Mexican poet, Manuel Iris, recently visited the Wilson MFA class to give a talk and a reading. Manuel read, in English and Spanish, from his most recent book, The Parting Present/ Lo Que Se Irá. That evening he held a bilingual reading/workshop at the Coyle Free Library.
When asked about the importance of poetry, Manuel replied "I would prefer to live in a world without engines for cars, than one without lullabies to sing to babies."
Manuel Iris was the poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-2020), had received the “Merida” National award of poetry (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of dreams, and the Rodulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry for his book The disguises of fire (Mexico, 2014). Manuel has been a presenter at the Wilson College Creative Writing Colloquium. For more information on Manuel Iris, please visit his website at manueliris.com.
James Pasaribu '22, psychology major, is one of Wilson's most active students. He is an RA, a member of the Nerd Crew, competes on the esports team, and has joined most of the college service trips.
Wilson’s road to adding an esports team began with Dean Williams asking undergraduate James Pasaribu, the vice president of the Wilson College Government Association, to research the costs and challenges of setting up an esports program. As an esports fan and player, he was an enthusiastic advocate and wrote a proposal that was accepted by the College leadership.
James shares why he feels Wilson College is the right fit for him. "At any larger university, you are only one of many, a mere statistic. At Wilson, you are treated as a person with ideas and opportunities. If you have an idea and talk to the right people, they will look you in the eye, smile, and say, "Why not?"
A career in the sports industry was always a dream for Zach Powell '21. "I recently started working as the Sports Editor at the Lock Haven Express in Pennsylvania. Wilson helped me make this possible by letting me work as a staff writer for the Billboard Newspaper, where I found my passion for sports writing."
Zach was a communications major at Wilson College while playing on the men's basketball team. It was writing for the college newspaper, "The Billboard" that sparked his interest for sports writing. Zach went on to get his Master's Degree in Sports Journalism at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. While there he worked for the Indianapolis Star, where he had the opportunity to cover such events at the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Football game and the 2022 NCAA Final Four.
Zach has now joined the Lock Haven Express as the sports editor.
Wilson College MFA Alum, Katie Pustizzi '21, has been dancing in Sardegna, Italy through the Robert M. and Brenda Ashton Aiken Scholarship. Katie particpated in a workshop with Senza Confini Di Pelle in Sardegna. She also performed a self-choreograhed solo at Rifugio Di Mare with the company. Pictured are a few moments from her week with Senza Confini Di Pelle exploring the connection between dance and landscape.
The Wilson College veterinary nursing faculty often host young students on campus who are interested in a future in animal healthcare. It is an opportunity to show them what Wilson's vet nursing program and a career in vet nursing can be like.
In June, ninth and tenth graders gave some patient bananas sutures. The students were part of a MedCamp at Penn State Mont Alto and visited Wilson College on a field trip. Their time on campus included some hands-on experience stitching up wounded but very thankful bananas. Hopefully some day they will look back on this as the first step on their journey to a fulfilling job in healthcare.
In May, students from the Veterinary Assistant program at Fulton County Center for Career and Technology visited the Wilson College Veterinary Education Center. It was a chance to ask questions about veterinary nursing, tour the facilities, and get some hands-on experience.
Two new "instructors" have joined the Wilson College nursing program. Two high-fidelity avatars have been purchased thanks to a generous $100,000 donation by WellSpan Health to the Wilson College Division of Nursing simulation lab. College Trustee Rhona S. Applebaum, Ph.D. gave an additional $50,000 to support their purchase and maintenance in the interactive lab.
The mother and newborn avatars are named Noelle and Tory. Students can take avatars Noelle and Tory’s pulses and blood pressure, perform exams, and even diagnose conditions based on programmed symptoms. And Noelle can simulate giving birth to a baby that has a heartbeat and other vital signs! The avatars join the 11 avatars already at the lab and prepare nursing students for treating real patients. Welcome to Wilson Noelle and Tory!
Have you ever seen unboxing videos on social media where people open up their new electronics etc? Here is our unboxing videos of Noelle and Tory.
Tory the high-fidelity avatar baby.
Students Marielis Lopez '23 and Terrell Samuels '23 watching Noelle be assembled.
