Department of Education and Counseling
November 2020
Dear Students, Alumni, Colleagues and Friends,

Greetings from the Department of Education and Counseling! I am pleased and honored to serve as the new Chairperson of our Department and to have the opportunity to build on the wonderful work of my predecessor and colleague, Dr. Christopher Schmidt.

Since March, faculty and students alike have adjusted in myriad ways to teaching and learning in new modalities and to living and working under novel conditions. I am extremely proud of our students, counseling interns, and pre-service teachers for their resilience and for rising to the challenges engendered by the pandemic. Likewise, our faculty and staff have exhibited tremendous flexibility and steadfast dedication in serving our students and continuing to engage in significant committee efforts and research projects. In particular, I would like to highlight the pioneering work of our Department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. In this newsletter, you will hear about their work as well as other exciting initiatives undertaken by our faculty and students during this most difficult time.

I hope that you enjoy the new format of our Department newsletter! We look forward to communicating updates and sharing with you the accomplishments and voices of our students, faculty, alumni, and community partners. We warmly invite all those affiliated with our Department to share your news and endeavors for possible inclusion in future editions of this newsletter.

As we look towards the holiday season, I wish you and your loved ones the blessings of peace, hope and love now and throughout the new year 2021!

Sincerely,
Teresa G. Wojcik, PhD
Associate Professor of Education
Chairperson, Department of Education and Counseling
Updates from Campus
“Student Voices: Learning During a Pandemic"
“Thoughts on Internship Through Telehealth”
Chesy Tronchoni Bello '21 MS, Clinical Mental Health Counseling

This year has really tested us as the flexible counselors we want to become. Having practicum and internship experiences through telehealth appointments with Latinx immigrants and refugees has been challenging. I miss having ready access to coworkers, a supervisor to ask for help, and interns to chitchat with. One of the most difficult things has been having sessions from the one-bedroom apartment I share. It takes a whole new skill to create a safe therapeutic space while navigating small living spaces, background noises, unstable internet connections, and struggling to fully read nonverbals. Not to mention, many of these distractions are present for our clients too. Compartmentalizing has been challenging as well, because when I hang up a Zoom/phone call with a client I’m still at home, rather than leaving the building at the end of the day and transitioning into my next activity. There have been some unexpected perks, though: midday walks around the block and short commutes.

“Thoughts on the Undergraduate Social and Educational Experience on Zoom”
Shannon Murray '21 CLAS, Education with Social Studies Concentration

Going into this semester, I was uncertain what the academic and social experience would be like. Despite classes being online, with a mix of synchronous and asynchronous work, and having to be wary of the amount of people I come into contact with, I still feel the same support and camaraderie from my professors, classmates, and friends that I have in previous semesters. Even though most of our interactions are through Zoom, my professors have done an amazing job at keeping us engaged and maintaining a sense of community with all of us!
Departmental Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
The Department’s DEI committee meets monthly to plan and review events/strategies in support of our commitment to inclusivity. The Committee has engaged in several notable initiatives over the past few months. In the summer, the Committee drafted "A Commitment to Action and Solidarity." It also hosted a well-attended anti-racist syllabus training for all CLAS faculty in July 2020 and for Department of Education and Counseling faculty in October 2020. You can find additional information on how to develop an anti-racist syllabus in this faculty workshop handout.
Faculty News
Terence Yee, PhD, earned the 2020 North Atlantic Region Association for Counselor Education and Supervision New Professional of the Year Award for his incredible contributions to counselor education, service and research.
Rayna Markin, PhD, was quoted as an expert on the psychology of infertility and pregnancy loss in several major news sources, including the Huffington Post, Washington Post and Allure.
Christa Bialka, EdD, and Stacey Havlik, PhD, published “Understanding Elementary and Middle School Counselors' Experience with Disability Awareness and Advocacy” in the Journal of School Counseling.

Christa Bialka, EdD, published “Designing a More Accessible Future: Learning from COVID-19" in Perspectives on Urban Education.

Jerusha Conner, PhD, was elected to the University Rank and Tenure Committee.

Stacey Havlik, PhD, was an invited content moderator and presenter for two state-wide sessions on supporting youth experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. On Oct. 7, she moderated a panel session on building partnerships for the Pennsylvania statewide 2020 Paving the Way to Educational Success Virtual Conference. On Oct. 13, she presented and moderated a panel on supporting the transition for youth experiencing homelessness to go to college for the Connecticut Annual Training Institute for Single-Points-of-Contact.

Stacey Havlik, PhD, continues to consult for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) and is partnering with stakeholders in the state of Nevada to develop a cohesive state-wide system of transition for students experiencing homelessness to move from high school to college.

Madora Soutter, EdD, wrote an article, “Measuring joy: A social justice issue" for the April 2020 issue of Phi Delta Kappan.

Madora Soutter, EdD, and graduate Education student Joanna Timmerman '20 MA presented a session titled “Elementary Teacher Preparation in Social-Emotional Learning & Equity, Diversity & Inclusion” at the 49th Annual Teacher Educator Assembly of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators on Oct. 28, 2020.

Edward Wahesh, PhD, was invited to share his expertise and serve on the Health and Well-Being Committee for the University Sustainability Leadership Council.

Edward Wahesh, PhD, and Christopher Schmidt, PhD, published “Indirect effects of mindfulness on psychological distress via sleep hygiene in Division I college student athletes” in the Journal of American College Health.

Edward Wahesh, PhD, published “The indirect effect of distress tolerance on alcohol use behaviors via coping motives” in the Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling.

