These events, and others through Friday, Nov. 21, are open to the University community as part of International Education Week 2025, which celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.
What do you miss/enjoy most about being in Japan?
What is your favorite thing to do in Egypt that you will discuss in the presentation?
Kristina Dorkoski, PT, DPT, NCS, CEEAA, is a faculty specialist in the University’s Physical Therapy Department. Her project aims to expand her student’s community-based learning opportunities in order to better prepare them to effectively educate members of our Scranton community. Students will observe clinicians teaching community members in support groups and wellness programs to expand upon their knowledge to guide their instruction of patients, caregivers and colleagues.
Katherine Stefanelli, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the University’s counseling and human services department. Her project, Where We Live: Supporting the Royal Campus Community Through Advocacy and Facilitation, aims to train students to act as facilitators in the Royal P.A.C.T. program on campus. P.A.C.T. (Promoting Awareness of the College Transition) is a required for all first-year students to attend and addresses issues such as healthy relationships, relationship violence, stalking, sexual assault, consent and the plethora of available campus resources.
Mehmet Yetim, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the University’s management and marketing department. Through his project, Aiding the Development and Competitiveness of Small Businesses in Scranton, students will contribute their foundational knowledge of management to the greater Scranton community. The project aims to foster growth and resilience in Scranton’s small business scene by enhancing their marketing presence.
Aaron Ziegler, Ph.D. CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor in the University’s health and human performance department. His project, Service, Advocacy, and Impact: Enhancing Community-Based Learning in SLP Distance Education, encourages master’s students to implement CBL projects in their own communities. The Master of Science (MS) in Speech-Language Pathology program is an online program with students from coast to coast. They will be encouraged to engage in their own communities by partnering with an organization to address a community-defined need.
Elizabeth Garcia, Associate Vice President, Office of Institutional Compliance and Title IX, and Diana Collins Gilmore, Deputy Title IX Coordinator/Investigator will present two sessions on University policies. For your convenience, one session will be offered in-person and one virtually.
Reasonable accommodations provided to employees for reasons based on disabilities, pregnancy, or religious beliefs, and the policies and process
Club: Association of Latinx American Students (ALAS)
The next course offering is planned for June 2026, with an informational session scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m., Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Dr. Grossman encourages students with an interest in a faculty-led study abroad course to Greece to attend. 
Sr. Makrina Finlay, shown above at right, co-teaches the course with Fr. Azar. Sr. Finlay offers insight on the experience of residing at a convent on the grounds of a former concentration camp.
The series opens Thursday, Oct. 2, with “Global Insights from Poland’s Consular General,” presented by Mateusz Sakowicz, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York. The luncheon presentation will be held in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at the University.
Next, on Monday, Oct. 20, Tom Shieber, senior curator at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, will present “Around the World with A.G. Spalding: The Mystery of an 1888-89 Tourist’s Diary.” His luncheon presentation will be held in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus.
The fall luncheon series continues Thursday, Oct. 30, with a talk by Josef Wegner, Ph.D., professor of Egyptian Archaeology; chair, Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures; and curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Wegner will present “New Discoveries of the Penn Museum Excavations at Abydos, Egypt” at the luncheon being held in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus.
The fall luncheon series will conclude Thursday, Nov. 21, with Matthew Duss, executive director, Center for International Policy, and former visiting scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who will discuss “America is Ready for a Pro-Peace Foreign Policy. Is Washington?” The presentation will be held in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at the University.
What is your favorite activity in Venezuela?
Club: Health Professions Organization
This summer, Rebecca Boyle ’27, shown, is immersing herself in the fast-paced corporate world as an intern with SL Green Realty Corp. (SLG) in New York, New York. From executive-led presentations and site tours to hands-on rotations in property management and construction, Boyle has embraced every opportunity to learn. She says the experience has sharpened her professional skills, expanded her knowledge of real estate and inspired her to pursue her career goals with confidence.
