Department of Education and Counseling |
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Dear Students, Alumni, Colleagues and Friends,
Greetings from the Department of Education and Counseling and welcome to the spring 2021 edition of our Department newsletter! Congratulations to all on the completion of another extraordinary semester! Despite the continued challenges generated by the pandemic, our faculty and staff have excelled in their commitment to their students, research and service throughout these difficult times. Our Department witnessed a particularly intense semester as we conducted two successful faculty searches. We are excited to share Jalil Bishop, PhD, will join the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Education and Amber Haley as an Assistant Teaching Professor of Counseling in the fall semester. We look forward to welcoming them to Villanova this summer! In March, we were thrilled to have Esther Gasonu join our community as the new Program Coordinator for departmental graduate programs.
This semester, we celebrated one of our busiest and most engaging Education and Counseling Weeks. I applaud the student leaders and faculty who organized and led a variety of presentations, trainings and service initiatives. Their enthusiasm, passion and energy inspire us all. In this newsletter, we invite you to read about the many notable activities in which our faculty, students and alumni have engaged this semester. The pandemic has not hindered our ability to build community, advance scholarship and ignite positive change for the common good.
I hope that the spring and summer months will provide you and your loved ones with some time for relaxation and rejuvenation!
Warm CONGRATULATIONS to all of our 2021 Education and Counseling graduates! We salute and celebrate you!
Sincerely,
Teresa G. Wojcik, PhD
Associate Professor of Education
Chairperson, Department of Education and Counseling
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Meet Our Department’s New Program Coordinator: Esther Gasonu |
Esther Gasonu joined the Department of Education and Counseling this semester as a Program Coordinator for our graduate programs. Prior to joining the Villanova community, Esther worked as an Administrative Coordinator for an outreach program at the University of Pennsylvania. Esther attended Penn State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in International Community, Environment and Development. She completed her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at Southern New Hampshire University. Esther hopes to use her experience and expertise to promote a positive experience for our students. She also looks forward to working with our students, faculty and staff to ensure the success of the Department of Education and Counseling. As a native Togolese (West African), she speaks three languages (English, Ewe and French) and enjoys learning about different languages and cultures. Feel free to stop by the Department Office in St. Augustine Center 302 to say hello to Esther! |
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Department Collaborates with Cristo Rey High School Philadelphia |
As reported in the Augustinian, the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova has become a “corporate religious endorser” of Cristo Rey High School Philadelphia. The Province will place several friars in ministry at the school as faculty or staff and two friars will join the school’s Board of Trustees. The Department of Education and Counseling has been invited to collaborate with the faculty and administration of Cristo Rey Philadelphia as the school engages in a curriculum review and develops a learning recovery plan for students. This summer, Jennifer Carangi, MEd, will provide leadership and expertise as Literacy Project Manager on this initiative. Education alumni Brendan Boston ’20 MA and Aidan Brett ’06 MA will collaborate with Carangi and Cristo Rey faculty as expert consultants. The Department is excited to work alongside the faculty, administration and students of Cristo Rey. We look forward to a fruitful partnership. |
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Education and Counseling Week |
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Villanova's annual Education and Counseling Week took place March 17 – 26. This special week allows the Department to shine a bright light on the essential work of educators and counselors in society and offers programming to educate ourselves and other members of the Villanova community on issues related to teaching, learning and counseling. |
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Honor Society Induction Ceremony
March 17, 2021
The Department of Education and Counseling hosted its annual honor society induction ceremonies via Zoom. Counseling students were inducted into Chi Sigma Iota and Education students joined Kappa Delta Pi. Monét Reilly '11 CLAS offered comments as this year’s guest speaker.
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Fostering Civic Dialogue in the K-12 Classroom
Thursday, March 25, 2021
The Department hosted a special panel discussion to identify challenges associated with discussing controversial issues in K-12 schools and to distinguish strategies for overcoming those difficulties. The event featured panelists Jason Bialka, PhD, Principal, Shady Grove Elementary School; Felicia Glover, Secondary School Counselor, Wissahickon School District; Ismael Jimenez, Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, School District of Philadelphia; and Nora Christman, Physics Teacher, Lower Merion High School. More than 40 teachers, students, counselors and administrators joined the event for a powerful conversation that fostered solidarity, built networks and generated hope. Jerusha Conner, PhD, Krista Malott, PhD, and Teresa G. Wojcik, PhD, organized the event.
