Academic Awards

Emma Broda

Emma is a member of the Honors Program and the Barre Scholars Program. During her time at Wilkes, Emma has been a peer writing consultant for the writing center, a staff writer and news editor for the Beacon, and a small group coordinator in the Honors Program. Emma has also worked with History professor, Dr. Chamberlain, on a research project exploring state institutions and their cemeteries. In the same vein, Emma has done an archival work study at the Wilkes’ archives working on numerous collections and writing blog posts. The blog posts Emma has written include, “Shared Spines: Analyzing Wilkes Pursuit of Progress in the Academia series of the Gilbert Stuart McClintock collection,” “A Visual Legacy to Forgotten History: Processing the Helen Farr Sloan Collection of Political Cartoons, 1802-1950,” and has cowritten “The Converging Canon: Expanding Global Histories by Exploring Events at Home within Northeastern Pennsylvania Newspapers, Magazines, and Advertisements Series of the Gilbert Stuart McClintock Collection.” Emma has also worked on the John Jenkins Papers and is currently completing a blog for the Eugene S. Farley Papers. Emma has also presented at the Women’s and Gender Studies Conference on her political science senior capstone paper, “The Book of Br-Exodus: Exploring the Effect of Religion on Euroscepticism and the Brexit Referendum.” Emma also presented research at the Pennsylvania Political Science Association Conference, and will be presenting her history senior capstone paper “Man & Martyr: Exploring Masculinity Through the Great War” at the Eastern Pennsylvania Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference later this month. During her time at Wilkes, Emma studied at the University of Birmingham for a semester under the Bierly Fellowship. Emma has also been inducted into Phi Alpha Theta and Pi Sigma Alpha, two national honor societies. Following graduation, Emma will be attending Villanova University to complete an MA in history.

Penelope Ziegler

During my time at Wilkes University, Penelope has been a member of the Honors Program. Penelope have also been a Resident Assistant, Student Ambassador (Holding the role of Events Lead), a hall ambassador for Residence Hall Council, a member of the Student Advisory Board, and a member of Pre-Law Society. This past month, Penelope presented a draft of her capstone paper at the Pennsylvania Political Science Association conference, and a presented a project for my International Relations class at the Women and Gender Studies conference. Penelope has also been inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha and participated in an Alternative Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic. During her first semester on campus, Penelope participated in a 200-hour internship with a sitting congressman. After graduation, Penelope plans on attending law school in pursuit of her long-held desire to become a practicing attorney.

Abigail LeGars

Abigail LeGars is a Criminology and Sociology double major with minors in Legal Studies, Political Science, History, and Women and Gender Studies. She completed her senior capstone project on elder abuse and its association with the financial insecurity of older adults. This research has recently been accepted for the American Sociological Association Annual Conference in August, 2026. She has also participated in summer mentorship research with Dr. Kaitlyn Langendoerfer, assessing how aging is represented in recruitment materials for community centers serving older adults. This research was recently presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in November, 2025, and an updated analysis from this research was recently accepted for the American Sociological Association Annual Conference. In addition to research, Abby works alongside Dr. Langendoerfer as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Elder Policy, published by Wiley and Policy Studies Organization. While at Wilkes, Abby has achieved the Dean's List three times and was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Delta honor society. She has also been the President of the Criminology/Sociology Club and the Vice President of the Pre-Law Society. Following graduation, Abby will attend law school.

Taylor J. Hall

Taylor Hall is a senior majoring in sociology with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Taylor's scholarly interests include the sociology of education, critical methodologies, culturally relevant pedagogy, and the Black radical movement. Throughout his time at Wilkes, he has been a member of the Multicultural Student Coalition, Black Student Union, and Sociology & Criminology Club. In addition to frequently appearing on the Dean’s List, Taylor is working on independent research with interdisciplinary faculty members and has recently presented research with Dr. Moe Woodard at the 2026 Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education and Women’s & Gender Studies conferences. His senior capstone topic focuses on how students of color of are impacted by racialization, including a multivariate regression analysis Youth Risk Behavior Survey data to identify relationships between racializing experiences (i.e. unfair discipline, racial targeting), poor mental health quality, and academic performance among high school students. He has since been invited to present his paper at the 2026 American Sociological Society and Society for the Study of Social Problems conferences. After graduation, Taylor plans to partake in the research and development of solutions supporting K-12 students impacted by inequities in urban education through a teacher's residency graduate program.

Amelia M. Lawrence

Amelia Lawrence is a Psychology major with minors in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies from West Wyoming, PA. She holds an outstanding 4.0 cumulative GPA. She worked as a research assistant in Dr. Micayla Lacey’s social neuroscience lab where she focused on conducting electroencephalogram research to better understand human emotion and motivations, and interned at the Wilkes NeutroTraining and Research Center. Amelia served as a tutor and supplemental instructor for numerous courses in the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences. She was a recipient of the Ruth Boroom Melberger Scholarship and the Wilkes University Trustee Scholarship and has been on the Dean’s List every semester while at Wilkes. She is a member of Psi Chi (The International Honor Society in Psychology) and Alpha Kappa Delta (The International Honor Society in Sociology). She also has held numerous leadership positions in Wilkes’s Psychology Club, including club president, and is involved in The Green Bandana Project. Amelia recently completed her senior capstone research project titled Personality as a Predictor of Voting Conformity under the supervision of Dr. Micayla Lacey. Amelia plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology after graduation.

Chase J. Rudisill

Chase Rudisill is an Honors Program student earning triple majors in Neuroscience, Biology, and Psychology, with a minor in Chemistry, and a 3.87/4.0 GPA. His academic excellence is reflected in repeated Dean’s List honors and membership in Tri-Beta, the Biological Sciences Honor Society; Psi Chi, the International Psychology Honor Society; and the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society. Chase is an Alumni Scholarship Award recipient and was recently selected as the Scholarship Luncheon Student Speaker. During his time at Wilkes, he gained extensive clinical exposure in many areas including internal medicine, anesthesiology, neurosurgery, and family medicine, and completed over 400 hours of hands-on experience as a Patient Transport Technician. He also participated in three faculty mentored research projects: “Honey, We Shrunk the Mice: Propolis’ Effects on the Pathogenesis of Obesity” with Dr. Linda Gutierrez; a Biology Capstone titled “Ketogenic Diet Effects in Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimer’s Disease with Traumatic Brain Injury” with Dr. Gregory Harms; and a Neuroscience Capstone examining the long-term effects of adolescent semaglutide on adult social behavior in rats with Dr. Jessica Anderson. Chase is highly engaged on campus and has served as an Honors Program Small Group Ambassador, Presidential Student Leader, residential assistant, and held multiple leadership roles within honor societies. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and will attend Duquesne University’s Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine beginning in June 2026. He plans to pursue a career in cardiology with a focus on military and veteran healthcare administration.

Kayla Eckrote

Kayla, who is receiving the award for the outstanding graduating student in Biology, is a double major in Biology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, with a minor in Chemistry. She is a member of the Alpha Lamda Delta National Honor Society and the Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society, for which she has served as the President. Kayla has also been active as both a laboratory teaching assistant and a peer tutor in the Biology department. Kayla’s capstone research project was on the “Characterization of novel Drosophila Egf receptor signaling targets with roles in eggshell morphogenesis,” which she presented at the Eastern Colleges Science Conference as well as the national Annual Drosophila Research Conference. This year, she completed the clinical portion of her MLS degree at Penn State, Hershey. Following graduation, Kayla plans a career in medicine, and will be attending Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

Aidan Hannon

Aidan’s capstone project was investigating the effect of prescribed fire on tick abundance and was President of the Animal and Environmental Welfare Club. Other research projects that Aidan has worked on at Wilkes include food web ecology of a severely contaminated site and the effects of prescribed fires on bird diversity. Aidan was a Conservation Science Trainee at Hawk Mountain and contributed to raptor and vulture migration research. Aidan is continuing research at Hawk Mountain doing landscape analysis of habitat use by endangered raptors. Aidan is also analyzing game camera footage with Hawk Mountain and a professor from Franklin and Marshall to look at wildlife across large landscapes. This summer Aidan will be assisting a bird behavior project here in northeast Pennsylvania. Aidan is on two manuscripts that should be submitted in the next few months. Aidan plans on getting a PHD in avian ecology to contribute to wildlife conservation.

Caleb Edwards

Working under Dr. Bobby Karimi’s mentorship, Caleb has completed his capstone project “Stable or Slipping? A Landslide Risk Assessment of Shickshinny Mountain.” Caleb has also worked with Dr. Ned Fetcher on various projects involving plant physiology. One research project included a summer at Toolik Field Station, in the Alaskan arctic tundra. At Wilkes, Caleb has worked on developing techniques to measure water loss in plants, effects of drought on oak seedlings, physiology of invasive plants, and effects of deer on plant growth. Caleb has presented his findings at seven different regional and international conferences. Caleb has one manuscript in review and two others in preparation. Caleb was a member and captain of the Men’s Cross Country team, Vice President of the Tri Beta National Biological Honor Society, and on the Executive Board of the Wilkes Ecology Club. One of Caleb’s many accomplishments was also winning the departmental service award. This fall Caleb begins his PhD in Biology at the University of Waterloo with a focus in plant functional ecology and ecophysiology with Dr. Julie Messier.

Autumn Bullek

Autmn’s capstone project was “Characterizing a novel EGFR-responsive gene and its effects on Drosophila oogenesis.” Autumn presented her research titled "Characterization of novel Drosophila Egf receptor signaling targets with roles in eggshell morphogenesis" at Genetics Society of America conferences in Chicago(2026), San Diego(2025), and DC(2024). Autumn also presented a poster at the Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences conference at Messiah University in 2024. Autumn is also working on projects identifying insects through their DNA with Dr. Jeff Stratford and assists Dr. Stratford in the field with ecology projects. The instructor of the capstone course has remarked that Autumn is already performing research as a graduate leve. Autumn is currently working on a manuscript with several studying food webs. Autumn has worked as a teaching assistant for Introductory Biology labs, Microbiology, Immunology and non-majors biology. Autumn has served as president of Ecology Club and an officer in Biology Club. Autumn’s future plans are to pursue an advanced degree where she can merge her interests in conservation and genetics.

