapter Director for Holy Family’s Habitat for Humanity chapter.

“Riley has been a terrific advocate for our campus chapter and our overall Habitat experience,” said Michael McNulty-Bobholz M’11, M’11 Associate Vice President of Student Life. “He was the one who rallied our students to get through the challenges we faced this past Alternative Spring Break building new homes in Alabama. When the going got tough, he motivated us.”

This year, Turner will assume a new role as Collegiate Challenge Coordinator, planning the details for the 2021 Alternative Spring Break trip. He also will continue to lead student volunteer efforts at Habitat build sites throughout Bucks County and staffing the local Habitat Restore. He is as comfortable planning as he is up on a roof, or showing others how to use various tools to build homes.

“I can’t imagine my Holy Family experience without Habitat for Humanity,” said Turner. “There’s so much heartache in the world, and I’m an able-bodied person who can do good things. I hope to inspire others to go out and make a difference.”

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Making Healthcare

SMARTER

By Debbie Lewis

A

s technology continues to advance,

the impact on the delivery of healthcare has been profoundly changed. Data analytics, machine-to-machine communications, and the Internet continue to move the healthcare industry from a one-size-fits-all approach to tailored precision medicine, aiming to offer the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. As a result, higher education institutions have also had to adapt with more state-of-the-art technology, innovative curriculum, and learning experiences to prepare students for the ever-evolving world of healthcare.

It is a world where providers work as a team, exploring various facets of a patient’s genomic makeup, environment, and lifestyle to devise more thoughtful and effective personalized care.

“We now have the ability to analyze genetic material and markers, and determine what may work for one individual may not be the direction to go for another,” said Cynthia Russell, PhD, RN, FAAN, PCC, NBC-HWC, Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions. “The customization of care that’s needed is going to be more refined, including anticipatory versus reactive guidance.

Rather than moving strictly in a disease model, or a traditional medical model, where you address healthcare challenges as they arise, we can work with individuals to circumvent or decrease the impact of their genetic makeup, lifestyle, and social environment. It’s not 100 percent foolproof, but a particular pain medication may work for one

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SUMMER / 2020

Prepared to care for presumptive positive COVID-19 patients – Top (left to right): Nurses Caitlin (McElligott) Meyers ’12, Kelly Wilson ’19, and Kristina (Jones) Stauffacher ’15; Bottom (left to right): CT Technologists Megan Phillips and Samantha Cepparulo ’12, ’13

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Celebrating a successful simulation – Bottom row (left to right): Purity Mwangi, Asia Scott, Jennifer Moylett, Daphne DaSilva, Lina Albarouki, Thalia Curtis, Cheryl Popovich Golestani, and Professor Jinsy Mathew; Middle row (left to right): Professor Gina Gordon, Professor Joeann Hall, Olivia Downie, Samantha Mcqueen, Chloe Austin, Gabrielle Gratton, Anees Fatima, Baljit Mann, Nejat Abdella, Brittany Jones, Dr. Mary Ellen Rush, and Dr. Cynthia Russell, Dean for the School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions; Top row (left to right): Brittany Slaughterbeck, Tecianna Velazquez, Vincent Guidos, Samantha Smith Beavers, Lindsay Gehman, Elora Brill, Lianna Ranna, Caitlyn Cahill, Menachem Scheiner, Mayke De Oliveira, Jake Tully, and Samuel Boateng

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such as zip code and level of education, continue to play a critical role in predetermining health outcomes. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease, is more common and not as well controlled in African American and Hispanic adults as it is in white adults. And, children from low-income families are more likely to have asthma.1 “This disparity is showing up significantly now with COVID-19, and the higher rates of infection in racial and ethnic minority communities,” said Russell. “Healthcare providers are looking at the social determinants of health and the interrelationship of what it means if you didn’t complete high school and what you’re eating. For example, if you live in a food dessert, where dollar stores are pushing fresh grocers out of business, the population is subsisting on a less expensive, more processed food diet. We know the strong relationship between nutrition and health. Population health plays a significant role, and as the world continues to shrink, we can see what’s happened with this global pandemic.”

The trends of precision medicine, population health, and personalization are being supported by new data collection technologies, including electronic health records,

the ability to analyze large amounts of data, and a more holistic approach to caring for patients. As a result, there are a plethora of new healthcare career opportunities, and Holy Family is paving a path to higher level degrees and advanced learning experiences.

With the arrival of COVID-19, on-thejob training has kicked into overdrive for our graduates, while simulation training has played an ever-increasing role in help-

Maria van Pelt ’92, Dean of the School of Nursing and Associate Dean for the Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University

SUMMER / 2020

Debbie Lewis (HazMat)

person and not the other. Or, someone could be living a healthy lifestyle and still have cardiac issues.”

The move towards precision medicine and precision health requires a comprehensive approach with the client at the center, explains Russell. For example, if a patient has mobility issues, you may have rehabilitation specialists, physicians, nurses, nutritionists, occupational and physical therapists, and environmental engineers all working together to develop a more personalized plan for better individual outcomes.

“It goes outside of traditional approaches, taking into account individual differences to create new models of care,” she said. “This is impacting our current practices and how we educate our students. We’re also moving from inpatient to ambulatory practices and shorter hospital stays. COVID-19 has taken us totally askew, because more patients are in the hospital, often with ventilators, for longer periods of time. So much is done in ambulatory centers and moving recovering patients to home, and arranging for home health visits. Hospitalizations are very expensive, and if we can maintain an individual’s care at home, that’s positive.”

In addition to precision medicine focusing on better outcomes for each individual, population health and social determinants

ing students achieve their required clinical hours of experience. Whether preparing a future generation of nurses, radiologic technologists, or leaders in the promotion of health and wellness, the University continues to adopt more hands-on learning across various settings.

PREPARING FOR THE FRONT LINES

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n addition to entering an evolving,

dynamic field, today’s health care professionals are pioneers, meeting a global pandemic head-on in every community. As Dean of the School Nursing and Associate Dean for the Bouve College of Health Sciences for Northeastern of University, Maria van Pelt ’92, PhD, CRNA, FAAN, has been preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals, while taking care of COVIDpatients and helping other nurses take care of themselves.

As a certified nurse anesthetist, during the COVID-19 pandemic surge, van Pelt worked a 12-hour shift one day a week in the ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital, helping her patients and other nurses get through this public health crisis. Van Pelt is a longtime advocate, educator, and researcher in the development of policies addressing support protocols for healthcare professionals in the aftermath of adverse events. At Mass General, she helped develop and implement a clinician peer support program that trains healthcare professionals to provide peer support to clinicians during and after adverse events, which now includes the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now on the advisory committee that is actively expanding the program institution-wide.

In a May article, Nurses are Taking Care of COVID-19 Patients. Who’s Taking Care of the Nurses?,2 van Pelt says that those caring for COVID-19 patients could be especially at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and increased substance misuse.

“My biggest message is going to be to practice self-compassion, and that it’s okay not to be okay,” says van Pelt. "As healthcare professionals, we’re innately ingrained to care for others, and show compassion and provide support, because that’s what our profession does. But all too often, healthcare professionals put their own health on the

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back burner to care for others.”

Van Pelt was inducted in October 2019 as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), joining more than 2,600 nursing leaders who make up the Academy. The AAN states in a news release, “Van Pelt’s professional passions for patient safety, education, and anesthesia care professional wellness, as well as her leadership on national and international committees, and national consultancy with more than 30 organizations to review their safety programs, make her a perfect addition to the 2019 Class of AAN Fellows.”

In addition to working as a Clinical Coordinator for the Radiologic Science Program at Holy Family, Samantha Cepparulo ’12, ’13, MS, RT (R) (ARRT), is a CT Technologist in the Emergency Department at

Hill staff when he left the hospital COVIDfree. Cepparulo says CT scans played a critical role in his care.

“This patient was on my table so many times,” she said. “There are so many pieces we still don’t understand about COVID-19.

From his initial scan, we were able to identify pneumonia patterns to get a better image of where the pneumonia was lingering.

With his clots, we needed to keep checking.

Then we began scanning for other clues to determine why he was septic. I personally scanned him at least six times, because COVID-19 kept throwing a wrench at us.”

Cepparulo is proud of the fundamental role her profession plays helping patients get better and live longer lives, and also for the opportunity to share her knowledge and experience with her students.

"As healthcare professionals, we’re innately ingrained to care for others, and show compassion and provide support, because that’s what our profession does.

But all too often, healthcare professionals put their own health on the back burner to care for others.”

Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia. The first two positive COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania were in neighboring Montgomery County, so the hospital was one of the first to receive suspected COVID-19 patients.

“We didn’t have a lot of information, other than what we were seeing in Italy,” said Cepparulo. “Tests were taking a week to come back, so CT scans became an important early diagnostic tool. A lot of patients who confirmed positive were having blood clots. The CT techs realized this three weeks prior to the news. CT got so busy scanning for blood clots, helping doctors make informed decisions about patient care. I ended up working 20 to 25 hours a week on top of online teaching for Holy Family. I believe in our motto, teneor votis, which means I am bound by my responsibilities. My patients, hospital, and co-workers needed help, so I needed to help.”

One of her patients was in the hospital for four weeks. Fortunately, he was able to receive a standing ovation from the Chestnut

“You can’t diagnose without us,” she said.

“Doctors and nurses are getting answers from us, because we’re giving them pictures of the body. Without CT, X-ray, ultrasound and mammogram, how many would die without early detection?”

RADIOLOGIC SCIENCES BRINGS TECHNOLOGY TO THE TABLE

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epparulo, together with colleagues,

Shana Narita, PhD, RT (R) (ARRT), Program Director for the Radiologic Science program, and Mark Ness, MA, Ed., RT (R) (ARRT), Faculty for the Radiologic Science Program, are among the recipients of the 2020 Ray and Mildred Taylor Awards.

The awards are presented annually to fund research initiatives such as the trio’s work exploring radiologic examination advances.

The team will conduct research in the lab

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with Holy Family students to enhance their learning, research, and publishing experience. One project will measure the impact of moving an X-ray beam further from the patient to increase beam restriction and reduce focal radiation intensity so it doesn’t reach the patient, reducing the overall absorbed dose. A second project will measure the benefits of shielding gonads from the anterior versus posterior side of patients undergoing chest X-rays.

Narita said, “Healthcare is moving rapidly toward simulation, and we were moving in that direction prior to COVID-19. It’s all about how we are going to prepare students for clinical practice in real life. Clinical, as we know it, will change and it’s going to force all of healthcare education to prepare from a clinical standpoint, especially when they don’t have the opportunity to do faceto-face.”

Holy Family uses advanced Shaderware software in its Radiologic Science courses, where students can work in a virtual radiographic room and learn how to properly position an avatar patient for diagnostic X-ray examinations.

“The benefits of live simulation and the ability to conduct virtual reality simulation provide the best of both worlds to create valuable learning scenarios for our students,” said Narita. “Our students experience three different clinical sites using various types of imaging technology, and that

Raphina (Tuan) Bracewell ’22

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truly prepares them to enter the workforce and be productive rather quickly. In fact, after our graduates are working in the field, we survey their employers. One of the very consistent compliments we get is about the quality of our grads–how well-prepared and skilled they are. It’s great feedback.”