The Department of Marketing Communications is seeking social media interns beginning this spring and continuing through the 2026-2027 academic year.
Sara Chan Yun Yu, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Philosophy Department. Her research interests lie in ethics, social epistemology and the philosophy of religion. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame, where she was the recipient of two graduate fellowships. Prior to that, she graduated from the University of Oxford (BPhil in Philosophy, Blackfriars Hall) and the University of St. Andrews (MA in Philosophy and Psychology). She publishes on the philosophy of disability and has spoken at conferences across the world.
Beatriz Fontoura, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department. Most recently, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemistry at Wake Forest University where she also served as a research instructor in analytical chemistry instrumentation. Dr. Fontoura earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, and a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil. She has been a contributor to numerous scholarly publications, is a journal reviewer for several academic journals, and is a member of leading Chemistry organizations. She has presented at conferences and events in both South and North America. In addition to her native Portuguese, she is fluent in English and speaks intermediate Spanish.
Nathan Henceroth, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Political Science Department. Prior to joining the University, he was assistant professor of Computer Science and Political Science at Albright College, where his teaching focused on comparative politics, European politics, political economy and research methodology. Previously, he was visiting assistant professor of Political Science at Allegheny College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and French at Centre College, a master’s degree in international economics and politics at Charles University, Prague, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In partnership with other academic colleagues, he has published works in peer-reviewed publications and has also presented at numerous professional conferences in his field. He is fluent in French and has intermediate fluency in Czech/Slovak.
Hyun Kim, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. She joined the University after serving for nine years on the faculty at Alma College where she was assistant professor, then associate professor of Public Health and was also program coordinator of the Public Health Program. She received a bachelor’s degree in merchandising from Indiana University, a Master of Science degree in economics from State University of New York, Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in community health from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a member of notable professional organizations in her field and is a regular presenter at the American Society for Nutrition meetings, among other professional organizations.
Megan Ossont, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing. A Registered Nurse Practitioner with certification in family psychiatric mental health and as a nurse educator, Dr. Ossont was most recently assistant clinical professor at Drexel University of Graduate Nursing. She has served as a psychiatric nurse practitioner with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where she was also selected as part of the National Forensic Psychiatry Team, and previously practiced at other correctional health care organizations and Geisinger Health Systems Department of Psychiatry, where she was named part of the residency faculty. Dr. Ossont earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from The University of Scranton, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Philosophy in nursing from Villanova University. She has presented at conferences, and her work is published in professional journals.
Corey Posa was named a faculty specialist in the Department of Nursing. A nurse navigator with nursing experience in substance use and high-risk obstetric care, she specializes in perinatal addiction medicine. Most recently, she was a nurse navigator at UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital Pregnancy and Women’s Recovery Center. Previously, she served as a staff nurse in other units at UPMC. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing and Master of Science in nursing education from Duquesne University and is a Registered Nurse. She has presented at numerous professional organizations about Care of the Perinatal Patient with Opioid Use Disorder.
Swathi Ragulan, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Services. Dr. Ragulan received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis from Rutgers University and went on to earn a Ph.D. in behavior analysis from the University of Nevada, Reno. A Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, she has taught as a lead instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and as a teaching assistant for the Global Institute for Behavioral Analysis. Dr. Ragulan has served as a clinical supervisor and assistant clinical director at service delivery organizations in her community, where she provided ABA services across the lifespan to individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. She has presented extensively on topics in behavior analysis and skill acquisition for individuals with autism and is a contributor to scholarly publication articles.
Sangita Saha, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Department of History. Most recently, she was a lecturer in South Asian History at Santa Clara University. Previously, she was instructor of record in the Department of History at the University of Michigan — where she received several writing fellowships and research awards — while simultaneously completing her doctoral studies. She received a bachelor’s degree in history from Calcutta University, a master’s degree in modern history from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an M.Phil. degree in social sciences from Jadavpur University and a Ph.D. in history and women’s and gender studies from the University of Michigan. Dr. Saha has presented at conferences and workshops in the U.S., U.K. and Europe. Bilingual in English and Bengali, she has working proficiency in Hindi.
