Students in MU graduate programs presented their scholarship at the annual 2025 PASSHE Summit that took place this fall.

This year’s theme for the in-person and virtual/hybrid gathering was Together We Thrive: Building Inclusive Excellence Across the State System.

The virtual student panel discussion included students in both the masters and doctoral social work programs. These students presented on Graduate Student Experiences with Active Learning: The Impact of Inclusive Pedagogy. The points shared by these five students help faculty understand how to better support learning experiences, skill growth, and professional development for graduate students.

Drs. Foels, Pfannenstiel, and Ogongi mentored and supported graduate student’s as they developed a proposal, applied for acceptance, developed their presentation, then presented at the conference.

Student presentations were as follows:

Yanina Marti-Ramirez de Arellano shared about her doctoral program journey and her active learning experience. She talked about the value of inclusive pedagogy in the learning environment as well as the mentorship and support of her dissertation committee and their commitment to helping her express her voice.

In reflecting upon the PASSHE Summit, Yanina says “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to share my doctoral experience and how inclusive pedagogy has prepared me for my role as a scholar and professor. I am grateful for the experience and excited for what the future holds.”

Emily Drueding and Kelly Goff presented on their experiences in their doctoral program, specifically on their graduate experience co-authoring a publication informed by their classroom (SOWK 705) experiences.

Both Emily and Kelly expressed that these learning opportunities informed their classroom experiences as teachers and students and helped them feel more confident as professionals.

Reflecting on her participation in the PASSHE Summit, Kelly added, “I was particularly honored to be part of such a great panel of colleagues, and I am very grateful for this excellent opportunity.” Emily, an alumni of Millersville University and Social work Program reflected on current learning and experiences indicating that “I feel like a scholar and makes me want to continue sharing my knowledge
with others. I like it!”

Patience O Kaphalanya and Esther Smith discussed their experience with the masters of social work program and how they built research skills outside of the classroom. They mentioned how graduate assistantships and student researcher opportunities have helped them build their professional skills further.

Following the conference, Esther stated, “presenting at a conference was a first for me, and I am thankful for the opportunity to share my experiences in the master’s program at Millersville University. I was also able to highlight how my graduate assistantships have helped me grow both personally and professionally.