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Student Voices: Reflections on Education and Counseling Week Events
What Does Anti-Racism Look Like in Your School?
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
By Madison Becker '21 CLAS
A group of Education and Counseling students presented a workshop on anti-racist classrooms as the lead-off event for Education and Counseling Week. The interactive presentation led by Madeline Ochabillo '21 CLAS, Emma Stein '21 CLAS, Kayleigh Giles '22 CLAS, Katherine Precourt '19 CLAS, '21 MS and Madison Becker '21 CLAS, along with Christa Bialka, EdD, and Rachel Skrlac Lo, PhD, included definitions, materials, ideas and activities to encourage attendees to evaluate their practices and the effects their choices and actions could have on others. The presentation began with a word cloud—an anti-racist teaching practice asking participants to share one word that comes to mind when they think of racism. The main objective of this presentation was to facilitate a conversation about how this affects our schools. It is important to keep in mind that anti-racism works to decenter Whiteness. We also acknowledged that we need to celebrate Black joy and excellence, not just Black trauma or seeing Black and Brown people as needing to be fixed to fit a white standard. The definitions and examples ranged from Villanova specific to general practices able to be used in participants’ schools.
Attendees left with a wide range of practices to implement, such as allowing student choice in assignments, asking students to pronounce their own names, providing diverse texts and examples in the curriculum, as well as diversity statements, and increasing cultural competencies in counseling. However, there is still more work to be done. I plan on advocating for anti-racist teaching practices in my future and joining these conversations that enhance my professional learning. I encourage everyone to evaluate your practices. Remember to hold yourself and others accountable through education, affirming and celebrating all students, not making assumptions, and connecting the school to its community and diverse cultures.
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From Hurt to Healing: Understanding and Addressing Trauma in the Context of Transnational Experiences of Youth and Families
Thursday, March 18
By Shonda Walters '21 MS
During Counseling and Education Week, the Alpha Beta Gamma Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota welcomed La Puerta Abierta (the open door), a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that provides pro bono mental health services to the Latinx refugee and immigrant population. The Executive Director of the organization, Cathi Tillman, LSW, discussed implications for service providers, such as counselors and educators, on understanding and addressing trauma in the context of transnational experiences for youth and families.
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Student Voices: Reflections on National School Counseling Week
By DiAinni Dennis '22 MS
National School Counseling Week (February 1-5, 2021) highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have on helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. I think this week is important because it brings awareness to the role school counselors play in their school-community and fosters professional advocacy. Not only do school counselors ensure that students have access to a quality education, but they provide vital socio-emotional support. Given what is happening in the world today (pandemic, social justice movements, etc.) it is imperative for school counselors to support their students’ socio-emotional needs. A culturally comprehensive school counseling program is not only beneficial for all students but for the entire school system and outside community stakeholders.
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K-12 Educators of Color Coalition |
This semester, the Department sponsored an Educators of Color Hiring Workshop and two affinity group programs for teachers, counselors, and administrators of color. Organized by adjunct faculty member Anthony Stevenson, EdD, Jerusha Conner, PhD, and Krista Malott, PhD, the events create a space for educators of color to come together, support each other, and elevate the leadership and influence of historically marginalized groups in suburban public schools in the Philadelphia region. In addition, the series is intended to develop a safe space where educators can share ideas and resources. |
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Student Spotlight: Miranda Febus '21 MA |
Presidential Fellow Miranda Febus '21 MA graduates this year with a master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Higher Education. A native of New Jersey, she was drawn to Villanova because of its commitment to the Catholic Augustinian Order and emphasis on creating a better world for the common good. As an undergraduate student at Fordham University, Miranda realized her passion for creating environments for people to be themselves and feel comfortable in higher education settings that may not support their communities or backgrounds. Currently, she is working towards becoming a Chief Diversity Officer, which would help her achieve her goals of cultivating higher education settings that encourage diversity, equity and inclusion for all students, faculty and staff. She is grateful for the “wonderful classmates, caring staff and welcoming faculty who have invited [her] to participate in research with them and helped [her] advance [her] educational and career goals.”