Samantha Scott, Ph.D., was named faculty specialist in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. She previously served as a lecturer in the Department of Theology at Marquette University and Lee University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from Marquette University, master’s degrees in theological studies and biblical studies at Lee University, and a Ph.D. in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity from Marquette University. She has published journal articles, book chapters and book reviews and has made numerous academic presentations to the Society of Biblical Literature and other societies in her field. She is proficient in many languages, including Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Latin, Syriac, German and French.
Navid Shahrouzi, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering. Dr. Shahrouzi is an electrical engineer with expertise in embedded systems, FPGA prototyping, VLSI and microcontroller design. He previously served as an assistant research and teaching professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, where he co-advised graduate students, served as the IEEE Student Branch Counselor and helped launch The Wire Lion Engineering Club. A senior member of IEEE, Dr. Shahrouzi has published in leading journals and conferences and regularly serves as a reviewer. In industry, he held a key role at Cypress Semiconductor (now Infineon Technologies), where he performed timing sign-off for SRSS IP in advanced microcontrollers. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado, an M.Sc. from the University of Guilan, and a B.Sc. from K.N. Toosi University of Technology.
Marlon Mike Toro-Alvarez, Ph.D., was named an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology. He was previously an evaluator and analyst in cybersecurity and law enforcement training at Boston University, where he was part of a team on several research grant projects. As former head of the National Cybercrime Investigation Unit in the Colombian National Police, he organized the first White Hat Hackers Conference in Bogotá. He has been an instructor at Southern Illinois University and has been a guest lecturer at schools, police academies and criminology and cybercrime centers in South America and Mexico. He earned a bachelor’s degree in police administration from the Department of Police Service, Colombia, a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences from Catholic University, Colombia, a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University and a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from Southern Illinois University.
Al Turano, previously an adjunct faculty member, was named a faculty specialist in the Department of Operations and Analytics. Before joining the University, he was senior director, Global Professional Services for Dell Technologies, where he was responsible for an $8 billion global consulting practice specializing in big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Previously, he held leadership positions for EMC Corporation, a multinational information technology company, and served in business development, account management, and portfolio and project management roles for businesses and consulting firms. He received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Philadelphia University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Jacob Zoromski, Ph.D., was named visiting assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Zoromski has received awards for his work in student teaching.
University of Scranton pilgrims shown at 
Last fall, shortly after his ordination 
View the Ordination Mass on June 14
Click here on June 14 at 10:30 am to watch the Ordination Mass at St. Ignatius Church.
This summer, Brianna Zipay '26, a nursing major from Archbald, and Jesse Couch '26, an environmental science major from Chalfont, stepped into leadership roles with SPARK, a weeklong program designed to empower at-risk youth between the ages of 12-15 through mentorship, education and fun. As team leaders, the pair guided student volunteers from The University of Scranton and Scranton Preparatory School in creating a meaningful summer experience rooted in Jesuit values. The program took place over the course of one week at The University of Scranton Chapman Lake Retreat Center.
What is your title? 
Walsh graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology. As an undergraduate at the University, she participated in many clubs, including Asia Club, Scranton Students Association of the Philippines (SSAP), the Society for Sustainability and Conservation (SS&C), and served as production manager of Esprit. 
Patel graduated with majors in neuroscience, environmental science and philosophy. He was also part of SJLA and Magis Honors Programs.
Phillips graduated with a major in mathematics.
Bellino is a junior secondary education and mathematics double major from Schwenksville. 
Kane is a junior secondary education and mathematics major from Westchester, New York.