According to Ness, Holy Family is one of a handful of programs in the Delaware Valley that rotates its students to multiple clinical sites for face-to-face clinical instruction.

“Our students are motivated to go on to pursue lifelong learning,” said Ness. “We do a great job of instilling that in our graduates.

They come to us to earn an Associate degree and this leads to additional post-primary certifications and advanced degrees. In the past five years, over 90% of our graduates have found great careers, and many are in leadership roles.”

NURSES PREPARE FOR THE WORST TO DELIVER THEIR BEST

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t Holy Family, simulations take

many shapes and forms, allowing students to practice new activities before they are put to the test in real-world situations. In January, 30 students in the University’s Fast Track Second Degree Nursing Program participated in a hazardous material (HAZMAT) simulation at our Newtown location, supervised by Detective Joseph Rovnan, who serves with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism Operations.

“This is the second time we’ve created this hands-on simulation, so our students can get a richer understanding of community health needs and emergency situations where nurses would play a critical role,” said Joeann Hall, MS, RN, Simulation Laboratory Coordinator for the School of Nursing and Allied Health Professionals.

The students were divided into two groups—responders and victims—so they could immerse themselves, and gain a 360-degree viewpoint of their function and appreciation for individuals being cared for in an emergency. At the sound of the alarm, a fictitious bombing took place, complete with smoke machines, to replicate a real situation. Responders, dressed in yellow vests and hats, jumped into action to help victims

and prioritize them for the order of care.

Each victim received a colored wristband, with red raising a top priority flag, followed by yellow, green, or black.

Students were impressed by the reality of the situation, including the real-world distractions that can deter the primary objective of caregiving when so much is happening at once. For example, Hall, playing the role of a news reporter, interrupted the process by trying to interview nurses as they were taking care of the injured population.

The University’s reputation for high quality instruction sets Holy Family students apart when they go to compete in the job market.

Raphina (Tuan) Bracewell ’22, born in Monrovia, Liberia, came to the US at age 20 because her mother believed she would have a better opportunity. She chose Holy Family because the core values lined up with her beliefs—family, integrity, and respect for the human family. Bracewell says that her handson training and coursework helped her stand out and secure a full-time, paid summer internship at Independence Blue Cross (IBX).

She is working at the company’s Philadelphia headquarters and also at clinical sites, educating members and clients about the Health Protection and Promotion Act, and setting up medical appointments with registered nurse coaches.

Russell explains the IBX internship is a best-in-class opportunity, and the relationship with IBX is an important one for the University. Holy Family has a strong partnership with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation’s Nurses for Tomorrow program, which awards scholarships to deserving nursing students.

“I’m very excited and happy that IBX chose me for this position,” said Bracewell.

“I’m grateful to God because he made this possible, and I’m grateful to Holy Family for the rigorous curriculum that prepared me.

The professors come every day to give us nothing but their best. I’m going for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and then further to achieve my master’s or PhD. I’m very passionate about helping people, and a career in nursing will help me be of service to the human race. I feel it’s my calling.”

While the definition of a career in healthcare continues to expand and evolve, the calling for healthcare students and professionals remains constant. In May, Holy

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Reaching Higher and Higher: Dr. Princess Gayles-Jones Princess Gayles-Jones MSN ’18, DNP ’20 knew she wanted to become a nurse ever since she opted in 11th grade for the Health Profession Liaison program at Trenton Central High School in Trenton, NJ. Through the program, she began an 11-year relationship with the St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, where she practiced nursing in every area and found her calling on the correctional health floor, working with the prison population. Her extensive career experiences and a resolute pursuit of education paved a path to this spring when Gayles-Jones earned her hood and gown, and a coveted Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, from Holy Family University.

“I love correctional nursing because that population is more humble,” said Gayles-Jones. “They know they’re in a transition phase and they’re more receptive to care. It gives me a sense of fulfillment that I could be a catalyst to make a change in someone’s life through kindness and care. “ While earning her master’s degree at Holy Family, Gayles-Jones was a full-time Department Nurse Manager for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, working concurrently at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women and the Annandale Youth Correctional Facility. In her role, she managed nurses across the system caring for male youth offenders, ages 18 to 35, who were on good behavior.

“The money is good but the environment can be harsh, so some nurses know it’s not for them,” said Gayles-Jones. “For me, I like how correctional care is more than just one dimension of nursing.

Since it’s a system unto itself, you need to bring everything to those you care for.”

After receiving her master’s degree in 2018, Gayles-Jones consulted with her three children, ages 14, 11, and two at the time, before making a decision to go for two more years of school to achieve her DNP. “I knew my kids were still young, and it was going to be now or never,” said Gayles-Jones. “I needed to do this not only for myself, but for them as well.”

As Director of Nursing at an assisted living facility in Princeton, NJ, Gayles-Jones was already working 40 hours per week. Returning to school added another 40 to 50 hours, plus the time she spent taking care of her family. She chose to continue at Holy Family

Family graduated its first class of Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Wellness students, who will go on to help clients make evidence-based, positive lifestyle decisions as part of today’s proactive healthcare movement. Princess Gayles-Jones MSN ’18, DNP ’20 became the first Holy Family graduate to achieve both her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees, coming closer to her ultimate goal of becoming a Chief Nursing Officer in a correctional facility.

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because it was a new program, and a collaborative process between the instructors and the students.

Classwork included papers, reflections, basic coursework, and exams. During the evenings, she would shadow her preceptor, a nurse leader working on the job. She was fortunate to have an unofficial mentor in Marina Boykova, PhD, RN, a nurse educator at Holy Family. During her master’s program, Gayles-Jones studied statistics with Boykova, and was able to draw on her professor’s expertise and coaching when it came time to do her own statistical analysis for her DNP. Gayles-Jones credits her positive experience at Holy Family with the rigorous curriculum, high-quality professional training, and close collaboration with her professors across the School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions.

“Reaching my DNP dreams—and all that has entailed—means everything to me,” she said. “It’s my last goal and I achieved it.

My family’s so proud of me. It’s a surreal feeling.”

Gayles-Jones hopes to one day become a Chief Nursing Officer at a correctional facility, and now with her DNP in-hand, this, too, has become more achievable.

“What I appreciate about Holy Family students is that there’s a deep commitment to caring for the community,” said Russell.

“Many of our students are first-generation-to-college, working to put themselves through school while also helping to take care of their families. Our second-degree students see themselves advancing in terms of responsibilities and leadership. They combine drive, perseverance, delayed gratification, and the ability to put that all in perspective in pursuit of a goal. That’s one

of the things that drew me to Holy Family.

We are impacting the trajectory of our students’ lives and creating a pathway to so many opportunities.”

1

ealth Disparities and Inequities, National Heart, Lung H and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/ health-disparities-and-inequities

2

urses are Taking Care of COVID-19 Patients. Who’s N Taking Care of the Nurses? https://news.northeastern. edu/2020/05/05/nurses-are-taking-care-of-covid-19patients-whos-taking-care-of-the-nurses/

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You change lives. You make an everlasting Your generosity is transformative.

impact.

Donors to the Blue & White Fund, Holy Family University’s Annual Fund, directly support current student financial aid making it possible for our students to realize their dreams of becoming the next generation of teachers, scientists, entrepreneurs, nurses, artists and attorneys. With your participation in the Blue & White Fund, you will provide an immediate, everlasting impact on student success.

For more information or to make your gift to the Blue & White Fund today, please visit holyfamily.edu/give or call 267-341-5007.

“My Holy Family education allowed me to excel in my career while developing valuable relationships. These difference makers are the reason I remain connected to the university through a close-knit group of alumni and friends who I consider my family.

These experiences are the reasons why I remain committed to giving back as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors and as a donor to the Blue & White Fund. I give every year because I love Holy Family and I want to support our current students, who I believe will become our next generation of leaders.”

Roshan Pulimkalayil ’16, M’18

How to Make

Your Permanent Mark on the Future

Now is the time to make a mark on the future. More and more alumni and friends of Holy Family University are choosing to leave a lasting legacy by making a gift through their will or estate.

You can give (“bequeath”) many different kinds of assets—in whole or in part—in your will, including: • A paid-up life insurance policy • CDs • Cash • U.S. Savings Bonds • Securities • Artwork • Real estate • A percentage of your estate’s value • The remainder after all debts are paid and your loved ones are cared for If you believe in Holy Family University’s mission and want to help carry it forward to the future, please contact us.

We would be honored to work with you and your advisor(s) to determine the gift that best suits your situation and interests. We will be pleased to welcome you into our Teneor Votis Society, which recognizes and honors the generosity and foresight of Holy Family’s planned giving donors. You will receive invitations to special events and other exclusive benefits as a Teneor Votis Society member.

For more information or to let us know you have included Holy Family University in your will, please visit holyfamily.edu/bequest or contact Joshua E. Liss, Assistant Vice President for Development, at 267-341-3100 or jliss@holyfamily.edu.

Spotlight

A Tiger Through and Through

By Barbara Link

J

ames Dever Bennett, Esq. ’82 is as good a friend as any university could hope for. “I would not be where I am without Holy Family,” said Bennett, who works for global higher education software company Ellucian as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “I’m happy to serve the University in any way I can.”

It was Bennett’s mother who suggested he apply for an academic scholarship. She was a stay-at-home mom raising five children, while Bennett’s father worked as a schoolteacher. Holy Family was around the corner from their home, and Bennett knew that with a full-tuition scholarship, he could save the money he earned from part-time and summer jobs to pay for law school.

While his experience on the debate team at Lincoln High School steered him toward a career in law, he says the four years he spent at Holy Family, and the extraordinary professors who guided him along the way, are what shaped him.

“What’s unique about Holy Family is the level of interaction between students and professors,” said Bennett. “One of my professors, Dr. Thomas Lombardi, became my mentor. He’s like a second father to me. He and his wife took me under their wings. The same was true of many of my professors. It was such an enriching experience.”

After graduating cum laude with a BA in English, Bennett enrolled at the Villanova University School of Law. His search for a summer internship led him back to another Holy Family professor, Marion Ahrens Von Rosenstiel, for an introduction to her husband. Werner Von Rosenstiel was a prominent attorney who served as a translator at the Nuremberg Trials. Bennett landed the clerkship.

He stayed connected to Holy Family over the years through enduring friendships with his professors and campus visits to attend basketball games with his father. It was more recently that his involvement intensified. The catalyst was a note he penned to University President Sister Maureen McGarrity, enclosed with his pledge check, that read, “If there is anything I can do for the school, please let me know.” She invited him to meet with her.

Today, Bennett serves as Chair of the President’s Advisory Council. He co-chaired the 2020 Tigers on the Loose campaign, raising critical financial aid funding for students. And in the fall, he will join the University’s Board of Trustees.

“My fondness for Holy Family has grown over the years, as has my appreciation for what the University did for me personally,” said Bennett. “Every day, I’m grateful.”

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The Changing View of Education When our country, and much of the world, went on lockdown to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses and institutions everywhere had to rethink how to operate.

Holy Family was no exception. How would we navigate this strange new world? What would we discover? And how would this experience shape the future?

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rofessor Maria Agnew ’90, PhD, had been closely following the news about the novel coronavirus. It was weeks before the United States would issue a stay-at-home order, but Agnew sensed what was coming. She began to prepare her materials, and her students in the School of Education, for the remainder of spring semester.