Bisma Chaudhry

Working with Dr. Jennings, Bisma has conducted several years of highly quality research, culminating in her capstone, which examined how ion transporters affect calcium carbonate production in Bacillus subtilis using a sustainable microbial process (MICP). This research is crucial in finding low carbon solutions in the industrial production of calcium carbonate. Also, under Dr. Jennings mentorship, Bisma and a number of student colleagues published "The Diversity of Cellular Systems Involved in Carbonate Precipitation by Escherichia coli” in PLOS One, a prestigious research journal. Bisma was an active participant in Geisinger’s Helping Elder Life Program (H.E.L.P.), putting in 700+ hours and earning her the President's Volunteer Service Award. At Wilkes, Bisma was co-President of the Pre-Professional Health Society, President of the South Asian Society, and Treasurer of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society. Bisma is applying to medical schools to achieve her goal of becoming a pediatrician.

Hannah Dittus

Hannah Dittus is a biology-secondary education student with a strong interest in both scientific research and secondary science teaching. Hannah’s senior research project centered on the study of propolis, a compound produced by honeybees, and its effects on obesity by analyzing changes in body weight, fat composition, and inflammation in mice fed different diets. She also conducted research on hemp, examining how environmental stressors such as fungal attacks, UV radiation, and ozone influence cannabinoid production. Hannah has always been a stellar student and has been recognized for academic excellence through the Dean’s List (2024–2026), induction into Tri-Beta, and receipt of the Outstanding Secondary Education Award. She has also played a vital role in the WEBS (We’re Empowered by Science) program, contributing valuable insight, creative ideas, and serving as an outstanding group leader for the past six years and she plans to come back to camp this summer to help out as a volunteer. Hannah is currently completing her student teaching at Wyoming Valley West High School, working with 10th and 11th grade biology students. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career as a high school biology teacher, with the goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists.

Joshua Dombrowski

Joshua Dombrowksi is the first recipient of the Outstanding Medical Lab Science Student. Josh was a member of Tri Beta Biological Honor Society, a recipient of the John Kearny Scholarship Award, and the Christopher Kopernik Scholarship. Josh was in the Wilkes Pep Band and was a teaching assistant in both the Chemistry and Biochemistry department and the Department of Biology and Earth Systems Sciences. While at Wilkes, Josh conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Henkels on “The In Vivo Incorporation of 19F-Labeled Unnatural Amino Acids into superfolder Green Fluorescent Protein (sfGFP) to Probe Protein Chemical, Structural, and Thermodynamic Properties with F-NMR”. Josh was in the inaugural class of the Medical Lab Science program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Josh plans to continue working at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a Medical Laboratory Scientist in the Metabolics and Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory and then to pursue more graduate training.

Faith Morcombe

Faith is earning a B.S. degree in Environmental Science, Earth concentration with a minor in Geology With High Praise (Magna Cum Laude). Her capstone senior research project with fellow student Reagan Weldon Peri and advisor Dr. Matt Finkenbinder involved the development of a long-term record of drought using geochemical analysis of lake sediment cores recovered from a small limestone lake in Newfoundland, Canada. To support the project, Faith wrote a research proposal and received a Stephen G. Pollock Undergraduate Student Research Grant from the Geological Society of America in the amount of $2,000. Faith participated in all aspects of the project including field work, laboratory work including compositional analysis of > 1000 samples and selection of materials for radiocarbon dating, and with data analysis and interpretations. Results from this project include evidence of substantial changes in lake water level fluctuations and drought over the last 10,000 years that are beyond the range of instrumental observations. Recently, Faith presented the research results in poster form at the Geological Society of America Northeast Section Meeting in Hartford, Connecticut in March of 2026. In addition to her capstone research, Faith worked as Assistant Geological Mapper along with fellow student Sam Winter on a U.S. Geological Survey funded research project under the direction of Dr. Matt Finkenbinder. The project involved the creation of a geological map for the Blakeslee 7.5' Quadrangle showing the distribution of glacial deposits in northeast Pennsylvania developed using geospatial analysis of digital datasets and field work. The geological map and technical report were recently published by the Pennsylvania Geological Survey in December of 2025 and Faith was 2nd author on the publication. During her time at Wilkes, Faith participated with the GeoExplorer's club as a member, served as a Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Geology labs, and served the Earth Systems Sciences programs with several science outreach activities. Post graduation, Faith intends to pursue a career focused on environmental remediation and protection of natural resources in eastern Pennsylvania.

Reagan Weldon Peri

Reagan is earning a B.S. degree in Geology With Highest Praise (Summa Cum Laude). Her capstone senior research project with fellow student Faith Morcombe and advisor Dr. Matt Finkenbinder involved the development of a long-term record of drought using geochemical analysis of lake sediment cores recovered from a small limestone lake in Newfoundland, Canada. Reagan participated in all aspects of the project including field work, laboratory work including compositional analysis of > 1000 samples and selection of materials for radiocarbon dating, and with data analysis and interpretations. Results from this project include evidence of substantial changes in lake water level fluctuations and drought over the last 10,000 years that are beyond the range of instrumental observations. Recently, Reagan presented the research results in poster form at the Geological Society of America Northeast Section Meeting in Hartford, Connecticut in March of 2026. During her time at Wilkes, Reagan participated with numerous student clubs as a member and in leadership roles (GeoExplorer, Chemistry, Space and Astronomy, and Ecology), served as a Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Geology and Geographic Information Systems labs, and served the Earth Systems Sciences programs with several science outreach activities. Reagan interned as a geologist at the ARM Group in the summer of 2024, where she conducted and prepared environmental due diligence reports, assisted with environmental field work, and analyzed soil, water, and soil vapor chemical data to evaluate sub-surface contamination impacts. Reagan has already accepted a full-time job offer as a Project Geologist with Kimley-Horn and Associates in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, where she will pursue a career in the environmental field focused on soil and groundwater investigations and remediation.

Caleb Edwards

Caleb is earning a B.S. degrees in dual majors of Environmental Science and Biology. As a student in the Biology and Earth Systems Sciences Department, Caleb has served the department extensively as a work study student, volunteer and as an active club member. As a work study student, Caleb has assisted in lab preparation and cleanup for a variety of courses including but not limited to Introduction to Environmental Science and Sustainability and Introduction to Geology, maintained the mailing databases for Earth and Environmental Science (EES) Day and STEM Discovery Day events, conducted chemical and equipment inventories on a yearly basis, and assisted with countless tasks to maintain our laboratories. Caleb has assisted in the preparation, delivery and cleanup of departmental events including EES and STEM Discovery Day, open house events, WEBS, cookie socials and departmental picnics. Caleb's departmental volunteer activities included driving Geo-Explorer club members to the airport for spring-break trips, welcoming summer international students, and delivering pollution education outreach activities at Riverfest and STEM nights at various high schools in the area. Additionally, Caleb volunteers extra time to assist with a variety of research projects in the department including the Effects of Controlled Burns on Food Webs in State Game lands with Dr. Jeffery Stratford, and Eco-typic Differences in Penology and Physiology of Arctic Tussock Sedge in Alaska, Water Use Efficiency of Native and Invasive Grasses in Pennsylvania and Effects of Nutrient and Water Deprivation on Photosynthetic Performance in 3 Species of Oaks with Dr. Ned Fetcher. As an officer in the Ecology and Tri-Beta clubs, Caleb has organized club events, designed club marketing materials, and participated in many community outreach events. In the fall of 2026 Caleb will be begin a Biology PhD program at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

Bethany Yashkus

Bethany’s research at Wilkes began under the guidance of Dr. Blechle, studying the modification of silk fibroin via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to expand its range of uses in biomedical devices. She has given poster presentations on this work at the 69th and 70th American Vacuum Society (AVS) Symposia, as well as the American Chemical Society (ACS) conference. Bethany received the Platinum Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Poster at AVS 69 and the Gold Award for Honorable Mention Poster at AVS 70. This work was published in Biointerphases in October of 2025. During the summer of 2024, Bethany joined Syracuse University’s Biomaterials NSF-REU program under Dr. Mary Beth Monroe. This project aimed to engineer a bacteria-responsive memory polymer which would undergo a visual shape and color change upon wound infection. This work was published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. Bethany’s capstone work with Dr. Blechle focused on the study of plasma functionalization to improve the surface wettability of the biopolymer chitosan. She presented posters on this work at ACS Fall 2025 and AVS 71. Bethany received the AVS Platinum Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation, as well as a third-place poster award from the Biointerphases Division at AVS 71. At ACS Spring 2026, she gave an oral presentation on this work. Bethany has applied for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, has served as both Wilkes’ ACS student chapter’s Vice President of Professional Development and President, presented posters in the Successful Student Chapter division at ACS Spring 2025 and 2026. Bethany was awarded the AVS Dorothy M. and Earl S Hoffman Travel Grant in 2024 and 2025, and received Wilkes University's David J. Findora ‘70 Memorial Scholarship in 2025. In addition, Bethany has served as a chemistry teaching assistant, a Disability Support Services notetaker, and has been a member of the Wilkes University dance team throughout her undergraduate studies. After graduation, Bethany plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry in hopes of becoming a primary investigator at an academic institution.

Maria Belen Gonzalez Reyes

Maria Belen Gonzalez Reyes is a senior biochemistry major with minors in biology, computer science, and physics. Originally from Santiago, Veraguas, Panama, she graduated as salutatorian of Instituto Urracá and began her studies in the United States through a Panamanian government excellence scholarship. During her time at Wilkes, Maria has conducted interdisciplinary research across both computational and experimental fields, working on projects with Dr. Del Lucent, Dr. Donald Mencer, Dr. Henry Castejon, and Dr. Christopher Henkels, whom she completed her capstone project with on the expression and characterization of fluorinated sfGFP variants. Maria has presented her research at multiple conferences, including the Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting, the American Chemical Society National Meeting, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers National Conference, where she competed in the research poster competition. Maria is a Dean’s List student and a recipient of the Bierly Scholar Award. She has been actively involved on campus as Vice President of Chapter Development for the Chemistry Club, a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Friends of Panama Club, and an International Student Ambassador. She has also served as a teaching assistant, tutor, prep room assistant, and laboratory technician for the chemistry and biology departments. She participated in a cultural and language program at Kanagawa University in Japan in summer 2025 and served as a group leader for Women Empowered by Science (WEBS), mentoring middle school students in STEM. Currently, Maria is involved with Science in Motion, supporting STEM education initiatives in local schools. Following graduation, Maria will pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Delaware, where she plans to begin research in the summer of 2026, continuing her interests in biochemistry and structural biology.