Raina Sylvestre '24
Summer Orientation is an important event a student's journey to become a member of the Wilson College family. This year the Class of 2026 spent time on campus to get the scoop on their programs from faculty, set up their fall class schedules, learn about student support services, academic advising, and library services, all while getting to know future classmates. Their time at Wilson is off to a great start!
Getting ready for students and families to arrive on campus for summer orientation.
Kicking off a day of summer orientation.
"We are excited you are here. I look forward to getting to know you over the next few years. Welcome home. Welcome to Wilson." - President Wes
Meeting with faculty to learn what to expect in the fall for different programs.
Parents are learning too!
Staff and faculty helping create fall class schedules.
Meeting the orientation leaders at lunch.
Getting to know classmates.
After two years of virtual reunions, Wilson College alums came together for One Grand Reunion. It was the 50th class celebration for 1970, 1971 and 1972. The weekend was full of reminiscing, catching up, and creating new memories. Here are a few photos from the event.
Wilson College Students Complete Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Program
Wilson College’s popular Teacher Certification Pathways (TCP) program is helping alleviate the national teacher shortage by offering a flexible and accessible path to teaching for anyone with a bachelor’s degree or higher. This year’s class is the largest in over a decade in part because so many people reconsidered their life goals during the pandemic lockdown and decided to pursue a more fulfilling and stable career such as teaching.
TCP appeals to working professionals who want to earn their teacher certification at their own pace while continuing to work. The program offers asynchronous and online classes that are convenient and affordable and can be arranged to suit most students’ schedules. Financial help is available to those who qualify, and Pennsylvania teacher certification is accepted in most states.
Those who completed their certification are grouped by their teaching specialties.
Early Childhood Education Shania Alotta, Marah Drooger, Kyle Hoffman, Tracey Sieger, Nichole Stevenson, Richie Vickroy, Gabriela Blackburn, Katelyn Diller, Kimberly Garee, Hope Lansford, Meredith Miller, Heidi Myers, Andrea Powell, Jenny Stauffer.
Middle Level Education Kelli Banerjee, Darren Hamric, Sarah Kleinert, Sarah-Kate Kuhns, Sarah McDonald, Carolyn Steele, Ian Bosserman, Elizabeth Fels, Zachary Forney, Karen Good, Kelly Martin, Jessica Michael, Hope Newcomer, Bernadette Portmann, Ashley Victory, Cathy Wilt.
Secondary Education Allisa Baker, Kylara Carbaugh, Benjamin Smith, Ella Wood, Rebecca Abell, Rylee Bosch, Connor Chapman, Jessica Chuckalovcak, Jordan Cruise, Edward Fortman, Kathryn Hall, Jacob Harris-McIntyre, Jessica Howard (Eskesen) , Jonathan Keefer, Mary Kusmierz, Danny Lowery, Margaret Pollard, Noah Reale, Luke Reed, Daniel Stoner, Christopher Wagenseller, Timothy Wolaver.
PK-12 Education Aaron Batzel, Carrie Bonson, Summer Bucher, Bradley Cashman, Billie Cole, Nathan Edwards, Allison Fink, Melissa Harrison, Andrea Heimsoth, Ying-Fang Jeffers, Samuel Miller, Colton Shertzer, Travis Toth, Caihong Ye, Alexa Barr, Erin Bishop, Krystal Boburchock, Robert Cepin, Elisa Collado-Barber, Jared Feister, Simon Gillespie, Rachel Glatfelter, Mildred Gomez, Shawn Hallahan, Daniel Johnston, Paul Keller, Kristi Krause, Sheng-Cheih Lu, Xi Luo, Megan Minich, Jaclyn Moore, Tania Moreira, Morgan Omlor, Gina Pecher, Sandy Petrocochino, Nicholas Rosanelli, Joshua Scott, Shawna Shade, Moriah Steinberger, Kaitlyn Strohl, Verna Trainor, Braden Weachter, Tyler Welker.
Dual Certification Samantha Flaharty, Arianna Huffman, Dawn Jeter, Nicole Lewkowicz, Kathleen O’Connor, Megan Showers, Milissa Smyers, Katie Wherley, Christine Zink, Krista Gallagher, Leanne Lewis, Barbara Wesner.
On Sunday, May 15, the Wilson College Graduate Class of 2022 celebrated their graduation. The graduate speaker was Ralph J. Ursillo '22. Here are a few photos of the ceremony.