“I wanted to have those conversations with my students while we were still face-to-face,” said Agnew. “I told them while the future appears uncertain, we will work this out. We will get you through this semester, and we will all be okay.”

The change to life as we knew it felt sudden and dramatic. On Friday, March 13, Holy Family shuttered its campus. By Wednesday, March 18, we had fully transitioned to a virtual learning environment. Kevin Zook, PhD, Dean and Professor in the School of Education, said the University was well-equipped for the enormous shift that needed to occur.

“We’ve been moving in the direction of online education for the last several years,” explained Zook. “In 2016, we began offering graduate

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programs in blended and online formats, and several faculty members and students were already accustomed to this modality. When the decision to cease in-person classes was announced, it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been, had we not previously laid the groundwork.”

The University was already utilizing Canvas, an online learning management system where faculty posted syllabi and course materials, such as videos and PowerPoint presentations. The platform also offers several advanced features, including a mechanism to take attendance, and to meet in real-time as one would via WebEx and Zoom. While Canvas provided the necessary infrastructure, there were still numerous obstacles to overcome. Many faculty members and students did not have experience with online learning, and some were contending with additional concerns.

Our Top Priority e put our heads together and made serving our students the number one priority, as always,” said Zook.

“Their semesters, and their lives, had been upended. Beyond the obvious challenges, we knew we had students whose home environments may not be conducive to learning, or who may not have the necessary equipment and technology.

Some live with family members at extreme risk for contracting COVID-19. Some are in less than desirable situations to participate in a video class. We had to be acutely aware that each individual has a different set of circumstances, and ensure we remained patient and flexible.”

To better understand the challenges our students were struggling with, Agnew looked to her daughter, Holly Agnew ’21, now a rising senior in Holy Family’s School of Education.

“When you’re asking as a mom, you’ll get a more honest answer than if you’re asking as a professor,” said Agnew. “It wasn’t just about how we can teach, but how our students are learning. Not every student was ready for three Zoom classes for six courses a week. Holly shared with me her concerns and those of her peers. They were all feeling a great deal of pressure.”

Agnew communicated those insights to her colleagues across the University, sparking a collaborative approach to prevent students from feeling overwhelmed.

“There was a learning curve in terms of timing,” said Agnew. “We quickly realized we didn’t all need to be online teaching three realtime classes a week. Together, we came up with a universal design, incorporating other methods of teaching virtually that students could partake in on their own time.”

Faculty members combined various modalities to meet student needs, from recorded lectures, to one-on-one check-ins, to holding class online just once a week. As everyone adjusted, each School addressed its own unique set of challenges.

“By way of example,” said Zook, “in the Schools of Education and Nursing, our students have to be out in the field gaining practical experience. We worked closely with various governing bodies, such as the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to ensure the necessary accommodations were made and every student had what was needed to progress in their learning.”

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The Student Perspective or Jessica Baranoski ’21, COVID-19 forced an abrupt end to her practicum at Bensalem High School and quashed the opportunity to present her symposium project for the Holy Family Honors Program in person. She relied on her organizational skills and strong relationships with professors to make the transition successfully, balancing her coursework—four classes plus her practicum—while increasing the hours she worked at Acme from 20 to 35 a week.

“I made a planner with all of my deadlines and completed assignments in advance,” said Baranoski. “Communicating with my professors was easy. I would email them questions about homework or anything else, and they would get back to me within hours. The worst part for me was not being able to spend time on campus with my classmates, or say goodbye to my students at Bensalem.”

One of Baranoski’s classes was already online, so she was able to adapt easily to virtual learning in her other classes. Her professors used a combination of independent projects, group work, homework, and online tests. She admits that coming home to do homework after a long shift at Acme was not always easy, especially given the tension in the air as customers adjusted to new restrictions.

“I know this entire experience has 100% better prepared me for my career,” said the Secondary Education Biology major. “As a teacher, you need to adapt to your classroom, all of the different personalities, the changing curriculum, and new technology. In the future, if a student can’t be in the classroom because of a medical issue or otherwise, or even because of a snow day, we now know we can com-

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Holly Agnew

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Professor Maria Agnew ’90 (pictured top right and on the opposite page) utilized Zoom to meet with students and faculty alike, complemented by instructional videos, discussion boards, PowerPoint slides with voice-overs, and numerous other tools to make online learning successful.

municate with them via Zoom or another platform. All that we’ve learned, including our ability to use technology effectively, will be a huge advantage moving forward.”

Christian Locante ’21, a Biology major at Holy Family, also grappled with the impact the pandemic would have on his spring semester. He would miss fulfilling his responsibilities as a Student Ambassador, and taking field trips with his peers from the Albertans Science Club. He was grateful to have just completed the Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Break trip to Alabama before the stayat-home order was announced.

“It was a weird transition,” said Locante of making the shift to a virtual environment. “So much was different, but my mentality and the way I applied myself stayed the same. Some weeks I was confident with the material; other weeks I reached out for additional help. The professors helped all of us make the best out of the remaining months of the semester.”

Locante’s new learning environment would include a combination of online classes, discussion boards, pre-recorded lectures, and office hours with his professors. He filled his spare time by learning yoga, and volunteering at the nonprofit organization where his mother works, putting together food bags for the homeless.

“Most of all, I missed the social interaction with my friends on campus,” said Locante. “I think the majority of students would agree that part was harder than adjusting to the academic changes. The quality of our education at Holy Family was upheld. It was a joint effort between the students and faculty, and together, we made it work.”

Equipping Our Team hile several Holy Family faculty members were already teaching online courses, many had only taught in a classroom. Those with experience quickly stepped up to assist their colleagues in making a smooth transition.

Leading the way was Roseanna J. Wright, PhD, a Professor in the

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School of Education, and Chair of the Committee for the Oversight of Blended and Online Leaning (COBOL). Established in 2014, COBOL comprises representatives from each area of the University, and is charged with implementing and upholding the international gold standards for online education. Committee members are also tasked with serving as blended and online course mentors for their peers.

When the pandemic hit, COBOL sprang into action. The group surveyed the entire faculty to identify exactly what they needed, and immediately built a repository on the Canvas platform for exemplars, how-to guides, frequently asked questions, and discussion boards.

From ensuring courses were accessible to those with disabilities, to instructions on how to create a voice-over for PowerPoint, every possible resource was available in one place. Wright would monitor a newly established COBOL email address, triaging requests for assistance among the committee.

COBOL member Lisa Ratmansky, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, had already been working on professional development opportunities in this arena. She began hosting multiple group discussions with faculty members to share experiences, manage challenges, and ignite creative approaches to teaching online. An even more robust professional development series was introduced in the summer, and plans for ongoing development opportunities abound.

“Our faculty deserves tremendous credit,” said Zook. “They knew what needed to be done and they were well-positioned to do it. They are the heroes in all of this.”

Alumni Rising to the Challenge n universities and grade schools across the US, instructors new and seasoned were embracing unfamiliar ways of working with students.

Holy Family alumna Meghan Rakus ’19, a first-year teacher at St. Mary Interparochial School in Society Hill, said there was little time to prepare, and not a thought in her mind that schools would ulti-

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“Seventh grade is a fundamental year,” he explained. “And math mately close for the remainder of the academic year. The fifth and is hard to do online. I didn’t want my students to have to wait for an sixth grade math, science, and social studies teacher was most conanswer. Teachers are always going to do whatever it takes to help cerned about her students’ emotional well-being. students learn.”

“There is no book on how to help children process a pandemic,” He credits his education at Holy Family, and his principal, Genshe said. “They were asked not to see their friends, not to go outside evieve Endy-O’Kane ’85, for his readiness to meet the challenges and play basketball, not to learn in a classroom. Our school principal, brought on by the pandemic.

Jayda Pugliese ’09, M’14, knew our students needed consistency.

“As teachers, we’ve learned to be over-prepared and ready to manThey needed school now more than ever to provide routine and age any unexpected situation,” said McAllister. “Genevieve has built structure in their day. We collaborated as a faculty and reflected ina strong culture of family at Decatur. We rely very much on the core dividually to determine how this would work as a school, as a class, values we lived during our time at Holy Family, and that we still live and for each individual student.” today. In my classroom, we are a family. I worried as much about Students were invited to pick up Chromebook computers, already whether my students had a safe place to live or food to eat as I did loaded with Zoom, along with other essential materials. Unlike the about academics.” public school system, private schools were required to offer online In May 2020, McAllister returned to Holy Family to earn his Masclasses immediately upon the shutdown. Rakus and her colleagues ter’s in Education and his Principal Certification. The two-year prorelied on technology and each other to weather the storm. Any teachgram is completely online. er will tell you that teaching virtually requires more work than de“I hope to have an impact on a larger scale—to make a difference livering lessons in the classroom. in the lives of thousands of students, their families, and faculty memRakus began the day with homeroom at 8:00 am, followed by bers,” he said. “Dr. Zook told me when I graduated that he expected I Zoom classes for fifth and sixth grade math. Next came science and would come back. He was right.” social studies check-ins, then closing period with her homeroom. On Thursdays, she added Reading Olympics for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. Between and after classes, she was busy creating content, Forever Family posting videos, planning games, finding new ways to assess her students’ knowledge, and reaching out individually to students she was hen the pandemic struck, many Holy Family alumni who are particularly concerned about. She would end each day over a bowl of now teachers reached out to their former professors seeking ice cream with her mother. guidance. For each request she received, Agnew put together a cus“Some people think teachers were off during that time,” said tomized resource packet. As the emails and calls continued, she realRakus. “We weren’t. We had to be even more creative to keep our stuized the need for a common resource. dents engaged, and more aware of their emotions. We were heartbroWith an assist from the Alumni Office, Agnew followed an inken to not be in the classroom with our students. It’s what we love.” structional video she found on YouTube to build a private Facebook Dominic McAllister ’17 echoed Rakus’ sentiments. A seventh grade math teacher at Stephen Decatur Elementary School in Northeast Philadelphia, McAllister said he missed the classroom every single day.

“Working from our living or dining rooms is not what we had in mind when we dreamed of becoming teachers,” he said. “In addition to the academic challenges with virtual learning, there is the personal aspect. The relationships built— student to teacher and student to student—are a critical part of development.”

He shared that his students had already been through a lot during the academic year, losing three of their five teachers— one moved to another school district, one suffered a stroke, and the third’s spouse passed away. McAllister dedicated himself to being accessible any time his students needed him. After a full day of teaching online, holding office hours, lesson planning, and providing feedback, he was often awake until 1:00 am responding Teachers at Alpha House created activity packets at the start of the stay-at-home order for pick-up by students’ to emails from students. families, many of whom decorated their cars and displayed colorful signs to express their appreciation.

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Courtesy of Alpha House

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Dominic McAllister ’17 relied on Google Meet to lead four math classes daily for his 123 seventh grade students, including 32 special education students with Individual Education Programs.

technology in our classrooms. We now have a much bigger toolbox to draw from as we discern how each individual student learns best. The world has changed, and so have we.”

The Future of Education akus agrees. “None of us will go back to teaching like this never happened,” she shared. “We’ve been exposed to so many different resources and technologies. I know I’ll be incorporating video lessons and other methodologies when we’re back in the classroom. But we’ve also seen how important it is for students to interact every day with their peers. And for teachers to be there face-to-face with them, where we can clearly read the emotions in their speech and facial expressions. This experience has proven that the physical classroom is an essential part of childhood.”