Jake Middleton

Jake has been a part of two research groups during his time at Wilkes. He completed one year of research, including one summer research project, with Dr. Lauren Rossiter focusing on the synthesis of photochemical precursors. This research allowed him to present a poster at the ACS Spring 2025 Conference entitled “Synthesis and [4+4] Photochemistry of 2-Pyridone Tethered Ortho and Para-Halogen Substituted Benzenes,” in collaboration with Sam Andes and Dan Stish. For his senior research, Jake has been working with Dr. Christopher Henkels. The progress he made on this research project resulted in a poster presentation at the ACS Spring 2026 Conference entitled “Inferring the method of destabilization for fluorinated unnatural amino acid containing sfGFP variants”. Outside of his research activities, Jake is also a member of the honors program and will be graduating from Wilkes with Honors. During his time here, he has also been involved with various extracurricular clubs and held several leadership positions including: president of the Chess Club for two years, treasurer of the Chemistry Club for two years, and two-time captain of an intramural volleyball team. Jake has been named to the Wilkes University Dean’s List four times, whilst maintaining several part-time jobs, a high school volleyball coaching position, an analytical chemistry summer internship, and two teaching assistant positions. Upon graduation, Jake will be attending graduate school to obtain his PhD, focusing on organic synthesis.

Gabriel Josefowicz

Gabriel Josefowicz is a double major in English and Communication Studies. His Communication capstone explored the perception of violence in music videos from MTV to the digital era. His English Capstone was a creative post-modern piece about a technology company called Ion that prompted the end of the world and explored commentary on today’s technological climate. He is a member of the English and Communication honor societies and has spent time hosting a weekly radio show at WCLH for the last year focusing on exposing underground artists in the rock genre. Outside of the classroom he has worked as a full time musician, playing every weekend in an acoustic duo, and writing and recording his band’s debut album “We’re Leaving This Place” that came out on September 12th, 2025. After graduation he will be exploring creative writing fields with hopes to land a position as a video game dialogue writer.

Leah Smith

Leah Smith is an English major, with minors in Communication Studies and Creative Writing. For the 2025-2026 school year, Smith was the Editor-in-Chief of the Beacon newspaper. She began her work with the Beacon as an opinion staff writer in the Fall of 2023 with her creative writing column, “The Return of the Red Raven,” which served as a weekly series similar to a comic book. She continued to write across many different sections of the paper, determined to make the Beacon creative and thought-provoking. Her dream job after college is to write - either as an author, journalist, or screenwriter. Following graduation, Leah will be continuing her creative writing journey with the University’s creative writing MFA 4+1 program. In her free time, Leah likes to read comic books and novels, write stories on her laptop, listen to music (preferably metal or grunge rock) and play video games.

Elizabeth Keller

Liz Keller is a third-year honors student at Wilkes University majoring in political science with minors in history and legal studies. In the future, Liz intends to pursue her legal education by attending law school, as well as traveling the world and experiencing new cultural horizons. Liz’s passion for creative writing is lifelong, whether that be scribbling between the lines while learning long division or staying up late into the night with her laptop. She owes much of her literary influence to the elegant prose of classical literature, the innovative extravagance of Japanese manga, and the many emotions captured across decades of musical genres. Her creative writing piece awarded by the Etruscan Press is but a small segment of a living story that has resided within her imagination for nearly ten years. Liz’s greatest ambition is to publish her works in their entirety and make her younger self proud.

Madelyn Rex

Madelyn Rex, a Lehigh Valley native, is graduating with degrees in English and Secondary Education with minors in Theatre Arts and Women’s and Gender Studies. Maddy has worked as a writing center peer consultant for the majority of her time at Wilkes, and she has worked as a production assistant in the theatre department. Maddy has participated in many Wilkes University Theatre productions both behind the scenes and occasionally on stage as well. She also has worked backstage for the Wilkes Dance Conservatory’s annual production of The Nutcracker for the past 4 years. In addition to her work at the university, Maddy has been working with Scranton Fringe as a stage manager and technician for various festival, summer, and Christmas productions. Maddy is a proud member of the Barre Scholars program, Kappa Delta Pi, and is the current president of Wilkes's Alpha Gamma Alpha chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. She has received the Anthony D. Marseco Endowed Scholarship and the Bernard J. Ford, III Scholarship. Maddy is currently completing her semester of student teaching at Wyoming Area Secondary Center, and hopes to have a long career as a high school English teacher after graduation.

Sydney Ahrberg

Sydney has been a member of Manuscript her whole time at Wilkes, serving as assistant editor her sophomore year and executive editor her junior and senior years. She has also served as a staff writer for Inkwell, a peer counselor in the Writing Center, and completed an internship under Nicole Frail Edits. She is a member of the Wilkes Honors Program, Barre Scholars Program, Sigma Tau Delta, and Phi Alpha Theta. At the 2026 Women’s and Gender Studies Conference, she presented her research project “The Politics of Disseminating Captivity Narratives in Colonial and Early America” as part of Dr. Sopcack-Joseph’s panel “From Captivity to Collective Bargaining: Women and the Politics of Labor and Belonging.” After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in either editing or content writing, though she’s keeping herself open to any paths which present themselves.

Kaycee Wren

Kaycee Wren is graduating with majors in History and Secondary Education. Her capstone project, entitled “Fractured Bonds: How Incarceration Affected Japanese Immigrants' Communities through Generational Breakdown,” examined how the incarcerations of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II led to a breakdown of generational bonds, resulting in trauma and shifts in cultural identity. While at Wilkes, she worked in our Institutional Archives transcribing and digitizing the Wyoming Valley, Wilkes-Barre, and Luzerne County General subseries of the Gilbert Stuart McClintock collection, which focuses on the history of community development in Northeastern Pennsylvania with a focus on the Wyoming Valley builders and contributed to the Archives blog discussing this work. Kaycee is a member of the Honors and Barre Scholars programs, the History Club, Phi Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta Pi, and Alpha Lambda Delta. She has worked with the Upward Bound Program mentoring first-generation young scholars. After graduation she plans to teach high school social studies and to continue the work of mentoring young scholars.

Alexander Martin

Alex Martin is a senior majoring in Digital Design & Media Arts earning a BA with a minor in Game and Emergent Technology. He is an Eagle Scout, eight time Dean’s List honoree, and presented research at the SITE Conferences in Orlando on “Mosaic: An Augmented Reality Application to Motivate University Students to Visit Galleries” and in Philadelphia on “Circuit Breaker: Neon Entanglement, Building Quantum Intuition Through Embodied Gameplay in Virtual Reality”. Along with graphic design and game design, Alex has a passion for 3D modeling and web design and immerses himself in those things as much as possible. After graduation, Alex plans to pursue a career in 3D modeling within the video game and film industries.

Lara Mullen

Lara Mullen is a BFA student in the Integrative Media and Design program, where she has worked as a tutor, teaching assistant, and studio assistant. During her time at Wilkes, she completed a design fellowship with the Sordoni Art Gallery, where she developed an interest in how design shapes the way people engage with history. She also served as the lead graphics designer for The Beacon, student newspaper and member of Studio 20. Her independent study, Visualizing Appalachia: Power, Propaganda, and the Ethics of Design, explored how visual communication shapes regional identity and labor activism, with a focus on ethical representation in contemporary design practice. After graduation, Lara will spend a year continuing her work in exhibition and communication design with Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites before pursuing a Master’s degree in History of Design and Material Culture at the University of Brighton.

Gabriele Ruggiero

Gabriele, “GiGi” Ruggiero is earning a BFA degree in Digital Design and Media Arts with minors in Studio Arts, English (with a creative writing slant), and Game and Emergent Technologies. She will be graduating with about a million credits. She is heavily engaged on campus for the last three years as a Resident Assistant working with first year students for two years in Evans and Roth then moving to upperclassmen in Towers for her last year. She contributes to event planning, making memories, and being a helpful hand within the halls. GiGi is also an E-mentor guiding incoming students into the ways of the Wilkes environment and college level expectations. Throughout her time at Wilkes, she has been part of the design and leadership team in our campus's design club Studio 20 and now holds the position of president. She has contributed to multiple merch design drops as well as taking on client-based work within the community. She has created event posters and designs for multiple activities on campus. She has made Dean’s list all eight semesters at the University. In 2025 she was the first student from Wilkes accepted into the student volunteer program at the international SIGGRAPH conference in Vancouver, assisting attendees and supporting behind the scenes activities. Running her own on-line earring business for over seven years she shows her passion for pop culture design through the things she creates. Using her love for the arts in her internship for The Scranton Fringe Festival she pushed for cutting edge graphics and promotional design. She has been working as the social media manager for Pour Coffee Shop producing content and curating their social channels. Gigi has worked ‘crew” for multiple talent interview video shoots for a series of Ruggiero-Steele documentaries. In addition, she was part of the student team that created a dynamic stop motion animation for the end credit sequence for the soon to be released documentary Muhammad Ali: In This Corner - Deer Lake. After graduation she is looking to pursue her creative passions in motion-based design, working heavily with video and bold designs that make a statement.

Grace Carrick

Grace Carrick graduated in the winter of 2025 with a BFA in Digital Design & Media Arts and a Minor in English. At Wilkes, she has gained valuable experience as a designer at the Sordoni Art Gallery, creating promotional materials for exhibitions, and as a leader in the Studio 20 design club. In addition to her university work, Grace has completed several freelance projects, designing brand identities and logos for clients. Passionate about book design, she aspires to work as an in-house designer for a publisher, specializing in designing book covers and contributing to creative publishing teams.

Emily Romanoskey

Emily is earning a BA degree in Digital Design and Media Arts with a minor in Studio Arts. She is a member of the student design team at the Sordoni Art Gallery, where she also served as student curator and research assistant for her internship. During this internship, she researched artist Helen Zughaib and her Migrations Series to lead the branding for the exhibition Migrations which was on display at the gallery from October 2025 through February 2026. In addition to designing the catalog for the exhibition, she contributed an essay, “Visual Narratives of Migration: A Comparative Study of Helen Zughaib and Jacob Lawrence”. The catalog won several awards at the American Advertising Federation (of NEPA) Awards including the Student Gold Award, Student Judge’s Choice Award, and Student People's Choice Award. Along with this, she also won an honorable mention for a separate project. Emily is also a member of Studio 20, contributing to their merch sales with Wilkes-inspired designs. After graduation, Emily plans to gain work experience in design and hopes to eventually get a master’s degree with aspirations to work in a professional design setting at a museum.

