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Holy Family Graduate and Alumni Association Board Member Meghan Rakus ’19, M’22 Hatches Award-Winning Lesson; Grows Love of Learning

At 11 p.m. on a spring evening in 2023, the teacher app on Meghan Rakus’ (’19, M’22) phone started receiving messages.  “The chicks are hatching!” Parents of the �������� graduate’s first-grade students at Saint Mary Interparochial School (SMIPS), a 2023 and 2016 National Blue-Ribbon School of Excellence located in the historic district of Philadelphia, were reaching out with the same excitement as their six-year-old children. Thanks to a livestream set up as a way to engage families, parents were able to share in the school’s annual egg hatching science lesson, which Rakus has bolstered over the last five years.  The lesson, in fact, recently earned the Northeast Philadelphia native recognition as one of five “outstanding teachers honored for their innovation, creativity, and commitment to the students they serve” by FACTS, a Nelnet school management company. Rakus’ distinction, from among more than 100 applicants nationwide, included a $5,000 honorarium, a $1,000 donation to SMIPS, and a free trip to the Elevate 2024 conference in Atlanta, Ga., in June 2024, where she will present her innovative concept to the FACTS community.

STUDENT SNAPSHOT: Aisha Kamara

Undergraduate Senior (2024)

Major: Psychology

Holy Family School of Nursing & Health Sciences Hosts Pinning Ceremony for 72 Students Completing Bachelor of Science Nursing Program

�������� celebrated the accomplishments of 72 nursing students who recently completed the Bachelor of Science Nursing Program during a pinning ceremony on December 19. The ceremony is a symbolic welcoming of the graduated nurses to the nursing profession and a cherished rite of passage at the completion of this rigorous program of study.  The pins are provided as a gift from the �������� Alumni Association.

�������� Senior and Saxbys Inaugural Student Cafe Executive Officer Beth Montgomery Masterfully Handles What Life Serves Her

Four weeks into her college career as an 18-year-old freshman at �������� in September 2019, while walking down a hallway in the Campus Center, Beth Montgomery suffered a stroke. In hindsight, that event, and her recovery from it, has played a big role in her success.

STUDENT SNAPSHOT: Leah Ford

Undergraduate Junior (2025)

Major: PreK-4 Education
Minor: History  

Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission Distributes Free Narcan Kits, Fentanyl Testing Strips at ��������’s Newtown East Campus

Members of the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, Inc. (BCDAC) recently distributed 59 Narcan kits and 59 fentanyl testing strips on the �������� Newtown East campus and will be planning a second event on February 12, 2024, at the University’s Northeast Philadelphia location from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid which can be highly addictive. Narcan (naloxone) is a lifesaving nasal spray that has been shown to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose by blocking the effects of opiates on the brain and restoring breathing for a person who has injected a deadly level of the drug into their system. 

PsyD in Counseling Psychology Hosts Seventh Annual Ethics Forum

The PsyD in Counseling Psychology Department hosted its Seventh Annual Ethics Forum on November 14, as an opportunity for members of the first-year cohort to present their research about the field of psychology and the ethics necessary to practice in the field. The event was organized by Anne Murphy, MEd, LPC, who serves as the field placement and outreach coordinator for the Counseling Psychology Department.

Experiential Learning at �������� -- A Journey of Support

Step into the Career Development Services office on the second floor of the Campus Center at �������� and feel the support. Director of Career Development Services Brett Fucci, and Internship Experience Specialists Schyler Paris-Ellerbee ’20 and Jeset Garcia-Velez ’20, have worked to develop a program that both launches students’ career paths by coaching them through intentional goal-setting and also provides a safety net for those who are now dipping their toes into the workforce.

STUDENT SNAPSHOT: Aubrey Beckler

Undergraduate Junior (2025)

Major: Early Childhood Education

Alumna Profile- Casey Borish ’15 and the Business of Making Smiles

Casey Borish ’15 is in the business of making smiles, and she couldn’t be happier about it.