“We’ve also realized the importance of access to technology outside of the classroom,” added McAllister. “A lot of students don’t have access to computers or internet at home. We have to change this as a city, as a nation. I think we may also see smaller class sizes, now that everyone recognizes the importance of interacting with students on an individual level. Perhaps teachers are finally receiving the respect and recognition they deserve.”

For Agnew, her greatest discovery was the importance of combining both synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods for the many online and blended courses and degrees offered at Holy Family.

“Just as there are many different was to teach in the classroom, there are many different ways to teach online,” she said. “If we were to just stand up and lecture in the classroom every day, we wouldn’t be fully engaging every student. Likewise, there are numerous tools to make online learning more successful—videos, small and large work groups, discussions, and independent assignments. I kept thinking, if we do this in the classroom, why wouldn’t we do it online?”

“I don’t think we’ll ever go back to where we were or what we were doing before the pandemic,” stated Wright. “There’s a reason why our University was prepared. We could see that online learning was becoming an increasingly popular option, particularly for graduate students. The world was already heading there. This experience just pushed us closer.”

At the undergraduate level, Zook believes Holy Family is and will remain very much a brick and mortar institution. But the lessons learned will be applied to everything we do moving forward.

“Ten years from now, 20 years from now, we’ll all look back on this moment as a time of substantial growth,” said Zook. “It’s not going to define who we are or who we will become, but it will most certainly have a fundamental impact. I’m enormously proud of how our students and our faculty have adapted and shown such grace through so much uncertainty. We demonstrated that it can be done. Still, there is no substitute for human interaction. I’m eager for the time when we can all be back together again on campus.”

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page rich with information, and accessible to alumni and current School of Education students. It includes individual content units on science, language arts, math, and social studies, as well as behavior management practices, evidence-based online learning practices, tips for applying technology, and a discussion board to talk through strategies and compare notes.

“We want our alumni to know we’re always here for them,” said Agnew. “This is the place I remember as a Holy Family student, the place we keep in contact with even after we leave.”

Impacting Students at Every Age egardless of age, not one student was spared from the impact of COVID-19. At Alpha House—the nursery, pre-K, and kindergarten operated by Holy Family—even the smallest of students, their families, and teachers, had to contend with the challenges of a virtual classroom.

“So much of what we do here is hands-on learning and interactive play,” said Alpha House Director Mary Becker M’10. “Our teachers had to figure out how we would reach the children, and how to do so without overwhelming their parents, who were trying to manage significant stresses of their own.”

The Alpha House staff compiled packets filled with materials including books, crayons, and a list of suggested activities to support at-home learning. Chromebooks were made available to anyone in need. Teachers recorded videos of themselves reading aloud that parents could share with their children at any given time. And optional Zoom gatherings featured lessons, show and tell, and circle time. The staff kept in close contact with parents, reminding them they were always available to help in any way. Becker says the experience was eye-opening.

“We’ve realized technology can be a great partner in teaching and learning for younger children,” she said. “I don’t think we’ll ever go back to teaching as it was before. I expect we’ll see more interactive

Lauren Apice

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Athletics

Northeast Times Names Holmes and Radley Athletes of the Year

Radley put together an impressive senior season on the Women’s Basketball team, also earning All-CACC first team honors. She averaged 15.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, setting career-highs in both categories. She also set career-highs in steals (18), blocks (36), and field goals made (181).

During the course of the season, Radley recorded her 1,000th career point, becoming the 25th member of this elite club. She was named to the Academic All-District I first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), and as CACC Student-Athlete of the Month in February. In 104 career games, Radley totaled 1,179 career points, the 18th highest in program history.

The Women’s Basketball team had a season to remember as well, with the Tigers advancing all the way to the CACC Championship game. It marked the program’s 11th CACC Championship game appearance since joining Division II in 2003-04 and the first since the 2015 title game. Holy Family finished the season 18-11 overall and 14-5 in conference play.

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SUMMER / 2020

Compiled by Greg Pellegrino, Sports Information Director

Shane Holmes ’20 and Elizabeth Radley ’20 have been named by the Northeast Times as the Holy Family University Athletes of the Year. Bestowed annually by the publication’s sports department, this recognition honors the area’s top competitors at both the high school and collegiate levels.

Holmes, an anchor in the Holy Family Men’s Soccer team defense, helped to lead a backfield that allowed the second fewest goals in conference play with just 15. In his two seasons with the Tigers, Holmes started all 34 games, and totaled two goals and three assists.

This year, he earned All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) first team honors, and was among 31 student-athletes at Holy Family inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma—the National College Athlete Honor Society.

In was a season to remember for the Men’s Soccer program as the Tigers finished 11-8-1, marking the most wins since 2011. The team set a new program record for the most conference victories at 8-4-0, clinching the third seed in the 2019 CACC Tournament and advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2011.

WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Exceeding Expectations

The Holy Family University Women’s Indoor Track and Field team surpassed preseason predictions considerably, finishing fourth overall at the 2020 East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship in February, held in Staten Island, New York.

The Tigers were expected to finish last when the ECC announced its preseason championship poll back in December. Instead, Holy Family earned 63 points with 17 individuals placing in the top 10 in their respective events, marking the program’s best showing since joining the conference in 2016.

The Tigers also set a program record for the most individuals earning All-ECC honors with seven, including one relay team. Congratulations to Korryn Braxton-Young ’23, Leah Gaston ’21, Kimoya Henry-Ellis ’23, Nyoki Jones ’22, Kai B. Lash ’22, Shania Le Maitre ’22, and Shanell Pusey ’23 for earning this recognition.

Serving the Community Over the past academic year, the Holy Family University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) participated in several initiatives in service to the community.

In the fall, SAAC helped the Department of Athletics collect and donate 1,000 new children’s books to William Loesche Elementary in Philadelphia, in conjunction with the 14th annual Build-A-Library campaign.

Since the program launched in 2006, nearly 17,000 new books have been presented to 16 schools in Philadelphia.

In February, SAAC visited Overbrook School for the Blind to support the School’s ninth annual Hoopla for Hearts event. Held each

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Student-Athletes Recognized for Educational and Athletic Success Thirty-one Holy Family University student-athletes have been inducted into the Pennsylvania Psi Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma­—the National College Athlete Honor Society—for the 2019-20 academic year.

Chi Alpha Sigma recognizes collegiate student-athletes who receive a varsity letter in their sport, achieve junior academic standing or higher after their fifth fulltime semester, and earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or higher. The nonprofit organization is the first and only entity established to recognize collegiate studentathletes who excel both on and off the field of competition, and connect them within a fraternal association that aligns their educational and athletic successes for a lifetime.

“We’re extremely proud of our student-athletes for this earning prestigious honor,” said Robin Arnold, Associate Director of Athletics. “It’s a testament to their hard work and dedication. Congratulations!”

year during Heart Awareness Month, Hoopla for Hearts promotes the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Our HFU studentathletes assisted participating students at various stations featuring basketball, jump rope, and hula hoop.

Also in February, SAAC volunteered at the third annual BennettStrong Gala, held at the Northampton Valley Country Club.

The BennettStrong Foundation is local nonprofit organization with the mission of providing support to families who have children with complex medical needs. The student-athletes, dressed in their formal best, greeted guests upon arrival, and provided oversight for the raffle basket exhibits and silent auction.

SAAC is pleased to announce our officers for the 2020-2021 academic year: Hannah Derby ’21, President; Mackenzie Meyers ’21, Vice President; Megan Hughes ’21, Secretary; Taylor Nichols ‘21, Treasurer; and Sean Touey ’23, Social Media/Video.

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Vision & Values

Raising Two Sweet Homes in Alabama Thirty Holy Family Habitat for Humanity student volunteers packed four vans for an Alternative Spring Break road trip to Fairfield, Alabama. The productive crew framed exterior and interior walls, laid flooring and tiling, and built and installed cabinetry, baseboards, doors, and trim to fashion two new homes for deserving families. They were hosted by a local church, where they slept, cooked, and played games to enjoy their time together at night. This is the 14th year that students have raised funds, planned, and participated in a Holy Family Alternative Spring Break trip to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.

1 / T aking pride in a job well done – Pictured top row

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(left to right) with the Habitat Director (far left) are: Rachel Bell, Nina Danko, Ana Lima, Annie Wolfe, Drew Sagedy, Victoria Gargano, Julia Eggie, and Sarah Montgomery; Front row (left to right): Therese Garvey, Eileen Silot, Lavinia Harison, Ally Hartney, Darnell Gregg, and Amber Welsh-Miller

2 / R iley Turner and Kristina Kissling take great measures in their craft.

3 / S miling for a selfie – Top row (left to right): Amber Welsh-Miller, Katlyn Pritchard, and Emily Griffis; Front and center: Ally Hartney

4 / T he name of the game is framing – From left to right:

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Annie Wolfe, Kristina Kissling, Jessica Nieto, and Christian Locante

5 / S howing off their culinary skills to cook for the crew – From left to right: Darnell Gregg, Lavinia Harison, Jessica Nieto, and Eileen Silot

6 / T eamwork makes the dream work – Back row (left to right): Christian Locante, Dr. Daniel Bramer, Jessica Nieto, and Rachel Bell; Middle row (left to right): Asawir Abdelgadir, Marisa Beauchemin, Annie Wolfe, 5 Eileen Silot, Kristina Kissling, and Bridget Miller; Front row (left to right): Dr. Jenai Grigg and Alexander Nolter 4

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SUMMER / 2020

Making a Mark on MLK Day

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More than 80 Holy Family faculty, staff, and students joined over 5,000 volunteers at Girard College—and 150,000 across the region—for the Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service, the largest of its kind in the nation.

1 / P acking meals for Rise Against Hunger are (from left to right): Eric Nelson, Matt Shiber, and Jami Hughes.

2 / V olunteers joined together on the bus from Holy Family University to Girard College to participate in a great day of service.

3 / Sandy Magee-Evans and Sister Maureen built US Census collection boxes to be placed around the City to encourage citizen participation and the need to be counted.

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4 / A n aerial view of a packed house of volunteers inside the Armory at Girard College

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5 / S tanding together to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy are (from left to right): Juan Rivera, Sister Marcella Binkowski, CSFN, ’76, Sister Cordia Wilczewska, CSFN, ’14, Riley Turner, Sarah Montgomery, and Meghan Petrie.

6 / T he Phillie Phanatic and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf joined Mayor Jim Kenney and other local dignitaries and sponsors at Opening Ceremonies to kick off the event.

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Photos: Ricky Haldis/Wise Owl Multimedia

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Vision & Values

Great Day to be a Tiger Takes the Cake Great Day to Be a Tiger was held on February 11 to celebrate Holy Family University’s 66th birthday and the anniversary of our charter. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni enjoyed an Anniversary Mass, Tiger Tacos for lunch, and a series of “Tiger Talks,” modeled on TED Talks, discussing timely topics. The celebration 1 ended on a very sweet note, with a delicious birthday cake donated

by Stock’s Bakery. We also held our second annual Day of Giving in support of student financial aid through the Blue & White Fund.

Thanks to the generosity of our HFU family, we exceeded our goal of 200 donors to reach 225!

1 / Blue and Sister Maureen prepare to cut the cake.