Chris Kopiak

Chris Kopiak graduated in Fall 2026 with a major in Mathematics with minors in Statistics and Actuarial Science. He is a talented and hard-working individual who has demonstrated excellent performance across all his coursework, including highly rigorous advanced mathematics courses that require strong analytical and abstract reasoning skills. Chris worked with Dr. John Harrison on his two senior research projects that focused on applying generating functions to solve recurrence relations and finding summation formulas using discrete calculus. Chris is also a graduate of the Wilkes University Honors program, which fully funded a one-week study abroad trip to London, England. For most of his time as an undergraduate student, Chris has been a peer tutor for Wilkes University math classes. In total, he has amassed over 730 hours of tutoring for 14 classes, including Differential Equations, Discrete Math, Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, and Probability & Statistics in both one-on-one and group settings. Additionally, since January 2026, Chris has been teaching Intermediate Algebra as an adjunct instructor at Wilkes. Chris earned first place in the Wilkes Integration Bee in both 2023 and 2025, achieving and maintaining the title of Grant Integrator. He is also a proud recipient of the The Joan '59 and Thomas '59 Lally Mathematics Annual Scholarship and The Mark Kolanowski 97 Memorial Annual Scholarship. Chris is currently taking graduate educational courses at Wilkes University to become certified to teach high school math.

Samantha Gashi

Samantha Gashi is eager to receive this Award for Musical Theatre. Samantha is an established BFA Musical Theatre Major, with a minor in dance. Throughout her college career, she has been heavily focusing her studies on taking the next steps to work professionally in the performance world and learning all the aspects that goes into theatre. Some of her favorite roles she portrayed in Wilkes University’s Theatre Productions are Little Becky Two Shoes in Urinetown, and Marcy Fitzwilliams in I Love You Because. She has also stage managed the productions of Clue On Stage, and Vanya And Sonia And Masha and Spike. For the past four years, Samantha has participated in the Spring Dance Concerts and choreographed her own piece for the first time this year. From her sophomore to junior year, she accomplished an internship through Wilkes University at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, where she had the privilege of working as a character performer and was friends with characters such as Chip ‘n’ Dale, Dug, King Louie, and many more. She has represented Wilkes along with her peers at Theatre conferences such as Southeastern Theatre Conference, and Unified Professional Theatre Auditions. When her journey with Wilkes comes to an end, Samantha hopes to further her training, to keep exploring, and someday, to teach all the wonderful things of the performing arts to young aspiring artists.

Maddie Meier

Maddie Meier is beyond thrilled to be earning this award! She is graduating with her BFA in Musical Theatre and has minors in Dance, Music, and Sport Psychology. She has spent her time at Wilkes not only studying her love of the performing arts, but also studying the treatment of actors/dancers as athletes. Some of her favorite roles include Shelby in John Proctor is the Villain, Diana in I Love You Because, and Joan in Fun Home. She has been a part of the annual Spring Dance Concert the past four years, and has choreographed three pieces in her time here. She has Associate Directed shows at Wilkes such as Urinetown and As You Like It. She has served as Dance Captain, Intimacy Captain, and Fight Captain numerous times. She has represented Wilkes all four years at the Southeastern Theatre Conference and has acted as a demonstrator for the dance audition into Wilkes’ Theatre Department. Outside of her studies, Maddie has worked to process the Dance Conservatory Collection in the archives on campus. Post graduation, Maddie has aspirations of working as an actor, and eventually going back to school to teach, direct, and choreograph Musical Theatre at the college level. Her dream is to combine this paragraph of things she loves into a curriculum that inspires the next generation of performing artists.

Molly Rodino

Molly Rodino will be a 2026 graduate of the Dr. Richard Abbas Alley School of Education, majoring in Early Childhood/Elementary Education with minors in Reading and Music. She recently completed her student teaching at Drums Elementary School (Hazelton Area School District) and will graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 cumulative GPA. In conjunction with her academics, she has been a member of both the Wilkes Education Club and Kappa Delta Pi - International Honor Fraternity for Educators. Molly has been an avid member of the Wilkes Instrumental Music Ensembles since Fall 2022. Her ensemble involvement has included Chamber Orchestra, Pep Band, Civic Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Pit Orchestra for the 2023 WUMT production of “Carousel.” She has proven to be a versatile musician, performing on clarinet, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone in these ensembles. Molly is a proud brother of the Nu Chi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi - National Honorary Band Fraternity, serving as the 2023-2025 Vice President of Service and the 2025-2026 Chapter President. She served as the chapter’s first-ever Vice President of Service, leading the way in developing new service opportunities to benefit the university and local communities. Under her leadership as President, the chapter has been recognized nationally for its accomplishments and achievements. Molly served as a Band Manager for four years, assisting with the responsibilities of managing program music and organizing equipment preparation for rehearsals and concerts. Additionally, Molly has been the primary Woodwind Instructor for the Berwick High School Marching Band (Berwick Area School District) since 2023. Molly's dedication and work ethic have been recognized, both academically and musically, with a variety of awards and honors. She is a recipient of The Joseph H. Salsburg Scholarship for Excellence in Education, The Anne Vanko Liva Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in Music, and The Music Scholarship Fund Award. Academically, she has also been named to the Dean’s List for each semester she has been at the University. Musically, Molly was the 2024 recipient of The Philip G. Simon Award for Excellence in Band. In addition, she performed in the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Following graduation, Molly will pursue a career in elementary education and aspires to inspire young minds to strive for the highest. She looks forward to incorporating music as a tool in the classroom in any capacity possible, believing that music gives every student a voice and focusing her future teaching philosophy on the words of Hans Christian Andersen: “Where words fail, music speaks.”

Madelyn Rex

The winner of the 2026 Outstanding Graduate for the College of Arts and Sciences Award, Madelyn Rex, will graduate from Wilkes University with 2 degrees in English and Secondary Education and minors in Theatre Arts and Women’s and Gender Studies. A star in the classroom and on the stage, Maddy excels in all of her areas of study, earning an overall GPA of 3.98 over her 150 credits. Madelyn is active both on campus and in the community. At Wilkes she is a member of the Barre Scholars program, Kappa Delta Pi, and is the current president of Wilkes's Alpha Gamma Alpha chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. In that role, Maddy has organized a book drive for the United Way and curated book donations for the chapter’s Little, Free Library that feature immigrant experiences. Madelyn has served as a Writing Center Peer Consultant, even volunteering to respond to summer submissions. Madelyn has also written articles for the Inkwell Quarterly, the English department’s newsletter, and is working as a digital editor for The Kirby Canon, the department’s academic journal. In the Theatre department, Maddy has worked as a production assistant backstage as well as a performer onstage. She has been an integral member of the Theatre program. Madelyn is also an impressive Secondary Education student, and she just completed her student teaching at Wyoming Area Secondary Center. She plans to teach high school English once she graduates from Wilkes. Madelyn has also been an active part of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s theatre community. Maddy has worked backstage for the Wilkes Conservatory’s annual production of The Nutcracker for the past four years. She has served as a stage manager for Scranton Fringe for various festival, summer, and Christmas productions. Most recently, she was part of the technical crew for Ulysses of Scranton, which premiered at the 2025 Scranton Fringe Festival and has traveled as far as the Ballina Arts Centre in County Mayo, Ireland. In her nomination letter, Dr. Hamill stated: “In her time at Wilkes Maddy has exemplified the highest standards of excellence, both in terms of her own academic development and performance, and in terms of her commitment to sharing her gifts in service of others.” Dr. Davis noted that Maddy “was the strongest student in a class that had many impressive students. Not only did Maddy always come to class prepared, she frequently shared keen insights into the literature, seamlessly connected the texts to the larger theories and concepts of the period, and also made cogent connections to our present moment. Maddy was a true leader in class, engaging in active discussions with classmates in group work and class conversations.” Her senior seminar research project exemplifies how Maddy is able to bring together her varied academic pursuits. Dr. Anthony noted in her nomination letter that “[her] senior seminar research in ‘The Early Worker's Theatre Movement and its Legacy of Education in Proletarian Theatre’ examined how theatre production became an educational tool in class struggle in select 20th-century texts for the stage. For this frankly graduate-level undertaking, Maddy discovered and accessed the Worker’s Theatre magazine digital archives and applied their mission to plays by Clifford Odets, Tony Kushner, and Dominique Morisseau.” In addition to the CAS Award, Maddy is also the winner of the 2026 Annette Evans Humanities Award, which "honors the senior student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in the humanities and has participated constructively in cultural affairs." She has previously been awarded the Anthony D. Marseco Endowed Scholarship and the Bernard J. Ford, III Scholarship.

Lexy A. Felici

Lexy Felici is a senior Accounting major. Lexy was a part of the Hospitality Leadership Club on campus, participating as their Treasurer for two years. She was a part of the first group of Wilkes students to be inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma. She also has been placed on the Dean’s list every semester. Additionally, Lexy has completed two internships during her studies dealing with taxes at Michelle Hazleton, CPA.

Mason J. Vonk

Mason Vonk is a Mechanical Engineering Major. His senior projects group worked on energy generation within weightlifting applications. While at Wilkes, Mason was a dual-sport athlete. He competed on the Men’s Ice hockey and golf teams for four years and severed as a captain on the hockey team his senior year. As a Student Athlete he also performed roughly 100 hours of community service. He was named into several academic honor societies including Alpha Lambda Delta and Chi Alpha Sigma. Mason has also received multiple academic and athletic awards including Colonels Elite and Julia Hockey Mazur Foundation award. He plans on moving back to his Hometown in Michigan and working in the engineering field while still being involved in local youth hockey programs.

Cadet Gabrielle J. Tetreault

Gabrielle Tetreault is majoring in Political Science. Her research in the Department includes work with Dr. Maierean on the relationship between emerging media platforms and the outcome of presidential elections. Her capstone explored this relationship and the variables. Gabrielle was also very active outside the classroom. She is a senior Space Force cadet in Air Force ROTC, commissioning in May. She currently holds the position of Inspector General and has held positions such as Flight Commander, Future Operations, and Training Officer within the Detachment. She has received the Daughters of the American Revolution Award, Commendation Award, Veterans of Foreign Wars Award, Physical Fitness, Academic Achievement, Honor Guard, and Warrior Flight Award. After graduating and commissioning, she will become a 2nd Lieutenant in the Space Force and will be heading to Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

Cadet Gabrielle J. Tetreault

Gabrielle Tetreault is majoring in Political Science. Her research in the Department includes work with Dr. Maierean on the relationship between emerging media platforms and the outcome of presidential elections. Her capstone explored this relationship and the variables. Gabrielle was also very active outside the classroom. She is a senior Space Force cadet in Air Force ROTC, commissioning in May. She currently holds the position of Inspector General and has held positions such as Flight Commander, Future Operations, and Training Officer within the Detachment. She has received the Daughters of the American Revolution Award, Commendation Award, Veterans of Foreign Wars Award, Physical Fitness, Academic Achievement, Honor Guard, and Warrior Flight Award. After graduating and commissioning, she will become a 2nd Lieutenant in the Space Force and will be heading to Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

Hunter T. Lawall

Alena Carabetta

Alena Carabetta is a senior majoring in Environmental Engineering at Wilkes University, where she has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has been named to the Dean’s List every semester. Her professional experience includes an engineering internship with American Water, where she gained hands-on experience in the water and wastewater industry by assisting with permit applications, data analysis, and project evaluation. She has also completed internships with Rugged Telemetry and AssetLink Global, where she contributed to industrial Iot applications and remote monitoring systems. Alena has been active outside the classroom as a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the Air and Waste Management Association, demonstrating her commitment to professional development and involvement in the environmental field. She has also been recognized with multiple academic honors and scholarships for her achievements. Following graduation, Alena will be joining Pennsylvania American Water as a Project Manager.