In April, Miranda successfully defended her thesis, “Aliens in Their Own Neighborhood – When the Ivory Tower Meets the City.” Through a narrative research design, Miranda’s study examined the narratives of local college students attending institutions in their urban neighborhoods—which may have a stigma for being dangerous—to understand the sense of marginality or lack of belonging they may feel on campus due to their college communities’ perceptions of their neighborhood.
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Student Notes
Zoe Darazsdi '22 MS, in her first year of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, was awarded a Summer Research Fellowship by Villanova's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Zoe will utilize this grant to work on her thesis, “Examining the Relationship Between Autistic People’s Self-Esteem and Perceived Bias in the Therapeutic Alliance with Their Mental Health Practitioners.” Zoe conceptualizes this study as one of the first steps in what she hopes will be a lifelong pursuit of counseling, educating, advocating, researching and celebrating the autistic community and its allies through a neurodiversity framework.
In May, Meghan Petsko ’21 MA successfully defended her thesis, "Stories of Resilience: Collecting Narratives on the Determination of Indigenous Women Seeking Graduate Degrees." Meghan graduates this year with a master’s degree in Education with Higher Education Concentration.
Anissa Amarillas, '21 CLAS will be participating in the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT) Program. She will earn a Master's in Secondary Education while teaching Mathematics at Saint Raphael's Academy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
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Counseling Minors and Graduate Students Contribute Meaningfully to Various First Gen Initiatives! |
A team of graduate and undergraduate students have been supporting first-generation college-goers—defined as those whose parents have not earned a bachelor’s degree. Graduate students Genny Waldman '22 MS and Katherine Precourt '19 CLAS, '21 MS have been interviewing first-generation college-goers and first-generation faculty over the past year to contribute to staff, faculty and student trainings in the Villanova setting. Training examples include a First Gen in STEM Event, First Gen in Nursing Event and a First Gen Meet and Greet. Beyond Villanova, a team of graduate students—Mohammad Mahmood '22 MS, Abigail Panetta '21 MS, Zara Khan '21 MS, and Katherine Precourt '19 CLAS, '21 MS—have been facilitating an online college preparatory group with future first-generation college students and current high school juniors in a Philadelphia after-school program. |
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Alpha Beta Gamma Chapter Serves at Padre Pio Center
Contributed by Patrick Chapman '21 MS
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On Saturday, April 24, five members of the counseling graduate program gathered at the Padre Pio Prayer Center in Philadelphia to assemble 30 baskets of laundry and kitchen cleaning supplies. Alpha Beta Gamma has partnered with the Padre Pio Prayer Center in previous years, and we were thrilled to donate our time and money to continue assisting the community that the Capuchin Friars serve. These supplies included laundry baskets, cleaning buckets, disinfectant spray, sponges, dish soap, hand soap and floor cleaner. Kevin Thompson, OFM, told us that the Center serves local residents via food donations and other community outreach, yet many people often don't have money to spend on such cleaning supplies. These supplies were funded through the kind donations of fellow counseling students, faculty, staff members and the Alpha Beta Gamma Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota. |
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Student PSEA Launches Peer Mentoring Program
Contributed by Graciela Petrelli '23 CLAS
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Student PSEA is Villanova's chapter of the Pennsylvania State Education Organization, a statewide community of current and future educators united in plans and projects to improve the educational experience of students of all ages. This year, Student PSEA created a Peer Mentoring Program for its members to establish strong connections and relationships with their fellow Education majors. The Peer Mentoring Program is a partnership where Education majors can gain insight into the process of becoming a teacher by being paired with someone in a different graduating class. Partners have an opportunity to ask one another questions about their respective experiences in the program, connect through social events and learn about what it is like to student teach. Particularly during a pandemic, Student PSEA recognizes the importance of making connections, solving problems and generating ideas for improvement and advancement through the next generation of educators.