2 / S ister Mary Joan Jacobs, CSFN, ’84, Faculty Athletics Representative, and Assistant Professor for the School of Arts and Sciences, and Shelley Robbins, PhD, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, serve up tacos for lunch.

3 / M argaret Kelly, Vice President of Mission, presented a Tiger Talk on the topic of Essential Oils for Health and Happiness.

4&5 / S tudents soaked up the fun and snapped photos for social media.

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Photos: Ricky Haldis/Wise Owl Multimedia

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SUMMER / 2020

Thank You to Tigers on the Loose 2020 Sponsors and Donors!

On May 7, we would have celebrated Tigers on the Loose, Holy Family University’s annual scholarship celebration.

Although we couldn’t be together as planned at the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia due to COVID-19, we are grateful for the generosity of our sponsors and donors. They spark opportunity, hope, and achievement for Holy Family students by making an affordable, high quality education possible.

To view a thank you video featuring grateful scholarship recipients, please visit holyfamily.edu/tigersloose.

Platinum Sponsors James Dever Bennett, Esq. ’82 & Kim F. Bennett

Anthony & Mary Ann Szuszczewicz

Gold Sponsors Family & Friends Organization of Holy Family University

Silver Sponsors Dennis Colgan

Bronze Sponsors Susan Adams Albert Communications Allied Universal BrightView Landscapes, llc Chadwick Service Company Idea Hut

Kane Builders S&D Inc. Dominic Marano Bruce Miller Parx Casino Penn Jersey Paper Co. Jim & Anne Marie McLaughlin Pettit ’69

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, llp PNC Bank Origlio Beverage Travelers Bond & Specialty Insurance WBCB 1490 AM

Benefactor Baldini Communications, llc Chickie’s & Pete’s Colleen Belz Frascatore & Vincent Frascatore ’90 The Graham Company

Daniel Kilcoyne ’04 and Michele Kilcoyne ’10 Marquette Associates Robert McCord

Nazareth Academy High School PECO Patrick Ryan & Susan Santalucia William Strecker TD Bank

Patron astm International Clark Communications, Inc. Confidio

Cupersmith, Wilensky, Stempler & Company, llp Roger Falloon ’97 Bill Fitzgerald

Holy Family University Graduate Criminal Justice Advisory Board Eric Nelson

Donor/Sponsor a Holy Family Student beMarketing Daniel Bramer Mary Ann Bush

Joseph Fredericks Jaclyn Myers Michelle Pickels ’01, mba ’11

Roshan Pulimkalayil ’16, mba ’18 Bernice Purcell ’85 Kevin Raphael, Esq.

Marta Graffy Sparrow ’81 Today Media

Online Auction Donors Susan Adams Barnes & Noble College James Dever Bennett, Esq. ’82 Clear Channel Luz Duque-Hammershaimb h’12 Phil Earley

El Merkury Entercom Communications Corp.

Karamoor Estate Bruer Kershner Daniel Kilcoyne ’04 William Mandia

Robert McCord National Cinema Media Mary and Greg Pellegrino Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Philadelphia Eagles

Bill Sprague Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, llp Jonathan Warner Wise Owl Multimedia/Ricky Haldis ’16

Class Notes

80s What you do is news to your fellow alumni and your alma mater! Tell us if you have moved, changed your phone number, updated your e-mail address, become engaged, gotten married, had or adopted a baby, reunited with a group of classmates, received an award or promotion, or changed jobs— or if you just want to say, “hello!” Please forward details to the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, Holy Family University, 9801 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114-2009. You can e-mail us at alumni@holyfamily.edu.

60s Gini (Fluehr) Campbell ’60 now resides in Fairless Hills, PA. Marianne McGurk-Hughes ’68 retired after a 45-year career in teaching. She taught biology and related clinical sciences courses for Camden County College.

Brenda (Nadjicka) Higgins ’73 and her husband, Brian Higgins, met Sister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD, and Christina Bender, Director of Annual Giving, for lunch during a February 2020 visit to Washington, DC.

Julie Bamberger-Herrmann ’83 is celebrating her 30-year work anniversary with the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. She and her husband, Bob, live in Northeast Philadelphia.

Sister Mary Joan Jacobs, CSFN ’84 was named Faculty Athletics Representative at Holy Family, where she serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences.

Bernadette (Lange) Ryan ’87 is a medical-surgical nurse at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, where her daughter, Katie Ryan ’16, also works as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit.

70s Kathy (Papst) Meyers ’73 moved to Gettysburg, PA, after the passing of her husband, Bill, in July 2019. Kathy’s daughter, Meghan (Meyers) Regan ’11, also attended Holy Family.

Lucille Arslanian ’75 is founder and President of execHRconsult-

Tony Baker ’82 works as an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist for PeroxyChem, LLC. He and his wife, Mary, live in Northeast Philadelphia, and enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren.

ing, an HR consulting and executive business coaching practice.

Sandra (Glassburg) Sloane ’89 works as a nurse. She and her husband, Bruce Solomon, live in Warminster, PA.

Linda (Thatcher) Raichle, PhD ’70 was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions.

A 2019 recipient of Holy Family’s Alumni Achievement Award, Linda recently retired and now resides in Media, PA.

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Jane (Pittello) Allen ’94 retired from her position in the Oncology Unit at AbingtonJefferson Health.

Sharon Cornwall M’94 was named 2020 Outstanding STEM Teacher by the Philadelphia Engineering Foundation, the charitable arm of the

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Photo: Ricky Haldis/Wise Owl Multimedia (Raichle)

90s

PHL17 Morning News. In addition to working as an author, professor, TV host, and motivational speaker, Lisa is Vice President of Communications for Acuity Healthcare.

Lynda (Peyton) Lackey ’92, M’99 and Ray Lackey ’93, M’96 celebrated 23 years of marriage. Their daughter and second-generation Tiger, Maddy Lackey ’23, just completed her first year at Holy Family studying Humanities.

Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia.

Sharon was recognized for more than 30 years of teaching at Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls.

Valerie (Angjelo) Delman ’94 works as a Transaction Processor for Advantage Closing Services in Southampton, PA. She and her

Kathe (Boehmke) Sobczak ’96, President of the Frankford-Northeast Philadelphia Rotary Club, was awarded a Governor’s Citation for outstanding leadership within the club and service to the district.

Rachel (McClain) Riley ’04 was named by PR News as one of the Top Women in Public Relations.

She serves as Director of Communications for the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board.

husband, Joshua, live in Warminster, PA. Brian Spector ’94 accepted a new position as Operations Director of the Neurology and Neuroscience Institute at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Brian lives in Harrisburg, PA, with his wife, Nancy.

Lindsey (Lehman) Sirju ’07 is the co-founder of the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning, the first and only school in Bermuda for children ages six through 15 with language-based learning differences. Lindsey lives in Bermuda with her husband, Mervyn, and their son, Rohan.

Beth (Whalen) Garofola ’99 is married to Mike Garofola ’97.

They live in Marlton, NJ, with their four children and their dog, Jedi.

00s Bernadette (Dickson) Laukaitis ’00, Head Coach of the Holy Family Women’s Basketball team, was featured in KYW Newsradio’s “1-On-1 with Matt Leon” podcast in February.

Tim Ryan ’01 is the new owner of Maggie’s Waterfront Café in Philadelphia.

Lisa Bien M’04 is the face of “Morning Motivations,” a recurring video segment featured on

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Sandy Kandravi M’06 was unanimously appointed by the Pennsbury School Board to serve as Elementary IT Educational Coach. Sandy teaches fifth grade at Penn Valley Elementary School.

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Class Notes

Diana (Romei) Senatore ’06 is the owner of Styled Pink Photography. Her wedding photography studio in Medford, NJ, was named Best of Weddings (2015-2020) by The Knot Magazine.

Emma DiMarcantonio ’14 married Matt Brandt on December 31, 2019. They were surrounded by Holy Family friends and family, including Ryan O’Driscoll ’13, Sam (Kiger) O’Driscoll ’14, Diana DiMarcantonio ’14, M’19, Melinda McGinly ’14, Kelly (Whelan) Faia ’15, Victoria (Faia) Krosskove ’15, Mary Torpey ’16, and Tom DiMarcantonio ’19.

Emma serves as Secretary for the Holy Family Alumni Board of Directors and is pursuing a master’s degree in social work from Widener University.

Cindy (Ziegler) Fitzgerald ’07, M’12 is married to Bill Fitzgerald ’06. The couple have two daughters, one of whom attends Holy Family’s Alpha House, where Cindy worked when she was a student.

Carol Smith ’08 works as a charge nurse for Friends Hospital in Philadelphia.

Lois Keller M’09 was hired as Executive Director of Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley.

Stephanie D’Alessandro ’14 married Michael Prendergast ’13 on December 21, 2019 in Northeast Philadelphia. Holy Family alumni in attendance included Karen (Quattrone) Lyons ’94, Alison (Prendergast) Sacks ’04, Chrissy Prendergast ’06, Alicia D’Alessandro ’10, Chuck Prendergast ’13, Adriano Ditri ’13, Maria (Ditri) Murphy ’14, Kate (Rizzo) Capper ’14, and Brittany (Pinto) Jenkins ’14.

10s Krystle (Toth) Kulik ’11 married John Kulik ’14 in September 2018. Krystle is a nurse at Fox Chase Cancer Center and John is a nurse at Nazareth Hospital.

Katie (Hornback) Glenn ’12 works as a Physician Assistant for Owensboro Dermatology in Owensboro, KY. Doug Ulrich ’12 and Cara Przybylowicz ’13 became engaged in December 2019.

The couple met at Holy Family in 2010 and have been dating since the summer of 2011.

Lauren (Smith) Veneziani ’16 is a seventh grade English language arts teacher for Riverside School District in Riverside, NJ. Betsy (Melendez) Zambrana ’16 works as a Tax Specialist for SAP.

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Tim Lynch ’17 was appointed Chief of Fire & Emergency Services for West Windsor, NJ. Since 2006, he has served with the department as an Emergency Services Specialist, Fire Inspector, Firefighter, Fire Lieutenant, and Fire Captain, among other roles.

Matt Thomas M’10 works as Director of Risk Management for Telluride Ski & Golf Club in Telluride, CO. He worked for Holy Family in the late 2000s as Assistant Director for Activities and Wellness.

SUMMER / 2020

Holy Family University Alumni Insurance Program Did you know that the Holy Family University Alumni Association sponsors an Alumni Insurance Program as a service to our alumni? The program offers a variety of attractivelypriced insurance products, most of which are available to alumni, students, faculty, and staff, as well as their spouses, domestic partners, children, parents, and siblings. life insurance

real estate benefits

travel insurance

pet insurance

medicare exchange

advisory services

id theft coverage

telehealth

long term disability insurance

long term care insurance

auto/home insurance

small business insurance

For more information visit HFU.MeyerAndAssoc.com or contact our program administrator (Meyer and Associates) at 800-635-7801.

for Children’s Crisis Treatment Center in Philadelphia.

Jennifer Peters ’19 works as an Admissions Counselor for Manor College.

The Office of University Advancement apologizes for inadvertently omitting the following Senior Class Legacy donors from the list that was published in the Class of 2020 Commencement Program: Delaney Margaret Donaghy, Brandi Lynn Brophy, Elizabeth M. Radley, and Alicia B. Sproul.