Lucas Lesko

Lucas Lesko is a civil engineering major at Wilkes University, expected to graduate in May 2026. His academic work includes a senior design project focused on the redesign of an existing bridge in Pittston, PA, where he applies structural analysis, cost estimation, and construction scheduling using ASCE standards. Lucas has also gained hands-on industry experience as a Civil Engineering Intern with The Pidcock Company, contributing to land development projects through surveying, construction observation, and design work in AutoCAD and Civil 3D. Outside the classroom, Lucas is a highly accomplished student-athlete. He served as a team leader for the Wilkes University Men’s Varsity Basketball team, earning First Team Al-Conference honors and being named Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He also competed internationally as part of a USA D3 Basketball Brazil Tour Team. In addition, Lucas is actively involved on campus as a Career Peer and Ambassador for the Center for Career Development & Internships and serves on the Dean’s Student Advisory Board.

Lexy A. Felici

Lexy Felici is a senior Accounting major. Lexy was a part of the Hospitality Leadership Club on campus, participating as their Treasurer for two years. She was a part of the first group of Wilkes students to be inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma. She also has been placed on the Dean’s list every semester. Additionally, Lexy has completed two internships during her studies dealing with taxes at Michelle Hazleton, CPA.

Jack Argento

Jack Argento is a double major in Corporate Finance and Accounting with a minor in Data Analytics. His academic work has focused on financial analysis, business strategy, and data-driven decision-making, complimented by hands-on experience in Excel, Python, and Tableau. Jack has gained extensive professional experience through internships with West Monroe and The Hershey Company. At West Monroe, he advised senior executives on financial process optimization and developed client-ready deliverables to support strategic decision-making. At Hershey, he contributed to corporate FP&A by building a Gross Margin Scorecard and supporting materials used in CFO and Board of Directors presentations. He has also explored venture capital and public finance through an externship with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Outside the classroom, Jack has been highly active in leadership and athletics. He serves as President of the Sidhu School of Business Dean’s Student Advisory Board, working closely with the dean on key initiatives, and is a team captain of the Wilkes University men’s basketball team. He has also worked as an economics tutor, served on the university’s Mascot Committee, and advised early-stage ventures as a business plan strategist. Jack has earned a 3.88 GPA, has been named to the Dean’s List every semester, and is the recipient of both the Daniel S. Wilcox, Jr. Scholarship and the KPMG/John R. Miller Scholarship. Following graduation, he plans to move to Chicago to continue working at West Monroe with a full-time career in consulting, leveraging his background in finance, analytics, and leadership.

Evan Melberger

Evan Melberger is a Business Management major at Wilkes University. During his time at Wilkes, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to both academics and athletics. Evan is a recipient of the Kirby Scholarship, recognizing his academic achievement and entrepreneurial mindset. He has also earned the Colonel Elite Award, which honors high academic performance while competing as a student-athlete, and has consistently been named to the Dean’s List. Evan is a two-time captain of the Wilkes University baseball team, where he has shown leadership, discipline, and dedication on and off the field. In addition to his academic and athletic accomplishments, Evan gained professional experience through an internship with Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, where he worked in asset and property management. Following graduation, Evan plans to continue his education at Wilkes University by pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) to further his education and professional development.

Brandon Powell

Brandon Powell is majoring in Accounting with minors in Economics and Legal Studies. He is the recipient of the PICPA Award for Excellence in Accounting as well as the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Northeast Chapter Endowed Scholarship. This past winter, Brandon became the first Wilkes undergraduate student to pass a section of the Uniform CPA Examination while currently enrolled, and he looks forward to completing the remaining sections and earning his CPA designation. While at Wilkes, Brandon has been highly active within the Sidhu School of Business. Serving as President of FBLA, Brandon has earned national recognition for presenting cases in accounting and strategic analysis at the FBLA National Leadership Conferences held in Dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, as a member of the Wilkes Business Ethics team he competed in both the Providence College Business Ethics Case Competition and the International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC) held in Boston, Massachusetts against top students from around the world. In addition to his academic and leadership achievements Brandon has gained valuable professional experience through multiple internship opportunities in the accounting fields of both audit and taxation. Upon graduation Brandon will begin his career as a Tax Associate at PWC, in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Jack Argento

Jack Argento is a double major in Corporate Finance and Accounting with a minor in Data Analytics. His academic work has focused on financial analysis, business strategy, and data-driven decision-making, complimented by hands-on experience in Excel, Python, and Tableau. Jack has gained extensive professional experience through internships with West Monroe and The Hershey Company. At West Monroe, he advised senior executives on financial process optimization and developed client-ready deliverables to support strategic decision-making. At Hershey, he contributed to corporate FP&A by building a Gross Margin Scorecard and supporting materials used in CFO and Board of Directors presentations. He has also explored venture capital and public finance through an externship with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Outside the classroom, Jack has been highly active in leadership and athletics. He serves as President of the Sidhu School of Business Dean’s Student Advisory Board, working closely with the dean on key initiatives, and is a team captain of the Wilkes University men’s basketball team. He has also worked as an economics tutor, served on the university’s Mascot Committee, and advised early-stage ventures as a business plan strategist. Jack has earned a 3.88 GPA, has been named to the Dean’s List every semester, and is the recipient of both the Daniel S. Wilcox, Jr. Scholarship and the KPMG/John R. Miller Scholarship. Following graduation, he plans to move to Chicago to continue working at West Monroe with a full-time career in consulting, leveraging his background in finance, analytics, and leadership.

Josephine E. Paolucci

Josephine Paolucci majored in Management and minored in Marketing. During her time as a Sidhu School of Business student, Josephine maintained a GPA to be placed on the Dean's List for seven consecutive semesters, with her graduating early in December 2025. She was named to Delta Mu Delta, an international Business Honor Society for her academic excellence, as well. She had participated in several campus organizations, namely Student Government for one year, and Dean’s Student Advisory Board for two years. Along with campus leadership, Josephine conducted and presented academic research at THEREPS 2025, a national research conference held in New York City. Under the guidance of Dr. HyeRyeon Lee, her team won the award for Best Presentation at THEREPS, and an award at Wilkes University’s Research Symposium. Following graduation, Josephine plans to continue working for Penn East Federal Credit Union as the Marketing Coordinator while seeking other professional opportunities.

Karla Yariseth Rodriguez Tenorio

Karla Yariseth Rodriguez Tenorio is a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Leadership with minors in Sustainability and Marketing at Wilkes University. Her academic work has focused on key industry trends, including the role of artificial intelligence’s enhancement of personalization in hospitality services. She also conducted an in-depth evaluation of Marriott International’s Serve 360 sustainability strategy, assessing its impact on environmental performance, corporate responsibility, and industry practices. On campus, Karla has been actively involved as both an Admissions Ambassador and a Career Ambassador. Through her work with the Career Center, she has supported students in building resumes, and prepared them for internships and job opportunities. Drawing from her own experience as an international student from Panama, she has focused on assisting international students, by leading workshops and providing guidance on navigating internship requirements and professional expectations in the United States. Karla has gained hands-on industry experience through internships with cornerstone companies, such as Hershey Park and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. While there she refined skills in guest services and housekeeping. She is currently in a Manager-in-Training program at Kalahari, where she continues to strengthen her leadership skills in the Front Office and Housekeeping departments. Karla plans to continue her career in the U.S. hospitality industry, with the goal of advancing into leadership roles and ultimately pursuing an executive-level position in hotel management.

Karla Yariseth Rodriguez Tenorio

Karla Yariseth Rodriguez Tenorio is a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Leadership with minors in Sustainability and Marketing at Wilkes University. Her academic work has focused on key industry trends, including the role of artificial intelligence’s enhancement of personalization in hospitality services. She also conducted an in-depth evaluation of Marriott International’s Serve 360 sustainability strategy, assessing its impact on environmental performance, corporate responsibility, and industry practices. On campus, Karla has been actively involved as both an Admissions Ambassador and a Career Ambassador. Through her work with the Career Center, she has supported students in building resumes, and prepared them for internships and job opportunities. Drawing from her own experience as an international student from Panama, she has focused on assisting international students, by leading workshops and providing guidance on navigating internship requirements and professional expectations in the United States. Karla has gained hands-on industry experience through internships with cornerstone companies, such as Hershey Park and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. While there she refined skills in guest services and housekeeping. She is currently in a Manager-in-Training program at Kalahari, where she continues to strengthen her leadership skills in the Front Office and Housekeeping departments. Karla plans to continue her career in the U.S. hospitality industry, with the goal of advancing into leadership roles and ultimately pursuing an executive-level position in hotel management.

Amanda Koneski

Amanda Koneski is a Marketing major with minors in Communications Studies and Management at Wilkes University. Throughout her time at Wilkes, she has demonstrated strong academic achievement, maintained a 3.79 GPA and earned consistent placement on the Dean’s List. She is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society recognizing the top 10% of undergraduate business students in AACSB-accredited programs. Beyond the classroom, Amanda has gained valuable professional experience through several internships. She currently serves as a Business Development Intern and Assistant to the Senior Vice President of Sales at Mountain Productions, where she supports client outreach, market research, and growth strategy initiatives. She previously worked as a Digital Content Intern with It Is a Keeper, focusing on SEO strategy, content creation, and digital marketing, and as a Sales and Marketing Intern with Kopimore Consulting, where she conducted market research and supported lead generation efforts. In addition, Amanda has worked as a mathematics tutor at Wilkes University, where she became a Level 1 Certified Peer Tutor through the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), helping students strengthen their analytical and problem-solving skills. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a full-time career in marketing, with the goal of continuing her professional growth in business development and digital marketing with Mountain Productions or a similar organization.