Club: University of Scranton Student Nurses Association
Meet: Maura Schaab, senior nursing major from Hillsborough, New Jersey
Meet: Erin Hartey, senior nursing major from Milford
Helping members of the Los Angeles community feel "heard, loved and valued," fulfills one goal for Erin Burch '26 on her service journey at The University of Scranton. 
Next stop for the group — a visit to Homeboy Industries.
How long have you worked at the University? I have worked at the University since 2021. I just celebrated four years in my role.
Club: Kania Women in Business
Major: Early and primary education
Major: Occupational therapy
How long have you worked at the University? I have worked at The University of Scranton for two and a half years.
View Language Learning Center Coordinator Amy Kuiken, in a 
Club: Irish Cultural Society
Dr. Olsen, shown, explains the "pilgrimage for intellectual and personal enrichment" -- and a few bonuses -- of the course.
Ella Alvarez ’27, shown, a kinesiology major from Warwick, New York, was all-in from the first moment she learned about the trip from her roommate.
Theodore O. Krokus ’25, a history major from Scranton, said he hoped to familiarize himself with a culture and people about which he previously knew very little.
"We owe the course to 
Meet: Shown, clockwise from top left: 
I read that you are co-sponsoring a few events this month on campus.
Shown from left at the Jan. 31 Student Activities Fair are E
Bekzat Kulbayev is a visiting research scholar from al-Farabi Kazakh National University, or The Farabi University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Q: When did you join the dance team? And why? 
Gabrielle Bingener ‘25, from Barto, is a neuroscience major with minors in philosophy and biochemistry and a concentration in health humanities. She is a member of the University Honors program and the MAGIS Honors Program in STEM. Inspired by what the University has taught her about the importance of health humanities in providing compassionate healthcare, her project will focus on continuing the Health Humanities Community Series, in collaboration with the Wright Center for Community Health. This series will provide workshops to engage community members in health humanities educational workshops. While they will be open to all community members, the workshops will be aimed mostly at students in healthcare and pre-health disciplines within local colleges, as well as current medical providers. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Paul Sampson, an assistant professor in the history department.
Doujuan Jourden '25, a business analytics major with a minor in finance from the Bronx, New York, will partner with Northeast Pennsylvania Pan-African Coalition (NEPA PAC) and NuWave Studios, specifically focusing on improving their after-school program through direct involvement. His project will work on engaging with youth, with a particular emphasis on arranging community service activities, all with the aim of empowering the students served within the program. His faculty mentor is Dr. Will Cohen, a professor in the Theology/Religious Studies department.
Sarah Lyons '26, a nursing major from Moosic, will engage in student leadership within the nursing department’s Period Poverty Project. She will collaborate with the Catherine McAuley Center as the main community partner, and hopes to expand the reach of the existing project both on campus and within the wider Scranton community. Expansions that she intends on leading include an increase in period product donation drives, youth educational workshops, the creation of educational resources, and civic engagement, all with the aim of decreasing period poverty within the community and increasing health literacy. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Kelly Filchner, an assistant professor in the nursing department.
Faith Montagnino '26, from Morganville, New Jersey, is an English major with minors in philosophy and writing. She is a member of the University Honors Program, the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Faculty Student Research Program. She plans to research and review best practices to improve reading and writing instruction in order to address literacy gaps within Scranton area public schools. She intends to present her research to local public school administrators, so that it could improve student outcomes. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Madeline Ganges, an assistant professor in the English department.
Theresa Pham ‘25, from Philadelphia, is a biology and philosophy double major with a minor in biochemistry. She is a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the MAGIS Honors Program in STEM. She will partner with the United Neighborhood Center (UNC) and their English as a Second Language (ESL) program to pursue oral history research about their client’s experiences with medical providers. She aims to understand the barriers that local English-learning immigrant communities face in accessing and utilizing healthcare services and gather potential solutions to these barriers. This research would help UNC both understand and address the needs of their ESL clients. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Jinqing Lu, an assistant professor in the Education department.
How long have you worked at the University?