In Memoriam Alyssa Bennis ’19 and Corey Niemiec M’19 are engaged to be married. The couple resides in Northeast Philadelphia.

Ryan Keller ’17 has been hired as Director of Admissions for Mercy Career & Technical High School in Philadelphia.

Jazmine Babuch ’19 works as Therapeutic Support Staff

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Acknowledging alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Holy Family University

Sister Sylvine Czarnecka, CSFN ’58 Jean (Markiewicz) Bornaschella ’60 Frances (Mynaugh) Ward ’60 Therese (Balutowski) Troilo ’64 Mary (Hark) Evangelisto ’65 Sister M. Ruth Ruster, CSFN ’66 Pamela Doyle-Penne ’70 Anna (Lerovante) Freeh ’71 Linda Kachmar ’71 Frances Mulherin ’71 Margaret (Hanratty) McGinley ’72 Kathleen Hanley-Lloyd ’75

Patricia Carlo ’97 Dr. Joseph Bordogna H’09 Former US Representative Michael G. Fitzpatrick, Esq. H’17 Marie Brennan-Guerrera (former employee) Joan Cannon (former employee) Louis Giuliana (former employee) Dr. Kathy Moyer (former employee) Rosemary Parmigiani (former employee) Albert Tegler, Jr. (former trustee) Dr. Bette (Lewis) Tokar ’67 (former employee) Lynda Cloud Weber (former employee)

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Commencement

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! No class has ever graduated under such circumstances. No graduates have ever gone out into a world filled with the uncertainty you face. And no graduates have better demonstrated the drive to succeed under arduous conditions. I applaud all of you for your determination and your willingness to see this through in uncertain times. Your graduation should serve as a life lesson you’ll cherish and remember forever, and it’s my hope and prayer that you look back on this accomplishment and use it to conquer all that lies ahead.

–S ister Maureen McGarrity, CSFN, ’70, PhD

University President

U N D E R G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S Michael W. Markowitz, PhD Vice President for Academic Affairs

SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES Rochelle A. Robbins, PhD, Dean Bachelor of Arts/Science BIOCHEMISTRY Rumesa Hashmi BIOLOGY Riya E. Abraham Tyler L. Beccari Keisha Lauren Bowman Jessica Bruzzese Nicole M. Cripps Andrea DeVito Cheyenne Marie Fuhrmann Angela R. Gailey Audine Pierre Jailene M. Rivera Kristina M. Scalia-Jackson Ryan T. Smith Rexhina F. Struga Kevin Walker BIOLOGY/MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY Klaudia Shuti COMMUNICATIONS Matthew Richard Ciecka Caitlyn Connelly Sayda Kumba Conteh Bryan Daehling

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John M. Diorio Rachel E. Fox Cornelia Lafond-Carrette Julia Lynn Matarazzo Tina M. Nicoletti Daniel J. Ortiz Sabrina N. Perfidio Nicole M. Risko Jalen E. Thompson

Christopher Jones Zachary S. Nester Cherokee Pindle Cristina Rodriguez Joseph Rybakowski Courtney Lynn Simpson Roosevelt Smallwood III Barbara Sobczuk Jamileth A. Tejada Velez

CRIMINAL JUSTICE Lindsay A. Bahr Zachary Brown Kimberly Ann Campagna Carl R. Canale John R. Cepparulo Kyle W. Collins Vincenzo L. Dalessandro Marissa Nicole DeAngelo Christopher DiCocco Kylie S. Duffy Michael B. Gallagher Daniel T. Gariano Thomas J. Hammond Abbey Harp Ryan Heckmanski Alison Catherine Heeren

ENGLISH Kiley Ann Barker Michael W. Bringhurst Jr. Megan JacLynn Farber Molly McAtee Jeremy Selkow

INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMANITIES Colleen O’Brien MATHEMATICS Melissa Rose Cahill Tuyen Thanh Giang Le David William Tsichlis MATHEMATICS/ SECONDARY EDUCATION Dominque R. DeNofio

HISTORY Timothy Xavier Harrison

NEUROSCIENCE Angel M. Babu Alexis D. Bizupic Brianna Alexandria Coffman Casey Ann Dever Audrey L. Green Mandee L. Harris Sarah K. Montgomery Mariya Pogosova Stefy Reji Taryn Velazquez

HISTORY/SECONDARY EDUCATION Sarah Beeghley Gregory T. Olsen

PRE-ART THERAPY Jamie Cannon Donald L. Wallace II

ENGLISH/SECONDARY EDUCATION Melissa Noel Henry Dominique Simpson

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PSYCHOLOGY Hailey A. Bennington Breyana D. Chavis James E. DeLaurentis MaryKate Donahue Schyler Tedrionne Paris Ellerbee Micahya L. Gilliam Joseph Hain Megan Ashley Higgins Tamara L. Horsey Matthew Jarvis

Freudline Joseph Rachael Kendra-Bolinski Atiya Lanier Sarah J. Maloy Garilynn Martin Tyler Steven Marvel Jennifer L. McLean Olivia A. McMahon Devon N. Miller Taeya M. Norris Dolly Kamlesh Patel

Donna Kamlesh Patel Madelene Pierre Michael J. Pizzi Cassidy S. Pyser Elizabeth M. Radley Andrew W. Reed Brianna Denine Rieth Nathalie Rivera Dana Theresa Schmidt Gabrielle Elizabeth Spaide Gianna Nicole Spina

Rohda Marion Tamba Tyshae Truitt Joseph Carl Wurtenberg Alexa Zapczynski

Sierra Pospiech Casey Rodgers Vladislav Tatarintsev

MANAGEMENT MARKETING Charles N. Afful

Branden L. Aughburns Jeremy P. Barney Casey M. Brown Daniel Richard Brown Paul Cloud Brooke Ashley Dolphin Delaney Margaret Donaghy Victoria Edmonds Jonathon William Gregull Shane Holmes Connor Ralph Irwin Colin J. Kendra Vibina Koruth Nicholas Joseph LaDue Ashley Elizabeth Lawless Mark A. Mastrangelo Tyler P. McGrath Cailin O’Kane

David S. Erbele James M. Ernst Pamela Evans Steven Fink

Michael Joseph Hanuscin Abraham Jacob Patrick M. Leipziger Anthony W. Piscopo

William Francis Vetter Amal Yasin Kelly Anne Yates

PSYCHOLOGY FOR BUSINESS Megan E. Colfer Amanda Shelton

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION J. Barry Dickinson, PhD, Dean Bachelor of Arts ACCOUNTING Tydirah Dixon Eric A. Grant Antoinette L. Harper Elizabeth Hawrylack Michael K. Joyce Nicole Kemper Calvin Ladouceur Alleyn Lelis Llaban Talia C. Lynch Timothy J. McCall Nidhi Patel Xavier A. Resto Alexis M. Roberts Alicia B. Sproul Courtlyn A. Terrill Kerri Marie Van Allen Victoria L. Yang

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE Emmanuel Casie Sean Patrick Gaffney COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS Margaret Elizabeth Cahill Onasi Cuevas Andrew S. Mazer Nicole Valecce Nicole Romsina Zluky DIGITAL FORENSICS Munchar E. Cassell Alexis Daniel Melendez

SPORT MARKETING MANAGEMENT Robert Barrow Montrell Monyea Bogan Dana Dockery Justin Patrick Goodman Mitchell Gregory Hepburn Holly A. Jones Zachary Michael Kirn Robert Mantuano Kyle S. Meenan Eric Matthew Page Matthew Schlernitzauer Timothy James Wolfe

Bachelor of Science BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Jessica L. Armstrong Lina Buffone Kurtis Daley

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Commencement

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Kevin B. Zook, PhD, Dean Bachelor of Arts MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION Gianna G. DeRosa Kaleen M. Harrigan Alexandra L. Newman PREK-4 EDUCATION Fahmida Abdullah Desiree Alicea Kaitlyn M. Donaghy

Callie Rushelle Hadfield Kirstie L. Kajkowski Anna Leah Kerns Anne E. Loftus Morgan A. Messinger PREK-4/SPECIAL EDUCATION Paulina Joy Ablaza Brian A. Amico

Juliana M. Bernaudo Timothy Biaggi Taylor Nicole Boltner Jillian K. Boyle Emily C. Hahn Rachel Elena Zibelman Lesuer Rory M. Marr Alyssa F. Martin Victoria McHugh

Stephanie Lee Ranochak Sara Schnerr Alyssa N. Solomon Morgan Alexis Thiel Jessica L. Valentino Ruth Sofia Vieira-Caetano Heather Ward

Anitha M. Daniel Ashlee Joyce Danner Theresa Darr Alexandra DeSantis Ketlene Destin Michael J. Devlin Alina Kotyakov Megan L. Dingas Nadezda Dordzhieva Hayden T. Dougherty Tara J. Duelley Brandi Dunne Ivana Lynn Ebel Nichole L. Edgar Jason Egner Jessica Elliott Jenna B. Evangelista Elle Anna Fagan Katherine Mary Fagan Alyssa Lynn Faia Chelsey Fitzgerald Shelby Flaherty Alexa Ryan Forward Kaitlin B. Fracchiolla Isabel Frank Peris Gachohi Gage Galeone Mikaela Golini

Mercedes J. Gomez Ryan A. Gorz Robert Paul Griffiths Danielle Gross Brittany M. Hall Sarah Ann Hannigan Danielle Heller Meghann Marie Herman Anthony John Hermann IV Nicholas Heuser Stephanie Hiester Latify N. Hinawy Lauren Hirst Jessica Hoffer Briana Hughes Sabrina M. Huntbach Debora Iacovine Gina Iezzatti Amanda Ann Imbesi Sofi Imnaishvili Paige Incollingo Rinju Jacob Kelly O’Brien Jones Kristyn Juszczyszyn Thomas Kaczor Youngor Kamara Megan E. Kerrigan Cody Kettyle

SCHOOL OF NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS Cynthia A. Russell, PhD, RN, FAAN, PCC, Dean Bachelor of Science HEALTH PROMOTION AND WELLNESS Victoria M. Barretta Brandi Lynn Brophy Caleigh L. Gallagher Gabrielle Nicole Gallagher Jeleesa D. Hercules Glorimar Martinez Katie E. O’Hare Daina Simola Vanessa Wang Samantha Yim NURSING Krystal M. Acevedo Martin Agger Zarmena Ahmedzay Claudette Allman Jordan M. Antonelli Halley E. Armbruster Modupeola Awotunde Grace Babu Greeta Babu Kathleen Elizabeth Banks Yvette Renee Barnard Joan M. Beerbower Shalimar Benitez Monica A. Bento

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Chanel Bermudez Dalton Michael Bisher Emily Blaker Susan D. Blaney Katie Marie Booth Charmaine D. Bradley LaNisa T. Brooks Madison Brooks Michael Brown Michelle Brown Kelly L. Bryson Nichole Buchholz Erin E. Calafaty Mackenzie Calderbank Roxanne Marie Campbell Kimberly Carroll Catherine Casselli Krysta N. Cassidy Isaraporn Chaipruet Emily Chang Yvonne M. Chapoloko Margaret Cline Salena Clohisy Tierra V. Cote Michaela Crimlish Paige Nicole Crompton Madolin R. Curry Alexandra DaCunha