Eleanor Burrows

Eleanor Burrows is a Marketing major with a minor in Hospitality Leadership at Wilkes University. During her time at Wilkes, she participated in faculty-mentored research with Dr. HyeRyeon Lee, exploring topics such as consumer behavior, AI usage in tourism, and travel motivators. She collaborated on research presented at the THEREPS 2025 Conference and the COBE Research Symposium, earning Best Undergraduate Research Presentation and 1st Place Oral Presentation, and was also recognized with multiple endowed scholarships. Outside of the classroom, Eleanor served as President and Vice President of the Hospitality Leadership Club and held leadership roles within the Wilkes Choral Ensembles. She also gained hands-on experience through internships and work-study roles with MAP Solutions Group and the Jay Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, where she worked on marketing materials, social media campaigns, and research initiatives. Following graduation, she continues her role at GIANT Food Stores while working toward advancement within the company and further developing her career in marketing and hospitality.

Brayden Shaffer

Brayden Shaffer is a Sports Management Major with minors in Marketing and Hospitality Leadership. He played football for four years and was named Academic Captain this most recent season. He earned the Colonel Elite Award, Chi Alpha Sigma Award, and Landmark Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll. He is part of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society and the CSC Academic All-District Team, along with making the dean’s list every semester he has been here. Brayden is currently doing an internship with the Yankees Triple-A Team, and plans to continue his career in the Sports Business Industry.

Nick Volpone

While at Wilkes University Nick has conducted Market Research and Expansions Campaigns for GoldenTech in India and Argentina. Nick has also completed and conducted a Company Analysis on CVS and their Vertical Integration. In 2025 Nick obtained an Internship with the Philadelphia Union which is a professional soccer team in the MLS. At his time there Nick executed a playoff timeline to front office executives on how to generate more capital for ticket sales, how to promote luxury seating, partnership campaigns for Subaru, Heineken and Septa along with gameday operations and concourse logistics. Nick was also a member of the Wilkes Football Team earning the Al Academic Team 3x, Dean's List 4x and was also awarded with Al Conference honors his Junior and Senior Year for his Athletic Performances. Nick plans to continue to work in the front office for the Philadelphia Union as an Account Executive. Nick also plans to later branch off into Medical Device sales after his tenure with the Union. Mr Volpone is very grateful for his time at Wilkes University and would like to thank his family, friends, coaches and professors for al the impact they have made!

Marshall E. Curtis

Marshal is a mechanical engineering major. He wi l be graduating as the highest academic performer in his major. Outside of the classroom, Marshal has been a leader of both the ASME and SAE engineering clubs. During his time at Wilkes, he completed an internship with DuPont and is currently exploring opportunities within the engineering world.

Joselyn Contardi

Joselyn Contardi is an electrical engineering major whose academic and professional work spans research, design, and mentorship. She conducted research with Dr. Sabouni on antenna design and presented her work, “Miniature 5G Wireless Antenna Altered for Lower Frequency Operation and Small Size,” at the 2024 National Radio Science Meeting in Boulder, Colorado. Her senior design project, completed as part of a multidisciplinary team, focused on developing an autonomous robotic system capable of replacing build plates on bed-slinger 3D printers without user intervention. As the team’s electrical engineer, she led the electrical design and programming of the system. In addition to her research, she has extensive experience as a tutor, supporting students in algebra, pre-calculus, Calculus I and II, and differential equations before transitioning to electrical engineering courses, including Circuit Analysis I and II, Electronics I, and Linear Systems. She also assisted in the Circuit Analysis II laboratory under Dr. Srinivasan for two semesters. Professionally, she completed a year-long internship as a Substation Engineer with UGI Utilities from May 2025 to May 2026, where she gained hands-on experience in power systems engineering. Following her internship, she accepted a full-time position with UGI Utilities and will begin her career as a Substation and Meter Shop Engineer I after graduation.

Jacob M. Stash

Jacob Stash is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He had done research assignments working with Dr. Abas Sabouni. His capstone project, RETROCRUISE, was the creation of a cruise control system for classic cars. This is a very good representation of what Jacob does in his free time, working on his cars and modifying them. He helped at various engineering events within the department, along with his mother Susanne Stash. These events include recording/setting up senior projects, giving tours for interested students, helping out at picnics and events, and taking a major role in organizing the ASME Charity Car Show. He is currently in an internship position at Techniserv Inc. in Berwick, PA. They are a major manufacturer of bioreactors and fermentors for the pharmaceuticals industry. Jacob has plans to continue his career in Mechanical Engineering and would not be the person he is today without his experience here at Wilkes University.

Lauren Sunder

Ethan Shudak

Ethan Shudak is earning a degree in Electrical Engineering and a Minor in Engineering Management as a Barre Scholar. Ethan was a Punter for the Wilkes football team his Freshman year. He has worked under Dr.Srini in his EE283 Electrical Engineering Lab helping with basic circuits and troubleshooting. Some notable work outside the classroom are his two years working at Pride Mobility. He helped the engineers build, test, and troubleshoot PCBs and wiring harnesses for medical scooters. During his time at Pride, he worked on an R&D project tasked to him, catching the attention of the Head of R&D for its patent potential. After the two years at Pride, he interned at PPL as a Reliability Engineer Intern. While at PPL, he proposed projects to improve circuit reliability which were implemented. Upon graduation, Ethan will be working at PPL as a Reliability Engineer at the Headquarters in Allentown.

Mason Vonk

Mason Vonk is a Mechanical Engineering Major. His senior projects group worked on energy generation within weightlifting applications. While at Wilkes, Mason was a dual-sport athlete. He competed on the Men’s Ice hockey and golf teams for four years and severed as a captain on the hockey team his senior year. As a Student Athlete he also performed roughly 100 hours of community service. He was named into several academic honor societies including Alpha Lambda Delta and Chi Alpha Sigma. Mason has also received multiple academic and athletic awards including Colonels Elite and Julia Hockey Mazur Foundation award. He plans on moving back to his Hometown in Michigan and working in the engineering field while still being involved in local youth hockey programs.

Marwa Khan

Marwa Khan is a graduate student at Wilkes University pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She completed her bachelor's degree in Physics in Pakistan, where she conducted research on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles, demonstrating her early passion for scientific inquiry and hands-on laboratory research. Building on that foundation, she went on to pursue her MBA at Wilkes University, combining her strong analytical and scientific background with business strategy and emerging technologies. During her time at Wilkes, Marwa has been deeply engaged in both research and professional development. She began as a work study student with Dr. Woojun Lee, supporting faculty research and contributing to projects involving study tours and international symposium planning. Her research with Dr. Lee focused on developing effective market strategies using artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on applying AI tools to real-world business decision-making. Marwa later completed an internship at the Cohen Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation under the mentorship of Terry Chase, where she explored innovative topics including RF cables, healthcare robotics, piezoelectric technologies, and artificial intelligence. She also served as a Teaching Assistant for Business Law under Dr. Ruth Hughes, deepening her understanding of business law frameworks while supporting her fellow students. Marwa has demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence through her participation in university competitions. She earned second place in the COBE Competition in 2025 and first place in the Ethics Competition in 2026. Following graduation, Marwa plans to pursue a career in data analytics, where she aims to leverage her expertise in artificial intelligence, business research, and strategy to drive data-informed decision-making across organizations.

Kelly Sklanka

Nicole C. Pezzino

Nicholas Splain

Nick Splain graduated with an undergraduate degree in Marketing last year, May 2025. He will be completing his Master of Business Administration degree this year. Nick was also very active outside the classroom. He served on the Dean’s Student Advisory Board for 3 and a half years and was a part of the inaugural teams during the launching of the COBE Ethics program, competing in two external competitions in 2023 and 2024. He was named to many honor rolls, completed various local marketing internships, and worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Sidhu School of Business & Leadership – playing a fundamental role within the IME program. Following graduation, he has accepted an offer with Fingerpaint Group – a healthcare/pharmaceutical marketing agency – and will be joining the Digital Strategy team.

Olivia M. Lindberg

Olivia Lindberg is currently pursuing a STEM Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Wilkes University. Her research work includes an independent study on financial literacy and its effect on college students’ budgeting decisions, which earned third place at the COBE Symposium. Her academic focus includes accounting, finance, and data-driven decision-making in business. Olivia has also been very active outside the classroom. She is a collegiate ice hockey player and has served as a team leader, demonstrating strong discipline, teamwork, and leadership skills. In addition, she works as a Graduate Assistant in Marketing for the Family Business Alliance, where she manages social media strategy, promotes events, and helps increase community engagement among family-owned businesses. She has been named to academic honor societies including Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society in Business. Olivia plans to pursue a career in accounting or finance in the United States, where she aims to apply her analytical skills, leadership experience, and strong work ethic in a professional setting.

Brenda Gruver

Brenda Gruver is a 2013 graduate of the Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at St. Luke’s University Health Network and a PGY-2 in Ambulatory Care at Wingate University. After residency, she served as clinical faculty at Campbell University before returning to Wilkes in 2019. She is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice with a Transition of Care practice site at Geisinger Health. The MBA helped her develop administrative and leadership skills to advance her career, and she is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Business Honor Society.

Kimberly Aldrich

Kimberly has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Academic Achievement Award, which is presented to the student holding the highest GPA in their graduating class.

Brandon Gebenus

Brandon has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Academic Achievement Award, which is presented to the student holding the highest GPA in their graduating class.

Kelcie Molchany

Kelcie has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Academic Achievement Award, which is presented to the student holding the highest GPA in their graduating class.

Sidney McNeil

Sidney has been awarded the American Pharmacists Association (APhA Wilkes University Student Chapter) Mortar and Pestle Professionalism Award, which is presented to a student who provided exemplary service to the profession of pharmacy through involvement in the American Pharmacists Association and leadership of the Wilkes University student chapter.

Kimberly Aldrich

Kimberly has been awarded the VIATRIS™ Excellence in Pharmacy Award, which recognizes the best and brightest graduates from Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy across America. The award recipient must be in the top 25 percent of their class academically, intend to enter practice upon graduation, demonstrate high personal motivation and possess a unique ability to communicate drug information.

Brandon Gebenus

Brandon has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Excellence in Clinical Communication Award, which recognizes a graduating student who has demonstrated superior verbal and written communication skills.

Katlin Beenders

Katlin has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Dean’s Outstanding Graduate Award, which is presented to the student who, in the Dean’s opinion, demonstrated the highest level of leadership, community involvement, and dedication to the profession in the graduating class.

Brandon Gebenus

Brandon has been awarded the Jurisprudence Scholar Award, which is presented to the student who earned the highest grade in our pharmacy law course.

Madelyn Zavada

Madelyn has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Excellence in Clinical Practice Award, which is presented to a graduating student who consistently provides superior direct patient care skills and has demonstrably improved patient care in clinically meaningful ways alone and as part of an inter-professional team.