The spring 2021 Student PSEA Executive Board includes President Graciela Petrelli '23 CLAS, Vice President Rebecca Jacobson '23 CLAS, Treasurer Natalie O'Connor '23 CLAS, Secretary Patricia Lezynski '22 CLAS, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair Kayleigh Giles '22 CLAS, under advisor Christa Bialka, EdD.
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Faculty Spotlight: Rachel Skrlac Lo, PhD |
Rachel Skrlac Lo, PhD, joined Villanova in 2017 as an assistant professor of Education. She teaches courses such as Diversity and Inclusion, Literacy and English Language Learning, Philosophy of Education and a newly designed course on childhood. Two questions that guide her research are: What does it mean to be a young reader and writer? And what is the relationship between literacy pedagogy and literature? Dr. Skrlac Lo’s current scholarship includes projects on representations of families in picture books, children’s responses to literature and critical content analyses of popular young adult dystopias. She has visited the International Youth Library as a returning Fellow to study graphic novels and wordless books. Dr. Skrlac Lo is the program chair for the American Educational Research Association's Literature Special Interest Group and serves on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council for Teachers of English. She is the Chairperson of the Department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. |
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Faculty Notes
Jerusha Conner, PhD, presented two papers at the American Educational Research Association in April: "Research with Rather Than on Youth: Centering Youth in Student-Teacher Relationship Research;" and "From the Streets to the Ballot Box: How Youth Organizing Impacts Voting-Related Attitudes and Behaviors," the latter with two Villanova graduate students, Miranda Febus ’21 MA and Rachel Stannard ’22 MA. She will be presenting "Relentless Innovators: Youth Perspectives on Social Change and Intersectional Organizing in the Wake of Covid-19" at the American Sociology Association's annual conference in August. With former graduate students Emily Crawford '18 MS and Megan Galioto '18 CLAS, '19 MA, she published, "The mental health effects of student activism: Persisting despite psychological costs" in the Journal of Adolescent Research.
Stacey Havlik, PhD, was invited to present a webinar for a professional development series for educators in Mississippi sponsored by the Get2College Program and Woodward Hines Education Foundation. The presentation, “Best Practices to Support Homeless Youth in College Access” was presented on March 23, 2021.
Christa Bialka, EdD, and Stacey Havlik, PhD, participated as invited panelists on Feb. 24, 2021, at the RUIBAL Social Justice Forum for freshmen involved in the RUIBAL program at Villanova University.
Christa Bialka, EdD, co-authored a chapter, “Developing critically inclusive, anti-ableist organizations” in the book, Critical Leadership Praxis for Educational and Social Change, published by Teachers College Press. She also presented her paper, “Are teachers talking about disability? An investigation of the factors associated with discussion in Pre-K-12 classrooms” at the annual meeting of American Educational Research Association in April.
Krista Malott, PhD, and Stacey Havlik, PhD, received funding through the University Summer Grant Program for their study “Going Virtual: Assessment of an Online Group for First-Generation College Students.” The funding will support them in analyzing data from their examination of an online intervention with Philly-based first-generation college-goers and crafting a subsequent paper.
Helen Lafferty, PhD, provided students in the graduate higher education concentration the opportunity to interact with the authors of two of their course texts. During the week of April 19, Dr. Lafferty welcomed Freeman Hrabowski, PhD, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and John P. Dugan, PhD, Loyola University Chicago, as guest speakers in her classes.
Madora Soutter, PhD, was awarded funding through the University Summer Grant Program for her research project which investigates how teachers can foster transformative social and emotional learning in online spaces. This project is co-led by Chu Ly, PhD, of Framingham State University and is supported by a research team of Villanova graduate students Amanda Adams ’21 MA, Zoe Darazsdi ’22 MS, and DiAinni Dennis '22 MS.