Congratulations to Jennifer Carangi, our Field Placement Coordinator, for her ten-year employment anniversary at Villanova!
Student News
Joanna Timmerman '20 MA, an Education student in the Higher Education track, was a recipient of Villanova’s highly competitive Summer Research Fellowship. On Oct. 30, 2020, she presented her mixed methods study, “What does it mean to be a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)? Exploring higher education administrators’ interpretations of HIS policy” at the Second Annual Graduate Research Symposium.
Chi Sigma Iota, the Counseling Honors Society, led by Heidi Byers, Patrick Chapman, Rachel Havens and Anthony Salerno, have been extremely active this semester! Their events and projects have included partnering with food-providing organization Food Moxie for the Villanova Day of Service and hosting multiple virtual social events including a “Self-Care Sunday” and a “Halloween Movie Night.” Additionally, they initiated a peer mentoring program and partnered with faculty to create the NCE/CPCE Study Session series.

First Generation Outreach Team led by graduate Counseling students Katherine Precourt, Moh Mohammad, Genny Waldman and Jose Garcia-Orozco, sought to amplify first generation voices and increase the visibility of faculty, staff and students who share in that identity through a project that involved over 35 interviews with current students, faculty and staff from multiple offices across campus. Interviewees shared about their experience being first generation, structures and personal strengths that assisted in their persistence, as well as advice they would like to share with first generation and non-first-generation community members alike. In order to increase awareness of First-Generation Week, interview overviews will be shared via social media. Additionally, themes shared between interviewer answers, personal anecdotes, and advice were highlighted at a faculty training session titled “Supporting First Generation College Students” on Nov. 11.

Student PSEA: Villanova’s student chapter of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) is up and running! Co-Presidents Gracie Petrelli '23 CLAS and Madeline Ochabillo '21 CLAS have been working with advisor Christa Bialka, PhD, to create opportunities for students to get to know one another and grow as professionals. Register to join PSEA (Half of the $30 registration cost is covered by the Office for Student Life). Consider applying for the PSEA Lucy A. Valero Scholarship.

Undergraduate Education Majors attended an online social organized by Lisa Marco-Bujosa, PhD, and Christa Bialka, EdD, in September. Kaysie Stuba '23 CLAS shared the following report from the event: “The Education undergraduate major social was a great way to reconnect with fellow EDU majors and professors and staff as well. I enjoyed getting to interact with members of the education department and my fellow education majors, especially now, when things can seem disconnected. Getting to break out into our content areas was a highlight as we could talk with other students going through similar situations regarding stress over service learning or student teaching, and then voice our concerns and talk these over with professors. Overall, it was great to catch up with education majors and professors and get to know everyone a little better.”

Graduate Education Students: The Graduate Education Team (GET) led by Joanna Timmerman '20 MA organized several community-building events this semester, including a Voting Jeopardy Event and Save USPS Event. The group aimed to increase knowledge and awareness about the election and voting rights in America, as well as support USPS through petitions and letters, all while getting together with friends! They planned a Black Lives Matter Movie event for November.
Alumni News
Isabel Forward '20 CLAS: In Spring 2020, Isabel was awarded the prestigious Fulbright award to serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Colombia. Upon her return to the US, she began law school with the goal of pursuing a career in domestic policy reform. During her time at Villanova, Isabel made an indelible mark on the campus community. She majored in English and Education and minored in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and Peace and Justice. Isabel’s service also extended beyond the University setting. During winter break of 2019, Isabel worked with immigrants who had been released from detention centers at the Mexico/US border. She recounted her experience in an article published by Slate. Isabel penned a beautiful farewell address to the class of 2020, which was published in The Villanovan.
Victoria Martin '19 CLAS: Victoria co-published with Edward Fierros, PhD, “An Analysis of Racial Trends and Segregation in the Upper Darby School District” in Veritas, Villanova's Research Journal. The research examined the extent to which Upper Darby School District is segregated, the factors causing that segregation, and what is being done to continue the work of Brown vs. The Board of Education. Victoria graduated from Villanova in 2019 with an independently designed major in Education and Social Justice and a minor in Counseling. She studied abroad in Durban, South Africa, during her junior year, where she conducted a research study and policy analysis on the infrastructure of public school libraries and the 2003 KwaZulu-Natal School Library Policy. Following her graduation, she was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Laos, where she taught in a public high school. Victoria is now pursuing a career in education policy in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Mullen ’02 MS is a school counselor in the Tredyffrin Easttown School District. In 2018, he published Middle Schooled, a comedic, insightful adolescent parenting guide intended to help parents to confidently assess what is healthy middle schooler behavior and how to best support their child.

Alumni Serving as Mentor Teachers: Several alumni from our undergraduate and graduate programs in Education are serving as mentor teachers to current students in the Master’s Plus Teaching Certification Program: Allyn Bacchus ’07 CLAS, William Blubaugh ’10 CLAS, ’12 MA, Peter Connelly '19 MA, Valerie Cunningham '16 CLAS, ’17 MA, Josh Ecker ’14 MA, Greg LaLuna ’15 MA, Ellen Nulf ’18 MA and Daniel Wilson ’20 MA. Any in-service teachers interested in serving as either a mentor teacher or cooperating teacher for student teaching, please contact Dr. Wojcik immediately (teresa.wojcik@villanova.edu).

Alumni Counseling Students recorded videos for the Orientation to Clinical Mental Health Counseling class taught by Jody Lerner-Fogel, PhD. The videos include advice, personal stories and information on prospective career opportunities for individuals with a master’s degree in Counseling.
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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