SUMMER / 2020

Marissa Grace King Allan M. Kniffin Kelly L. Knoblauch John Alan Korol Jasmine Ann Kurian Alexa Lauer Phuong-Thao Bao Le James A. Lenik Ameenah Lewis Samantha Lipinski Samantha Marie Logan Alyssa R. Long D’Nera Lundy Megan L. Lurty Emanel L. Lustica Rachel Nichole MacNamara Melissa Anne Maguire Caitlin Mahalik Vanessa Y. Margolin Sattera C. Mark Galina Martynenko Alyssa M. Mason Jamie Lee Mason Navya Mariyam Mathew Kayla A. McAdams Jillian McAndrews Brett Alan McCutcheon Justin T. McGrogan Mackenzie Leigh McManus Andrew M. McNellis Douglas B. Medvic Lexie Meitzler Brittany Mercado Brittany Elizabeth Miletto Ilyssa Joy Mongiello Anthony Moran Melissa Amber Moran Meghan M. Moyer Justyna A. Mozdzierz Alyssa Marie Mullen Christina Mullen Linda Marie Musitano

Mimoza Muskaj Mary Nderi Sara M. Nelson Eriana Ngjela Sarah Grace O’Brien Miatta Dolo Obey Alicia S. Oliver Chinedu Onyekwere Sarfo Opuni Amy C. Ormsby John E. Orozco Galyna Osypovych Andrew J. Padilla Sophia R. Palestini Jigar Patel Kulin M. Patel Olivia Paul Christina Waliska Perez Gianna Pesognelli Andrewlyn Philbert Ashley Pico Marisa Pompilio Jason Poole Katlyn Pritchard Nhi Quach Kristina Julia Quinones Erica Ragazzone Danielle Reppert Angela N. Roccia Krystieann Rondomanski Lydia E. Ruga Brittney N. Salemno Gabrielle Salvato Aneeta Sara Sam Tereza Danquah Sam Wasiu O. Sanni Desireé Santiago Mary G. Sarpong Brianna M. Schulke Marni Segal Alexandra R. Sharashidze Sophia M. Sharp

Andrea Simms Gabrielle Allyce Simon Sabrina M. Slaughter Christina A. Small Tammy S. Smith Tiffany Smith Oksana Sokolovsky Helena Soriano Gabrielle Lynn Steriotis Brianna Jasmine Stone Helda Sunil Allison Tafun Alison Wexler Taylor Hilary Elizabeth Teng Sandy T. Thach Maria E. Tommasini Mary Catherine Toner Stephanie M. Vasey Julia V. Vizza Theodore J. Vogt Jessica Regina Wambach Kathleen S. Ward Emily Weida John Francis Wildonger Lisa Michelle Williams Brian Winiarczyk Shira Geula Wolkenfeld Lauren Wood Jennifer Woodland Paulina Yeboah Hae I. Yi Tylar L. Yochum Allison J. Zack Alyssa Taylor Zintner Caroline Zito Kaylah Marie Zucaro Emily A. Zumar NURSING LICENSURE Michelle Boan Ellen Gauthier Elizabeth A. Lavin

Kareem Lawrence Jacqueline S. Lilly-Whyte Karen Lorek Helen M. Luecke Marie A. MacIntosh Elizabeth A. Marion Danielle McSorley Sherrill Angela Mitchell Anh Nguyen Jessica A. Orehowsky Arlene Rosemarie Plummer Darline Polynice Jonida Rapi Rebecca Schortye Yvette Sigal Thomas Weightman RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE Janice C. Brown Jessica Collins Theresa Repasy David Waters ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE IN RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE Brianna Anderson Natalie Augusto Taylor-Athena R. Chybinski Nicole M. DiCocco Anna Duong Skyler Robert Fehnel Jamie L. Grey Jessica L. Guensch Larry L. Hilton III Haley M. Keller Alexis N. Kelley Nicole Nejman Marissa Snow Olivero Rachael Poley Casey Schweitzer Maryam B. Shah Kayla Marie Sherman

CERTIFICATE OF HONORS IN GENERAL EDUCATION Joan Beerbower Chanel Bermudez Alexis Bizupic

Melissa Cahill Jamie Cannon Brianna Coffman

holyfamily.edu/magazine

Jonathon Gregull Elizabeth Hawrylack Connor Irwin

Sarah Maloy Alyssa Martin Sarah Montgomery

Meghan Moyer Gabrielle Simon Vladislav Tatarintsev

Alyssa Zintner Kaylah Zucaro

39

Commencement

SCHOOL HONORS ARTS & SCIENCES Riya Abraham Lindsay Bahr Kiley Barker Tyler Beccari Sarah Beeghley Melissa Cahill Kimberly Campagna Jamie Cannon Matthew Ciecka Nicole Cripps Bryan Daehling Rachel Fox Joseph Hain Mandee Harris Megan Higgins Matthew Jarvis Tuyen Le Sarah Maloy Molly McAtee Sarah Montgomery Tina Nicoletti Colleen O’Brien Gregory Olsen Daniel Ortiz Cassidy Pyser Elizabeth Radley

Stefy Reji Brianna Rieth Nicole Risko Kristina ScaliaJackson Klaudia Shuti Courtney Simpson Dominique Simpson Barbara Sobczuk Gabrielle Spaide Kevin Walker BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Charles Afful Jeremy Barney Daniel Brown Margaret Cahill Megan Colfer Onasi Cuevas Dana Dockery Delaney Donaghy Victoria Edmonds Sean Gaffney Eric Grant Jonathon Gregull Antoinette Harper

Elizabeth Hawrylack Mitchell Hepburn Connor Irwin Michael Joyce Colin Kendra Vibina Koruth Calvin Ladouceur Ashley Lawless Alleyn Llaban Talia Lynch Robert Mantuano Mark Mastrangelo Timothy McCall Kyle Meenan Alexis Melendez Nidhi Patel Sierra Posiech Xavier Resto Alexis Roberts Casey Rodgers Matthew Schlernitzauer Alicia Sproul Vladislav Tatarintsey Courtlyn Terrill Nicole Valecce Timothy Wolfe Victoria Yang

EDUCATION Paulina Ablaza Desiree Alicea Brian Amico Sarah Beeghley Juliana Bernaudo Timothy Biaggi Jillian Boyle Dominique DeNofio Kaitlyn Donaghy Callie Hadfield Emily Hahn Kaleen Harrgian Melissa Henry Kirstie Kajkowski Anna Kerns Rachel Elena Zibelman Lesuer Anne Loftus Rory Marr Alyssa Martin Victoria McHugh Alexandra Newman Gregory Olsen Sara Schneer Dominique Simpson Alyssa Solomon

Ruth Sofia Vieira-Caetano Heather Ward

Haley M. Keller Nicole Kemper Cornelia LafondCarrette Alleyn Lelis Llaban Sarah J. Maloy Sattera C. Mark Galina Martynenko Molly McAtee Timothy J. McCall Olivia A. McMahon Sarah K. Montgomery Benjamin Morley

Nidhi Patel Cherokee Pindle Elizabeth M. Radley Xavier Resto Brianna Denine Rieth Nathalie Rivera Alexis M. Roberts Brittany N. Salemno Matthew Schlernitzauer Daina Simola Alicia B. Sproul David William Tsichlis

NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS: NURSING Greeta Babu Yvette Barnard Salena Clohisy Theresa Darr Alexandra DeSantis Robert Griffiths Danielle Gross Brittany Hall Briana Hughes Sabrina Huntbach Alyssa Long Emanel Lustica Jillian McAndrews Meghan Moyer Justyna Mozdzierz Galyna Osypovvch Marisa Pompilio Kristina Quinones Lydia Ruga

Gabrielle Simon Oksana Sokolovsky Gabrielle Steriotis Alyssa Zintner Kaylah Zucaro Emily Zumarr NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS: HEALTH PROMOTION & WELLNESS Jeleesa Hercules Samantha Yim NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS: RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE Natalie Augusto Jessica Collins Haley Keller Alexis Kelley Theresa Repasy

CLASS OF 2020 SENIOR CLASS LEGACY CAMPAIGN DONORS Francis Adriatio Jessica L. Armstrong Victoria M. Barretta Marissa Beauchemin Sarah Beeghley Joan M. Beerbower Chanel Bermudez Juliana M. Bernaudo Michelle Boan Brandi Lynn Brophy Lina Buffone Margaret Cahill Melissa Cahill

40

Jamie Cannon Jessica Caro-Tenorio Taylor-Athena R. Chybinski Brianna Coffman Sayda Kumba Conteh Gianna G. DeRosa Marissa Nicole DeAngelo Tydirah Dixon Dana Dockery Delaney Margaret Donaghy

MaryKate Donahue Schyler Tedrionne Paris Ellerbee Rachel E. Fox Jonathon William Gregull Joseph Hain Antoinette L. Harper Elizabeth Hawrylack Jeleesa D. Hercules Megan Ashley Higgins Latify N. Hinawy Michael K. Joyce

Kerri VanAllen Vanessa Wang Heather Ward Thomas Weightman Victoria L. Yang Samantha Yim Alyssa Taylor Zintner

SUMMER / 2020

G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S Michael W. Markowitz, PhD Vice President for Academic Affairs

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Kevin B. Zook, PhD, Dean

Cynthia A. Russell, PhD, RN, FAAN, PCC, Dean

Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership & Professional Studies

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Lisette Agosto Cintrón Robert J. Boffa

Princess Gayles-Jones

Sandra Gonzalez

Mary Lettieri

SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Rochelle A. Robbins, PhD, Dean

J. Barry Dickinson, PhD, Dean

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration

Master of Business Administration

Akim F. Alimi Richard D. Hartner John J. Hillman IV Kayleen Hutchinson

Elizabeth R. Baran Latifah D. Beckwith Lawrence Bentil Lance Alexander Cooper James Derbyshire Amanda Lynn Emmel Phyllis A. Ferro Charles Fitzsimmons, Jr. Aniya Nyderia Jester Dylan Thomas Kendra Shane Francis Kendra Jessica Kirgin Donna M. Kirn Serina Maignan

Timothy T. McIntyre Erica Perez Paige Reed Stefanie A. Ulmer

Master of Science in Counseling Psychology Julia Abrams Lindsay J. Ashwell Brianna Nichelle Bland Rischa Rishon Burrell Ashley C. Clinkscale Rose A. Deshield Peter Y. Fletcher Dianne Furphy Lamar D. Gilliam Greta Lee Giunta Tonya A. Harrison Danielle Nichole Jahn Kira A. Jones Kirstie Lea Kauker Vincenza M. Lamoreux Iesha Liberato Melissa Sharon Maguire Michelle D. McCaffrey

Melissa McNamee Sister Marcelina Mikulska, CSFN Lauren Kathryn O’Connor Eleni Peltekis Joy Phillips Christine Rea Jeanine Reynolds Sierra Rios Amy Rusk Alison L. Schultz Kelly Ann Segaline Tamana Shibata Tiara Roman Sierra Britney Stothart Amanda Kimberly Walter Ashley Pearl Walters Victoria A. Weikel John Z. Zaza

Master of Science in Accountancy Clarence Brown Fequierre Frader Melissa Jean Baptiste Christopher Kaczor

Orjana Kurti Sara Elizabeth Lobley Ayodeji Oyeniyi

Master of Science in Organizational Leadership Bridget Bachmann Arnita Cook Earl Michael Kennedy Jr.

