The Northeast Times would like to congratulate the following college graduates, students who were named to their school’s dean’s list, and area residents who recently received special honors.
Olga Vitorsky was among the 257 graduates awarded a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine at the college’s 126th commencement, held June 3 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
Dr. Vitorsky is the daughter of Ivan and Halina Pashkevich, wife of Alexander Vitorsky and mother of Ava Vitorsky. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Drexel University in 2012. Dr. Vitorsky is continuing her medical training in internal medicine at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood.
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Brynn Conroy was among the nearly 1,400 undergraduates receiving bachelor’s degrees from the University of Dayton during the spring commencement ceremony.
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Jessica Coughlin was honored at Lebanon Valley College’s commencement ceremony as a Gold Community Service Award recipient, having served more than 100 hours, and having completed a multi-day residential service project. Coughlin, a graduate of Philadelphia Academy Charter School, earned a degree in English and sociology.
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Ashley Sexton (nursing) and Erin Soulsby (health science/occupational therapy) graduated from Misericordia University.
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Zahra Ahmadi, a native of Afghanistan and a member of the Arcadia University class of 2017, received a 2017–18 Fulbright U.S. Student Award from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to teach English in Azerbaijan. She is one of only four applicants selected for this award. Starting in August, Ahmadi will assist an Azerbaijani instructor teach English to students at the college and university level. “Given our current political climate, this kind of work is extremely important,” she said. “Engaging in dialogue can clear up a lot of confusion or misconceptions people may have about the U.S. English is a great tool not just academically, but personally and professionally as well, especially for younger generations eager to be more globally involved.”
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Tatiana Redden, who entered Arcadia University as a Philadelphia Futures Scholar, graduated with a degree in sociology. Philadelphia Futures is a nonprofit organization that provides Philadelphia’s first-generation-to-college students with the tools, resources and opportunities necessary for admission to and success in college. She was mentored while attending Frankford High School by Philadelphia Futures. Redden will work as a human resources assistant at Education Works, a nonprofit that provides academic support, career readiness and enrichment programming throughout Philadelphia for children 5 and older.
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Natalie Torpey, an Albright College sophomore theater major, is spending the summer tackling an Albright Creative Research Experience project. Torpey’s project is titled “The Constellation Project — Charting a Course for the Future of Acting.” She is a recipient of an Andrew W. Mellow Foundation grant for this project. She is one of 15 Albright students, from various academic disciplines, conducting ACRE projects this summer.
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Michael Sciarra, a first-year student at Drexel University studying mechanical engineering, made the dean’s list with a GPA of 3.87. ••
