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From honors theses to interning at prestigious laboratories, the students who will cross the stage on December 15 during Millersville University’s December commencement already have a host of achievements.
- Catherine “Kitty” Dillon transferred to Millersville University in search of a high-quality, local university that would allow her to pursue a dual degree in secondary English education and secondary special education. Read more about Kitty here.
- Steve Forsythe overcame personal challenges to graduate Magna Cum Laude with a degree in mathematics with a focus in actuarial science. Read more about Steve here.
- Poushali Ghosh, a meteorology major received the Hollings Scholarship and interned at the Earth Systems Research Lab in Boulder, Colorado. Read more about Poushali here.
- Ciera Lovell selected Millersville University for its accredited teaching program and small, intimate campus. Read more about Ciera here.
- Patricia Maila will graduate with a degree in social work and prepare to deploy in May 2020. Read more about Patricia here.
- Megan McGee came for the Millersville Equestrian Team and stayed for mathematics. Read more about Megan here.
- Jordan Raudenbush is a government and political affairs major who plans to join the military intelligence community and work in the Middle East. Read more about Jordan here.
By the numbers:
Undergraduate Candidates Total: 432
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: 108
College of Business: 39
College of Education and Human Services: 153
College of Science and Technology: 132 (including 2 Associate degrees)
Academic Honors:
Cum Laude: 52
Magna Cum Laude: 47
Summa Cum Laude: 6
Other
4 Veterans graduating
67 faculty to process for Undergraduate ceremony
Catherine “Kitty” Dillon transferred to Millersville University in search of a high-quality, local university that would allow her to pursue a dual degree in secondary English education and secondary special education. Dillon has been involved with the Color of Teaching mentoring program where she was able to mentor two students from local middle and high schools.
Dillon struggled with depression in college and credits Dr. Kelsey Backels in the Counseling Center for assisting her in getting the help she needed. “You receive five free counselling sessions each semester. The staff there are among the most compassionate and kind human beings I’ve ever met,” she says.
Dillon plans to work as a special education teacher in the future.
Steve Forsythe likes a challenge. Returning to school at 27 years old, Forsythe became a mathematics major because it was the toughest subject he could think of. He decided to become an actuarial analyst for the same reason; he is thrilled by challenge and motivated by curiosity.
Forsythe, originally from Sinking Spring, Pa., will graduate Magna Cum Laude in mathematics. He already has a job, working as an Actuarial Analyst in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Getting to graduation was a winding path that took Forsythe to Los Angeles to study psychology, work as a lighting technician, then back to Pennsylvania to work on state-of-the-art concrete mixers. During that time he struggled with alcoholism and was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Autism. His fiancé encouraged him to return to higher education. After graduation, he will meet his fiancé’s extended family in Puerto Rico, celebrate his 30th birthday, then start full-time as an actuary.
Poushali Ghosh, originally from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, is graduating from the Honors College with a bachelor’s in meteorology, with minors in computer science and mathematics.
She received the Hollings scholarship in May 2018 and interned at the Earth Systems Research Lab in Boulder, Colorado as part of the Hollings program. Earlier this month she presented at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.
Ghosh will continue her studies in graduate school to work toward a Ph.D. in the atmospheric science field. At Millersville she was quite involved with the Student Government Association, serving as the secretary, VP of Finance and the auditor. She was also recently inducted into ODK, the new honors society at Millersville.
Ciera Lovell selected Millersville University for its accredited teaching program and small, intimate campus. As a secondary English education major with a concentration in inclusive education (grades 7-12), she has personally experienced the importance of diverse and inclusive classrooms. “Dr. Miriam Witmer encouraged me to recognize my race in a positive light. She helped me realize that as an educator of color, I can begin to provide representation for the students of color in my own classroom.”
Lovell will begin that journey following graduation when she starts work as an English special education teacher in William Penn School District’s ninth grade academy.
Patricia E Maila, is originally from New York, but moved to Lancaster as a child. She moved back and forth from NYC to Lancaster, attending schools in both states. She joined the Army National Guard in 2015 after her freshman year at Millersville. “Joining was a surprise to myself and all of my loved ones.” She is a culinary specialist – which means she cooks for about 350 soldiers each meal. As a part-time solider she’s been able to continue with school, civilian job, family and friends. She attends drills once a month for an entire weekend and has a month of training in the summer.
Maila will be deploying in May 2020 for a year. She’ll be training for that, as well as job hunting for the next several months.
Jordan Raudenbush is a government and political affairs major with a minor in International Studies. After graduation, she plans to join the military intelligence community to continue her goal of working with crisis aid workers in the Middle East.
While at Millersville she participated in study abroad programs in Durban, South Africa and Dublin, Ireland. She was born in Iceland to a military family and lived in Maryland and California, before settling in Ephrata, Pennsylvania at the age of 12.