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Vickie Maynes Megan R. McCall Timothy J. McCarthy Stephen C. Mellett Will Nolter Riddhi J. Patel David L. Roberts Lorena Sako Stephanie Sanchez Jennifer Rose Smith Dorian Thomas Christopher Webb Derrick Ernest Wood Matthew Aaron Worley

Carl Wayne Randolph Sr. Nicholas Tristan Williams

41

Commencement

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Kevin B. Zook, PhD, Dean Master of Education Kate Abernethy Chelsea Lauren Alexander Karissa Ambrose Justine Louise Andrews Maria Andujar Stephanie Reneè Archer Megan Catherine Barca Joshua Barnas Claire Teresa Barras Nicole Elaine Bartolacci Brenn Basile Olivia M. Bates Andrea Megan Beal Kaitlyn M. Beese Kristin Berkenstock Taylor Leigh Blauvelt Jaclyn Boese Cecilia Bonfante Dorothy Frances Bowers Brandi Lee Breshock Melissa Brevic Dana Brooks Melissa Brown Michael Gerard Browning Julianne Bruecks David Bullock Maryann Butera Gillian Cedrone Jaime Lynn Cheafsky Aleksandra Chertova Denise Louise Clausen Jennifer Connelly Pauline Cooperson Kendra J. Crosby Ashley Cumberland Margaret Mary Cusatis Joseph Michael D’Andrea Erin D’Arcy Sarah Deon Allison C. Detweiler Alissa Noel Devito Yaritza Diaz Nicole Diienno Alexandra Dimeglio Douglas Disbrow

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Rebecca Elizabeth Donahue Jenna Donnelly Ashley Dougherty Alexander Dragonetti Karen Dudley Timothy M. Duke Jennifer Ann Ebersole Lauren Ehinger Rebecca Emmett Joanne Marie Esterly Kimberly G. Fail Marie Farley Julie Feinman Samantha Wismer-Fell Mary Catherine Feola Erin A. Finerghty David Michael Fink Christa Fitti Kevin Tyrone Floyd Andrew Ryan Foley Victoria Letitica Forsythe Tracey Lynn Fox Brittany Franks Michael C. Fraschilla Christina M. Gardyan Stephanie Cosmo Garson Anna Gibbons Ashley Elizabeth Gaynor Lindsay B. Geib Bridget Catherine Giordano Mary Girven Amanda M. Glodowski Syieda L. Graham-Logan Allyson Marie Greco Nicole R. Grossman Nicole Gump Nicole Hamilton Molly Elizabeth Hanlon Amber M. Hannan Jennifer Hannigan Gerard Hartey Kristen Hawkins Heather Hendry Denise M. Hewitt Amber Hill

Jessica K. Hirschhorn Tiffiany M. Hoffman-Cunningham Meaghan Hofmeister Heather Michelle Horan Lynn Hotnisky Erin Marie Hughes Christina M. Humphreys Kirsten Hurley Carly Jean Huver Alice Jeon Lexus Adriana Jessup Freya Jones Nicole Kauker Jenny M. Keating Kelly Keck Patrick James Kelly Dana Kenney Monica Kenny Joy Lynn Kimbrell Alexandra Rae Koletas Alissa M. Labold Denise Laguidara Kristin McKay Laky Catherine R. Lamplugh Rebecca L. Lawrence James Robert Leddy Hailey Elizabeth Leone Kelsey J. Lesser Samantha Liesner Brandy Lincoln Marybeth Livewell Kaylee Logan Kristine Logan Tara L. Lorah William Joseph Loughlin Kellie Lucas Alyssa Lynn Samantha Alexandra MacHugh Kristina M. Madden Margaret Mancini Jennifer Lynn Marsico Lauren Nicole Martin Alexis Rae McCabe Leanne Marie McCabe Kristen Renee McClane Lisa Rae McConlogue Justine M. McEachern Elizabeth McGuire Meghan McKeever Anne McKendry

Lacey McKeon Elizabeth Menasion Leila A. Mesinger Lauren K. Metzinger Mary Meyer Erica Ryan Meyers Stormy Milburn Lindsey Miller John Mills Lauren M. Mingioni Chad Mitchell Melissa Moller Elizabeth Morrison Sara Michelle Mowery Veronica Moyse Erika Michelle Murchison Brenna L. Murphy Mary Kate Murphy Jessica Lyn Nealon Lauren Nealon Jacqueline Neetzow Jillian Neitheimer Meghan Nellett David Nieves Jr. Taylor Nolan Katie O’Donnell Stefanie Kathryn O’Mara Robert W. Obinger Corinne Olintz Craig Ollivier Christopher M. Ortiz Andrew T. Paine Caitlin Parenti Tara Park Amanda M. Parker Krista Marie Paterno Danielle N. Pellegrini Mercedes Antonia Peralta Brittni Marie Perez Lisa Ann Petchkofski Brittany Phillips Cortney Elizabeth Pitcher Evelyn Pomales Nicole L. Pomponio Nina Prestia Nicole Przybylinski Kaitlin Quell Jennifer M. Quinn Barbara Rafferty Ryan A. Rambo

SUMMER / 2020

Diana Elizabeth Reading Patrick Reilly Elisabeth R. Reim Melissa Renfer Kerri-Ann Ribarchik Molly Ries Jamie Lynn Rivera Tania Rivera Marcela Rodriguez Melissa Angelica Rodriguez Sydney Rosenberg Daniel Rowley Theresa Marie Ruiz Elizabeth Sabre Payal Patel Sajeski Matthew Samsel Eric W. Sarappo Mary Kate Cecelia Schneider Donna M. Schubert Jessica Schuck Bailey A. Scully Joseph Charles Sears Janet Margaret Sheffer Raenesha Shontae Sheppard Molly Shuhart Elizabeth D. Silano Kaitlyn Smicherko Brian A. Smith Meaghan M. Smith Crystal Smith-Herman Kristina Smoke Patrick Joseph Spero Holly Spikol Tamara Gale Spoll Alyssa Marie Sullivan Jenna Steel Lashae Stitt Samantha Allie Striar Kristen Melissa Strzelec Lauren Sturner Kristen Sullo Stephanie Szylejko

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Sophia L. Tanh Erica-Lynn Tarducci Elizabeth Kelly Terrell Sonia Thornton Shannon Creek Timberg Jennifer Altagracia Toledo Emily Tracy Christine Uholik Lauren Valerio Julie M. Vandegrift Meghan Marie Veasey Meredith Verrillo Colleen J. Versace Jared T. Vivacqua Sarah J. Wagner Ashley L. Wakefield Alexandra Wall Adam Walter Caitlin Ward Katherine Ward Christopher M. Warner Sarah Waslow-Washington Bambi L. Weaver Nicholas R. Weber Alyssa Weist Jennifer L. Wennerholt Aaron Matthew Weston Matthew White Jileesa Williams Elizabeth Wilson Lauren Winter Holly Marie Wozniak Katie Lynn Yancik Colleen A. Yanora Jennifer Yeager Briana L. Young Madison Zahustecher Patricia Zawacki Jesenia Zayas Lauren M. Zeleznik Lauren Zimmerman

SCHOOL OF NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS Cynthia A. Russell, PhD, RN, FAAN, PCC, Dean Master of Science in Nursing Chigozie Amaefuna Yehuda Baker William J. Bell Patricia Ann Bernard Sherry Brooks Susan Brophy Christine Callahan Janice M. Cocozza Amanda R. Convery Tinika M Davis Kati Marie Ehrgott Lori Anne Gozzi Mary Michele Hanes Margaret D. Hanlon Tanisha Lynn Hayes Kevin J. Hepner Elizabeth Ann Holahan Michelle A. Hopwood Shenia A. Howard Sherell Johnson Carolyn A. Jones Diana Kukuzenko Gabrielle C. La Serre Cathie Manigly Steffy Mathew

Shakay B. McClean Sharetta McLaughlin Deirdre Kathleen McNally Valerie Kaye O’Connell Jennifer Perri Samantha Perry Agnieszka E. Piwecka-Rapada Lacey Regan Mary Anne Rochford Jamie Lynn Romanowicz Ifetayo Roundtree Rhyan Michelle Rudd Selva S. Samuel Antonia Erna Scanterbury Grace Veronica Shahene Stephanie Sharkey Breanna Spector Jonathan B. Stevens Petra Schumann-Sullivan Abigail R. Thomas Antonnette Thompson Marymarion Trindle Katherine Tucker-Fontanez Pamela E. Watson Melieka D. Young

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Pen to Paper

Bringing Our Best to Light

By John Andelfinger Director of Institutional Assessment & Accreditation and Co-Chair of the Middle States Steering Committee

44

SUMMER / 2020

Nicole Stokes

E

very eight years, Holy Family University reaffirms institutional accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Holy Family is one of over 500 institutions accredited by MSCHE in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and other locations abroad. MSCHE verifies that accredited institutions follow guidelines and meet expectations designed by the US Department of Education as well as its own policies.

I started at Holy Family in 2018, which coincided with the start of our self-study journey, and I am pleased to be a part of this important project and learn so much about the University. The self-study allows the Holy Family University community to pause and reflect on our strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and challenges that face our institution. It is a time to acknowledge what we do well and identify what we can do better, while simultaneously looking forward with hope and intentionality.

During the self-study, institutions are tasked with examining and reporting on seven key standards, including Mission and Goals, Ethics and Integrity, Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience, Support of the Student Experience, Educational Effectiveness Assessment, Planning Resources and Institutional Improvement, and Governance, Leadership, and Administration.

Now, during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Middle States Steering Committee, which includes Holy Family faculty, students, alumni, and staff, is working to finish our narrative manuscript and other documentation for MSCHE. While so much is changing all around us, I look forward to spring of 2021, when members of other MSCHE institutions will review our selfstudy document and conduct an on-campus evaluation visit. I believe our work will bring to light the myriad ways Holy Family University continues to adapt and create opportunities for educational, professional, and personal growth for our students.

Visit holyfamily.edu/msche to learn more and follow our progress.

Then & Now

Photos: Bruce Cramer (top); Greg Beyer (bottom)

Spring is usually the most vibrant time on our campus, with colorful flowers abloom and students sprinkling our walkways and outdoor seating areas between classes.

This past semester, the benches may have fallen empty, but the conversations and connections continued in online gathering spaces such as web-based video classrooms and social media. While physical distance may have spread us farther apart, we discovered new ways to bring our Holy Family community closer together.

holyfamily.edu/magazine

9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114-2009

Mark Your

CALENDAR September 2020

January 2021

3 Young Alumni Virtual Networking Event 23 Golf Classic

14 Alumni Board Open Meeting 18 MLK Day of Service

October 2020

11 Great Day to be a Tiger & Day of Giving

2-4 Alumni Weekend 2020 2 Alumni Reunion & Alumni Achievement Awards Presentation 3 Homecoming 4 Undergraduate Open House

November 2020

6 Alumni Quizzo Night at Maggie’s

February 2021

April 2021 24 Alumni Reunion & Alumni Achievement Awards Presentation

May 2021

6 Tigers on the Loose

December 2020

4 Christmas Rose

Dates Subject to Change