Rayna Markin, PhD, co-authored “Psychological experience of pregnant clients in college counseling centers: Psychological distress, presenting problems, and risk factors,” which is soon to be published in the Journal of College Student Health. She also published “ Psychodynamic psychotherapy for pregnancy after loss: A case study analysis” in Psychotherapy. She is a contributor to the second edition of Covington’s book, Fertility Counseling. Dr. Markin is the associate editor of Psychotherapy, which has recently released its March issue. She is a guest editor for a special issue on “Addressing Racism, Anti-Blackness, and Racial Trauma in Psychotherapy.” This winter, The New York Times and The Healthy interviewed her as an expert on pregnancy loss.
Christopher Schmidt, PhD, and Clinical Mental Health graduate counseling student Chesy Tronchoni Bello ’21 MS presented “Re-focus, Re-connect, and Re-charge: Consider Mindful Living,” an interactive presentation on mindfulness that was open to the Villanova community.
Edward Wahesh, PhD, co-authored “ Demographics, stigma, and religious coping and Christian, African Americans’ help-seeking" in Counseling & Values, a publication of the American Counseling Association. He was invited to present on “Addressing collegiate alcohol misuse through peer interventions” at Rosemont College on April 21, 2021. This lecture was sponsored by Rosemont College’s Counseling Center, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Committee on Prevention Education, Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health, Division of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Coordinated in part by Holcomb Behavioral Health. In February, he conducted a three-day virtual training on “Motivational Interviewing with transition-aged youth: Eliciting importance, confidence, and commitment to change” with the National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation’s (NBCCF) Clinical Mental Health Minority Fellows.
Teresa G. Wojcik, PhD, participated in two presentations at the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference: “Transnational Histories of Social Studies: Polish Social Education” and “Early Debates in Social Studies History: Lessons from the Archives of the Middle States Council for the Social Studies.” Dr. Wojcik also co-presented at the Delta Kappa Gamma (International Society for Key Women Educators) Florida State Organization Convention on the topic: “Developing Intercultural Competence and Global Mindedness through Short-Term Teaching Abroad.”
Terence Yee, PhD, participated in a panel discussion on career planning and job searches for international students. The panel was hosted by ACES-ISFIN in collaboration with NARACES Graduate Student Representatives and occurred virtually on April 16.
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Counseling Alum Katie May ’11 MS Builds Private Practice with Incredible Success |
Creative Healing is a Teen Support Center with a focus on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Trauma-Informed practices and LGBTQ-affirming care. When she founded the Center in 2015, Katie K. May ’11 MS had a mission to help teens learn that they aren’t weird, bad, wrong or different for being exactly who they are while providing support, skills and space for self-expression in a place designed just for them. Her solo success led to a need to build a team of 17 teen specialists (and growing), with three locations in the Greater Philadelphia area: Flourtown, King of Prussia and Old City. Creative Healing earned its place as #17 on the Philadelphia100 list in 2020, an esteemed award for the fastest growing privately owned companies in the area. The company continues to grow and scale to help teens create a life they love while building a business based in values of authenticity, inclusivity, connection, creativity and evidence-based care. Learn more about Creative Healing. |
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Alumni notes
Karen Zaino ’11 MA, won the Graduate Student Paper Award for the Critical Issues in Curriculum and Cultural Studies Special Interest Group at the American Educational Research Association 2021 meeting for her paper "Liberal Humanism, Social Science, and the Discursive Legacy of the 'Human' in English Education." Zaino is currently pursuing a doctorate in education at the Graduate Center of City University of New York.
Majd Subih ’18 MA is currently pursuing doctoral studies in education at the University of Delaware.
Joanna Timmerman ’20 MA completed her degree at Villanova in the higher education track and immediately transitioned to a position as assistant director of Institutional Research at Eastern University.
Andrew Tyris ’19 MA was accepted this spring into the doctoral program in Public Policy with a focus on education and urban policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
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Alumni of the Department are invited to share their news and accomplishments for inclusion in future editions of the Education and Counseling Newsletter. |
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