Kelcie Molchany

Kelcie has been awarded the Barbara L. Nanstiel Pharmacy Information Award, which is presented to a graduating student who best demonstrates a respect for and use of the information sciences as a foundation for evidence-based practice. Recommendation from professor or preceptor including descriptive examples of the student’s ability to: 1) Consistently makes clinical recommendations while citing the best available evidence 2) Answers information requests in an efficient manner while citing the best available evidence 3) Uses an effective and efficient approach to searching for and answering clinical inquiries and/or clinical recommendations 4) Shows interest and excitement towards using evidence to make clinical recommendations and/or answer information requests 5) Teaches and/or assists others about how to efficiently and effectively use evidence to guide clinical decisions/recommendations.

Carly Eidle

Carly has been awarded the Department of Pharmacy Practice Research Award, which is presented to a graduating student that has shown commitment to pharmacy practice scholarship during their time in pharmacy

Katlin Beenders

Katlin has been awarded the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Community Service Award, which is presented to a graduating student who consistently demonstrated professional service and leadership, dedication to the community, and developed an innovative or sustainable project.

Thaddeus Karnish

Thaddeus has been awarded the Pennsylvania Society of Health-System Pharmacists Award which recognizes academic achievement, leadership, commitment to hospital pharmacy practice, including work within the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacy (SSHP) chapter at Wilkes University.

Carly Eidle

Carly has been awarded the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Outstanding Pharmacy Student Award, which is presented to a graduate who has been actively involved in the state organization, demonstrated commitment by advocating for the profession and has demonstrated leadership.

Robert Davis

Robert has been awarded the Arthur A. Kibbe Excellence in Pharmaceutical Science Research Award, which recognizes the research achievements of our pharmacy students toward the advancement of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Courtney Turowski

Susan Enfield, PhD, BSN, PEL-CSN

Dr. Susan Enfield, MSN, PhD, is the RN to BSN Program Director at Olivet Nazarene University, where she co-leads curriculum development focusing on competency-based nursing education. She earned both her BSN and MSN from Olivet Nazarene University and recently completed her PhD in Nursing at Wilkes University. Her doctoral research examined prelicensure nursing students’ perceptions of competency-based education, providing insights that now guide her work in designing competency-based curricula, specifically for the RN to BSN track at ONU. Dr. Enfield has presented her findings at the AACN 2025 Transform conference and is preparing the work for publication in the Journal of Nursing & Healthcare. She will also present her research during Olivet’s Scholar Week and to nursing colleagues this spring. Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Enfield served as an elementary school nurse and maintains her school nurse certification. Her clinical background includes nephrology, medical surgical, and oncology nursing in both hospital and outpatient settings. She is an active member of the Illinois Association of School Nursing, the National Association of School Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and Nurses Christian Fellowship.

Edith Koduah, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

Dr. Edith Adwoa Koduah, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from SUNY Brockport, Master of Science in Nursing from CUNY Hunter, and recently completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Wilkes University. With 15 years of experience in nursing, she spent many years working in a high-volume fast paced emergency department in New Hyde Park, NY, developing strong clinical skills and a commitment to patient-centered care. Dr. Koduah is a nurse practitioner at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital. She currently works in the nuclear medicine department caring for general nuclear medicine patients and coordinating the care of individuals with thyroid, breast, and neuroendocrine cancers. Working closely with oncology patients provided insight into the challenges they face and sparked a deeper interest in improving supportive care. This perspective helped guide her doctoral work and focus on applying evidence-based practice in real-world setting. Her DNP Project, Evaluating a Comprehensive Program of Care at a Cancer Wellness Center, reflects her commitment to improving patient care. Dr. Koduah presented this work at the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 2026 Conference. She remains dedicated to advancing nursing practice and improving patient outcomes.

Madison Lange

Madison Lange is a nursing graduate. She is the daughter of Eric and Karen Lange of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. While at Wilkes, she had been involved with the Programming Board, where she served as Vice President, as well as the Nursing Student Organization, where she served as senior secretary. Over the past two years, she has completed an externship with Lehigh Valley Health Network in the Emergency Department. Following graduation, she will begin her career as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Geisinger Community Medical Center.

Courtney Valdora

Courtney Valdora is a senior nursing student at Wilkes University. She is the daughter of Michael and April Valdora of Bayville, NJ. While at Wilkes, she has been involved with the Society of Student Nurses. Following graduation, she will begin her career as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Geisinger Community Medical Center.

Emma Wenger

Emma Wenger is a dedicated professional and proud graduate of Wilkes University’s ABSN program, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During her time at Wilkes University, she was named to the Dean’s List and inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, recognizing her academic excellence and commitment to the nursing profession. Beyond her professional role, Emma is passionate about giving back to her community. She actively contributes her time and skills through involvement with her local food pantry and church-sponsored events, including clothing drives and community meals, demonstrating her commitment to service and outreach. Since graduating in December, Emma has been employed as a Registered Nurse in Reading, where she is dedicated to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. A resident of Reading, Emma is the daughter of Jeff and Jessica Johnston and the spouse of Benjamin Wenger. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her mini goldendoodle. Emma extends her sincere gratitude to her professors at Wilkes University for their support, guidance, and encouragement throughout her academic journey, which made her experience both meaningful and memorable.

Hayley Vesek

I am Hayley Vesek. I am driven by resilience, compassion, and a commitment to service, I have dedicated my nursing journey to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. As the daughter of Kara and Micheal, I was raised with values of hard work, perseverance, and selflessness that continue to guide me today. After experiencing the loss of my father at a young age, I gained a profound understanding of the impact that compassionate, attentive healthcare providers have on patients and their families. These experiences, along with overcoming personal challenges, have strengthened my empathy, perseverance, and dedication to growth both academically and personally, culminating in achieving Dean’s List honors. As President of the Society of Student Nurses at Wilkes University. I have organized initiatives such as a NICU donation drive for foster-bound newborns, mentored underclassmen through academic challenges, and coordinated events that foster connection and celebrate student success. Beyond the university, I remain committed to community service through youth coaching and volunteer work, striving to create supportive environments where others feel empowered to grow. I aspire to become a NICU nurse and will begin my professional journey gaining experience in the emergency room.

Calista Carl

My name is Calista Carl. I am the daughter of Brian and Deanna Carl. The sister of Logan Carl. I volunteer at my local church as a Sunday school teacher. I am currently employed at Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, PA on a medical surgical unit that specializes in cardiac and stroke patients.

Hayley Vesek

I am Hayley Vesek. I am driven by resilience, compassion, and a commitment to service, I have dedicated my nursing journey to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. As the daughter of Kara and Micheal, I was raised with values of hard work, perseverance, and selflessness that continue to guide me today. After experiencing the loss of my father at a young age, I gained a profound understanding of the impact that compassionate, attentive healthcare providers have on patients and their families. These experiences, along with overcoming personal challenges, have strengthened my empathy, perseverance, and dedication to growth both academically and personally, culminating in achieving Dean’s List honors. As President of the Society of Student Nurses at Wilkes University. I have organized initiatives such as a NICU donation drive for foster-bound newborns, mentored underclassmen through academic challenges, and coordinated events that foster connection and celebrate student success. Beyond the university, I remain committed to community service through youth coaching and volunteer work, striving to create supportive environments where others feel empowered to grow. I aspire to become a NICU nurse and will begin my professional journey gaining experience in the emergency room.

Katie Sites

My name is Katie Sites. I am from Collegeville, Pennsylvania and the daughter of Frank and Christine Sites. At Wilkes University, I was a four-year member of the Women’s Soccer Team. Throughout my time at Wilkes, I have remained on the Dean’s List and earned recognition on the MAC Conference Honor Roll (2021, 2022) and the Landmark Conference Honor Roll (2023, 2024). I am also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. In addition to earning my Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Political Science, I have served as a peer tutor for Pathophysiology and Principles of Nursing, supporting fellow students in developing clinical knowledge and confidence. I also worked as an International Nursing Student Mentor within the Passan School of Nursing, helping students new to the United States transition successfully. My involvement in service initiatives includes Souper Sunday, Wilkes University’s BIG Event, and National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Following graduation, I will begin my career as a Registered Nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on an inpatient liquid oncology unit. I am deeply honored to represent the Passan School of Nursing as the Outstanding Graduate.

Jamie Johnston

Jamie Johnston is a graduate of Wilkes University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program and recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Award. She earned Dean’s List honors each semester and is a member of the Zeta Psi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Jamie volunteers with City Team and is dedicated to serving her community. She is the daughter of James and Kelly Johnston, spouse of Robert Pepi, and proud mother of her two sons, Marshall and Charles.

Kahlasia Carter

Kahlasia Carter is a nursing graduate at Wilkes University and a member of the Passan School of Nursing Class of 2026. She is the daughter of Carl and Latrice Carter. Throughout her time at Wilkes, Kahlasia has demonstrated strong leadership and academic excellence, earning a place on the Dean’s List for all eight semesters and being recognized as a Barre Scholar. She has served as a Supplemental Instruction Leader for Anatomy and Physiology I and II and as a Career Peer Ambassador with the Center for Career Development & Internships, where she coordinated nursing career fairs to support student professional development. Kahlasia has been actively involved in campus leadership as the Senior Class Representative for the Nursing Student Organization and Secretary of the Multicultural Student Coalition. She is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and a recipient of the Diversity, Inclusion, Value, Each Other (D.I.V.E.) Certificate. Her involvement extends into research, where she has contributed to projects focused on pediatric health education, disparities in maternal health outcomes, and mental health awareness in nursing students through the Green Bandana Project. In addition to her campus involvement, Kahlasia participated in an Alternative Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic, working with underserved communities and strengthening her commitment to addressing health disparities and promoting equitable access to care. Following graduation, Kahlasia plans to begin her career as a registered nurse in critical care, where she will continue to grow her clinical skills and make a meaningful impact in patient care.

Megan Ralston

Megan Ralston is a dual major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and Special Education PK–12, with a minor in Reading at Wilkes University. Throughout her academic career, she has been recognized on the Dean’s List and is an active member of the Teacher Education Program, Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, and Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society in Education. A commuter student, Megan resides in Wilkes-Barre with her father and her younger brothers, Michael and Konnor. She graduated from Hanover Area Jr./Sr. High School in 2022. Megan is a dedicated member of the Wilkes University Education Club, where she serves as Chairperson of Fundraising and has contributed many hours of service. During her final semester, she completed her student teaching within the Hanover Area School District. She spent seven weeks at Lynwood Elementary School in a kindergarten classroom and seven weeks at Lee Park Elementary School in a 3rd and 4th grade Learning Support ELA classroom. These experiences strengthened Megan’s commitment to creating inclusive, supportive, and engaging learning environments where all students feel valued and capable of success. Her philosophy of education centers on building meaningful relationships, fostering a sense of belonging, and supporting the whole child through differentiated and responsive instruction. She is passionate about helping students grow academically, socially, and emotionally through positive and structured learning experiences. Megan plans to return to her alma mater to begin her teaching career. She is also a proud alumna of the Wilkes University Upward Bound Program and will be returning as an employed staff member, continuing her commitment to supporting future generations of learners.

Christina Katchik

I am an Early Childhood and Elementary Education pathway student at Wilkes University, graduating in Spring 2026 currently holding a 3.61 GPA. I completed education field placements in prekindergarten aand elementary classrooms while working full time in early childhood education. After eleven years in early childhood, I transitioned to my dream role as a first grade teacher at Good Shepherd Academy, where I love inspiring young learners every day. Giving back to my community is important to me. I have served Christmas dinners with Fork Over Love and organized donation drives for the Luzerne County SPCA and Operation Blue Christmas. I am also a proud member of Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education. I am honored to receive the Outstanding Adult Learner Award at Wilkes University, and I am especially proud to be setting an example for my 9-year-old daughter, Jenna, who continues to inspire me every day.

Olivia Dougher

Olivia Dougher is originally from Scranton Pennsylvania and has lived there for her whole life. She grew up in a family of teachers with her mom, sister, multiple aunts, and multiple uncles all being teachers so she has always wanted to be a teacher. She grew up very athletic and participated in several sports. Some of these sports include softball, basketball, cheerleading, etc. She attended the Scranton School District all the way until she graduated high school and decided to attend Wilkes University to further her education. Throughout her time at Wilkes, Olivia participated in several activities at the school. She was in the education club, volunteered at the CEO Weinberg Food Bank to distribute holiday food boxes for the families in need, volunteered for the Wilkes Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) with several activities for the community, and was on the softball team. Olivia was a four-time NFCA Scholar-Athlete, awarded the Colonel Elite award for student athletes with a 3.75 GPA or above, in the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society for student athletes with a 3.5 GPA or above, in the Kappa Delta Phi Society in Education, Academic All-District, Academic All-American, named second team all conference as a sophomore as a utility, and named to the all conference team as a third baseman as honorable mention. Olivia will graduate with honors from Wilkes and after graduating, Olivia plans to teach middle school math at a local district while staying involved in the community.

Hannah Dittus

Hannah Dittus is a senior at Wilkes University graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Secondary Education. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to both scientific research and education throughout her academic career. Hannah has contributed to research exploring the effects of propolis on obesity, analyzing its impact on weight, fat composition, and inflammation in mice, as well as research on how environmental stressors such as fungal exposure, UV light, and ozone influence cannabinoid production in hemp In recognition of her dedication and excellence, Hannah has been awarded the Outstanding Secondary Education Award and the Biology Future Educator Award. She is also a proud member of Tri-Beta and has been named to the Dean’s List from 2024 to 2026. Beyond the classroom, Hannah has been actively involved as a We're Empowered By Science Camp Counselor and club member, and has participated in summer research experiences. She completed her student teaching at Wyoming Valley West High School, working with 10th and 11th grade biology students. Following graduation, Hannah plans to pursue her passion for education by becoming a high school biology teacher, where she hopes to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Makena Sanderson

MaKena is a senior from Carbondale, Pennsylvania, pursuing a dual degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and Special Education, with a minor in Reading. She has earned several honors at Wilkes, including the Marla Hosie Award (2023–2024) and the Service Award (2024–2025), and has been on the Dean’s List throughout her entire undergraduate career, recognizing her dedication to the field of education. MaKena has gained hands-on experience across a wide range of learners and settings. She has worked with toddlers at Building Blocks Learning Center, 8th grade learning support at Wyoming Area, 2nd grade at Carbondale Area Elementary School, 3rd and 5th grade at Heights Murray Elementary School, K–2 Autistic Support and K–2 Emotional Support at The Graham Academy (Elementary), and 10th–12th grade Life Skills at The Graham Academy (High School). MaKena completed a 7-week student teaching placement in 3rd grade and a 7-week student teaching placement in 7th–10th grade Autistic Support with the Carbondale Area School District. These experiences have strengthened her skills in planning and delivering lessons, classroom management, and adapting instruction for diverse learners. MaKena served as the Education Club Environmentalist for the last two years and is a member of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) Education Honor Society. She also worked part-time as a Teacher’s Assistant in a Pre-K Counts classroom throughout college which allowed her to gain valuable experience supporting early learners. MaKena is actively applying and interviewing for teaching positions throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. She is excited to begin her career as a teacher and is very passionate about making a positive impact in education.

Sophia Glogowski

Sophia Glogowski is a senior at Wilkes University majoring in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her academic career. Sophia is from Scranton Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of Scranton High School. She is the daughter of George and JoAnn Glogowski and has two sisters, Emily and Olivia, along with her family dog, Trixie. Through her student teaching placement and her work as a substitute teacher in the Scranton School District, Sophia has gained valuable hands-on experience in the classroom. She is passionate about creating a positive, inclusive, and supportive classroom environment where all students can thrive. Following graduation, Sophia plans to begin her career as an elementary school teacher and is committed to making a meaningful impact on the lives of students.

Erin Danko

What began as childhood games of ‘school’ with her older sister grew into a lifelong goal of becoming an educator. After entering Wilkes University in the fall of 2023, Erin’s major and concentration underwent two changes before she followed her heart, settling on Middle Level Education with a concentration in English. Throughout her undergraduate experience, she has had the opportunity to work alongside three incredible mentor teachers, gaining hands-on experience in both elementary and middle school classrooms at Wyoming Valley West Middle School, Hanover Area Memorial Elementary School, and G.A.R. Memorial Middle School. Erin has played an active role in the Wilkes Education Club, serving as Treasurer, Vice President, and standing President for the 2025–2026 academic year. She has also been named to the Dean’s List for the past three semesters. When she is not expanding her knowledge in the classroom or putting it into practice through field experiences, she works as a Senior Counselor for the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest New Jersey, an Aquatics Supervisor for Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks, and an Adaptive/Private Swim Instructor for the YMCA. Erin looks forward to continuing her undergraduate experience at Wilkes University, surrounded by a supportive community of peers and faculty. After graduating in the fall of 2027, she hopes to teach at a middle school in New Jersey while pursuing graduate studies in both Special Education and Psychology. She strives to empower her future students to use language as a tool for creativity, confidence, and connection.

Ashley Milosek

Ashley Milosek hasbeen teaching for the past seven years, starting her career in Manassas Park, Virginia, and currently teaching at Hershey Elementary School. This spring, she will graduate with her master’s degree in Instructional Technology, a field pursued out of a deep interest in learning design, the meaningful integration of tools such as LMS platforms and AI, digital content creation, and data-informed instruction. Throughout her graduate journey, Ashley has faced a significant medical diagnosis which challenged her in many ways but also strengthened her perseverance and commitment to my goals. Despite these challenges, Ashley remained dedicated not only to her own learning, but also to contributing positively to her school community supporting colleagues, sharing resources, and continuously seeking ways to enhance student learning through technology.

Chris Kopiak

Chris Kopiak graduated in Fall 2026 with a major in Mathematics with minors in Statistics and Actuarial Science. He is a talented and hard-working individual who has demonstrated excellent performance across all his coursework, including highly rigorous advanced mathematics courses that require strong analytical and abstract reasoning skills. Chris worked with Dr. John Harrison on his two senior research projects that focused on applying generating functions to solve recurrence relations and finding summation formulas using discrete calculus. Chris is also a graduate of the Wilkes University Honors program, which fully funded a one-week study abroad trip to London, England. For most of his time as an undergraduate student, Chris has been a peer tutor for Wilkes University math classes. In total, he has amassed over 730 hours of tutoring for 14 classes, including Differential Equations, Discrete Math, Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, and Probability & Statistics in both one-on-one and group settings. Additionally, since January 2026, Chris has been teaching Intermediate Algebra as an adjunct instructor at Wilkes. Chris earned first place in the Wilkes Integration Bee in both 2023 and 2025, achieving and maintaining the title of Grant Integrator. He is also a proud recipient of the The Joan '59 and Thomas '59 Lally Mathematics Annual Scholarship and The Mark Kolanowski 97 Memorial Annual Scholarship. Chris is currently taking graduate educational courses at Wilkes University to become certified to teach high school math.

Zoë Morley

Zoë Morley is graduating with a major in Biology and a minor in Studio Art. Zoë has been an active member of the Honors Program community and she previously served as the President of the Honors Program Student Committee where she worked to strengthen connection and engagement within the Honors community. She also held other leadership roles throughout her time in the Honors Program including the HPSC Director of Publicity, Small Group Coordinator, and Peer Mentor, all of which allowed her to support and work closely with fellow students. Zoë also had the opportunity to travel with the Honors Program to do community service in North Carolina at a tiger sanctuary, in Italy with adults with developmental needs, and in Florida to work with terminally ill children and their families. Zoë has also been a teaching assistant for the Biology and Earth System Sciences department since her sophomore year, where she enjoyed helping students succeed academically. Zoë has also participated in undergraduate research with Dr. Yuzo, studying fish physiology. Zoë has been accepted to veterinary school and will be attending in 2027.

Reagan Weldon Peri

Reagan is earning a B.S. degree in Geology With Highest Praise (Summa Cum Laude). Her capstone senior research project with fellow student Faith Morcombe and advisor Dr. Matt Finkenbinder involved the development of a long-term record of drought using geochemical analysis of lake sediment cores recovered from a small limestone lake in Newfoundland, Canada. Reagan participated in all aspects of the project including field work, laboratory work including compositional analysis of > 1000 samples and selection of materials for radiocarbon dating, and with data analysis and interpretations. Results from this project include evidence of substantial changes in lake water level fluctuations and drought over the last 10,000 years that are beyond the range of instrumental observations. Recently, Reagan presented the research results in poster form at the Geological Society of America Northeast Section Meeting in Hartford, Connecticut in March of 2026. During her time at Wilkes, Reagan participated with numerous student clubs as a member and in leadership roles (GeoExplorer, Chemistry, Space and Astronomy, and Ecology), served as a Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Geology and Geographic Information Systems labs, and served the Earth Systems Sciences programs with several science outreach activities. Reagan interned as a geologist at the ARM Group in the summer of 2024, where she conducted and prepared environmental due diligence reports, assisted with environmental field work, and analyzed soil, water, and soil vapor chemical data to evaluate sub-surface contamination impacts. Reagan has already accepted a full-time job offer as a Project Geologist with Kimley-Horn and Associates in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, where she will pursue a career in the environmental field focused on soil and groundwater investigations and remediation.